Social Studies Chapter 2 – Ancient Rome
Lesson 1 – The Rise and Expansion of Rome
The location for the settlement of Rome was selected for its geography. There were many geographical
advantages like:
1. Apennenines
Mts.
4. Mediterranean Sea
2. Tiber River
3. Fertile
farmland
The first government set up in Rome was a monarchy, or rule by a king and
queen.
Eventually, the
Romans revolted against this type of government and established a republic which lasted for about 500
years. This new government was popular because it was based on the will of the people. One right that all
free male citizens possessed was the right to elect
their leaders.
This is an example of indirect
democracy.
Julius Caesar helped to end the civil war that broke out at the end of the Roman Republic.
He was
assassinated a year after he named himself dictator of the republic. His adopted son Octavian took over
power and changed his name to Augustus, which means “divine one.” He turned Rome into a(n) empire,
which is a group of different cultures and territories under the leadership of one, all powerful leader.
Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of a man named Jesus. He was born in the province of
Judea.
Jesus was executed because his teachings went against the Roman religion which was (circle one)
monotheistic or polytheistic.
Lesson 2 – Decline and Fall of the Empire
Name 3 of the 5 reasons we learned about why the Roman Empire declined:
1. Economic
and social problems
2. Decline
in agriculture
3. Military
and political problems
The empire continued on for 200 more years after its decline because of the leadership of these two emperors:
Diocletian - divided the empire into east and west to make it easier to rule
Constantine - put an end to Christian persecution and allowed them to worship freely
In addition to the 5 reasons why the empire declined, the major reason the Western Roman Empire fell was
because of foreign invaders. In 476 AD, Germanic
tribes invaded Rome and signaled its fall.
Ten
years later in 486 AD, Clovis, the leader of a Germanic group known as the Franks conquered the last of the
Western Roman Empire in Gaul (present day France).
The Eastern Roman Empire still existed and became known as the Byzantine Empire.
Lesson 3 – The Early Byzantine Empire
A major reason why the Byzantine Empire thrived was because of the leadership of their emperor Justinian,
who established a legal code which he used to rule his people.
The name for a split between two groups is known as a(n) schism. When Christianity split, two groups were
established, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The head of the Eastern
Orthodox Church was the emperor.
The leader of the Roman
Catholic Church was the pope.
These
two leaders constantly quarreled with each other and was a major reason for the schism.
Lesson 4 – The Legacy of Rome
Roman culture was very advanced and many of their developments are still around today:
Mosaic is a type of floor art in which tiny colored tiles are arranged in patterns to make a picture.
Stoicism is a type of philosophy which was borrowed from the Greeks.
It stressed the importance of duty,
virtue and endurance in life. They believed citizens should work for the good of all people.
Aqueducts are bridge like structures that helped carry fresh water to cities far from water sources.
Roads helped to increase communication and travel across the empire.
55,000 miles of these were built!
The most famous of them was the Appian Way because it was the first one built in Rome.
Latin was the language of the Roman Empire.
French, Italian, and Spanish.
It was the basis for many other European languages like
Roman Roads Many of the main roads that led out of Rome were named after important Romans.
The
first Roman road ever built was known as the Via Appia (Latin) or The Appian Way (English).
There were over 50,000 miles worth of roads built throughout the empire. They made communication and
travel easier for both citizens and the Roman Army. The roads also helped with trade.