Workbook Pages for
Romanization Unit:
Pg. 114 – 3 & 4
Pg. 118 - all
Pg. 119 - 7 only
Pg. 123 1, 2 & 3
Pg. 129 all
Pg. 130 7 & 8
Pg. 131 all
Pg. 134 1, 2 & 3
Pg. 135 5, 6 & 7
ROMANIZATION
How did Rome become a vast
empire?
 The Roman army was powerful and wellorganized.
 Its military conquered (defeated) the
entire Mediterranean region.
 Army generals knew how to win on the
battlefield (effective military tactics).
Rome as a Kingdom:
 It began over 2,750 years ago as a small village,
located on the Italian peninsula in Europe.
 They had fertile soil & fresh water.
 At the beginning, Rome was ruled by a
king.
 The first king was the mythical
Romulus.
 All the kings thereafter claimed they
were directly related to Romulus, and
that gave them the right to rule.
The Legend of Romulus & Remus
Rhea was married to Mars, the Roman god of war. Rhea had
twin sons. She loved her boys, but there were plots afoot by
other gods and goddesses to harm her father, herself, her
husband, and her children. To protect the boys, she set them
adrift on the river, hoping someone would find them. Who
would not love such beautiful boys?
Sure enough, first they were found by a she-wolf who fed them.
Then a shepherd and his wife adopted the boys.
As the twins grew older, they decided they did not want to take
care of sheep. They wanted to be kings. They decided to build a
city on the shores of the Tiber. They both wanted to be the only
king. They quarreled. In a fit of rage, Romulus picked up a
rock, killed his brother, and made himself king.
That’s how Rome started.
The Circus Maximus
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It was a race track.
It seated 250,000 people.
It burnt down several times.
It was eventually rebuilt using marble &
concrete.
Roman Theatre & Pantomime
 Romans loved live theatre.
 Plays were only performed during religious
ceremonies & festivals (over 200 holidays a
year).
 Wealthy nobles would pay the bill, in honor of
the gods, and give the play to the people as a
gift.
 The actors were men.
 They wore simple costumes.
 The same actor would play several roles.
 They held up happy or sad face masks to
help the audience understand what was
going on in the play.
 Roman actors used a technique called
pantomime.
 Pantomime is a play without words.
Horatius at the
Bridge
 The last king, Tarquin
the Proud, did not
treat people fairly.
 King Tarquin was
cruel, mean, horrible
and he was hated by
his people.
 The legend known as Horatius at the Bridge explains
how the Romans got rid of their last king.
 This story helped to build the reputation of Rome's
army & that it was a protected city, watched over by
the gods.
Horatius at the Bridge
 As the story goes ...
 Once upon a time, a long time ago, the ancient
Romans said, “Enough. We’ve had it with you, King
Tarquin the Proud, the Mean, the Nasty and the
Unfair. Go away. Leave our city.” They threw him
out.
 Well, Tarquin the Proud didn’t like that much. He
went to the Etruscans and said, “I need some help.
Rome threw me out. They must pay.” The Etruscans
said, “Sure, we’ll give you some help. We’ll give
you an army.” Back Tarquin came.
 Rome was taken by surprise. The people who
lived in the surrounding countryside fled
towards Rome as fast as they could. They
poured across the narrow wooden bridge
over the Tiber that connected Rome with its
farm fields on the other side, seeking refuge in
the walled city of Rome. The Etruscan army
was on their heels.
 Inside the city, the Romans were in such a panic,
they forgot to destroy the bridge, or perhaps it
never occurred to them to do so. Led by Tarquin
the Proud, who knew his way around Rome pretty
well, the Etruscan army headed for narrowest
piece of the Tiber, where of course the Romans
had built their bridge. Imagine their delight when
they discovered that the Romans had left the
bridge for them to cross. They would not have to
swim the Tiber to reach Rome.
 It was disaster. If the Etruscans crossed the bridge,
they would take Rome. Horatius, a young Roman
soldier, called to his friends, “Come on! We’ll hold
the bridge while the others chop it down.” His
friends froze. They were terrified at the thought of
facing an entire army. “Then at least chop the
bridge down while I hold them off alone,” Horatius
pleaded.
