Rise of the Romans
Geography of Rome
 800 B.C.: small settlement called Rome built along Tiber
River
 Rome lies near the center of the Italian Peninsula
 Region was called Latium, and people living there were
called Latins
 Language they spoke was called Latin.
Geography of Rome
• City’s hills provided natural defense from enemies
• Tiber River provided nearby port and transportation
• Rome was located on key trade routes
• Trade routes crossed the Tiber river
• Extends into Mediterranean Sea
• Mountains: Alps and Apennines
• Plenty of farming land and rivers to travel
Romulus and Remus
The Founding of Rome
Legends and Facts (P. 311)
• 1) According to legend, who founded the city of
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Rome?
2) Who were the mother and father of Rome’s
founders?
3) In two paragraphs, summarize the story of Rome’s
creation.
4) Why do you think that historians do not believe this
legend?
5) What is it that archaeologists have discovered about
Rome?
People of Italy
Who influenced the Romans?
Greeks
Etruscans
• Many Greeks had settled in the
• Most powerful people in central
Italian Peninsula
• Greek Mythology influenced
Roman mythology
– Ex. Zeus became Jupiter
• Romans also adopted Greek
legends and heroes
Italy when Rome was founded
• Lived north of Latium
• Skilled artists and builders
• Sailed around Mediterranean
• Learned from Greeks and
Phoenicians
Roman Society (P.322)
 1) Define: patriarchal society
 2) What could be some of the disadvantages of having a
patriarchal society?
 3) Define: paterfamilias
 4) What kind of power did paterfamilias have?
Roman Society – Women (P.322)
Women in Rome
Women in Greece
Life in Rome
Rich and Poor (P.323)
Wealthy Romans
Poor Romans
Life in Rome
Slaves (P. 324)
 What was life like for slaves in Rome? Provide detailed
answers.
 What was a famous example of slaves fighting back?
Early Roman Republic
A Look at the
Roman Government
Patricians
• Wealthy
Landowners
•Have a say in
government
•Held military and
religious positions
Plebeians
•Lower Class
(workers)
•95% of people
•No say in
government
•Served in the army
Forms of Government in the World
Monarchy
rule by one person (king or queen)
Democracy
rule by the people
Oligarchy
rule by an elite few
(aristocracy)
one person absolute rule
Dictatorship
What are the pros and cons of each of these forms of
government?
Roman Government
Before the Republic
 Rome began as an independent city-state led by monarchs
 Kings (monarchs) ruled with much power
 Leader of army
 Main Priest
 Supreme Judge
 Monarchs built first buildings in the Forum
 Kings ruled with consent from wealthy aristocrats.
 Senate (“Old Man”): Older, wealthy men who advised the
king in important matters.
 Opinion: Why do you think that Roman kings needed the
approval from wealthy Roman aristocrats?
Tarquin the Proud
The Last of the Roman Kings

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

7th and final king of Rome

Etruscan Origin

Mistreatment of his people led to
rebellion by Brutus and aristocrats.

After him, Rome became a republic
 Citizens have the right to vote and
elect officials

