Ancient Rome and the Rise of
Christianity
Global 9
Chapter 5
educated Romans
viewed Greek culture
as superior to all
others.
 from a small village,
Rome grew into a
super state (“Rome,
the City and the
World") expanding
across the
Mediterranean world to
build a huge, ethnically
diverse empire ruled
by law.
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The Roman World Takes Shapes
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the virtues that the Romans admired;
courage, loyalty, devotion to duty were
the pillars on which Romans would build
an empire.
Geography:
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Rome began as a small city-state in Italy
but ended up ruling the entire
Mediterranean world.
Italy is a peninsula that looks like a boot
jutting centrally into the Mediterranean
Sea.
Italy is not broken up into small, isolated
valleys and had the advantage of broad,
fertile plains which supported a growing
population.
the Romans were an Indo-European
people, their ancestors [the Latins] had
migrated into Italy by about 800 B.C.
settled along the Tiber River in small
villages where they herded
and farmed.
Building a Republic
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in 509 B.C. the Roman state
was founded where officials
were chosen by the people,
called a republic, and was
meant to keep any individual
from gaining too much power.
between 509 B.C. and 133 B.C.
they developed the
military power to conquer the
entire Mediterranean world.
the most powerful governing
body was the senate whose
300 members were all
patricians (members of the
landholding upper class)
senators served for life and
made the laws
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in the event of war, the senate might choose a dictator who has complete
control over a government, granted emergency powers to rule.
Rome elected other officials to oversee finances, justice, city government,
and religious matters.
at first, the Plebeians[farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders]made up
the bulk of the population but had little influence.
in 450 B.C. the government had the laws of Rome inscribed on
12 tablets(Law of the Twelve Tables) which made it possible for
plebeians to appeal a judgement handed down by a patrician
judge.
the plebeians gained the right to elect their own officials(tribunes) to
protect their interests; they could veto, or block, those laws that they felt
were harmful
the common people gained access to power and won safeguards
for their rights, and 2,000 years later the US Constitution would adapt ideas
like the senate, the veto, and checks on governmental power.
Expansion:
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by about 270 B.C. Rome occupied all of Italy, their
success was due to skillful diplomacy and its
efficient, well-disciplined army.
armies consisted of citizen soldiers who fought
without pay and supplied their own weapons, the
basic unit was the legion of about 5,000 men.
Rome generally treated its defeated enemies with
justice, conquered peoples had to acknowledge
Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply soldiers
for the Roman army.
Rome let them keep their own customs, money,
and local governments, and to a few privileged
groups Rome gave the highly prized right of full
citizenship.
generous treatment created support for Rome, to
protect its conquests Rome posted soldiers
through the land, built a network of all-weather
military roads to link distant provinces.
Rivalry with Carthage
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Carthage was a city-state on the northern coast
of Rome spread into the Mediterranean, conflict
became inevitable.
between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C. Rome fought
three wars against Carthage, the Punic Wars
in the First Punic War Rome defeated Carthage,
but 23 years later, led by a general named
Hannibal sought revenge.
Hannibal dedicated his life to the destruction of
Rome after he was selected as leader of the
Carthaginian army.
in 218 B.C. Hannibal, setting out from Spain,
led his troops with dozens of war elephants in a
march across the Pyrenees through
France and over the Alps into Italy.
the trek across the Alps cost Hannibal nearly
half his army, but the Romans expected an
invasion from the south and the bold
attack caught them off guard.
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for 15 years Hannibal moved across
Italy winning battles in the, Second
Punic War, but was never able to
capture Rome.
the Romans outflanked Hannibal by
sending an army to attack Carthage,
led Hannibal to return to Carthage to
defend where he was defeated.
Carthage gave up all its land, had to
pay a huge tribute, or tax, to Rome.
the Romans allowed Hannibal to remain
free and Carthage made a rapid
recovery, but Romans still feared him
and accused of plotting.
Hannibal fled and took poison, and
Rome destroyed Carthage, killed or sold
survivors into slavery, poured salt on
the land so nothing would grow.
Rome expanded into the eastern
Mediterranean and took
Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Asia
Minor, later allied with Egypt.
Expansion
 victories put them in control of busy trade routes, and riches
flooded in from loot, taxes, and commerce.
 a class of wealthy Romans emerged and they bought huge estates
worked by slaves captured in war.