 He stood on the bridge and faced the Etruscan
army alone. “Who among you is brave enough to
face a Roman soldier,” he shouted. The Etruscans
threw spears at him. But they were some distance
away, and the bridge itself gave Horatius
protection. Horatius stood firm, fighting like a hero.
When the Etruscans tried to cross the narrow bridge,
Horatius cut them down. Two of his friends rushed
out to help him. Behind them, other young soldiers
were frantically sawing at the heavy cords that
held the bridge.
 Horatius felt the bridge give way. “Go back,” he
shouted at his friends. His friends raced for the
protection of the walled city. It was hopeless, they
thought. One man cannot stop an army. Only the
gods could save them now. As the bridge began
to fall, Horatius turned and dived into the Tiber. The
gods were with him. He swam back to Rome safely,
and received a hero’s welcome.
 The Etruscan army fell back. How could one man
face an army and live? It was an omen. They did
not wish to anger the gods. It was true what they
said about Rome. It was a divine city. Tarquin the
Proud screamed and shouted and carried on
something awful. But nothing he said convinced
the Etruscan army to swim the Tiber and fight
Rome. The Etruscan army went home. And they
never came back again.
 As the story goes, when the last king of Rome was
overthrown in 510 BCE, over 2500 years ago, the
Roman people vowed NEVER TO BE RULED BY A
KING AGAIN. Nor were they. Rome went on to
establish, for the first time in history, a government
by the people and for the people of Rome. They
called it the Roman Republic.
The Roman Republic (509 BC - 29 BC)
 The REPUBLIC (a country without a King or
Emperor) was set up to make sure that there
weren't any more tyrants in charge of Rome.
Roman Republic:
3 main parts of government
The 2 Consuls
 They were the head of government
(highest position).
 They controlled the army!
Background Info:
 They were members of the Senate.
 They were elected to serve for one year.
The Senate
 They were the law makers.
 They controlled spending.
Background Info:
 Senators came from rich, wealthy
families called patricians.
 Members of the Senate were not
elected.
 They were chosen by the 2 Consuls.
 Once chosen, they served for life.
 300 senators in total.
The Assembly
 The Assembly held meetings in the Forum to
vote for or suggested laws.
Background Info:
 It had limited power…
 It could vote for or suggest laws, but the Senate
could block its decisions.
(ex: It could vote to declare war, but again, the
Senate could block their decision).
 Plebeians made up the Assembly.
The Assembly did have one
impressive power!
 The Assembly voted each year on which
two members of the Senate would serve
as Consuls.
 If you wanted to rise to the level of Consul, the
highest position, you needed to gain the
support of the assembly (plebeian class!)
 Most of the people in Rome fell under this class.
Roman Institutions Under the Empire
1. The Emperor
 Head of the army and government
 Controlled all institutions
 Chosen by the army
 He appointed (to choose someone for a position/job)
the senators, the governors and senior officials.
 Proposed laws to the magistrates.
2.Governors and Senior Officials
 Governors led the provinces.
 Most governors were former local chiefs of
these provinces who had become
Romanized.
 They applied the laws.
 They managed the administration of these
provinces.
3. Senators
 They were appointed for life by the emperor.
 They managed foreign policy.
 They were former magistrates.
 They supervised the current magistrates.
4. Magistrates
 Quaestors (finance)
 Aediles (maintenance)
 Praetors (justice)
 Consuls (military)
 Magistrates were elected by the
people.
5. Roman Citizens
 They voted on laws.
 They elected the magistrates.
The great Orators of Rome
 In ancient Rome, certainly money talked, but so did
those who had the power of speech. The Romans loved a
great orator. When the Assembly met, down at the
Forum, many speeches were going on at the same time.
One speaker might say, "Rome's roads need repair!"
Another speaker might say, "We need to stop crime in
the streets." If you wanted your speech to have an
impact, it did not matter how rich or poor you were.
What mattered was how persuasive you were as a
speaker.
Roman Citizenship
 Men only
 They completed military training and pay taxes.
 As the Empire expanded, the right to Roman
citizenship was extended to people of conquered
territories
Criteria for Candidates:
1. Be an ally and settle in Rome
2. Report someone who had misbehaved or render a service to the
city
3. Serve in the army
4. Be considered Romanized (adopted Latin & way of life)
Roman Social Groups
1. Roman Citizens were either patricians or plebeians
(Merchants and peasants).
