Ch.5 An Age of Empires: Rome &
Han China
753 B.C.E.-600 C.E.
Italy
Environment
• Italy-crossroads of Mediterranean
• Rome-crossroads of Italy
Rome’s in 753 B.C.E.
Origins
• The legend: Romulus & Remus-grown by a
she-wolf, founded the city
• Rome –founded in 753 B.C. on 7 hills
Social structure
• Basis of society: family, multiple generations +
slaves
• Paterfamilias: absolute power
• Patricians-rich
• Plebeians-poor
• Fights among them: “Conflict of the Order”
On what depended social status,
political privileges, fundamental
values?
Economy
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Agricultural society
Basis of wealth: land
Trade
Territory rich in metals (iron): N-W Etruria
Political organization
• 1) Monarchy 753 -507 B.C.E. ( RomulusTarquinius Superbus)
• 2) Roman Republic 507 -31 B.C.E.
• Rulers: Senate, Council of Elders, several
assemblies
• All male citizens able to attend
Was the Roman Republic a
democracy?
Who had the real power?
Answers
• Votes of wealthy counted more than the ones
of the poor
• Senate
Political org.
• 450 B.C.E. Conflict of the Order:plebeians
refused to work
• The laws: on 12 stone tablets
• New officials: tribunes ( lower classes)
What was the purpose of the 12
stone tablets?
Was the new structure efficient?
Political org.
• Tribunes- power to block any action of the
Assembly that was against the interests of the
lower classes
• Patricians: brought the tribunes into their
class.
• Patron-client relationship:
• Patron-wealthy, offered protection
• Clients: poor, political, military support, agric.
work
Religion
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Polytheistic
Small sacrifices: cakes, wine
Jupiter-Zeus, Mars-Ares, Venus-Aphrodita
Numina
Pax Deorum( Peace of the gods)-covenant
between the gods & the Roman state
• People: sacrifices, gods: protection, success
Women
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No property
Under male authority the whole life
Less constrained than Greek women
In time they got more rights
influence
Expansion
• a) in Italy
• b) in the Mediterranean
Why did the Romans expand so
much?
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1) aggressiveness
2) insecurity-buffer states-further expansion
Well organized army; set up camps
A) expanded in Italy: conflicts among pastoral
tribes & agric. population
• B) 264-202-conquered Phoenicians
• expanded in Mediterranean: Sicily, Sardinia,
Spain
• 200-146 wars against Hellenistic kingdoms
• 59-51 Caesar conquered Gaul (S France)
• New provinces: local administration & tax
collection
• A senator sent to administer it
• Romans accorded citizenship to conquered
people
Why did the Romans accord
citizenship to conquered peoples?
The failure of the Republic
• Political causes
• 1) civil wars( 88-31 B.C.E.)
• 2)armies were more loyal to their leader than
to the state
The failure of the Republic
• Economical causes
• 1) the appearance of the latifundia (herds , wine
instead of grains)
• 2) Roman cities became dependent of imported
grains
• 3)peasants-difficulty in finding a job because of
the slaves
• 4) poverty
• 5) lower no. of eligible soldiers
Octavianus Princeps Augustus
The Roman Principate (31 B.C.E.-330
C.E.)
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Octavian (31 B.C.-14 C.E.)
Maintained the forms of the Republic
Founded the Principate
Military dictator
Expanded the empire: Egypt, parts of Middle
East, Central Europe
• After him, the empire was ruled by emperors
from different families
The greatest expansion of the Roman
Empire
Questions
• 1 )Why did he never call himself emperor?
• 2) How was the throne transmitted into the
Roman Empire?
Caesar’s death
• 3) Why wasn’t the throne transmitted
hereditary?
• 4) How was the emperor chosen?
• 5) Why did a cult of worship of the living
emperor develop?
• 6) What was the source of law in the Roman
Empire?
Way of life
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80 % of population lived in villages
20 % in cities; Rome, Alexandria, Carthage
Rome
Forum, government buildings
Temples, gardens
Public baths, theaters
Rich: town-houses
Poor: slums
Roman Forum
Way of life
• Cities organized based on Rome’s model
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led by a town council +2 elected officials
• Pax Romana –period of peace, stability &
prosperity during the first 2 centuries C.E.
guaranteed by the Roman power
The Colosseum
What was the most enduring
consequence of the Roman Empire?
Romanization
• spread of Latin language and Roman way of
life into the conquered territories
• Factors of Romanization?
Factors of Romanization
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Language
Administration
Cities-built on Rome’s model
Veterans
School
Christianity
Third-Century Crisis (235-284)
• Political causes:
• 1) frequent changes of emperors-civil warsinstability
• 2)attacks from Germanic tribes
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Economical causes:
Inflation
Declined of trade
Drained treasury
Demand of higher taxes-barter economy
• Social causes
• Population moved from cities to villages
• People find protection in local landowners
How was the crisis solved?
Diocletian( 284-305)
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Reforms
1) controlled market prices
2) frozed professional mobility
Stopped only temporary the collapse of the
Roman Empire
Constantine( 306-337)
• 312, battle of Milvian Bridge , victory( cross)
• 313, Edict of Milan (freedom of worship to
Christians)
• Unified the empire under a single religion
• Moved the capital from Rome to
Constantinople
Why did Constantine stop the
Christians ’persecution?
The decline of the Roman Empire
• 392, emperor Theodosius made Christianity
the official & unique religion of the Roman
Empire
• 395 the Roman Empire was divided in 2:
• Western part-decline
• Eastern part-flourished, the Byzantine Empire
• The Western part-attacked by migrating
peoples: Germanic tribes( Visigoths,
Ostrogoths)
The end of the Roman Empire
• 476,the Western part collapsed
• W-divided into many Germanic kingdoms
• The Eastern part will survive for 1,000 more
years under the name the Byzantine Empire
Technology
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Roads
Arches
Concrete
Ballistic weapons
Aqueducts
System of writing: alphabet
Roman road (Appian Way)
Roman Aqueduct