Rome Quiz 1
1. Which peninsula did the Ancient Romans settle on?
2. True/False: The Ancient Romans settled along the banks of the Tiber
River.
3. Why is it important to settle on a peninsula? 2 reasons.
4. Which two men are given credit for founding Rome, in 753 BC?
5. Which three groups were the first to settle Rome?
6. What were some of the new ideas/achievements introduced to Rome
by the Etruscans?
7. True/False: Early Roman government was considered to be a republic,
because citizens elected representative who were governed by laws of
the state.
8. What were Rome’s two social classes called?
9. What are the three main parts of Roman government established by
the Roman Republic’s Constitution?
10. Does the Roman government have checks & balance within its
framework? Why?
Rome / Roman Empire
Geographical Advantages of
Italian Peninsula
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• Center of the
Mediterranean
• Low mountains do not
hinder trade
• Access by land and
sea
Geographical Advantages of
Rome
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077.jpg
• Located on the Tiber
River
• Not on coast
(protected from
invasions)
• Easy crossing at
Tiber (trade)
Founding of Rome
• 753 BC – Romulus & Remus found Rome
• Latins built Rome
• Rome grows because of its location along
the Tiber River
• First groups to settle Rome:
– Latins
– Etruscans
– Greeks
Etruscan Influences on Rome
• Took over Rome around 616 BC
• Etruscan Influences on Rome:
– Built first city walls and sewer
– Arch
– Alphabet
– Numbering system
– System of government
– Gladiator Games and Chariot races
– Introduced new styles of sculpting and
painting
Conflict of Orders
• Arise over class struggle between two groups:
– Patricians – upper land-owning class
– Plebeians – commoners
– How did Plebeians gain more influence/power in the
government?
•
•
•
•
Rome is threatened by invaders
Plebeians refused to fight until changes were made
Plebeian Assembly is formed
Plebeians can now elect tribunes to veto harmful laws
– 450 BC – All laws were written down (Twelve Tables were
displayed in Roman Forum)
The Emergence of the Republic
• Republic – a type of government in which
the citizens elect representatives to run
the government
• Early in the history of Rome it was
headed by a group of aristocrats called
patricians
Republic is Born
• Patricians and Plebeians create a constitution (political
structure/framework)
• As a result of Constitution:
– 3 Parts of government are formed
• Senate – 300 members, controlled finances, foreign
relations, review proposed laws, advised Magistrates;
could appoint a dictator in the event of an emergency
(dictator ruled for 6 months)
• Assemblies & Tribunes – Elected Magistrates,
approved laws, tried court cases, declared war
• Magistrates – Ran daily affairs of the city, Led the
Army, Issued edicts, Acted as judges and priests
Compare: American Republic vs.
Roman Republic
• Rome:
• America:
– Two Branches of Government
– Three branches of
Government
• Executive – Elected magistrates
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Consuls (2)
Praetors (2-8)
Aediles (2)
Quaestors (2-40)
Tribunes (2-10)
Censors (2)
Dictator (1)
• Legislative Branch (Senate)
– Curiate Assembly
– Centuriate Assembly
– Tribal Assembly
• Executive
– President/Vice President
• Legislative
– Congress
• Judicial
– Supreme Court
– Federal Circuit Courts
Roles of Citizens
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• Every adult landowning male had to
serve in the army
• Taught discipline
Republic Expands
• Powerful Army allows Rome to expand its
power, territory, and influence
• Conquest of Italy
– 265 BC – Rome defeats Etruscans & Greek citystates in Southern Italy
– Attention shifts to Island of Sicily
– Rome’s allies in Sicily start conflict with Carthage
(located in North Africa)
– Punic Wars Start
Punic Wars
• Rome v. Carthage
• First Punic War
– Rome had an advantage because the battles were mostly at sea and their
Navy was superior (Carthage had a better army)
– Rome defeated Carthage
• Second Punic War
– Carthage gains power by conquering Spain
– Carthaginians were led by Hannibal, who was responsible for handing Rome
it’s worst defeat of the Punic Wars (50,000 killed/wounded)
– Romans leave for Carthage and besiege Carthage forcing Hannibal to return
to Carthage
– Scipio led the Romans to victory over Hannibal
– Roma Dominates Known world
• Third Punic War
–
–
–
–
Rome attacks Carthage (the city itself), lays siege to the city
Rome storms the town in house-to-house combat
Any Carthaginian not killed became a slave of the Romans
All of the area was now uninhabitable as a result of the Roman attack
Effects of Punic Wars
• Rome is leading power in western
Mediterranean
• Carthage loses it’s navy and land in Spain
• Rome suffered many casualties
• A third war is fought, Carthage is
destroyed and citizens are enslaved
Role of Conquered Peoples
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• Full citizenship given
to nearby cities
• Partial citizenship
given to distant cities
– Most rights except
right to vote
• Spread of Roman
culture
Conquest of Greece
• Rome allies with Greece against
Macedonia, Egypt, and Persia
• After helping the Greeks, Rome annexes
Greece
• Romans adopt parts of Greek culture,
including the religion of Ancient Greeks
Roman Gods-Goddesses/Greek
Gods-Goddesses
Roman God
Greek Equivalent
Responsibilities
Jupiter
Zeus
Chief God/King of Gods
Venus
Aphrodite
Goddess of fertility, love, and beauty
Mars
Ares
God of War
Minerva
Athena
Goddess of Wisdom & Womanly Goodness
Ceres
Demeter
Goddess of Harvest
Cupid/Amor
Eros
God of Love
Victoria
Nike
Goddess of Victory
Pluto
Hades
God of the Underworld
Mercury
Hermes
Messenger God / God of Athletics
Decline of the Roman Republic
• Causes:
– Spread of slavery in the agricultural system
– Migration of small farmers into cities
– unemployment
– Civil Wars
• Gaius Marius begins to pay army
• Army now more loyal to generals than Rome
• Marius vs. Sulla
• Over power gained by Julius Caesar
– Devaluation of Roman currency
Gracchi Brothers
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• Attempt reforms to
preserve republic –
not successful
• The Roman Republic
ends
First Triumvirate
• Rule of Three
– Pompey
– Crassius
– Julius Caesar
– Caesar will be the ultimate victor and leader of
Rome, he defeats and kills Pompey and
Crassius in battle
Julius Caesar seizes power
• Caesar becomes Emperor of Rome
• Seen by rivals as ambitious
• Kill by conspirators in Senate on Ides of
March
– (March 15, 44 B.C.)