2. Peregrins (Free foreigners/immigrants!)
3. Freed slaves (freed by their masters or who had
bought their freedom)
4. Slaves
Roman Law (Rise of the Republic)
 Only the patricians were allowed to lead the city.
 Laws were unfair because they were not applied the
same way for all citizens.
 To fix this situation, the plebeians were given new
powers and a written code of laws was finally
established: Law of the Twelve Tables.
The Evolution of Roman Law
1. Law of the Twelve Tables (451BC- 449 BC)
It stated the following:
 All citizens were equal before the law.
 All privileges ended.
 Arbitrary decisions also ended.
 An arbitrary decision is one made without considering the
facts and circumstances presented, and it suggests that
evidence may be ignored.
Law of the Twelve Tables
Civil law:
 Set of laws dealing
with the rights of
private citizens.
Criminal law:
 Set of laws that apply
to crimes.
 The code of laws was
secular (nonreligious).
2. Perpetual Edict
 Emperor Hadrian created it.
 It ensured equal justice for all.
 It imposed a uniform (same)
order and rule of law throughout
all the Roman provinces.
 It defended slaves against their
masters.
3. Justinian Code
 It was created around 527 AD by Emperor
Justinian.
 This code reformed (changed) Roman law.
 This code set the foundation for modern
civil law.
(485 AD-565 AD)
Established Principals:
 It stated that one can only be judged for one’s
actions and not for one’s thoughts.
 The accuser was responsible for proving the
guilt of the accused.
The Forum
 The Forum was the main marketplace, a business
center and a place for public speaking.
 Orators (public speakers) knew how to argue
persuasively (convincingly)!
 It was also used for festivals/religious
ceremonies.
The Roman Legion
 Used chain mail (a cloth
made of circular links).
 Used scale armor (small
metal plates sewn together
on a linen/leather
backing).
 Some armor was made of
leather, with metal on the
inside.
 Army was organized into
legions.
 Each legion has 6 000 soldiers
called legionaries and was led by
a tribune.
 Legions were split into centuries
that were led by a centurion.
 Insubordination (failure to obey an order
from a superior) was severely punished: a
legionary could deprived of his wages, be
demoted (lose military rank) or even
beheaded.
 They served for 25 years before retiring (career).
 They were given land and a pension.
 They were intimidating (most people gave up without
a fight when legionaries marched into a region).
Roman Roads and Trade
 There’s an old expression, "All roads lead to Rome."
 A road was always built from a conquered city back to
Rome.
 Were built in straight lines/had gutters.
 Built road signs called milestones along the side of roads
(they told how far it was back to Rome).
 The provinces took advantage of Rome`s road system
to export their products.
 Most of the products were sold in Rome, where the
wealthiest inhabitants lived.
 Provinces supplied Rome with natural resources (ex:
wood), finished products (ex: carpets) and slaves.
The Provinces
 A province was a geographic area outside of
Italy, ruled by Rome.
 They were countries or regions that Rome had
conquered (had valuable resources).
 They provided manpower, taxes and natural
resources (ex: gold) to Rome.
 Tax money was used to maintain the army
and public buildings, and to pay civil
servants (government workers).
 It also allowed the emperor to offer bread and
circuses at the Coliseum and Circus Maximus.
 This gained the sympathy of the poor and avoided any
attempt of rebellion.
The Punic Wars & Hannibal of
Carthage (264 BC to 146 BC)
A long time ago, when Rome was a Republic, a big fight
broke out between Rome and Carthage. Carthage was a big
city in North Africa, about 300 miles from Rome. Carthage
and Rome had never liked each other. But they had pretty
much left each other alone in the past. Both cities were
busy building empires of their own.
First Punic War
One day, Rome took a good look at how big Carthage was
getting. The problem, as Rome saw it, was that Carthage
controlled three islands off the coast of Italy. That was too
close for comfort. Rome decided that Carthage needed to
join the Republic. Carthage disagreed. Carthage and Rome
fought for 20 years. This was the first Punic War. Nobody
won. After 20 years of fighting, all they had accomplished
was to kill a lot of people and to cause a lot of hatred.
The capture of the Carthaginian fleet by
the Romans during the First Punic War.
