Ancient Rome
Beginning of Rome
Legend of Romulus and Remus
Circa 750 BCE
Abandoned brothers
Raised by She-Wolf
Romulus killed Remus
Early Government
Republic
Form of government in which the power rests with
the citizens who then vote to select their leaders to
represent them
Social Classes
Patricians
Wealthy land owners, nobles, controlled government
Plebeians
Farmers and workers, works to increase power
Slaves
No power
Early Government
Three bodies that control aspects of
government
Senate – Controls public funds, Foreign policy
Magistrates – Advised by Senate
Consuls - Two, 1 year terms, Checks & Balances, veto
Praetors – Help consuls
Censors – Registered citizens by wealth
Dictator – Absolute ruler, 6 months, time of crisis
Assemblies
Tribunes – leader of Plebeian Assemblies, 10
Voted on laws, elected officials
Conflict of the Orders
Plebeians
Felt left out of political life.
Leave Rome
Set up own city on nearby hill
Creates its own ruling body
Tribal assembly
Return
After the patricians in the Senate
agreed to share power
5
Growth of Plebeian Power
451 The Twelve Tables – Plebes, fearful of abuse of
BCE power, wanted codification of law. The Twelve
Tables of Roman Law were etched on bronze
plaques.
445
Marriage between patricians and plebes
legalized.
366
First plebe elected consul.
287
Decisions
the plebeian
assembly
are binding on
Plebes canofserve
at all levels
of priesthood.
ALL Roman citizens, not only on the plebes.
6
Roman Republic vs. U. S. Government
(No need to copy)
Rome
United States
Executive
2 Consuls, elected by the
assembly for 1 year,
commander of army
President, elected by citizens
for 4 years, commander of
army
Legislative
Senate-300 memebers
Tribal Assembly- elected
according to where they live
Both elected for life
Senate-100 members, 6 yr
terms
House of Representatives-435
members, 2 yr . terms
Judicial
Praetors-eight judges chosen
for 1 year
Supreme Court-9 justices,
appointed for life by President
Legal Code
Twelve Tables – list of rules
that were the basis of Roman
Law
U.S. Constitution
Citizenship
All adult male landowners
only
All native-born or naturalized
people
Republic Grows
200 years of wars with neighbors expands Rome’s
Empire
Army
Adult Landowning males
Strict discipline
Legion – groups of 4500-6000 soldiers
Well trained, high morals
Wise policies
Areas Close to Rome granted full citizenship
Further areas given partial citizenship
–
–
–
–
Even Greek City States
Own property
Could Marry
Could not vote
Areas remain independent
– Required to send soldiers
– Land for Roman farms
Punic Wars 264 – 146 BCE
Carthage
Powerful city
Controlled Sicily
Leary of Rome
Rome leery of Carthage’s Navy
Knows they need a Navy
Strikes first
1st Punic War 264 – 241 BCE
War for control of Sicily
Test for Rome’s new navy
Based off captured Carthaginian ship
Used ‘boarding bridges’ and land tactics
– 35 ft. tall, on a swivel
23 years of war
Result
Carthage asks for Peace
Rome gets money
Rome controls Sicily
Gains Corsica and Sardinia shortly after
2nd Punic War 218 – 202 BCE
Carthage attacks Northern Italy
Carthaginian General Hannibal
Foot and horse soldiers, Elephants
Cross Alps
Roman soldiers no match, retreat
No equipment to attack cities
Destroys and raids farms and countryside
Tried to gain roman support
Roman turn the tide of war
Invades Africa
Hannibal called home
Scipio defeats Hannibal
Result
Rome gets money
Carthage gives up most of Navy
Rome gains Spanish colonies
Rome most powerful in area
3rd Punic War 149 – 146 BCE
Rome wants to destroy Carthage
Carthage no longer a threat
This is personal
Hannibal and Scipio
Result
Carthage Destroyed
Rome has also conquered Macedonia
Retaliation for helping Carthage (2nd PW)
Greek City States under Rome's ‘protection’
Expansion Problems
Growth forces government to change
Senate
Complete control of army and foreign policy
Provinces
Governed loosely
Not citizens, not allies, subjects of Rome
Had Governors with military backing
– Took bribes
– No concern for people
– Squeezed by tax collectors
Expansion Problems
