Ancient Rome Notes 1
 Rome is in _________________, a European peninsula that extends into the
Mediterranean Sea.
Legendary Beginnings
 Romans claimed their ancestors escaped from the burning city of ______________ after
it had been conquered by the Greeks.
 The members of the original families of Rome became known as the
____________________.
 Fathers were very important in Roman culture. The father had
absolute__________________ over the members of his family.
The Roman Republic
 A ____________________, a government controlled by its citizens, was established in
509BC.
 Two rulers, or consuls, __________________ the affairs of the city.
 ___________________could only hold office for one year.
 The plebeians, _____________________, had to work to pay off debts to the wealthy
patricians.
 Eventually, the plebeians refused to be treated ill.
 A ______________________ was appointed to represent plebeian in court and had veto
power on laws that could be harmful to plebeians.
First Punic War
 Rivalry _______________________ Rome and Carthage ended up in war in 264BC.
 This lasted for more than 20 years over the island of ______________. Rome forced
Carthage out of Sicily.
Second Punic War
 __________________ did not accept defeat easily.
 Hannibal sought to take _______________ on the Romans.
 Hannibal fought for 16 years against the _________________- until 202BC.
Third Punic War
 Struggle between _______________ and Carthage continued.
 Rome again _______________________ Carthage in 146BC.
 Rome leveled Carthage and then put ______________ in their fields so that no crops
could ever grow there again.
 Rome became the_________________ great power of the Mediterranean world.
From Village to Empire
 It took 500 years for Rome to grow from a village to the supreme power of the
____________________________________.
 People from the conquered lands were forced into _______________________working
the farms owned by patricians.
 Roman ________________________ who farmed could not compete with the large
farms and had to move to Rome where they had to rely on the government for food.
 Entertainment was also provided to the citizens.
 The “Gamers” were held in a circular stadium called the _________________ (Latin for
circular).
 It featured _______________________races, athletic contests, and fights.
Gladiators
 __________________________________ were mostly slaves who were forced to fight
and kill for the amusement of the Romans.
 They could ________________ their freedom but it was more likely they would die
before they earned it.