As Rome was founded in an act of bloodshed,
so the shedding of blood would become part
of the Roman legacy
Benito Mussolini
“the instinct for war is in human nature…”

“War alone brings up to their highest tension
all human energies and puts the stamp of
nobility upon the peoples who have the
courage to meet it. All other trials are
substitutes which never really put a man in
front of himself in the alternative of life and
death.”
Student activity
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While we progress through the power point over
several lessons, students are to record information in
the appropriate column on your worksheet that
supports and refutes the idea that the History of
Rome was essentially violent.
After the conclusion of the power point students in
groups must develop a structured exposition with
supporting evidence.
Approximately 500 words.
These group responses will then be word processed
in the computer lab.
Hollywood and Myth building?

http://vodpod.com/watch/4295990-bbc-ancient-romethe-rise-and-fall-of-an-empire-1of6-caesar
Watch the following slides to assess whether the violence seen in war,
politics and society dominated the History of Rome
The Birth of Rome
According to a Roman story a
princess name Rhea Sylvia had
2 twin boys by Mars, the god of
war. A jealous uncle who had
stolen the throne from her father
ordered her twins to be drowned
in the river.
But a servant took
pity on the boys, put
them in a basket
and let them float
down the river.
Hopefully someone
would find and care
for them.
Down the river they floated until they
came to rest at the foot of a hill. There
a wolf found the crying orphans and
cared for them.
Later, a shepherd found the children and
killed the wolf to save the babies. He
took the twin boys home to raise as
his own. He named them
Romulus and Remus.
At dawn , Remus saw six vultures
flying overhead. However, as the
sun rose higher in the sky,
Romulus saw 12 vultures.
The brothers quarreled and began
fighting over the meaning of the
vultures in the sky, and in a rage,
Romulus killed Remus
BIRTH OF A CITY

Romulus then began to build his city on the spot he had
chosen-the hill where the tiny basket containing the two
babies had come to rest years before. He named his
new city after himself-Rome.
The story of Romulus and Remus is a legend and
much of the early history of Rome is unknown to us .
Though they are not historically accurate, legends are
useful. They tell us what qualities people admired and
the values they wished to pass on to future generations.
The historical version
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Latins settle on Palatine, a fertile area with pleasant
climate, around 1200 B.C.
Etruscans (“people of the sea”) of Etruria ruled
Rome (Latins) for 200 years
Romans overthrew Etruscan leaders and set up a
Republic in 509 B.C
BRONZE AGE TO IRON AGE
SETTLEMENT
SENATUS POPULESQUE
ROMANUS
THE SENATE AND THE PEOPLE OF ROME
In 60 BC 99% of the Empire’s
wealthy was in the hands of
1% of its population.
The race for this wealth was
steadily overriding all other
political and social concerns.
Because, however, History
tends to be written by the
victors we rarely hear about
the lives of these poor but only
of the rich.
THE RISE OF ARMIES
AND THEIR GENERALS
MARIUS, SULLA,POMPEY,
CRASSUS, CAESAR, MARK
ANTONY, AUGUSTUIS
AMICITAE AND IMICITAE
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
Growth of empire through war;
Punic Wars, Gallic Wars, Civil
Wars
The roman army

