ROME
BY THE END OF CLASS YOU
SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
EXPLAIN THE POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF ROME ’S
GEOGRAPHY
EXPLAIN THE INFLUENCE THAT
THE CIVILIZATIONS OF THE
ETRUSCANS AND GREEKS HAD
ON ROME
BELL WORK – ROME – 11/18
Read the following & answer the questions that follow.
According to Roman legend a princess named Rhea Sylvia had twin boys by
Mars, the god of war. A jealous uncle who had stolen the throne from her
father ordered her twins to be drowned in the Tiber River. Fortunately, a
servant had pity on the twins and placed them in a basket. Eventually, the
basket washed onto the shore and the twins were discovered by a female wolf.
The wolf nursed and protected the babies for a short time before they were
found by a shepherd. The shepherd then raised the twins. When Romulus and
Remus became adults, they decided to found a city on Palatine Hill which was
close to where the wolf had discovered them and over looked the Tiber River.
The brothers fought over exactly where the city should be built, and as a result,
Remus was killed by his brother. Without Remus, Romulus became the sole
founder of the new city and named it Rome. The date given for the founding of
Rome was 753 BC.
Do you believe it or not? What parts of the story seem too unlikely to be true?
Are there any elements of the story you might have heard in other stories?
If the legend does not explain how the city of Rome was really founded why do you think
Rome was built?
What physical
features
affected
Rome’s
development
into a
civilization? (
WHY IS THE GEOGRAPHY OF
ROME IMPORTANT?
Rome, with its
central location on
the Italian
peninsula, was
able to extend its
influence over the
entire
Mediterranean.
GEOGRAPHY OF ITALY
Unlike Greece Italy is not broken
up into small isolated mountain
valleys.
The mountains in Italy are less
rugged than the mountains in
Greece.
In the north and south there are
fertile plains. These plains
supported the growing
population.
Alps in the north provide a
natural barrier
EARLY PEOPLES: THE LATINS
AND THE ETRUSCANS
By 800 B.C. the ancestors of the
Romans, the Latins, migrated into
Italy.
They settled along the Tiber River in
small settlements on the plain of
Latium , which would eventually
become Rome.
Northern Italy was inhabited by
another group known as the
Etruscans.
The Romans learned much from the
Etruscan civilization.
THE ROMANS ESTABLISH
A REPUBLIC
In 509 B.C. the Romans
kicked out their Etruscan
ruler and established the
first Roman republic.
Republic- “that which
belongs to the people”, a
system of government in
which the people choose
some officials.
ROMAN REPUBLIC AND SOCIAL
CLASS THE STRUGGLE OF THE
ORDERS
PATRICIANS
Patricians- members of the
upper class who owned land.
Held all of the powerful positions
in the Republic.
Consuls: people who supervised
government and commanded the
armies, only served 1 term
Dictator: If war broke out the
senators might choose a ruler
who would have complete
control of the government, only
had control for 6 months
Many served as officials in the
senate for life.
ROMAN REPUBLIC AND SOCIAL CLASS
THE STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS
Plebeians- the farmers,
merchants, and artisans, who made up the
majority of the population.
At first had little power in making decisions.
In order to gain more power, the plebeians
physically withdrew from the state &
formed their own assemblies to lobby for
political reform
In time they gained more rights such as the
• Veto- the ability to block laws
• Tribunes- plebian officials who would work
with the patricians to ensure the rights of
plebeians
• Twelve Tables- Laws were inscribed on
giant stones and put up around Rome so
everyone knew exactly what the laws were
THE 12 TABLES
Read the primary source on page 119 & answer the following
in your notebook
1. what do the selections from the twelve tables reveal about
roman society?
2. In what ways do these points of law differ from those
found in the code of Hammurabi (page 11 if you need a
reminder)
3. How are they similar?
Codification/codify – to put things into an official and orderly
form.
QUIZ~!
Take out your homework, you may use it on your quiz
Once you finish turn both into the bins in the front.
