Vocabulary
















republic: system of government in which officials are chosen by the
people.
patriancian: member of the landholding upper class in ancient Rome.
consul: official from the patriacian class who supervised the government
and commanded the army.
dictator: a ruler appointed for six months in time of emergency.
plebian: member of the lower class in Rome,
including farmers, merchants, artisans and traders.
tribune: official in ancient Rome who was elected by the plebeians to
protect their interests.
veto: power to block a government action.
legion: basic unit of the ancient Roman army, made up of about 5,000
soldiers.
aqueduct: bridge-like stone structure that carried water from hills into
the cities.
messiah: savior sent by God.
sect: small religious group.
martyr: person who suffers or dies for his or her beliefs.
bishop: head of a diocese.
pope: head of the Roman Catholic Church
heresy: religious belief that is contrary to the church's beliefs.
mercenary: solider serving in foreign army for pay.
Rome : The two theories



There are two theories of how the Great Roman
history began:
One theory is that after the Trojan war a Greek
Prince Aeneas looked for a new place to go and
ended up in Rome and became friends with the
Estruscans who had lived there (in Italy).
The second was the story of Romulus and Remus
the sons of Mars. They were protected by wolves
and then a farmer took them home and raised
them. They became very powerful people in
society and were constantly fighting. During one
brawl Romulus killed Remus and became the first
ruler of Rome.
 In 800 b.c. the Latins settled along the Tiber River in
small villages in the 7 low-lying hills.
 Herded and farmed.
 Etruscans in the north of Rome had the biggest
influence
 They learned the alphabet from the Etruscans
 Etruscan gods and goddesses mixed with Roman
deities.
 Romans took over the Etruscans in 509 B.C.
 And had grown into a city.
Government













Set up a new form of government.
Officials were elected by the people called a Republic.
This new form of government prevented people from gaining too much power.
Between 509 B.C. – 133 B.C. adapted their government. to meet changing needs, such as a
stronger military.
The most powerful body was the senate.
Senators served for life.
They issued decrees
Interpreted the laws
Elected two consuls
300 members of patricians or landholding upper-class.
Counsels
supervised the government
Commanded the armies
they were partitioned
they only served one term
Systems of checks on the power of the government
During war the senate elected the senate a dictator
• Plebeians (farmers, artisans, traders) controlled most
of the population.
• their first break through was in 450 B.C
• They protested that they didn’t know the laws because
they weren’t written down.
• The government then had the laws written down on 12
tablets and placed in a market place in the center of
Rome.
• This eventually led to them being able to appeal as well
as the right to elect their own officials.
• Their officials were called tribunes- they vetoed laws
that were harmful to the plebeians.
• Eventually the Plebeians could join the senate.
Expansion in Italy











By 270 B.C. occupied all of Italy
They had become skillful diplomats
Had a skill and well organized army
Soldiers weren’t paid and had to supply their own weapons
A legion was a basic unit of the army and had 5,000 men
Roman commanders mixed rewards with harsh punishments.
They treated their defected enemies with justice
They acknowledge roman leaders
Paid taxes
Supplied soldiers
And could keep their own customs, money, and local
government.
The Punic wars 264 B.C. – 146 B.C.

1st War:

2nd War:
-
Rome defeated Carthage
Forcinjg it to surreder
Silcily, Sardenia, &
Corsica
Gained much control of
medittereanean
Battled in water
At first there was no
navy and then they
built up a great one.
-
23 years later.
Hannibal was the Carthaginian general.The son of
Hemilcar Barca, a former Carthinagin genreal
He sought revenge
218 he set out from Spain with war elephants
Eh tried to sneak up on Rman from ther North
Across the mountains throguh France & italy.
The won batlle after battle for 15 days
Romans attacked Carthage and then Hannibal’s army
had to go back home to defend.
Rome wins and now contorls the reast of the west.
-
-
-
• 3rd War :
-Romans sent troops to Carthage.
-Destroyed Carthagnian cities and then spread salt.
-The Roman General Scippio Africanas was the Roman General
who attacked Carthage. Africa is named after him.



-
-
In control of busy trade routes
Riches flooded Rome
Social and Economic conquests
New class of wealthy Romans
emerged
Wealthy families built mansions
and imported luxuries
Farmers fell into debt and had to
sell their land
Unemployment rate increased and
created a large gap between the
rich and the poor
Increase in corruption
Self interest replaced hard work,
simplicity and devotion






Tiberus and Graius
attempted reform.
In 133 B.C Tiberius was
elected a trinbune.
10 years later Graius was
elected a tribune.
They called on senate and
supported public funds for
grain for the poor.
There was an extension of
full citizenship.
The brothers as well as
thousands of others were
killed by senators and hered
thugs.