The Ancient Roman Centurion was a professional officer of the Roman Army.
Centurions took their title from the fact that they commanded a century. The
centurion in the infantry is chosen for his size, strength and dexterity in
throwing his missile weapons and for his skill in the use of his sword and shield.
The very best centurions were then promoted to become centurions in the First
Cohort, called Primi Ordines. He is to be vigilant, temperate, active and readier
to execute the orders he receives than to talk; Strict in exercising and keeping
up proper discipline among his soldiers, in obliging them to appear clean and
well-dressed. The Roman Centurion was distinguished by his uniform: his
military armor was silvered, his helmet was polished steel and dressed with
plume, he wore his sword on his left side rather than his right, he wore greaves
on his legs, and the crest of his helmet was distinctively turned perpendicular to
the front.
Roman Marches
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One days march; 15-20 miles. Overrall length of column 22.5 miles
Average speed; 3 miles per hour
Total army makeup- based on a six legion army;
Legionary troops;30,000
Ancillary troops;3,500
Gallic Cavalry Wing;4,000
Roman cavalry;720
Setvants;6,500
Horses;4,720
Total mules;10,000
Legion Staff- ancillary troops,clerks,technicians,specialists,reserve
tentage,cavalry equipment,field hospital,medical staff, veterinary staff,
engineering stores, workshops.
Caesar maintained that at any one time there were between 300-500 sick
Food ; Daily requirement 3lbs per day per man. Each man carried 10 days
ration
Artillary included, siege engines, Ballistae, Caterpults and Onagers
Impact of empire
1
The empire expands
.
2
Wealth and Slaves
flood into Rome
5
The unemployed mob cause
increased corruption
& military commanders
3
become too influential as the army
Senators buy up vast properties
becomes dependent on
4
the spoils of war
Smallholders move
to Rome to try
and find work
ROMAN ACCULTURATION

As Rome spread by military conquest it controlled
regions politically but favoured a more embracing
attitude to culture. Romans admired Greek architecture,
art and religion and was tolerant of foreign religions.
Small cult followings grew up within the Empire for
example the Cult of Isis, which many favoured because
of its positive views of afterlife
In the deep dark forest of
Roman politics…….!!!!!!!!!
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132 . Sempronius Gracchus
Mob Violence-Killed along with hundreds of supporters in factional violence following radical
legislation attempts during the election process for the year 132
A. Nonius Candidate for Tr. Pl. 100
Murder-Murdered by political opponents, Pr. C. Servilius Glaucia and L. Appuleius Saturninus
100C. Memmius
Mob Violence-Murdered by supporters of Saturninus, an opponent for office of tribune in 99
99P. Furius
Mob Violence-Killed (torn apart) in mob violence for opposing the recall of Metellus Numidicus
81Q. Aurelius
Execution-1 of 600 otherwise unnamed (according to Plutarch) proscribed and killed by order of
Sulla.
52 P. Clodius Pulcher
Mob Violence-Murdered by his street gang rival T. Annius Milo or his partisans
44 C. Iulius Caesar
Murder-Assassinated by members of the senate for aspirations to monarchy
DECLINE OF THE SENATE AND
RULE BY AN EMPEROR
Rinse the blood off my toga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FvgP5hO99o


The Senate rose in respect for his position when they saw him entering. Those who were to
have part in the plot stood near him. Right next to him went Tillius Cimber, whose brother
had been exiled by Caesar. Under pretext of a humble request on behalf of this brother,
Cimber approached and grasped the mantle of his toga, seeming to want to make a more
positive move with his hands upon Caesar. Caesar wanted to get up and use his hands, but
was prevented by Cimber and became exceedingly annoyed. That was the moment for the
men to set to work. All quickly unsheathed their daggers and rushed at him. First Servilius
Casca struck him with the point of the blade on the left shoulder a little above the collarbone. He had been aiming for that, but in the excitement he missed. Caesar rose to defend
himself, and in the uproar Casca shouted out in Greek to his brother. The latter heard him
and drove his sword into the ribs. After a moment, Cassius made a slash at his face, and
Decimus Brutus pierced him in the side. While Cassius Longinus was trying to give him
another blow he missed and struck Marcus Brutus on the hand. Minucius also hit out at
Caesar and hit Rubrius in the thigh. They were just like men doing battle against him.
Under the mass of wounds, he fell at the foot of Pompey's statue. Everyone wanted to seem to
have had some part in the murder, and there was not one of them who failed to strike his
body as it lay there, until, wounded thirty-five times, he breathed his last. "
Triumvirates and proscriptions