 Slave labor hurt small farmers who were unable to produce food as
cheaply, grain from the conquered lands drove down grain prices.
 farmers fell into debt and had to sell their land, flocked to Rome for
jobs but found unemployment instead, led to wider gap between
rich and poor.
 wealth increased corruption, greed and self interest replaced hard
work and devotion to duty.
Reform:
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patrician brothers named Tiberius and Gaius Grachus led
a reform movement which called for:
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the state to distribute land to poor farmers.
the use of public funds to buy grain to feed the poor.
extension of full citizenship to Rome's allies.
The reforms angered the Senate which saw them as a
threat to its power, the brothers were eventually killed.
this showed that the republic couldn't resolve its
problems
led to civil wars for the next 100 year
Julius Caesar
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an ambitious commander who
dominated politics in Pompey and
a brilliant general, set out in 59
B.C. to make new conquests.
eventually led his army into Rome,
as civil war erupted he swept
around the Mediterranean
proclaiming "Veni, Vidi, Vici" - "I
came, I saw, I conquered."
forced the senate to make him
dictator, absolute ruler of Rome.
Reforms
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from 48 B.C.-44 B.C. he pushed
through reforms including a
program of public works to
employ the jobless and gave
public land to the poor.
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Granted Roman citizenship to more people,
and introduced a new calendar based on
Egyptian science, the Julian calendar, which is
still used today.
Caesar's enemies worried that he planned to
make himself king so they plotted against him.
in 44 B.C. a fortune-teller warned Caesar to
"beware the ides of March” [March 15], and
his enemies stabbed him to death
this plunged Rome into civil war where- Mark
Antony [Caesar's chief general] and Octavian
[Caesar's grandnephew] joined forces to hunt
down the murderers.
the men soon came to odds until, in 31 B.C.,
Octavian finally defeated Antony and his
powerful ally Queen Cleopatra of
Egypt
the triumphant Octavian Augustus, or exalted
one, declared himself priceps, or first citizen
and exercised absolute power and named a
successor.
under Augustus, who ruled from 31 B.C.-A.D.
14 the 500 year old republic came to an end,
but he helped Rome recover from civil war
and laid the foundation for a stable
government.
Imperial Rome
 Augustus created an efficient, well-trained civil service
charged with enforcing the laws.
 He cemented the allegiance of cities and provinces to
Rome by allowing them a large measure of selfgovernment.
 To make the tax system more fair, he ordered a census,
or population count, to be taken in the empire, set up a
postal system and issued new coins to make trade
easier.
 he put the jobless to work building roads and temples
and to farm the land.
 Two early emperors, Caligula and Nero, were evil and
insane; Caligula appointed his favorite horse as consul,
Nero viciously persecuted Christians.
 between A.D. 96 and A.D. 180 there was a series of
good emperors; Hadrian codified Roman law, making it
the same in all provinces.
 he had soldiers build a wall across Britain to hold back
attackers, known as Hadrian's Wall
The Roman Peace
 the 200-year span that began with
Augustus and ended with Marcus
Aurelius is known as the Pax
Romana or "Roman Peace"
characterized by peace, order,
unity, and prosperity.
 trade flowed freely to and from
distant lands in Africa, India, and
China, from India came spices,
cotton, and precious stones, as silk
came down the Silk Road.
Family and Religion:
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the family was the basic unit, under Roman law the male
head of the household, the father, had absolute power.
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he enforced strict discipline and demanded total respect, his
wife to his authority.
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The ideal woman was loving, dutiful, dignified, and strong;
most worked at home raising a family, spinning, and
weaving.
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Girls and boys learned to read and write, even lower-class
Romans, many wealthy Romans were hiring private tutor.
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Roman gods and goddesses resembled those of the Greeks,
like the Greek god Zeus and the Roman god Jupiter.
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Neptune god of the sea, was the same as the Greek god
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the calendar was full of feasts and other celebration which
inspired a sense of community.
Entertainment
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The Circus Maximus, Rome's largest racecourse, saw fans
betting on chariot races, also hosted gladiator contests
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the amusement was a way to control the city's restless
mobs, government provided free grain to feed the poor,
thus the policy of bread and circuses.
