The Beginnings of Rome
According to legend, Rome was
founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and
Remus.
 Rome had fertile soil.
 Was located on the Italian Peninsula.
 Near, but not on the sea.
 Tiber River

Map of Italy
Romulus and Remus
The First Italian Settlers
 Earliest settlers arrives between 1000
B.C. and 500 B.C.
 Latins settled on both sides of the
Tiber River. Were the first Romans.
 Greeks settled in the southern Italy and
Sicily. Established fifty colonies.
 Etruscans were native to northern Italy.
Influence Rome's development.
Early Republic
 Etruscan kings initially controlled
Rome.
 Roman aristocrats overthrow the
last king and swore they would
never again be ruled by a king.
 Romans establish a republicPower rest with the people who
vote to select their leader.
Tarquin the Proud
People of the Republic
 Different groups of Romans struggle
for power.
 Patricians- Aristocratic landowners
who held most of the power. Inherit
power.
 Plebeians- Farmers, artisans, and
merchants. The majority. Right to vote,
but could not hold important
government post.
Government of the Republic
 Tribunes protect rights of the majority.
 Twelve Tables – Written law.
 Consuls – Executives who served one
year. Could be elected again for ten
years.
 Senate – Legislative branch with 300
members. Serve for life. Aristocratic.
 Dictator – Absolute ruler. Served in
Roman Army
 All citizens who owned land were
required to serve.
 Ten years military service.
 Soldiers organized into military units
called legions.
 5,000 soldiers (infantry) and soldiers
on horseback (cavalry).
 Legions divided into smaller groups of
Roman legion and Century
Rome Conquers Italy
Gauls sack Rome in 390 B.C., but
Rome quickly rebuilds.
 Defeat the Etruscans in the north and
the Greeks city-states to the south.
 Different laws and treatment for
different parts of their territories.
 Citizenship and allies.
 Po Valley not conquered.

Punic Wars
 War for control of the Mediterranean
between Rome and Carthage.
 Consisted of three wars from from
264- 146 B.C.
 Rome wins first Punic War and gains
control of Sicily.
 Hannibal leads his army over the Alps
in a surprise attack during the second
Punic War. Cannae
Hannibal's March to Cannae
Punic War Concluded
 Scipio attacks Carthage to force
Hannibal to return and defend his
native city. Zama.
 Rome wins second Punic War.
 Rome wins the third Punic War.
 Carthage is destroyed. 50,000
enslaved.
 Rome gains control of the
Scipio Africanus
Cato
Expansion Creates Problems
Gap between rich and poor widens.
 Slaves made up one-third of the
population and worked on huge estates
called latifunda.
 Returning soldiers sold land to wealthy
landowners.
 Landless and unskilled workers found
few jobs.

Republic Collapses
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus attempt
to help Rome's poor and are met with
violent deaths.
 Civil war follows their deaths.
 Generals began to recruit soldiers from
the landless poor and promise them
land.
 Strong politician can rule.

Tiberius and Gaius Graccus
Julius Caesar Takes Control
 Forms a triumvirate with Crassus and
Pompey.
 Caesar was a great leader and a genius
at military strategy.
 Served as council for one year.
 Governor of Gaul (France).
Conquerors Greece, Asia, Spain,
Egypt, and the Rubicon River in Italy.
Gaius Marius
Cornelius Sulla
Caesar's Reforms as Absolute Ruler
 Senate appoints his dictator and in 44
B.C., he was named dictator for life.
 Popular among the people.
 New building projects created jobs for
the poor.
 Started colonies so the landless could
own land.
 Increase pay for soldiers.
 Roman citizenship to provinces.
Death of Caesar led by Marcus Brutus
and Gaius Cassius
Beginnings of an Empire
 After Caesar death, civil war broke out
again and destroyed the Roman
Republic.
 Caesar's grand nephew and adopted
son, Octavian, forms a Second
Triumvirate.
 Lepidus and Mark Antony made up
this triumvirate, but it would end
badly.
Cicero
Octavian Takes Over
 Octavian forces Lepidus to retire.
 He and Mark Antony become rivals.
 Felt that Antony was going to control
Rome from Egypt with the help of
Queen Cleopatra.
 Defeats Antony and Cleopatra in the
naval battle at Actium in 31 B.C.
 Octavian becomes unchallenged ruler.
Changes his name to Augustus.
Queen Cleopatra of Egypt
Roman Peace/ Pax Romana
Roman Empire covered three million
square miles and had a population of
sixty to eighty million. One million in
Rome alone.
 Vast trade network. By sea and land.
 Most people farmed.
 Common currency- Denary.
 Strong navy.