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Under the joint rule by Octavian, Lepidus and Mark
Antony, the most violent proscriptions took place
The purpose of the proscriptions was to confiscate estates
in order to have money and land for their troops, and to
destroy their enemies. Caesar had shown that clemency
did not pay.
They resulted in the death of 300 Senators and 2000
equites , including Cicero
"Cicero heard [his pursuers] coming and ordered his servants
to set the litter [in which he was being carried] down where
they were. He…looked steadfastly at his murderers. He was all
covered in dust; his hair was long and disordered, and his face
was pinched and wasted with his anxieties - so that most of
those who stood by covered their faces while Herennius was
killing him. His throat was cut as he stretched his neck out
from the litter….By Antony's orders Herennius cut off his
head and his hands.”
Augustus and Peace
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After the tumultuous Civil Wars between Caesar,
Pompey, Antony and Augustus, Romans settled into a
more peaceful life. Veterans were settled throughout the
Empire.
To entertain the masses and the retired soldiers Aediles
would sponsor great gladiatorial events as well as
chariot racing
The Pax Romana


Pax Romana (Latin for "Roman peace") was the long
period of relative peace and minimal expansion by
military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the
1st and 2nd centuries AD. Since it was established by
Caesar Augustus it is sometimes called Pax Augusta.
Its span was approximately 207 years (27 BC to 180
AD)
According to Edward Gibbon the peace ended with the
rule of Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius. Commodus
rule was so tyrranical that he was finally assassinated
and led to an unstable period where five Emperors ruled
within a period of 10 years.
VIOLENT EMPERORS
NERO

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From a modest and philosophic youth, Nero became the most cruel and dissolute of
tyrants. He quarreled with his mother Agrippina, who for his sake had murdered
the feeble Claudius; and when she threatened to restore Britannicus to the throne,
he ordered that young prince to be poisoned at an entertainment. In order to marry
Poppaea Sabina, a beautiful and dissolute woman, the wife of Salvius Otho, Nero
resolved to divorce his wife Octavia, and also to murder his mother Agrippina. On
marrying his mistress Poppaea, in a fit of rage, when she was 8 months pregnant
he kicked her to death.
It would be impossible to detail all the crimes of Nero, but the deliberate burning
of Rome was probably the worst.. In A.D. 64 a fire broke out in Rome, which lasted
for six days, consuming the greater part of the city. Nero was believed to have
ordered the city to be fired, to obtain a clear representation of the burning of Troy,
and, while Rome was in flames, amused himself by playing upon musical
instruments. Whether this account of Nero was true or false is debatable but Nero
did decide to blame this event on the Christians, and inflicted upon them terrible
cruelties and punishments. The city was rebuilt upon an improved plan, and Nero's
palace, called the Golden House, occupied a large part of the ruined capital with
groves, gardens, and buildings of unequalled magnificence
Banquets
Developing
the body
&
Playing
Sport
Bathing
Leisure &
Entertainment
Spectacles
In the
Amphitheatre
Gambling
Theatres
THE ROMAN CITY
The typical Roman city had a rectangular plan with two
main streets: the cardo (north-south) and the
decumanus (east-west), as well as a grid of smaller
streets dividing the town into blocks, and an outer
city wall with gates. Older cities, however, such as
Rome itself, were founded before regularized city
planning, and could therefore consist of a maze of
crooked streets. The focal point of the city, whether
planned or not, was the forum, the main meeting
place and site of the main religious and civic
buildings such as the Senate house, records office,
and basilica
Engineering an Empire
1.
Romans used many different materials to build.
2.
The most popular was mud brick strengthened by timbers
3.
Hard limestone and volcanic tufa were used for terraces, fortifications,
foundations and superstructures
4.
Eventually Romans began using travertine because it was stronger.
5.
For roof tiles and as a protective covering for wooden parts they used
terracotta
6.
In the 2nd century BC an unusually strong cement ,that included a
volcanic dust called pozzuolana, was used as it was more durable and
economical

The use of concrete also changed the way many building facades
were designed. Weight bearing columns were often replaced with
decorative columns and pilasters since the concrete itself carried the
building weight.
Water and urban growth

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As the needs of both the civic and
private establishments within the
Roman Republic escalated, the desire
for not only a more efficient but also
extensive delivery and distribution
system of water arose. The result was
the construction of a complex system
of aqueducts that "evolved on a
piecemeal basis over time". The first
aqueduct was built in 312 B.C. and
over the next five hundred years ten
more aqueducts were added to fulfill
contemporary and future demands
During the last years of the Republic, the
buildings in the forum became the tools of
propaganda; they were a form of political
persuasion. A limited number of men
asserted their power by the monuments
they created in this most public place.
Sulla, Pompey, Caesar and Augustus each
left his mark on the forum as well as
elsewhere in Rome
CONCRETE ;
A ROMAN INNOVATION

