Chapter 6: Ancient Rome
500 BCE-500 CE
Section 1: The Roman
Republic
The Origins of Rome
 Legend:
Romulus & Remus
 Important location: Tiber River,
center of Italian peninsula,
center of Mediterranean
 Greatly influenced by Greece
Legend of Romulus and Remus
The Early Republic
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600 BCE: Rome has its first king
509 BCE: Tarquin the Proud has its last king (he
was a jerk)
Kings replaced by a republic: a form of govt. in
which power rests with the citizens who have
the right to vote for their leaders
See page 157.
What are some similarities in the governments of the
Roman Republic and the United States?
Which government seems more democratic? Why?
Early in the republic, patricians (wealthy
landowners who had most of the power)
and plebeians (common farmers, artisans,
and merchants—majority of pop.)
struggled for power
 Plebeians were eventually allowed to form
their own assembly and elect
representatives called tribunes
 The plebeians forced the creation of the
first law code called the twelve tables
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What government under the republic looked like:
Consuls:
Two rulers
Serve for 1 year
Senate:
Aristocrats
Serve for life
Advises consuls
Centuriate
Assembly:
Soldiers only
Serve for life
Choose consuls
Tribal Assembly:
Ordinary citizens
Serve for life
Makes laws
In times of crisis, the republic could
appoint a dictator (a leader who had
absolute power to make laws and
command the army)
 All citizens who owned land were required
to serve in the army
 Roman soldiers were organized into large
military units called legions
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Rome Spreads its Power
Rome conquers Italy by 265 BCE
 Rome’s location gave it easy access to the
Mediterranean Sea
 264 BCE-146 BCE: Rome and Carthage
fight the Punic Wars
 Rome’s general Scipio wins war against
Carthage’s general Hannibal
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Section 2:
The Roman Empire
The Republic Collapses
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As Rome grew, the gap between the patricians and
plebeians grew wider and this discontent led to a civil
war in Rome
As the republic grew unstable, generals began taking
power for themselves, recruiting the landless poor to
become their soldiers in exchange for land and pay
60 BCE: Julius Caesar (a military leader) joins forces
with Crassus (a wealthy Roman) and Pompey (a popular
general) and is elected consul in 59 BCE; for 10 years
these three men ruled Rome as a triumvirate (a group
of three rulers)
Rome Under Caesar
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44 BCE: Caesar named dictator for life; started
reforms (more citizenship granted, expanded the
senate, created jobs for poor)
Some nobles and senators were concerned about
Caesar’s growing power, success, and popularity
and feared losing their influence
March 15, 44 BCE: Caesar assassinated (stabbed
to death) by a number of important senators
Beginning of the Empire
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Civil war broke out again after Caesar’s death and
destroyed what was left of the republic
43 BCE: Octavian (Caesar’s adopted son), Mark
Antony (a general), and Lepidus (a powerful
politician) take control of Rome and rule for 10 years
as the Second Triumvirate
Octavian becomes the unchallenged ruler of Rome,
taking the title Augustus (or “exalted one”); he’s also
called emperor
A Vast and Powerful Empire
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Pax Romana: time of peace and prosperity;
lasted 207 years
Augustus stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome
with public buildings, and set up a civil service
where he paid workers to manage the empire
Agriculture was the most important industry in
the empire (90% of people engaged in farming!)
Rome’s vast trading network by land and sea
brought additional food
The Roman World
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Slavery was widespread and important (maybe
1/3 of total population)
There was a large gap between the rich and the
poor
Many people are poor, homeless, and starving
Section 4: The Fall of
the Roman Empire
Problems from within the empire and
from outside the empire
A Century of Crisis
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Rome’s interior weakens due to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
tribes outside the boundaries of the empire and pirates
on the Mediterranean disrupting trade
raising taxes
making more money (inflation—a drastic drop in the
value of money along with a rise in prices)
food shortages and disease spreading (less people)
the military becoming less disciplined and loyal
hiring mercenaries (foreign soldiers who fought for
money) who had little sense of loyalty to the empire
Average citizens losing their sense of patriotism
Emperors Attempt Reform
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Diocletian:
divides the empire in two (Greek-speaking East and
Latin-speaking West)
 rules the east and appoints a co-ruler in the west
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Constantine:
gains control of the western part of the empire then
the eastern part, restoring the concept of a single
ruler
 Moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium
(eventually renamed Constantinople)
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The Western Empire Crumbles
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Final collapse was due to:
1.
2.
3.
worsening internal problems
the separation o the Western Empire from the wealthier
Eastern Empire
outside invasions:
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the Huns push Germanic tribes into Roman lands
Attila the Hun and his soldiers terrorized both halves of the
empire
Last Roman emperor (14-yr old Romulus Augustus)
was ousted by Germanic forces in 476
Eastern Empire continues to flourish until 1453
•What group of invaders came the greatest distance?
•What do these invasion routes have to do with the song “Roll
Over?” (There were 10 in the bed and the little one said, roll
over, roll over. There were 9 in the bed and the little one said…)
Section 5: Rome and the
Roots of Western
Civilization
The Legacy of Greco-Roman
Civilization
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Greco-Roman Culture: mixture of Greek,
Hellenistic, and Roman culture
Sculptors create realistic portraits in stone
Much art was intended for public education
The poet Virgil wrote epics (like Homer)
The Legacy of Rome
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Latin was adopted by different peoples and
developed into French, Spanish, Portuguese,
Italian, and Romanian (romance languages)
Aqueducts, the Colosseum, and the network of
roads all show how the Romans were master
builders
Romans were the first to believe that laws
should be fair and apply equally to all people