Section III: Roman Accomplishments
Through war and conquest Caesar spread the Latin
language and carried Roman civilization to distant
lands.
Greco-Roman Civilization
 Rome absorbed ideas from Greek colonists, Greek art,
literature, philosophy, and scientific genius represented
the height of cultural achievement.
 the blending of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman
traditions produced the Greco-Roman civilization.
 from England to Spain to North Africa to the Middle
East you can see Roman buildings that combine both
Greek and Roman elements and ideas, using columns
that emphasized grandeur.
 they improved on the arch and the dome, the most
famous was the Pantheon, a temple to all Roman
gods.
 engineering skills were also perfected roads, bridges,
and harbors, built aqueducts- bridgelike stone
structures that brought water from the hills into
Roman cities.
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the availability of fresh water was important, so
wealthy homes had water piped in, and most
cities had public baths where people gathered to
exchange gossip.
 left scientific research to the Greeks, but
Alexandria, Egypt remained a center of learning.
 the astronomer-mathematician Ptolemy
proposed the theory that the Earth was the
center of the universe.
 advanced the frontiers of medical science by
insisting on experiments to prove a conclusion.
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Roman Law
 the greatest legacy of Rome
was its commitment to the
rule of law and to justice.
 developed a system of law,
known as the civil law, that
applied to its citizens, as
Rome expanded it ruled
many foreigners.
 led to a second system of
law, known as the law of
nations which applied to all
people, citizens or noncitizens.
The rule of law fostered unity and stability.
 Certain basic principles evolved:
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people of the same status are equal before the law.
An accused person is presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
The accused should be allowed to face his or her
accuser and defend against the charge.
Guilt must be established clearer than daylight
through evidence
Decisions should be based on fairness, allowing
judges to interpret the law.
Section IV: Christianity
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early in the Pax Romana, a
new religion, Christianity,
sprang up in a distant corner
of the Roman empire.
the new faith grew and by A.D.
395 it had been declared the
official religion of the Roman
Empire.
Christianity reshaped Roman
beliefs, when the Roman
empire fell the Christian
Church took over.
Jews and the Roman Empire
 generally, Rome tolerated varied religions
traditions as long as citizens showed their
loyalty.
 among the peoples in the empire were
the Jews, by 69 B.C. the Romans had
conquered Palestine where many Jews
lived.
 among the Jews religious ferment was
creating deep divisions, reformers called
for strict obedience to Jewish laws and
traditions.
 Jews, called zealots called on Jews to
revolt against Rome and reestablish an
independent Israel
 believed that a messiah. or savior sent by
God, would soon appear to lead the
Jewish people to freedom.
 in A.D. 66 rebellion flared and Roman
forces crushed the rebels, captured
Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish
temple.
 in A.D. 135 they drove the Jews out of
their homeland and forbade them to
return. (Ex. Masada @ right)
Life of Jesus
 As turmoil engulfed the Jews of Palestine, a new
religion rose which was founded by a Jew
named Jesus.
 what little we know about him comes from the
Gospel, he was born around 4 B.C. in Bethlehem
to a family descended from King David, an angel
had told Jesus mother Mary, that she would give
birth to the messiah.
 Jesus followed Jewish law and at the age of 30
he began preaching and word spread that he
had performed miracles of healing.
 He and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem to
spread his belief in one God, the Ten
Commandments, and strict obedience to the law
of Moses.
 he called himself the Son of God and declared
that he was the messiah, his mission was to
bring spiritual salvation and eternal life.
 he rejected the principle of "an eye for an eye,"
he preached forgiveness instead.
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Some Jews saw Jesus as dangerous; Jewish
priests felt that he was challenging their
leadership, to Roman authorities Jesus was a
revolutionary.
Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples,
arrested by the tried, condemned, and executed
Roman-style- nailed to a cross and left to die.
Jesus had risen from the dead, commanded his
Apostles to spread his teachings
Christianity remained a sect, or small group,
within Judaism, until Paul began the wider
spread.
Paul spread Jesus' teachings beyond Jewish
communities to gentiles, or non-Jews;
explaining and expanding Christian teachings.
he emphasized the idea that Jesus had
sacrificed his life out of love for humankind,
those who believed Jesus would achieve
salvation, or eternal life.
Roman officials suspected Christians of
disloyalty to Rome because they refused to
honor Roman beliefs.