Civil War breaks out
Conspirators
• Brutus
• Cassius
Supporters of dead
Caesar
• Marc Antony
• Octavian
Civil War eventually ends with death of conspirators via
assassination or suicude
Second Triumvirate
Rules from 43-38 B.C.
• Marc Antony
– Right hand of Julius Caesar before his death
– Makes pact/Has affair with Egyptian empress
Cleopatra
• Octavian
– Grand nephew and adopted son of Julius
Caesar
• Lepidus
– Third member of Triumvirate
– Major supporter of Julius Caesar
– Eventually forced into exile by Octavian
Civil War Returns
• Marc Antony/Cleopatra vs. Octavian
• Major Battle
– Actium (sea battle off the coast of Greece)
– Octavian wins and will later capture Egyptian
capital of Alexandria
– Marc Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide
Pax Romana
• Roman Peace
• Begins with rule of Augustus
Caesar
• Defeats forces of Marc Antony
and Cleopatra
• Solidifies power around 27 B.C.
• Becomes “Emperor of Rome”
Rulers of Pax Romana
•
•
•
•
Julian Rulers (14-68 A.D.)
Army Rulers (68-69 A.D.)
Flavian Rulers (69-96 A.D.)
Five Good Emperors (96-180 A.D.)
Nero
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• Rules from 54-68 A.D.
• Good administrator but
vicious
– Responsible for many
murders including his own
mother
– Rebuild Rome after great
fire – possibly set by Nero
to persecute Christians
– Had Peter (crucifixion) and
Paul (beheaded) executed
Five Good Emperors
• Nerva (96-98)
• Trajan (98-117) – Rome expands to
greatest extent
• Hadrian (117-138) – Solidified conquests
and set up postal service – Hadrian’s wall
• Antoninius Pius (138-161)
• Marcus Aurelius (161-180) Barbaric
invasions begin – Pax Romana dies with
him
Impact of Pax Romana
Economic Impact Social Impact
Political Impact
New uniform system of
money
Social Classes more
stable
Civil Service system
created
Increased Trade
Increased emphasis on
family
12 Tables (system of
laws) written
Army guarantees safe
travel
New road system
(50,000 miles)
Life In Imperial Rome
• Rich
– Had a city home and a country home (villa)
– Spent lots of time involved in Politics
– Frequently held meetings with public officials/political groups with which
the shares common interests
– Family & marriage were important
– Worked a lot on public-speaking skills
• Poor
–
–
–
–
Lived in crowded 3- and 4-story apartment buildings
Used torches for light and charcoal for cooking
Fire always a danger
Began to rebel because of living conditions; received free food and
access to public entertainment
Roman Society
Religion
Romans were polytheistic. Romans took on many of the Greek gods/goddesses as their own.
They worshipped their own household gods, called penates. They believed that priests, called
augurs, interpreted the signs of the gods.
Education
Romans placed great value on education of their sons. The Romans taught their children at
home, although Upper-class families hired tutors or sent sons to exclusive schools. Roman children
were taught Latin, Greek, law, math, and public speaking.
Entertainment
Romans of all classes enjoyed circuses, where chariot races took place. Many races took place in
the Circus Maximus, which could hold 250,000 spectators. Early Romans also liked theater,
especially comedy and satire. Romans also enjoyed bloody spectacles where animals would fight
other animals or professional fighters. Most of all, Romans enjoyed gladiator matches. Most often
one or both fighters would die, which meant that Rome’s slave population decrease during these
matches. Gladiator matches were held in the Colosseum.
Family
Roman families were patriarchal, headed by the male. Romans emphasized simplicity, religious
devotion, and obedience. Roman women did not have many privilege without intervention of the
male. Lower class women could work outside the home.