Over the next hundred years there
were a series of civil wars.
There was a struggle of power
between the senate and the popular
political leaders.
Warfare changed old legions of
solider into highly professional
soldiers.
Julius Caesar an able commander
dominated Roman politics with
Pompeii.
59 B.C Caesar set out and after 9
years brought Gaul under Roman
control.
Senate ordered him to disband his
army.
Caesar defied this order.
He conquered saying “Veni Vidi Vici”
and forced senate to make him
dictator.
48 B.C. – 44 B.C.
Made reforms such as public works
Reorganized Roman provinces
The most lasting reform was the
Julian calendar.
They feared he would name himself
king.
They plotted against him and he was
killed on the Ides of March.
 Marc Anthony & Octavian joined forces to hunt
down ceasers murderers.
 In 31 B.C Octavian defeated marc Anthony and his
ally queen Cleopatra of Egypt.
 The seanate declaired Octavian Augugstus or
exultd one.
 He ha absolut power named his sucsessor he
ruled from 31 B.C. to 14 A.D.
 The public came to an end under his rule.
Imperial Rome
 Rome recovered from civil wars.
 Had efficant civil service with inforcing laws.
 High level jobs were offered to men with talent


regartless with class.
Economic reforms included
fair tax system
Ordered a sensis
Postal service
Gave people jobs building roads and Aquaduts
and farming
Augustus government worked well for two
hundred years, but the death of an Emperer led
to increasing violence
Good & Evil Emperors
Evil
Caligula (Little Boots)
Was insane and evil. He
named his horse head
consul.
Nero
He persecuted Christians
because he blamed them
for setting the fire that
destroyed much of Rome.
Good
Hadrian
- Codified Roman law
- Build a wall across Britain
to hold back attackers it
bordered Britain and
Scotland.
Marcus Aurelius
- Red philosophy on
military companions.
- Committed to his duty
Pax Romana
Two hundred years from the rein of
Augustus to Marcus Aurelius.
 Brought peace prosperity to Roman
Empire.
 Egypt supplied grain Africa supplied gold,
ivory, and wild animals, the silk road
brought exotic goods from China.
 People also spread the ideas and
knowledge.

Roman Achievement
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Greco Roman Civilization
Absorbed Greek Culture
Greek Art
Literature
Philosophy
Science
Blend of Greek, Hallenistic &
Roman Traditions
Art
Improved greek Statues
Roman sculptures adapted
Greek styles
Architecture
Used Greek columns
Emphasized grandeur
Improved arches & domes
Engineering
Made an Aqueduct
• Literature, Philosophy & History
• Many Roman spoke Greek
• Used location to create literature
• Poetry
• Aeneid wrote an epic poem (virgil)
• Orid Linked Rome to create by
retelling tales
• Historians
• Liby tried to arouse fellings &
restore traditions, reconted tales of
great heros
• Tacitus wrote bitterly about Agustus
& his succesors, he felt the
destroyed Roman Liberty

by 63b.c Rome conquered
Palestine and most of the Jews.

Romans tolerated Jews.

Jews had 1 God.

Jews absorbed Greek customs

Jews rules were strict

Zealots, or other Jews, had a
different motive than the Jewish
priests. They wanted to break
away

They called on Jews to revolt
against Rome and reestablish a
independent Israel

Jesus, the messiah would appear
to lead the Jews to freedom

Roman forces crushed rebels,
captured Jerusalem and
destroyed the Jewish temple.

drove Jews out of their homeland
and forbade them to return.

This scattering of Jews was
known as dispora.

Jews did survive in scattered
communities around the
Mediterranean.

Many Jews wanted to rebuild an
independent Jewish state in
Palestine.
Founder of Christianity
Most of what we know of him is from the
gospel accounts.
born 4b.c in Bethlehem to a family of
decedents of King David.
the angel Gabriel came to his mother one
night and said "she will bear child and he will
be called son of most high, God“
growing up he was a regular Jewish boy.
worked as a carpenter with his father Joseph
performed miracles and preached the word of
God.
many people came to see him speak.
he preached strict obedience to the law of
Moses and defended the teachings of Jewish
prophets.
His main thing he preached about was love
your enemies.
Some welcomed him and loved his teaching
others called him a dangerous trouble maker.
betrayed by one of his apostles and
condemned to death by the Jews. They said
he committed blasphemy.
He had death on the cross. He carried his
cross and was nailed to it.
a mockery was made of his death. On the top
of his cross the letters INRI were inscribed
which means "King of the Jews."