Roman soldiers are walking across the
corvus of their fleet to board and attack a
Carthaginian ship.
 To end the fighting, Carthage offered Rome a deal. They
said: “If you’ll go away and leave us alone, we’ll give you the
island of Sicily.” Rome took the deal. They also took Sardinia
and Corsica, the other two islands off the coast of Italy.
 Carthage was furious. But they were tired of fighting Rome.
Carthage decided to fight Spain instead, and make up the
land they had lost there.
Map of Rome and
Carthage at the start of
the Second Punic War
 They ordered a talented general to leave Carthage and
conquer Spain. The general had lost of good friends in
the war with Rome. He believed Carthage should fight
Rome until they won, and stop Rome now, before Rome
got any bigger. But he could not convince the other
leaders in Carthage that he was right. The general took
his army and his nine-year-old son, Hannibal, and left
for Spain. Before he left home, he made his son swear
that as soon as he was old enough, Hannibal would fight
the Romans and make them pay for all the lives they
had cost. Hannibal promised. That was the beginning of
the legend of Hannibal, military genius.
Hannibal
 Over the next several years, while fighting in Spain,
Hannibal learned to be a strong leader. His Dad had
taught him well. His men had taught him well. Plus, he
was naturally tricky. Hannibal won most of his battles
by coming up with clever ideas. One time, while fighting
at sea, Hannibal had his men dump barrels full of live
snakes onto the deck of an enemy ship. The enemy had
not expected Hannibal to do that. They weren’t
prepared to fight snakes. Hannibal won that battle easily.
 A few years after his Dad died, the soldiers in
Spain chose him to be their new general. He was
only 26 years old at the time. Hannibal did not
hesitate. He took the job, married a Spanish
princess, and started wars with several cities in
Spain. His plan was to conquer all of Spain.
Second Punic War
 One of the cities he attacked happened to be good
friends with Rome. Rome decided to lend a hand. But
Rome did not send help to Spain. They declared war on
Carthage, Hannibal’s hometown and the center of the
Carthage Empire.
 That was fine with Hannibal.
He had never forgotten the
promise he had made to his
father. He had orders from
Carthage to fight Rome. He
needed to take Rome by
surprise. He decided to attack
Rome from the north. Rome
would never expect
that. Hannibal’s plan was to
march 90,000 foot soldiers,
12,000 cavalry, and 37
elephants from Spain, through
Gaul, over the Alps, into Italy,
and then take Rome by force.
 His plan did not work as expected. First, the route was
more rugged that he had expected. He lost nearly all his
elephants and half his men on the trip. Second, he
expected people in Northern Italy to help him. They did
help him by leaving him alone. But they would not join
his army. Third, Carthage did not have a strong navy to
use to send supplies.
 Hannibal came up with a new plan. Instead of marching
on Rome, he drove Rome crazy by attacking smaller
outposts and stealing food and weapons, food intended
for Rome. Hannibal and his men stayed on the Italian
peninsula for 15 years, causing trouble where he could.
 In 203 BCE, Rome had had it with Hannibal. They
couldn’t catch him, so they attacked Carthage instead.
Carthage, in a panic, called Hannibal home. Before
Hannibal could arrive, Carthage had agreed to peace
terms with Rome. Terms:
 Carthage would leave Spain, Gaul, and Italy
 Carthage would reduce their navy to 20 warships
 Carthage had to pay 5000 talents (the money of the
time) in war damages
 Once Hannibal arrived home, the leaders in Carthage
changed their minds. They decided not to honor their
peace terms. Rome was furious. They sent an army to
Carthage. Hannibal’s army lost, but Hannibal managed to
get away. If possible, Rome was even more furious.
Carthage had not kept their promise. Rome still did not
have their hands on Hannibal. One year late, in 202 BCE
the peace terms were more severe.
Terms:
 Carthage would leave Spain, Gaul, and Italy
 Carthage would reduce their navy to 10 warships
 Carthage had to pay 10000 talents (the money of the time)
in war damages, in 50 equal annual payments, over the
next 50 years
 Carthage called it quits. They left Spain. They left Gaul.