Instead of classical building techniques of cutting and shaping
large blocks of stone to permit structural stability, Romans could
now simply "pour" a structure in to place. And because it's
exeptional strength Roman concrete could span phenominal
distances when formed into arches, vaults, and domes. It was
cheap to make and easy to work with allowing nonskilled workers
to work with it while making the payrole expenses smaller.
Because the concrete could be poured so much quicker than
having to cut stones Roman cities and providences were allowed
to expand at much faster rates. Roman concrete was fireproof
making it safer than wooden arches and supports. Finally,
because it could set under water Roman concrete was a major
factor in the expasion of bridge and harbor design.
BUILT BY THE ROMANS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyISwYZxCbA
ROMAN SOCIETY
During The Republic there
were two broad classes
based on birth. These
were the Patricians or
Nobiles and the
Plebeians. The influx of
wealth that came with
Empire tended to blur the
distinction and a Middle
class connected with
business became quite
powerful. These were the
Equestrians.
The Patron Client relationship

In Rome patronage (the relationship
between client and patron) involved
responsibilities on both sides. A patron
was bound to help and protect his clients.
The clients in their turn supported their
patron, especially by casting their votes
at elections according to his wishes.
favours
votes
SENATORS
THE PATRON CLIENT SYSTEM
EQUITES
Tax collectors, merchants, traders (not just citizens)
wealthy CITIZENS
Merchants
Middle class CITIZENS
Shop keepers
Lower class CITIZENS
Tradesmen
VIOLENCE AS SPECTACLE
"A gladiatorial show is apt to seem cruel and
brutal to some eyes, and I incline to think that
it is, as now conducted, but in the days when it
was criminals who crossed swords in the death
struggled there could be no better schooling
against pain and death.”
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Cicero
Types of Gladiators
• Secutor
- carried a small - wore only a loin
- carrying a large
square shield,

Thracian

wore either a full
visored helmet
or an open
faced helmet
with a wide
brim, and
carried a curved
Thracian sword
with an angled
bend in the
blade.
Retairius
cloth and a metal
shoulder-piece
on the left arm,
and carried a
net, a dagger,
and a trident or
fish harpoon.
oval or
rectangular
shield and a
sword or dagger,
leather bands at
the elbow and
wrists and a
round or highvisored helmet.
Andabatae
Catervarii
Dimacheri
Equites
Essedarii
Hoplomachi
Laqueatores
Meridiani
Myrmillo
Ordinarii
Provocator
Retiarius
Samnite
Secutor
Thracian
Weapons
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fascina: harpoon
galea: visored helmet
galerus: metal shoulder piece
gladius: sword
hasta: lance
iaculum: net
manicae: leather elbow or wrist bands
ocrea: metal or boiled leather greave
parma: round shield
scutum: large shield
sica: curved scimitar
subligaculum: loin cloth
Gladiator Information
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Gladiators were different from Roman citizens because
most of them were slaves
Patricians paid for the close up seats, while the poor got
the far seats where it was hard to see
Gladiators had to fight for 3-5 years to earn there
freedom
Chariot Racing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpoKdPNM10M&feature
=related
CHARIOTEERS
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Charioteers were usually slaves or
servants.

By winning a race they gained
money, popularity and they were
laurelled.

