Ancient Rome
TSW: summarize the worldwide
influence of ideas the originated in the
Roman Republic and Empire.
Response Question:
What is the significance of the history,
government, culture, and advancements of
Roman society on our world today?
Geography
farmland – due to many river valleys
 Great climate
 Middle of Mediterranean
 Defensible – protected by the Alps in the
north, and the sea
 Good
Italy in 750 BCE
Italy first settled by three
groups:
Etruscans
Latins
Greeks
Rome settled on Tiber River,
15 miles inland, surrounded
by 7 hills.
Most groups organized into
territories, towns and clans
Most were farmers or
herdsmen.
The Founding of Rome
 The
city of Rome was founded by twin
brothers Romulus and Remus in 753
B.C.E.
 According to legend they were from a
wealthy family and were abandoned by
their uncle.
 A She-wolf took them in and raised them.
 Romulus killed his brother Remus and
took control as leader of Rome.
Rome would
then move on
and gradually
take over all
the other
people of
Italy
Long, slow,
difficult
process and
Roman
success was
by no means
guaranteed
Conquest of
Italy took
over 100
years and
Rome
suffered
some
serious
setbacks in
the process
But through
hard work,
perseverance,
and luck, Rome
did it
Social Groups of the Roman
Republic
 Romans
came in at 500bc(Rome settled)
 Patricians – wealthy Latin nobles – in the
Senate.
 Plebeians – merchants, landowners, small
farmers and laborers


Had the right to vote
Could not hold political office
 Twelve
Forum
Tables – written law – Hung in the
Social and Political Order
 In
the later years of the Republic the
Plebeians became more powerful.
 They created a new assembly (Council of
Plebs) in 471. New leaders called
Tribunes protected the Plebeians. A new
law allowed intermarriage.
 In 278 B.C.E. the Council received the
right to pass laws for all Romans.
Rome Spreads its Power
 By
265, they had all of Italy
 They challenge the other power in the
Mediterranean, the Carthaginians located
in North Africa.
 There were 3 separate Punic Wars

Rome wins all three
 By
146bc, they are the undisputed
“Masters of the Mediterranean”
The Roman Republic
Julius Caesar – forms a triumvirate with Crassus
and Pompey
 They come into conflict and Caesar wins and
becomes sole ruler (dictator)
 Caesar’s Contributions





Granted citizenship to people outside of Italy
Reduced slave labor
Invented our current calendar
He made land reforms and gave land to the poor.
Killed on the Senate floor by Crassus and
Brutus in 44BC
Public Amusements
 Free
bread and free entertainment kept
poor from revolting
 130 celebrated holidays a year
 Circus Maximus was like the Texas Motor
Speedway seating 130,000
 Gladiator duels, fighting animals, were
popular events
The Colosseum
Public Improvements







Built vast amounts of roads that are still in use
today
Aqueducts – brought in all the water necessary
for the cities and farms
Temples for the gods- copied Greek stylemassive
Forum- public area of the city- center- oration
etc.
Theaters- for entertainment- drama
Coliseums- more fun, fights, gladiators, animals
Baths- public places- series of rooms dif temps
Rome’s Early Road System
The Roman Empire
The First Emperor
a.k.a. Augustus Caesar – was
Rome’s First emperor
 Octavian





Given the name Augustus (means “revered
one” by Senate)
He was the absolute ruler of 70 to 100 million
people
The Pax Romana (Roman peace) lasted 200
years
Rebuilt Rome
Failed to develop a system for the selection of
future emperors
Bad Emperors 14 AD – 68 AD
– paranoid, he had many innocent
people accused of treason
 Caligula – became mentally disturbed and
was killed by a palace guard
 Claudius – could not focus well on the
affairs of state
 Nero – probably insane, had his pregnant
wife and mother killed before he killed
himself
 Tiberius
Good Emperors





Nerva – chosen by the Roman Army; Introduced
the practice of naming an heir/successor before
his death.
Trajan – increased the empire to its greatest
size
Hadrian – strengthened Rome’s frontiers
(Hadrian’s Wall)
Antonius Pius – maintained empire’s
prosperity; He introduced laws that required
humane treatment of slaves. He also introduces
the legal principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Marcus Aurelius – brought empire its greatest
economic prosperity
The Pantheon 128 A.D.

Commissioned by
Emperor Hadrian
 Started in 118 A.D.
 It is a clock of sorts.
It tells the time by
rays of light hitting the
sculptures inside.
Family Life in the Roman
Empire
 The
family included parents, grandparents,
unmarried children, and married sons and
their families.
 Father of the family ruled the household
(Called paterfamilias)
 Women had considerable power in their
own families and many ran businesses
and managed estates, but could not vote
and were not considered citizens.
 Ancestor worship was extremely important
to the family.
Roman Culture
 Golden Age-
literature Horace, Virgil, Ovid
and Livy
 Religion- state religion, many Emperors
expected to be worshipped as gods
 Roman gods (mythology) reflected Greek
mythology
The Roman legacy- writing and the law
 alphabet



should look familiar to us
Romans wrote down everything- very literate, passed on
to use use every day, alma mater, alter ego, per capita,
vice versa, a.m/, p.m., RIP ,list goes on ad infinitum
some consider the statutes and case law most important
legacy- took idea that a written law can protect one
person from another- put it into practice- Because it’s
the laws means something to us- not necessarily in other
cultures.
tried to appeal to people through argument- idea of
people deciding
magistrates important in Rome- e.g. of Apostle Paul
Slavery






Slaves made up 1/3 of the Roman population.
Working conditions for slaves in the cities were
somewhat better.
Not related to ethnicity or skin color
Greek slaves educated and highly prized
Laborers would often be chained together while
working in the fields.
Spartacus’ uprising in 73 B.C.E. was the largest
slave revolt, but not the only one.
Christianity and Rome

Helped Christianity spread- communication
 Appeal- unrest, questioning of polytheism




Persecution- under Nero, blamed for fire


explained spiritual aspects, Christ’s teachings
emphasis of eternal life
community exclusive (mystery religion)
mostly tolerant, Christians refused to worship state
Effect- spread slowly- letters formed NT

officially tolerated 313 Edict of Milan