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Roman rulers used Christians as scapegoats,
blaming them for social or economic ills, many
became martyrs- people who suffer or die for
their beliefs.
Christianity continued to spread because Jesus
welcomed all people, especially the humble,
poor, and oppressed.
they found comfort in his message of love and
of a better life beyond the grave.
even persecution brought new converts
because people were impressed by the
strength of their beliefs
early Christian communities began to organize
a formal Church, with its own priest under the
authority of a bishop.
the church developed into a hierarchy, or
organization in which officials are arranged
according to rank, only men allowed.
rivalry among the bishops led to division in the
Church; the Latin speaking west accepted the
bishop of Rome as pope, or head of the
Roman Catholic Church.
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as the church grew and evolved it
imposed order and discipline on the
scattered Christian communities.
put together the New Testament the
27 books of the Bible that contain
the life and teachings of Jesus.
they battled heresies or beliefs said
to be contrary to official Church
teaching, by sending out
missionaries to convert people.
Persecution of Christians ended in
A.D. 313 when the emperor
Constantine issued the Edict of
Milan granting freedom to worship.
80 years later the emperor
Theodosius made Christianity the
official religion of the Roman
empire.
Section V: The Decline
1,500 years ago the western half
of the Roman empire stumbled
into ruin, the end was
catastrophic, but it did not
happen overnight.
Signs of Decline:
 After the death of emperor
Marcus Aurelius in 180, the Pax
Romana ended, led to 100 years
of turmoil.
 Ambitious generals seized power,
ruled and then were overthrown
by rival military leaders.
 High taxes to support the army
and the bureaucracy placed
heavy burdens on business
people and farmers, many left
their land and worked on huge
estates.
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in 284 the emperor Diocletian, in
order to make the empire easier to
govern, divided it into two parts, he
kept the wealthier eastern part
tried to increase the prestige of the
emperor by surrounding himself with
elaborate ceremonies.
to slow the rapid rise of prices, he
fixed prices for goods and services;
forced farmers to remain on the land
to ensure a steady production of food
and other foods.
in 312 Emperor Constantine granted
toleration to Christians and
encouraged the growth of the
religion,
he built a new capital,
Constantinople, on the Bosporus, the
strait connects the Black and
Mediterranean seas.
this made the eastern portion of the
empire the center of power.
these reforms revived the economy
and helped hold the empire together,
but failed to stop the long-term
decline.
Invasion:
 Rome had faced attacks from the
Germanic peoples who lived
along its northern borders.
 as the empire declined it was forced
to give up its territories to
Britain, Spain, and France.
 wars in East Asia set off a chain of
events that would overwhelm
Rome, as the Huns [a nomadic
people] migrated across Central Asia.
 by 350 these skilled riders fought
fierce battles to dislodge the
Germanic peoples, Visigoths sought
safety by crossing into
Roman territory.
 in 378 a Roman army tried to turn
back the Visigoths but
suffered a stunning defeat, and in 410
the Visigoths overran
Italy and plundered Rome.
 in 434 the Hun leader Attila embarked
on a savage campaign of
conquest across much of Europe.
he was known as the “scourge of
God” because they believed his
attacks were punishment for the sins
of humanity.
 in 476 Odoacer, a Germanic leader,
ousted the emperor in Rome,
the event that signaled the fall of
Rome.
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The End
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Why did Rome “fall”?
Military Causes:
the Germanic invasions succeeded
because the Roman legions
lacked discipline and training to meet
its need for soldiers, Rome hired
mercenaries, or foreign soldiers
serving for pay, to defend its borders,
felt little loyalty to Rome.
 as the government became more
oppressive and authoritarian it lost
the support of the people, corrupt
officials undermined loyalty
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Political and Economic Causes:
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the empire suffered as heavier taxes were
required to support
the vast government bureaucracy and huge
military
the wealth of the empire dwindled as
farmers abandoned their land, population
declined due to war and epidemic diseases.
Social Causes
the upper class, which once provided
leaders, devoted itself to luxury and self
interest; providing "bread and circuses”
undermined self-reliance.
 an emperor ruled the eastern Roman empire
which later became known as the Byzantine
empire.
 the fall of Rome was a long, slow process of
change from one way of life to another, and
the Christian Church preserved elements of
Roman civilization.
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