Chapter 10:
Ancient Rome
Lesson One: Rome’s Beginnings
I. Legend
a. Roman legend claimed that brothers, Romulus
and Remus founded Rome after they were raised by
a she-wolf.
II. Landforms and Bodies of Water in
Rome
a. Mountainous (like
Greece)
b. Longest coastlines
i. became a center of
trade because of its
many harbors and
ports with access to
the Mediterranean
Sea.
c. Surrounded by
Mediterranean Sea,
Tyrrhenian Sea, and
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III. Connection
a. Rome was considered a bridge between Western
Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia.
IV. TRADING
a.
Tiber River was
important because
foreign ships could
bring goods up the
river to Rome.
i. Rome became
very rich.
b. Because of trade,
Romans studied new
ideas about growing
crops and they
learned about other
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V. Etruscans
a. Etruscans took over
Rome about 600
B.C.
b. Romans learned how
to build aqueducts.
i. aqueductsstructures
that carry flowing
water
to supply water to
cities.
c. The Romans also
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The ROMAN AQUEDUCT—built in the
2nd century a.d.
Lesson 2 Outline
Lesson 2-The Roman Republic
I.
Nationalism
a.
Romans were proud of their soldiers and loyal to
their homeland. Told many war hero stories to
raise pride and nationalism- a strong devotion to
one’s country.
II.
a.
b.
Two Groups of Citizens
patricians – rich and powerful
plebeians – all other people, 90% of the people.
patricians
soldier and slave
plebeians
farmer/craftsmen
III. Republic
a.
b.
c.
d.
Citizens have the right to vote, or choose their
leaders
Elected officials represented the people in the
Senate (governing body)
At first the Senate made up of patricians.
Each year two patricians were elected as consuls
(officials for the government and army)
IV. Citizenship
a.
b.
Slaves and most foreigners were
NOT citizens.
Women WERE citizens with
limited power.
i. Women could not vote or
hold
public office but they had more
freedom than Greek women.
ii. Women could own property, testify in
court and play major
roles in government.
Patricians
V. Tribunes
men who were appointed to protect
the rights of the plebeians
b. set up to protect plebeians from the
harsh treatment from patricians
c. Over time plebeians gained in
wealth and power, but the
patricians always had more
power.
a.
VI. Carthage
a. City-state located in North Africa.
b. Had a large and powerful navy and one of the
strongest armies.
VII. Rome and Carthage
a. Rome and Carthage fought three times in the
battles called the Punic Wars.
i. Wars lasted a total of 120 years and the
Romans won all three wars.
b. 1st War of the Punic Wars- fought over land off
the coast of Italy
c. 2nd War of the Punic Wars- MOST FAMOUS OF THE THREE
i. Hannibal (Carthaginian general) took his army across the Alps
on elephants and surprised the Romans.
ii. The Romans learned of the attack by Hannibal.
iii. The Romans were saved when Scipio(Roman General)
attacked Carthage and Hannibal had to rush back home
to Carthage to help.
iv. Carthage was defeated.
d. 3rd War of the Punic Wars- Romans captured and destroyed
Carthage
i. surviving Carthaginians were sold into slavery and Rome
controlled the entire Western Mediterranean
region.
VIII. Conquered Places
a.
Romans tried to keep people happy
and patriotic (loyal to Rome).
i. They granted Roman citizenship
to people they
conquered
ii. allowed others to keep local selfgovernment and their
leaders
remained in power
IX. Effects of War on Rome
Money came to Rome but only the
patricians were wealthier.
i.
Plebeians lost jobs to wartime slaves
ii. farmland and homes were destroyed
because of fighting
iii. This angered the plebians
a.
X. Julius Caesar
”
Won battle between two other
Roman generals and was made a ruler for life.
b. The patricians feared that Caesar would take total
power, so he was stabbed on the floor of the Senate.
i. This lead to a civil war (which is when people from
the same country fight one another) as leaders fought
for power.
c. The Roman Republic came to an end.
a.
On March 15, Julius Caesar was stabbed
on the Senate floor.
XI. Advancements of this
time
a. Romans built
aqueducts, roads and
buildings in conquered
land.
(Roads were made of
concrete—not dirt)
i. Most famous of the
roads was the
Appian Way, which
stretched 350 miles
east and south of
Rome)
Lesson 3
Outline
The Roman Empire
I. Augustus
a.