Chariot racing became so popular
that at one point there were more
than a dozen races a day.
Chariot racing at the Circus Maximus was for
entertainment for most of the time. Other
times, political leaders used chariot races so
the public could see them.
Roman Theatre
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The Romans loved live theatre. Plays were only performed during religious ceremonies and
religious festivals. However, since the ancient Romans celebrated over 200 holidays a year, there
were many opportunities for plays to be staged. Someone had to pay for the play, as actors
received a small fee. Usually a wealthy noble would pay the bill, in honor of the gods, and give
the play to the people as a gift.
There was a Forum in the center of each town of size. The Forum was an open area, and used
as the marketplace. Typically, there were buildings around the Forum including a major temple.
When it came time to stage a play, a wooden platform was built in the Forum.
The actors were men. Each actor played several roles. They wore simple costumes that could
be changed quickly and in public. The actors held up happy face masks and sad faced masks, to
help the audience understand what was going on in the play. Over time, masks became very
elaborate.
Pantomime: During the play, the Roman people would talk to each other. Because it was noisy,
sometimes people would raise their voices so they could be heard. That made it even more noisy.
So that everyone could follow along with the story told by the actors, no matter how noisy the
crowd became, the actors would sometimes use a technique called pantomime. Pantomime is a
play without words. The actors used dance, music, hand gestures, facial expressions, elaborate
sets, and costumes to present the play.
Actors were not highly respected in ancient Rome. It could be a dangerous occupation. When
the Romans saw a play they did not like, they shouted at the actors and told them to get off the
stage. If they did not get off the stage, the audience might begin to throw things at them.
Noisy and disease ridden?
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“The sick die here because they can't sleep,
Though most people complain about the food
Rotting undigested in their burning guts.
For when does sleep come in rented rooms?
It costs a lot merely to sleep in this city!
That's why everyone's sick: carts clattering
Through the winding streets, curses hurled
At some herd standing still in the middle of the road,”
Juvenal Satires
Real Estate scams!!!!!

They build incessantly because of the collapses and
fires and repeated sales which go on constantly too.
Indeed the repeated sales are intentional collapses,
so to speak, since they tear down some buildings
and build others in their place to their hearts’
content.
Strabo 5.3.7
Other Gladiator Information
Slaves were mostly the people that fought each
other
 Gladiators fought wild animals
 Gladiators used the armor and weapons that
best fitted them
 Romans treated the animals badly and didn’t
feed them.
 Occassionally the gladiator fights were to the
death

Seneca in AD 50

"I live over a public bath-house. Just imagine every
kind of annoying noise! The sturdy gentleman does
his exercise with lead weights; when he is working
hard(or pretending to) I can hear him grunt; when he
breathes out, I can hear him panting in high pitched
tones. Or I might notice some lazy fellow, content
with a cheap rub-down, and hear the blows of the
hand slapping his shoulders. The sound varies,
depending on whether the massager hits with a flat
or hollow hand. To all of this, you can add the arrest
of the occasional pickpocket; there's also the racket
made by the man who loves to hear his own voice in
the bath or the chap who dives in with a lot of noise
and splashing.“
A sound mind and a sound body
Taking a bath was not a simple chore.
There was not one bath to use in a large
complex such as the one at Bath. A visitor
could use a cold bath (the frigidarium), a
warm bath (the tepidarium) and a hot bath
(the caldarium). A visitor would spend
some of his time in each one before
leaving. A large complex would also
contain an exercise area (the palaestra), a
swimming pool and a gymnasium. One of
the public baths at Pompeii contains two
tepidariums and caldariums along with a
plunge pool and a large exercise area.
Why were baths so popular with
the Romans?

Roman baths were
more like a visit to a
leisure centre than a
quick scrub.

The Romans loved the
baths because they
were a good place to
meet people and
business could be
conducted there.

Then you might have
a swim before going
into a series of rooms
that made you hotter
and hotter to help you
sweat off the dirt.

All the dirt and sweat
was then scraped off
with a STRIGIL (made
out of metal).
Imagines

Ancestor Reverence: Rome had its great temples for the great gods, most
of whom were imported and many of whom just faded away. But
throughout Roman history, even when the great gods were being eclipsed
by foreign mystery religions, the home gods, who were anchored by the
dead ancestors, the underworld di manes, stayed stable. Death masks
(called imagines) of ancestors, especially those who may have somehow
distinguished themselves and the name of the family, were kept in special
cabinets in the entrance foyer of the home to be displayed when guests
arrived. The same masks, often made of lifelike colored wax, were worn in
ceremonial and funeral parades. Graves and tombs bore portrait images of
the dead, and on special occasions and death anniversaries, meals were
served at graveside, food was left for the dead, and wine was poured
directly into the grave through specially designed openings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WCo5nA4rZag
City Apartments
FIRE AND DISEASE
Lives of Roman Slaves