Roman Government During the Pax
Romana
Senate continued to meet.
 Augustus stabilized the frontier and
glorified Rome with splendid public
buildings. Soldiers from provinces
could become Roman citizens.
 Civil service,paid workers for the
government, collected taxes taxes,
grain supply, and postal system.

Emperors
 Had no written law for selecting a
ruler.
 Civil War was always possible.
 Some were able, like Trajan and
Hadrian, were able. Others, like Nero
and Caligula, were not.
 Civil service was stable.
 Marcus Aurelius was the last able
ruler.
Men and Woman in Roman Society
 Strength, discipline, and loyalty
(gravitas) were valued.
 Eldest male in the family,
paterfamilias, ruled the household and
made all the decisions.
 Roman woman could own property
and testify in court. Could not vote.
 Woman were to remain in the
Children in Roman Society
 Boys were favored over girls.
 Girls received feminine form of
father's name.
 Noble males were educated.
 Females were educated on how to take
care of the house.
 Females married at ages twelve-fifteen.
Married much older men.
Slaves
One-third of the population.
 Slaves were conquered people.
 Children born to slaves became slaves.
 Slaves were considered as property to
their owners.
 Did all sorts of work.
 Some became professional fighters or
gladiators.

Gods and Goddess
 The earliest Romans worshipped
powerful spirits that they thought
resided in everything around them
(numina). Lares.
 After contact with the Etrusican and
Greeks, believe gods and goddesses
had human like forms and
personalities.
 Government and religion are linked.
Jupiter
Juno
Roman Entertainment
 The rich gave banquets that lasted for
many hours and included expensive
and rare food.
 Most of the people were unemployed,
but were supported by the government.
 As a distraction, the government
provided games, races, mock, battle
and gladiator contest.
Colosseum
Jews Under Roman Rule
Rome wanted to Romanize Jerusalem.
 Jews revolted against Roman
influence, but it became a province
A.D. Six.
 Religious and local matters were
handled by the Jewish court
(Sanhedrin).
 Jews were divided between two

Herod
Life and Teaching of Jesus
 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea
and raised in the village of Nazareth in
Palestine.
 Was a carpenter.
 Began public ministry at age thirty,
which contained many Jewish
traditions.
 Main source of information about
Jesus comes from the Gospels.
Jesus Baptism
Apostles
Jesus Death
Jesus fame grew as he preached from
town to town.
 Popularity worried Romans and Jews.
 The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate,
arrested Jesus and had him crucified.
 According to the Gospels, Jesus rose
from the dead three days after he died.

Christianity Spreads
Led by the first Apostle, Peter, they
spread the teachings of Jesus.
 Paul, Saul, was a Jew who spreads the
teachings of Jesus and writes
influential letters called the Epistles.
 Pax Romana allows the religion to
spread throughout the empire thanks to
good roads and a common language.

Paul
Jewish Rebellion
The Jews rebelled two separate times
against the Romans A.D.66 and A.D.
132.
 Almost one million Jews would die.
 Most Jews are driven from their
homeland.
 Diaspora – Dispersal of the Jewish
people.

Christians Persecuted
Christians refused to worship the
Roman gods and goddesses.
 Were seen as scapegoats and were
executed and imprisoned because of
their beliefs.
 Many Christians, however, were seen
as martyrs or people who sacrificed
their lives for a belief in a cause.

Christianity and the Church
Christianity was popular because of the
following: Embraced all people, gave
hope to the powerless, offered a
personal relationship with a loving
God, promised eternal life after death.
 Bishop, also priest supervised local
churches.
 Pope was head of the church in Rome.

Constantine and Christianity
 Credits God with his victory at Milvian
Bridge.
 Saw a vision.
 Edict of Milian- Ends persecution of
Christian.
 Theodosius make Christianity the
empire's official religion.
 Nicene Creed defines church beliefs.
Prevents heresy.
Constantine
Theodosius
Fathers of the Church
Several early writers who were
influential in defining the Church
teachings have been called Fathers of
the Church.
 Saint Augustus wrote City of God.
 City of God is more important than
any earthly city because it could not be
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