Emperor of Rome who stabilized Rome after
Julius Caesar’s death and the civil war
b.
Centralized the government and improved the
economy
c.
Began a long period of peace called Pax Romana
(Roman Peace).
i. 200 YEARS OF PEACE
d.
Made people conquered by Rome loyal to Rome
i. this united the Roman Empire
i.
ii. Roman Empire spread eastward and
westward
ii.
on three continents.
II. Good and Bad Emperors
a. Although there were many good emperors,
there were also bad emperors.
i. Period of bad emperors lasted for thirty
years until Marcus Aurelius.
b. “Five Good Emperors”
i. more stable leadership led to 84 years of
peace and prosperity
ii. Marcus Aurelius was the last and
greatest emperor of this time.
IV. Conquered People (the people the
Romans took over)
a.
All spoke their own language and Latin
b.
The conquered people also had citizenship
c.
Local leaders were allowed to remain in power
i. This led to the empire being united!
V. Roman Law (similar to U.S. Law) that all
a.
couldhave
follow:
Allpeople
free people
equal rights.
b.
A person is innocent until he or she is proven
guilty.
c.
Accused people should be allowed to face their
accusers and defend themselves.
d.
Judges must interpret the law and make
decisions fairly.
e.
People
have rights that no government can take
The Twelve Tables were laws
away.
engraved on tablets and put on
display in the Forum in Rome for
everyone to see, so they could be
understood by all of the citizens of
Rome.
VI. Roman Culture
a. The Colosseum is the most famous Roman arena.
It held the following events:
i. gladiator fights (most important), plays
and religious ceremonies
b. Built aqueducts that brought fresh water.
c. Roman rule led to the growth of many cities in
the Empire.
Lesson 4 Outline
The Rise of Christianity
I. Christianity
a. A religion based on the teaching of Jesus
(who was a Jewish man).
II. Jesus’ beliefs (monotheistic)
a. believed that God loved everyone
b. wanted people to be kind to one another
c. he preached about forgiveness and mercy
III. Jesus is Crucified
a. Jesus was crucified because local leaders
thought his message would upset Roman
rulers.
b. After his death disciples spread Jesus’
teachings and Christianity continued to
spread.
c. Peter and Paul were the most famous
disciples.
IV. Persecution of Christians
a.
At first Christians were persecuted (being
punished for religious beliefs) because they
refused to worship the emperor as a god.
b.
Emperor Constantine made Christianity equal
to all other religions and outlawed the
persecutions.
Lesson 5 outline
Rise and Fall
Emperors for Sale
I. Emperors
a. Most Emperors after Marcus Aurelius
cared about
increasing their wealth and power not the
welfare of the Roman Empire.
II. Choosing a New Ruler
a. Roman Army began to fight each other to
get their favorite person as an Emperor.
b. The Roman Army spent so much time
fighting within Rome (Romans fighting Romans)
The Empire Divided
III. Restoring Order
a. To restore order and bring money to the
empire, Emperor Diocletian divided the
empire.
b. Diocletian and a co-emperor ruled the eastern
portion, while two co-emperors ruled the western
portion.
The city of Constantine/ Christianity
Divides
IV. Emperor Constantine
a. Constantine united the empire again
b. He made a new capital city in the eastern
part of the Empire, Byzantium (later known
as Constantinople).
Constantinople
c. Constantinople became the center of the
Byzantine Empire.
V. Differences among the empires
a. Eastern part of the empire was strong
and rich; capital city was Constantinople.
i. Emperor was the head of the
church-Byzantine Orthodox Church.
b. Western part of the empire was weak
and poor; capital city was Rome.
i. Pope was the head of the church-the
Roman Catholic Church.
Western Empire
Eastern Empire
The Final Days of Rome/ The Fall
VI. Visigoths (German Tribe)
a. Attacked the eastern Empire
b. Alaric, leader, reached the gates of Rome.
c. He surrounded the city, cutting off
its food supply.
i. He pillaged (robbed) the homes of
the wealthy in Rome and burned what
he could not take.
VII. Rome Falls
a. As Rome declined, the Byzantine Empire became
even more prosperous.
b. When Rome fell, the Byzantine Empire became
the center of Roman Power.