Slaves assumed the positions such as
pedagogue, water carrier, treasurer,
goldsmith, chamberlain, reader, secretary,
wet nurse, caterer, midwife, doorkeeper,
baker, masseuse, doctor, cupbearer,
musician and gardener. There does appear
to have been a heirarchy of slave status.
There was a great difference between a
server, a dispensator who managed his
master’s funds or the cellarius who
controlled the food supply
Agricultural Slaves
Control of Slaves

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At the Villa of Agrippa Postumus at Boscetrecase prison
cells and stocks were found. It is believed that these
rural villas kept up to 18 slaves for agricultural
production.
It is thought that those on rural estates were treated
more harshly that household slaves
Seneca on punishment

“It is strange that we should think it a good thing to send a
poor unfortunate slave to prison. Why are we so anxious to
beat him at once and break his legs? We should wait until
our anger has cooled off before fixing a punishment. For we
punish by sword and execution, chains, imprisonment and
starvation a crime that deserves only a light beating.”
ROMAN WOMEN WHO
BEHAVED BADLY
FULVIA
Agrippina the Younger was
the sister of the Emperor
Caligula, niece and fourth
wife of the Emperor Claudius,
and mother of the Emperor
Nero. Many ancient historians
accuse Agrippina of poisoning
Emperor Claudius. Married
twice already and a 30 year
age difference Agrippina
convinced Claudius to adopt
her son Nero and name him
his heir. Sources say that
Claudius regretted his
decision and was about to
change his successor, when he
died from a plate of poisoned
mushrooms.
"At any rate, [Antony] now
AGRIPPINA
ROMAN
MATRONAS
SEMPRONIA
SERVILIA
According to Suetonius, Nero was annoyed at his
mother being too watchful and tried three times to
poison Agrippina, but she took the antidotes in time
and survived. He then tried to crush her with a
mechanical ceiling over her bed at her residence.
After this failed, he devised a collapsable boat,
which would either have its cabin fall in or become
shipwrecked. Nero then ordered captains of a
different boat to ram this boat while Agrippina was
aboard. Nero heard Agrippina survived the wreck
so he ordered her to be executed and framed it as
a suicide.
reformed his whole manner
of living, turned his thoughts
towards marriage, and chose
Fulvia, the widow of Clodius
the demagogue. She was a
woman who took no interest
in spinning or managing a
household, nor could she be
content to rule a husband
who had no ambition for
public life: her desire was to
govern those who governed
or to command a
commander-in-chief. And in
fact Cleopatra was indebted
to Fulvia for teaching Antony
to obey a wife's authority for
by the time he met her, he
had already been quite
broken in and schooled to
accept the sway of women."
The perfect roman matrona
LIVIA DRUSILLA AND OCTAVIA
A good Roman matron was chaste, honorable, and fertile, which
last quality marked her as a mother. Roman mothers might have
ambitions for themselves or for their sons or for themselves
through their sons, since, far more than was true of their Greek
counterparts, they could wield political power. Occasionally, a
Roman matron put another cause, like Rome itself, above all
else
THE DECLINE AND FALL OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE?

Look back at the map of Empire. Why do you think the
Empire eventually collapsed?

The empire was too large to govern effectively.
The army was not what it used to be. There was corruption in the military - dishonest
generals and non-Roman soldiers.
Civil wars broke out between different political groups.
Emperors were often selected by violence, or by birth, so the head of government
was not always a capable leader.
The increased use of slaves put many Romans out of work
The rich became lazy and showed little interest in trying to solve Rome problems.
The poor were overtaxed and overworked. They were very unhappy.
Prices increased, trade decreased.
The population was shrinking due to starvation and disease. That made it difficult to
manage farms and government effectively.
The Empire starting shrinking. The Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Saxons and
other barbarian tribes overran the empire.
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