Problems At home
Soldiers homes, livestock and farms destroyed by
war
No money to fix, had to sell
Rome becomes dependent on imported grains
Moved to cities
Hard to find jobs
Rely on government for support
Increased trade creates a business class
Equites
Great wealth and political power
Gap between rich and poor grows
Weakening Republic
Gracchus brothers
Tiberius – Elected Tribune 133 BCE
Supported help for farmer-soldiers
Angered Senators and supporters
– Clubbed to death
Gaius – Elected Tribune 123 and 122 BCE
Used public funds to buy grain
– Sold to poor for cheap
Angered senators
Killed by rioters
Violence replaces respect for law and politics
Social War
Italian Allies
Rome resists calls for Italian allies to gain
citizenship and hold office
Allies Rebel
One of bloodiest wars in Rome’s history
Rome wins but gives into demands
Italians start to view themselves as ‘Romans’
Social War
Political Issues
Gaius Marius
General and Consul, makes changes in political system
Creates an army of volunteers
– Paid well and war loot
Other Generals follow suit
Civil War breaks out
Sulla
General, conquerors Rome
Rules as dictator
Restores power to Senate
– Increases number from 200 to 300
– Given complete control of government
Julius Caesar
Nephew of Marius
General, powerful speaker, becoming popular
– has support of poor
First Triumvirate
Means rule by Three
60 BCE
Crassus - dies in battle in 53 BCE
Caesar – military command in Gaul (France)
Gains military support
Pompey – Sole Consul
Jealous of Caesar
Orders him home w/o army
Caesar refuses – Attacks Rome
Caesar v. Pompey
Pompey flees to Greece
Caesar defeats him then heads to
Africa
Places Cleopatra, an ally, on the throne
Returns to Rome
Senate declares him ‘Dictator for life’
Increases Senate to 900 seats
Senators fear his ambition
Assassinated - March 15, 44 BCE
‘Ides of March’
Second Triumvirate
43 – 33 BCE
Lepidus
Octavian forced him to retire
Marc Antony
Drove Caesar’s conspirators out of Rome
Led army to east to reconquer areas in Asia Minor
Joined Cleopatra in Egypt
Ruled Eastern half of empire
Octavian-nephew of Caesar
Ruled Western half of empire
Convinced the Senate to declare war on Marc and Cleopatra
Defeats Marc and Cleopatra’s navy and takes Alexandria
Fearing capture Marc Antony commits suicide
Cleopatra does the same – Death by poisonous snake
Augustus/Octavian 63 BCE – 14 CE
Nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar
Wanted to restore the Republic
Called himself ‘First Citizen’
Senate gave title Augustus = Revered one
Considered First Emperor
“Ablest Emperor of Rome”
Reformed the government by adding a civil service,
paid workers
System of roads “All roads lead to Rome”
Strengthened army and navy
Increased the size of the Roman Empire
Beginning of Pax Romana
27 BCE – 180 CE
Height of Empire
Julio-Claudian Emperors
Relatives of Julius Caesar
Tiberius
14-37 CE – Adequate but disliked
Caligula
37-41 CE – Brutal, Insane, murdered
Claudius
41-54 CE – Smart, wise, conquered Britain
– Poisoned by wife
Nero
54-68 CE – Blamed for fire in Rome
– Killed himself vs. waiting to be assassinated
Five Good Emperors
No set policy for choosing a leader
Many named own successor
Many lose military support
69 CE – 4 different Emperors at the same time
Nerva
96 – 98 CE
Trajan
98-117 CE
Hadrian
117-138 CE – Spanish born
Built wall to protect northern frontier, sea to sea in Britain
Antoninus Pius
138-161 CE
Marcus Aurelius
161-180 CE
Preferred Stoic philosophy to war
Defended Empire against invaders from the north and south
Last of Rome’s “good emperors”
Roman Society and Culture
Government & Law
In many ways strongest element of Rome
Kept order, Enforced laws
Two major changes to 12 Tables
1 – Govt. passes laws as needed
2 – Judges interrupt laws for current times
Laws applied to all people
Roman Law - Basis for our laws today
Innocent till proven guilty
Fair trial for both sides
Judges base decision on evidence
Roman Society and Culture
Science and Arts
Medicine
Galen
– Wrote multi-volume work summarizing
all know medical knowledge.
