The Roman Empire
Geography of Italy
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not broken up into small valleys like Greece
the Apennine Mts, running like a backbone down
Italy, are not as rugged as those in Greece
Italy has broad, fertile plains which supported a
growing population
Farmland in Tuscany, Italy
Vineyard province of Chianti, Italy
Early Roman Civilization
 Started in 7 villages on 7 hills
around the Tiber River
 Etruscans – lived in the
north, gave Romans the
knowledge of the alphabet
and the arch, other
engineering techniques,
draining marshy lands along
the Tiber
Government
 509 B.C. Romans drove out the Etruscan ruler
 Officially founded the Roman state
 Set up a government with officials chosen by the
people (REPUBLIC).
 They did this to keep any individual from gaining too
much power.
 300 members of the ruling
class (PATRICIANS) made
up the senate. They served
for life and made the laws.
Roman patrician with busts of
his ancestors, 30 B.C.
 2 CONSULS, elected each year by the senators to
supervise the business of government and
command the armies. Could only serve one term
and had to consult with the senate.
 In event of war, the senate might choose a
DICTATOR, who would be granted power to rule
for the length of 6 months.
 The rest of the population,
the commoners, were
called PLEBEIANS.
 They got the Roman laws
inscribed onto 12 tablets
and set up in the Forum
 Plebeians elected representatives to protect their
interests, TRIBUNES. The
tribunes could block, or
veto, the laws they felt
would be harmful.
Did you know?
* Our Constitution is based on the Roman ideas of a
republic, senate, veto, and checks and balances.
Society
 The family was the basic unit of Roman society.
 Father had absolute power
 Women played a larger role than in Greek society.
 Girls and boys were both taught to read and write,
especially rhetoric for boys who wanted to be
statesmen.
Religion
 Gods and Goddesses resembled
the Greeks, just different names
Neptune, god of the sea
(Poseidon)
Jupiter, father of the gods
(Zeus)
Expansion
 The Romans had powerful armies which allowed
them to conquer all of Italy.
 Basic military unit (LEGION) of 5,000 men.
 Romans generally treated conquered peoples
fairly, letting them keep their customs as long as
they acknowledged Rome’s leadership and paid
taxes, even giving some the right of Roman
citizenship.
 Rome built a network of roads guarded by soldiers
that helped unite the empire.
Section 2
FROM REPUBLIC TO EMPIRE
Carthage
A Phoenician city-state on the northern coast of
Africa. Its empire came into conflict with Rome as
both powers expanded
3 wars with Carthage
PUNIC WARS
 1st Punic War – Rome defeated
Carthage and won Sicily, Corsica, and
Sardinia
 2nd Punic War – Carthaginians seek
revenge, Hannibal leads his war
elephants through the Alps, surprising
the Romans from the north…they
expected an attack from the south. For
15 years Hannibal won battle after
battle. But because Hannibal couldn’t
capture Rome, in the end he was
defeated and gave up all lands except
those in Africa.
 3rd Punic War – Rome completely
destroyed Carthage and killed any
survivors of the previous wars.
Carthage was sown with salt so
nothing would grow there again.
 Romans committed to a policy of IMPERIALISM,
establishing control over foreign lands and peoples.
 Conquest brought incredible riches to Rome.
How did wealth affect Rome?
Cheap
slave labor
Farmers fell into
debt, sold farms,
moved to cities
Population in cities
grows
Angry mobs, corruption,
greed, self-interest
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
 Among the first to
attempt reform, tried
to get the state to
distribute land to poor
farmers and use
public funds to feed
the poor.
 The senate got angry
and got them killed
with thousands of
their followers.
Rome plunges into a period of
CIVIL WAR
? WHO SHOULD HOLD THE POWER?
First Triumverate
Crossing the Rubicon
“The die is cast…”
Julius Caesar
 Brilliant commander who conquered as far west as
Gaul (France)
 Defied Pompey upon returning and forced the senate
to make him dictator
 4 years of reform: public works, gave land to the
poor, introduced the Julian calendar, based on
Egyptian astronomy
 Assassinated by the senate
A bust of Julius Caesar, circa 25 B.C. It is
believed to be an accurate likeness of
Caesar—in fact, the most accurate
likeness of all portrait busts of Caesar that
have survived.
Octavian -1st Emperor
 Caesar’s nephew was
called Augustus Caesar,
placed in power by the
senate
 Republic dies, Empire
born
 Good ruler, stable
government, civil service,
census, postal service, new
coins, roads, etc.
Pax Romana
 200 years of peace
 Began with Octavian, ended with Marcus Aurelius
 Brought peace, order, unity, and prosperity to the
empire, from the Euphrates to Britain
 Easy movement of people, ideas, religion, and
culture on network of roads
Bread and Circuses
 Circus Maximus, Rome’s largest race course
 Colosseum
 Chariot races, gladiator fights, even miniature naval
battles
Colosseum, ancient Rome’s largest stadium, held 50,000 people
Circus Maximus
Appian Way
Roman aqueduct
Roman mosaic
Roman culture
 Borrowed heavily from the Greeks
 Art emphasized grandeur more than elegance
 Sculpture was more idealistic and symbolic
 Superb engineering and architectural skills
 Strong commitment to justice and principal of law
Roman law
 “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
 Two systems of law
 Civil law – applied to Roman citizens
 Law of nations – applied to all people under Roman
rule, citizens and non-citizens
 Accused person innocent until proven guilty
Rise of Christianity
 Generally, Rome tolerated various religions
 All people had to acknowledge the divine spirit of the
emperor and honor Roman gods
 Jewish revolt (66 AD) led to the destruction of
Jerusalem and scattering of Jews throughout the
empire
Masada, the Zealots last stand
against the Romans.
Birth of Christianity
 Jesus, a Jew, attracted thousands of followers who
had long waited for a messiah (savior) of the
people
 He preached God’s love and taught the need for
justice, morality, and service to others
 He was betrayed by one of his disciples and
crucified by the Romans.
 His closest followers, known as the 12 apostles,
believed that Jesus resurrected and ascended to
heaven. They spread Christianity after his death.
Tolerance did not extend to Christians
 Jesus’ disciples spread Christianity throughout the
Roman empire
 While many Jews converted, others tried to kill
Christian converts.
 The Romans didn’t like that Christians wouldn’t
worship the emperor
 Christians were used as scapegoats whenever the
empire foundered.
Catacombs
The fish was one of the first Symbols of early Christianity. It was understood
as a word-image: the Greek translation for "fish", which is iCHTHYS, in an
abbreviation for "lessous CHnstos THeou Yios Soter" ("Jesus Christ, the
Father's Son. is our savior") This sign was the common basic profession to
unite Christians from all cultural origins.
Catacombs, Rome
Edict of Milan, AD 313
 Constantine granted
freedom of worship for
all citizens of the
Roman empire
 Influenced by his
mother, who was a
devout Christian
The Long Decline
 Struggles for power (In one 50 year period, 26
emperors reigned)
 Diocletian and Constantine tried to reform the
empire by fixing prices for goods and services,
allowing Christianity, moving the capital from Rome
to Constantinople.
Good Emperors
Constantine
Bad emperors
Nero – killed his mother,
married his stepsister, and
killed his wife to marry
someone else, used Christians
as torches to light up his
gardens
Caligula appointed his favorite horse as consul.
Attacks from Germanic peoples
 Attila the Hun – “scourge of God” (434)
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ attila.htm
 Odoacer –
Germanic leader (476)
ousted the emperor of
Rome