Rome:
From Republic to Empire
SOL Standards Essential Questions
VA SOL
VA SOL
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How was geographic location
important to the economic, social, and
political development of ancient
Rome?
What was the source of Roman
mythology?
What impact did Roman mythology
have on later civilizations?
How did the government of the
Roman Republic become more
democratic in its decision making?
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Why was Rome able to conquer
Carthage and then go on to extend its
influence across the entire
Mediterranean basin and Western
Europe?
Why did the Roman Republic fail to
survive challenges by Julius Caesar?
How did military conquests alter
economic and social life in Rome?
How did an imperial monarchy come
to rule Rome?
What was the Pax Romana?
What was the impact of the Pax
Romana on the Roman empire?
Location of Rome
• Italian Peninsula
(Italy today)
• Centrally located on
the Mediterranean
Sea
• Distant from Eastern
Mediterranean
Powers
Alps and
Mediterranean Sea
• Protected Rome from invasion
Trade
• Rome prospered due to trade on the
Mediterranean Sea
Copy Cats!
• The Romans based their religion on
Greek Mythology
–They were also polytheistic
–Many of the gods/goddesses were the
same, but the Romans changed their
names
–The gods explained human qualities
and life events
Roman Gods
Based on Greek Gods
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Jupiter (Zeus): Chief god
Juno (Hera): Goddess of marriage; wife of Zeus
Apollo: God of light, the sun and music
Diana (Artemis): Goddess of hunting and wild
things
• Venus (Aphrodite): Goddess of love
• Minerva (Athena): Goddess of wisdom and war
Roman Republic
• Republic: rule by the people (re=by, public=people)
• Representative democracy: legislators
(representatives) are elected by the citizens to
represent their interests
Roman Citizens (3)
• Paid taxes
• Men had the right to vote
• Men had to serve in the military
Patricians
• Land-owners of noble Latin birth
“Patricia is a rich snob”
Plebeians
• Majority of Romans:
common people
• Artisans,
shopkeepers, and
small farmers
Slaves
• The property of
their owners
• Were taken by
conquest
• Had no freedom
or rights
The Assemblies
More democratic, but less powerful
than the senate
• Centuriate Assembly:
consisted of all citizensoldiers; controlled by
Patricians.
• Tribal Assembly: elected
tribunes and made laws for
the plebeians and later for the
whole republic.
The Senate
The most powerful lawmaking
body in Rome
• 300 members were
chosen (for life)
from the Patrician
class
• Later plebeians
were allowed to
join
Consuls
• Two officials elected
to command the army
and direct the
government
• Served for a one-year
term.
• One consul could
always veto (overrule)
the other’s decisions.
Dictator
One whose word was law
• In a times of crisis, a
dictator would be given
absolute power to
command the army and
make laws
• A dictator’s power lasted
for only six months
Twelve Tables
Laws carved on tablets and hung in the forum
• Gave all free citizens a right
to the protection of the law.
• Established ideas seen in
modern laws such as the
principle of innocent until
proven guilty.
Punic Wars
• 264 to 146 BC
• 3 wars fought between Rome and Carthage
Hannibal: General of Carthage
Carthage
• Trading empire located in North Africa (present-day
Tunisia)
• Rival of Rome for control of trade on the
Mediterranean
The First Punic War
• Fought over
Sicily for 23
years
• Carthage lost
• This was
Rome’s first
province
Second Punic War
• Carthage was led
by HANNIBAL a
brilliant general.
• He used 50,000
men, 9,000 cavalry
and 60 elephants.
• To surprise Rome
he went through
the Alps
The Second Punic War
• For 10 years he
pillaged northern
Italy
• Finally a Roman
general name
SCIPIO defeated
Hannibal.
The Third Punic War
• By this time, Carthage
was no longer a threat.
• Cato a influential
senator reminded them
of the terror Hannibal laid
on Italy.
• Romans destroy
Carthage and sold all of
Carthaginians into
slavery!
Results of the Punic Wars
• Hannibal was defeated when Rome attacked Carthage
• Rome destroyed Carthage
• Increased trade brought great wealth to Rome
Growth of Rome
• Following the Punic wars, Rome grew rapidly,
taking control of the Mediterranean basin
(including Greece and the Hellenistic world of the
Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and Spain).
Spread of Slavery
• Romans made slaves
of captured peoples
during the wars and
conquests which
followed
• By 100 BC slaves
made up one-third
of Rome’s
population
Roman Slave Collar
Expansion and Wealth
Creates Problems
• The spread of slavery caused small farmers
(former soldiers) to lose their land.
• The influx of wealth caused prices to rise
(inflation)
Unemployment
Loss of jobs
• Landless former
farmer-soldiers
flocked into the into
cities looking for
jobs and joined the
ranks of the restless
urban poor (25% of
the population)
The gap between the rich and the poor widened
Decline of the Republic
The end of Rome’s democratic government
• Civil wars erupted
due to class
conflicts and
rivalries between
politician-generals
• Another civil war
erupted over the
power of Julius
Caesar
The First Triumvirate
• Three rulers who joined forces to take power
from the senate and dominate Rome.
Caesar
Crassus
Pompey
Julius Caesar
• He conquered Gaul
(France today)
• He had the support of the
masses and the army
Julius
Caesar
as
Dictator
• Caesar went to war with Pompey and won
• He returned to Rome with his army and forced the
senate to make him dictator for life.
Julius Caesar is
Assassinated
• A group of senators stabbed Julius Caesar to death
in the senate chamber
More Civil Wars
• After Julius Caesar’s death civil war erupted
• Octavian (Augustus) joined forces with Mark Anthony
and Lepidus and together they took control of Rome for
ten years.
• They became the 2nd Triumvirate
Octavian vs. Marc Anthony
• Civil war
erupted again
between
Octavian and
Mark Anthony
• Octavian won.
Octavian
(Augustus)
Anthony and
Cleopatra
Augustus Caesar
• Octavian assumed
absolute power
and accepted the
title “Augustus”
• Rome became an
empire ruled by
an emperor (no
longer a republic).
The Pax Romana
• Two hundred years of
peace and prosperity
established by the rule of
Augustus (pax = peace,
Romana = Roman)
• The Roman Empire
continued to expand and
solidify
Roman Empire
• By the end of the
second century, the
Roman Empire
stretched from
Spain to
Mesopotamia, and
from North Africa
to Great Britain.
Economic Impact
• Augustus established a
uniform system of
money helping to
expand trade.
• It was safe to travel and
trade on Roman roads.
Social Impact
• Augustus returned
stability to the
social classes
• Increased
emphasis on the
family
Political Impact
• Augustus created a civil service: He paid
workers to manage the affairs of government
(postal system, tax collection, etc.)
• He developed a uniform rule of law
Problems With
Succession
Selection of the next emperor
• Because Rome had
no written law for
choosing a new
emperor, crisis or
civil war could occur
when an emperor
died.
Reflection
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The foundation of modern democracy was derived from
A. the New Testament.
B. the Roman Republic.
C. the Laws of Rome.
D. the Roman Empire.
Rome became the dominant force in the Mediterranean after its victory in the
Punic Wars over
A. Spain.
B. Great Britain.
C. Gaul.
D. Carthage.
The Roman Empire collapsed because of civil war over the power of Julius Caesar
and
A. devaluation of Roman currency.
B. an unstable civil service.
C. a belief in polytheism.
D. lack of technological advances.