Spread of Christianity
Christianity remained a sect w/in Judaism.
work of Paul.
Paul a Jew from Asia Minor began wide spread of a new
religion.
He a a vision a Jesus spoke to him. He said that he must go
out and spread the word of God.
he would spread the word everywhere even to non-Jews
called Gentiles.
Paul emphasized the idea that Jesus sacrificed his life for
our sake and out of love for all people.
He said that if you followed the word of God you will
achieve salvation or eternal life.

Persecution
Roman didn't like Christianity. Roman officials saw
Christians as disloyal to Rome because they refused to
make sacrifices the emperor or to the Roman Gods.
Many people accused them of evil practices for hiding their
meetings.
Persecution grew at a rapid pace during the Roman empire.
Many Christians became martyrs. Paul was also killed
during the reign of Nero.

Survival of Christianity
Christianity continued to grow stronger.
Jesus welcomed all people and many people found comfort
in his message .
Christians added many ideas from great philosophers.
Even through all the persecution many people converted.

Role of women
Women were just important as men were.
They too preached the word of God and looked for
converts.
Christians finally began to organize and they
formed a church.
Communities had their own priest and the
priest were followers of bishops.
A bishop was responsible for all Christians in
their diocese.
Many great bishops moved up to archbishop
who would direct the other bishops in his
area.
Only men were allowed to join the Christian
clergy.
Many of the bishops were being very
competitive because the wanted to move up.
Finally the decisions to have the bishop of
Rome become the pope was made.
He was the head of the R.C.C
As the church accepted moor e and more
people it made many new rules.
A council of Christians met to decide the
official Teachings of the Christian faith.
They accepted the New Testaments which
was 27 books about the life of Jesus, sent
out missionaries to spread the word and try
to get people to convert and they also fought
off heresy.
Christian persecution ended in ad 313.
Ryman power began to fade as the Christina
religion rose but the empire was still strong.
• The pax roman ended in 180.
• The roman empire was in a
time of disaster for about 100
years.
•
Many generals were
overthrown in the matter of
months.
• Many farmers left their farms
and went to seek protection
from wealthy landowners.
• Many farmers made their own
plots on the land of the
wealthy.
• They were almost like serfs
because they weren't allowed
to leave the land without
permission.
Diocletian and Constantine each set up strong
one-man rule during their times as leader. They
both
initiated many reforms.
Diocletian:
•
Strived to restore order.
•
He divided the empire into two parts.
•
Appointed a co-emperor to take care of the
western, or poorer part, and the co-emperor
had to obey his commands.
•
Surrounded himself with extravagant
ceremonies to show off.
•
He also took steps to end economic decay.
Such as fixing prices at set rates so they
don’t rise as much and making farmers stay
on their farms at all times.
•
These rules were made to modify the supply
of food and other goods.
Constantine:
•
Gained the throne in 312.
•
Continued many of Diocletian's reforms.
•
He granted toleration to the Christians and
he encouraged the growth of Christianity.
•
He built a new capital in the east because it
was richer than the west.
•
The capital was Constantinople.
This made the eastern Roman empire do
better than the western Roman empire
As rome grew weaker more invaders tried to
conquer it.
Their were 2 main ivaders the Visogoths and the
Huns.
The Visogoths:
• Germanic barbarians
• They sought safety by entering the empire.
• The Visogoths attacked Rome.
• Rmoe suffered a bad defeat.
• General Alerac overran Italy and plundered Rome.
• When troops from all over the Empire came to Rome, the borders were left
unguarded, and more Germanic tribes came in.
The Huns
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Led by Attila
Embarked on a fatal hunt across Europe.
Christians called Attila the “scourge of God”
The Christians believed Attila was sent as a
punishment for our sins.
When Attila died the Huns grew weaker but still
conquered more land.
Odoacer, another Germanic leader, finished off
the Roman empire.
After his attack the Roman empire was much to
weak to go on.
• Military causes:
Germanic invasions.
Roman legions lacked discipline and training of earlier roman armies.
Mercenaries didn't have enough skill in war to beat the invaders.
• Political causes:
government lost support of the people.
Many officials became corrupt.
The division of the empire at a time of crisis.
• Economy cause:
heavier taxes and inflation.
the wealth of the empire decreased rapidly.
people became to reliant on slaves.
Problems with foreigners.
population decreased because of war.
• Social cause:
the upper class devoted itself to luxury and became selfish
providing "bread and circuses" may have undermined the self reliance of masses.






The Roman empire didn’t fall in a day.
An emperor still ruled the eastern roman empire
which was made the Byzantine Empire.
The fall was actually a very slow process
Over the next few centuries Germans customs
and ideas replaced Roman ways.
Cities crumbled and were not restored.
Roman civilization gave a jumpstart on another
big time in history… The Renaissance.