Astronomy and Geography
Ptolemy
– Sun, planets, stars revolve around the
earth
– Believed for over 1500 years
Roman Society and Culture
Science and Arts
Engineering
Roads
– Layers construction
Aqueducts
– Bridge-like structures built to
carry water from mountains to city
Architecture
Arch
Vaulted Arch
– Large rooms with high ceilings
Roman Society and Culture
Language
Alphabet
Greeks –> Etruscans –> Romans
23 letters
Roman/Latin alphabet
23 letter + ‘j’, ‘y’, ‘w’
Used throughout Europe and Roman Catholic
Church
Basis for ‘romance languages’
Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian
Law
Language
Republic
Troubled Times
Empire sliding in to crisis
Many struggle for power
Invaders threaten
Civil War
Inflation
Decrease in value of money + higher prices
Daily life
Becomes hard for many
Border attacks
Economic problems
Small farmers forced to sell
Attempts at Reform
Some progress pushing back invaders
Economy still shaky
Diocletian
General and Emperor 284 CE
Empire too large for one person to manage
Appointed a co-emperor, and assistants
Diocletian ruled the Eastern half
– Empire first, individual freedom second
Drove out invading barbarian tribes
Controlled prices, wages
Reforms slow decline, but do not stop it
305 CE, both emperors retire
Attempts at Reform
Two Assistants take over rule
One dies, his son Constantine takes over
Not recognized by emperor in the east
Civil War breaks out
Constantine
Eventually wins war, sole emperor 324 CE
Brought stability back to the empire
Supported Christianity
Created a new capital in the East
– Constantinople
Dies 337 CE
Empire remains stable for about 50 more years
Two halves of empire break apart
West grows weaker and weaker
East becomes center of power and wealth
Final Invasions
Goths, Vandals, Franks and others
Goths
Tried to settle in Empire to escape Hun invaders
Treated badly
Revolt in 375 CE
Crushed Roman Army
Goths allowed to settle under own leaders
– If joined Roman Army
Visigoths
410 CE
Alaric (king) attacks and sacks Rome
First time in 800 years
Final Invasions
Vandals
Took advantage of chaos, little opposition
Advances through to African Coast
Return to sack Rome
Huns
Nomadic people from Asia
Raiders and plunderers
Led by Attila
Attacked Gaul (France)
Defeated by army of Roman and Visigoth soldiers
Results of Invasion
Romulus Augustulus
Last Roman Emperor
14 year old boy
Deposed and sent into exile in 476
Western Half
Germanic tribes set up kingdoms
Learning declines
Schools and libraries destroyed
Overtime knowledge of world and past declines
Eastern half of Empire
Byzantine Empire
Survives and flourishes
Causes for Decline
Reasons for the decline:
Destroyed from within…..
1 - Political – Government not efficient for size of empire as it
grows, grew fast to quick, office seen as a burden, division of
empire, moving of capital
2 - Social – lack of patriotism, huge difference between rich
and poor, little interest in public affairs, low confidence in empire
3 - Economic – poor harvests, inflation, no more war plunder,
heavy taxes, disruption of trade
Military- threat from northern tribes, low funds for defense,
lack of interest in army, lack of loyalty, dependent on foreign
troops for defense