Roman Cultural Legacy
Galen – Physician
who wrote
summary of all
medical
knowledge
Ptolemy –
wrote one
single theory
on
astronomy
Pliny the Elder –
observed and
wrote about
eruption of Mount
Vesuvius
Roman aqueducts
contained arches
which made building
stronger, supports
shaped to avoid
damage from running
water, and scaffolding
was built into sides of
aqueducts.
Christianity
• Based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
• Many of the basic Beliefs of Christianity are
rooted in Judaism
• 63 BC – Romans took over Judea. Jews would
not give up their religion to change to polytheism
• Romans allows Jews to continue to practice their
religion if they continued to pay tribute and
maintain civic order
Basic Beliefs of Christianity
• Belief in the Trinity - God the father, God the son (Jesus Christ), and
the Holy Spirit
• Belief in the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ
• Jesus, the Messiah, was anointed by God and is the savior of
Humankind
• Because of Christ’s death and resurrection humans are saved from
sin
• Eternal Salvation is the gift from god and can be obtained by anyone
who accepts Christ as savior
• One day Christ will return (the rapture) and take the believers to
heaven
• Christian read the Bible, their holy text, to understand how to have a
closer walk with Christ in Life
Christian Beliefs & Practices
• One must tithe (10% of their income)
• Charity (Help the poor and needy)
• Baptism (the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is
admitted as a full member of the Church, and in particular of that
in which the baptism is administered)
• The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper, is
a Christian sacrament by which, in a common interpretation,
those who celebrate it commemorate the Last Supper by
consecrating bread and wine
• Great Commission (Go unto all the earth and tell others about
Christ)
• Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have done unto you)
• Prayer (talking with God/Christ)
• Use all your talents for the betterment of the kingdom of Christ
• Obey the Ten Commandments
Reaction to Roman Rule
• Judaism had many different branches of
their religion
• One branch was the Zealots
• Zealots actually formed pockets of armed
resistance
• Romans sack Jerusalem, destroy the city
and kill many Jews
Messianic Prophecies
• Not all Jews fought Rome
• Many waited for the coming of the
Messiah who would restore the ancient
kingdom and bring peace
Jesus of Nazareth
•
•
•
Taught that people needed to seek forgiveness for sin in
preparation for God’s Judgment Day
4 Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John describe the life
of Jesus
Life
– Born in Bethlehem
– Studied Carpentry and writings of Jewish prophets as
a boy
– Began to preach a message of redemption and
warning
– Travels through Judea gathering disciples (followers)
– Performed miracles, including healing
– Defended poor and oppressed
– Taught repentance, forgiveness, and said that one
must love God above all else; Love others as you love
yourself
– Practice humility, mercy, and charity
– Jesus is eventually arrested by the Romans,
sentenced to death by crucifixion.
Spread of Christianity
• Christianity is spread by the 12 Apostles and
other missionaries
• Christianity spilt from Judaism as a result of
the work of Paul
• Paul, originally known as Saul, was born in
Tarsus.
• As a child, Paul was actively opposed to the
teachings that Jesus was Messiah
• Paul believed that Jesus was sent to convert
non-Jews, Gentiles
• Paul emphasized new doctrine that
distinguished Christianity from Judaism
Persecution of Christians
• Christianity spread across the Roman
world
• As a result, some local leaders began
persecuting Christians
• Large-scale persecution was rare
• As Christianity grew, some rulers see
Christianity as a threat and began
persecuting those who practiced it
Roman Empire Begins
Decline
Spiral starts after the death of
Marcus Aurellius
Three Stages of Decline
1. “Crisis of the Third Century” – many
economic, military, and political problems
2. Time of revival – empire cut into two
halves (Eastern half is strengthened but
West continues spiral)
3. Western half falls to Barbaric invaders
Crisis Weakens Empire
• Contributing Factors:
– Economic Decay
– Political Decay
– Military Decay
– Social Decay
Economic Decay
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•
•
•
•
•
Poor Harvests
Disrupted trade (Barbarians)
No more plunder from wars
Gold and Silver drain
Inflation
Crushing tax burden
Political Decay
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•
•
•
•
Political office seen as burden, not reward
Military interference in politics
Civil War and unrest
Division of Empire
Moving capital to Byzantium
Military Decay
• Threat from Persians and barbarians
• Low funds for defense
• Problems recruiting Roman citizens –
recruiting of Barbarians
• Decline of patriotism an loyalty among
soldiers
Social Decay
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•
•
•
Lack of interest in public affairs
Low confidence in empire
Disloyalty, lack of patriotism, corruption
Contrast between rich and poor
Immediate Causes of Fall
• Conquests by barbarians:
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–
–
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–
–
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Germanic tribes: Goths (Ostrogoths / Visagoths)
Franks
Vandals
Saxons
Burgundians
Lombards
Huns
• Fall of Rome: Rome is sacked by barbarians
Diocletian
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• Rules 284-305
• Split empire in two
parts – takes control
of Eastern empire and
names some else to
rule the western half
• Tries to stop decline –
somewhat successful
Constantine
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• First Christian
emperor on Empire
• Reunites both halves
of empire
• Moves capital from
Rome to
Constantinople
(Byzantium)