They left Italy. They reduced their navy. They paid the
talents they owed each year, promptly. The 2nd Punic
War, started so many years earlier when Hannibal was
just a young man, was finally over. That did not stop
Hannibal, though. Hannibal spent the rest of his life
fighting the growing power of ancient Rome. The
Romans never stopped looking for him. In spite of all
their best efforts, the Romans did not catch up with
Hannibal until he was 64 years old! Even then, they
didn’t get him. He chose to die by swallowing the
poison he kept in his ring.
 Hannibal still ranks as one of the most
magnificent military minds in history and one of
the world’s greatest generals
Handmade oil painting reproduction of Hannibal swearing eternal enmity to Rome,
a painting by Jacopo (Giacomo) Amigoni.
Julius Caesar (100 BC to 44 BC)
 Gained religious, political and military power.
 Led victorious military campaigns in Spain and Gaul
and seized power in Rome.
 Given emergency powers by the consuls during war
time.
 Continued his war campaign as an excuse to continue
ruling over Rome
 Declared himself dictator of Rome and refused to return
power back to the consul.
 Assassinated by his own people shortly after.
 Adopted son, Augustus, took over and became the first
Roman emperor.
Rome as an Empire
 When the Roman Republic failed, Rome became an
empire ruled by emperors.
 Many things changed.
 Although the Senate met and argued, the real power was
now in the hands of an all-powerful emperor.
 Romans had accepted the leadership of an emperor (a
dictator).
 Under Augustus, the first Roman emperor, the people
got used to being ruled by one leader.
 In the 500 years Rome was an Empire, there were over
140 different emperors!
Augustus: First Roman emperor
(Julius Caesar’s adopted son)
 He ruled for over 45 years.
 During his reign, Rome was at peace.
 This period is the beginning of the Pax Romana, or
Roman Peace.
 The phrase "Roman Peace" is a bit misleading because
Rome continued to expand its empire using military
force.
 The empire was united for approximately 200 years.
Other changes included:
1. Public Health Programs were created:
 One program offered free bread to workers on their
way to work.
2. Reduction in Crime:
 Streets were policed by legionaries
 When criminals heard the legionaries approaching,
they typically scattered.
3. Improvements for Women:
 It became legal for women to own land,
run businesses, free slaves, make wills,
inherit wealth, and get a paid job.
Rise of Christianity
 It started to spread in Rome in
the 1st century.
 Christians believed in one god.
 Christians refused to worship
the Roman gods.
 Since this was against the law,
Christians were hunted as
criminals.
 Christianity had a great appeal
to Rome's poor.
 It promised life after death in
heaven.
 In the Roman religion, only gods went to heaven.
 In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine ruled that Christianity
was legal and that Christians would no longer be
persecuted for their beliefs.
The Roman Empire is Split into Two Pieces
 The empire continued to expand mainly for the
following reasons:
a. well-built roads,
b. Strong Roman army
c. Good leadership (emperors and generals)
 Rome´s expansion did cause problems in the long run
because the provinces did not always do what they were
told.
Emperor Valens & the Barbarians
 Barbarian was the name given to any
people who lived outside the borders of
the Roman Empire or to someone who
did not speak Latin.
 Valens tried to be a good emperor, but
he inherited a great many problems:
Rome was broke:
 Roman roads started to fall into disrepair (No
money to fix them!).
 Without good roads, soldiers and goods did not
always reach the far ends of the empire.
Barbarian Raids:
 Barbarian raids on the Roman provinces were
becoming more successful.
 There were five main barbarian tribes in Europe that
wanted to conquer the Roman Empire.
1. Huns
2. Franks
3. Vandals
4. Saxons
5. Visigoths
 They were all successfully attacking various pieces of the
Western Roman Empire at the same time.
Roman achievements
Technology
 The invention of concrete, roman roads, roman arches,
aqueducts.
Medicine
 Public health programs including welfare programs for the
poor.
Language
 The Romans used Latin to communicate.
Religion
 Roman mythology and the Catholic faith, which kept
learning alive after the fall of the Western Roman
Empire.
Roman Law…
 …including the law that states a person is innocent until
proven guilty.
Art
 Statues, jewelry, rings, mosaics, more
Customs
 The use of rings to denote friendship, engagements, and
weddings, and the use greenery to decorate during
winter holidays, and other holiday customs.
Games
 Many board and ball games including knuckleball
(jacks) and hoops.