Do you think that people in the United
States would allow for a king to rule
them? Why or why not?
The Roman Republic
 Romans chose a complex government, which included:
 Roman Constitution
 System of laws by which a government is organized
 Rule of law
 Law Applied to everyone
 written laws to protect themselves and their liberty
 12 Tables
 Mixed government combined strengths of all forms of
governments
Roman Republic Also Included
 Three branches
 Assemblies, Senate, and Magistrate
 Separation of powers
 no one group has all the power
 Each branch had different responsibilities and powers
 One branch could stop (check) another branch from misusing
power
 Limited Power for Officials in Government
 Two consuls instead of a top leader
 Each consul could cancel the action of the other (veto power)
 Government officials were chosen for one year
 Why was a veto power necessary for Roman consuls?
The Roman Republic
The System of Checks and Balances
Monarchical
Aristocratic
Democratic
Magistrates
2 Consuls +
(elected officials)
Senate
Assemblies
Directed government and army Controlled state budget
Acted as judges
Could pass laws
Acted as chief priest
Advised Consuls
Powerful Part of Government
Approved/rejected laws
Decided on War
Could veto actions of
magistrate
Open to Plebeians
Basis of power:
need for leadership
Basis of power:
members were richest men in
Rome.
Basis of power:
provided most of the soldiers
Limits on power:
one year term
each could veto
Limits on power:
could not control army
Limits on power:
Could not suggest laws
Assemblies
 Democratic part of government
 All adult males could participate
 Elected officials and passed laws
 Had power because it was composed by most Roman
citizens, who were the soldiers at the time.
Senate
“old men”
1. 300 men
2. Chosen for life
3. Advise Consul
4. Deal with other countries
5. Proposes laws
6. Approve public works
7. Deal with daily government
problems
The Magistrate
The Race of Honors: How to Become a Consul
Lower Offices of Magistrates
Quaestor
 Elected by popular vote
(patricians and plebeians)
 Financial officer
 Kept track of the state’s
money
Aedile
 If a quaestor did well, he
could seek election as an
aedile
 Duties:
 Public buildings
 Public Games
Offices of the Magistrate
Tribune of the Plebs
 Defend lives & property of
plebeians
 Gathered plebeians to
Assembly
 Could veto laws
 10 elected annually
Praetors
 8 elected annually
 Judicial duties
 Gathered Senate
 Supervise defense of Rome
 Govern province after term
Consuls
1. Top government officials
2. Two chosen every year
3. Headed the army and ran the
government
4. Served for a short term, avoiding risk of
abusing power
5. Veto Power
• The right of the consul to reject the
other’s decision. Latin for “I forbid”
Occasional Magistrates
 Dictator
 Named by the Senate in times of emergency
 Served only for 6 months but had complete power
 Why do you think that during times of emergency (ex. War)
Romans would want to give power to only one man?
How the Republic Works
Division of Power
Dictator
.
Consuls
Senate
Assembly
Growth and Crisis in the Roman
Republic
Struggle with Carthage
 Punic Wars
 Conflict between Rome and Carthage for control over the
Mediterranean Sea
 Carthage was a city in North Africa
 Carthage’s most successful general was Hannibal. He defeated
Rome in several occasions, but was finally defeated by Rome.
 Rome attacked Carthage and other Greek city-states.
 Rome defeated Carthage & obtained control over North Africa
 Governors were sent to control new territories
Crisis in the Republic
 Corruption in the Government
 Wealthy officials broke rules
 Magistrates stole from people
 Used violence to win elections and were
disliked by poor people
 The republic was not working in favor of the
people
Crisis in the Republic
 Economic Struggle
 Gap between rich and poor widens as
Roman Republic grows.
 Farmers lost their homes and moved to an
overcrowded city.
 Politicians gave grain to the people, but the
people wanted land and jobs.
 Tiberius Gracchus and his brother Gaius
tried to help the poor, but were murdered.
Crisis in the Republic
 The Power of the Army
 Military became less disciplined and disloyal.
 Only citizens who could afford it worked in
the army.
 Consul Gaius Marius provided equipment
and paid poor people to join army
 Soldiers recruited from the poor; showed
loyalty to their generals.
From Republic to Empire
 Civil War in Rome
 War between two groups in the same nation
 Army Commanders vs. the rest of Government
 Julius Ceasar marched his army into Rome and defeated his
rivals (Senate and Pompey)
 Julius Ceasar took control of Rome and declared himself
dictator for life
 Helped the poor and the army, which angered the upper classes
 It was the end of the Republic.
 Senators wanted to keep Republic the way it was.
 Group of Senators killed Caesar on a day called Ides of March,
or March 15, 44 B.C.
The Republic Collapses
 Beginning of the Empire
 Caesar’s supporters take control
 Caesar made Octavian his heir.
 Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s forces are defeated
by Octavian
 Octavian accepts title of Augustus, “greatly
honored one,” and rules Rome.
 He becomes first emperor of Rome.
Augustus
 Rome’s 1st emperor
 Held total power over the empire
 Augustus, Rome’s ablest ruler,
creates lasting system of
government
 Increased soldier’s pay.
 Improved life for ordinary people
 Fought corruption in government
 Deified after death: declared a god
and worshipped
Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
 Under Augustus, Rome
moves from a republic to
an empire.
 Power no longer resides
with citizens, but in a
single ruler.
 Rome enjoys 200 years of
peace and prosperity
known as Pax Romana
 Around 65 million people
are able to enjoy a time
without major wars.
Rome's Achievements
 Roman Roads
 Paved roads connected the
cities and forts of the
Roman Empire
 Soldiers could march from
city to city defend them
 Government was made
more efficient and
communication was faster.
 Architecture and Aqueducts
 Concrete was used to build
structures because it was
lighter and easier to use
 Pantheon is an example of
these structures
 Built aqueducts to carry
clean water to the cities
 Public Baths
 Sewers carried waste away
from cities.
Roman Economy
 Romans built a navy and took down pirates in Mediterranean
Sea
 Trade was cheaper by sea
 Farming was the base of the Roman economy
 Grain was shipped to Rome to feed its enormous population
 In exchange for grain, farmers in provinces received money
Popular Entertainment
 Entertainment on massive
scale
 Gladiators
 Chariot Races
 At the Circus Maximus
 Men who fought each other for
public entertainment
 Fights were held in arenas such
as the Colosseum
 Gladiators were usually slave or
criminals
 Some won their freedom and
became celebrities
 Race course for more than
250,000 people
 Horses pulled charioteers
The Arts
 Mosaics were a design
formed with small tiles of
glass, stone or pottery
 Public building had colorful
painted murals
 Statues of gods, heroes and
important people
The Influence of Latin
 Latin was the spoken
language of the empire
 Romance languages are the
ones developed from Latin
 Spanish, Italian, French
 Latin is still used today by
the Catholic Church
Literature
 Oratory
 The art of giving speeches
 Most famous was Cicero
 Taught to politicians
 Poetry
 Virgil, Horace, Ovid
 Satire
 Works of literature that
made fun of subjects
 Juvenal mocked Roman
life.
Pompeii
 A.D. 79
 City of Pompeii was
destroyed by volcano
Vesuvius
 Ash preserved many of the
buildings