FAMILY STRUCTURE
IN ROME 11/19
The word Patrician is derived from
the word Patres, which means
fathers in Latin
The male head of the family was
known as the Paterfamilias
In the early republic citizens
usually had two names
praenomen- personal name
nomen – family name
cognomen- originally a nick
name, it later became a hereditary
family name
THE ROMAN CONQUEST OF ITALY
Founded in 509 B.C.E Rome had
unified the tribes of Latium by 493
B.C.E
They then engaged in nearly
constant warfare with their
neighbors
By 340 B.C.E the tribes of Latium
had grown tired of Roman rule
and revolted
In 338B.C.E Rome crushes the
revolt, and allows them entrance
into the Roman Confederation
THE ROMAN
CONFEDERATION
Rome generally treated its conquered enemies justly.
Conquered people had to:
• Acknowledge Roman leadership
• Pay taxes
• Supply soldiers for the Roman army
They were allowed to keep their own customs, money, and
local government.
Some people were granted full Roman citizenship.
What effect do you think this confederation had on the
countries Rome conquered?
THE ROMAN CONQUEST OF ITALY
After the Etruscans and the
tribes of Latium had been dealt
with, Rome set it sights on
Magna Gracea (or greater
Greece)
King Pyrrhus of Greece sends
20,000 troops who win twice but
suffer heavy losses
“Pyrrhic Victory”
In 267 B.C.E Pyrrhus is defeated
and Rome had conquered all of
Italy
CITIZEN-SOLDIERS
MAKE UP THE ARMY
The basic military unit was the legion,
made up of about 5,000 men.
Roman citizens made good soldiers
because they were brought up to value
loyalty, courage, and respect authority.
Rewards- soldiers who showed courage
in battle were given gifts and praise.
Punishments- If a unit fled in battle 1 out
of every 10 men in the unit would have
been put to death. (DECIMATION)
CINCINNATUS SAVES
ROME: A ROMAN
MORALITY TALE
Page 121
What did Cincinnatus’ story tell us about Roman values?
THE PUNIC WARS
THE PUNIC WARS
• The immediate cause of the First Punic War was
• Rome sending an army to Sicily.
• As a result of the First Punic War the
Carthaginians were
• forced to withdraw from Sicily and pay an
indemnity to Rome.
• The Second Punic War saw Carthage carry a land
war
• Across the Alps to Rome
The result of the Third Punic War was
• the complete destruction and subjugation of
Carthage
DESTRUCTION OF
CARTHAGE
p. 125
Turn in your Homework! Grab a copy of the Rome #3
homework, it is due tomorrow.
Carthage is destroyed and turned into a province called Africa in 146
B.C.E
Macedonia, following a revolt was made part of Rome in 148 B.C.E
Greece was then fully conquered by Rome in 146 B.C.E
In 133 B.C.E the king of the Coast of Ionia (modern day Turkey) was made
part of Rome as well
How did Rome manage to obtain this empire?
Roman expansion was highly opportunistic, responding to
unanticipated military threats and possibilities for glory.
THE NATURE
OF ROMAN
IMPERIALISM
ROMAN CULTURE AND
SOCIETY
Rome just conquered the Mediterranean Basin, they now
have control of nearly all of the resources in the area. They
have also added to their population; unfortunately many of
the newcomers have been taken as slaves.
Explain the social and economic repercussions of Rome’s
expansion. What do you think happened at home?
THE IMPACT AT HOME: LATIFUNDIA
A new class of people had arisen
due to the riches gained from all of
the wars on foreign soil.
These generals, traders and
soldiers built lavish mansions on
huge farming estates called
Latifundias
As Rome took more and more land
they forced the captured people
into slavery.
By the end of the republic 1/3rd of
people in Italy were slaves.
Why would the creation of large slave
run plantations cause widespread
urbanization in the Roman Empire ?
SOCIETY & CULTURE IN THE
ROMAN REPUBLIC
Romans Educate all Children
• Both boys and girls from all
classes learned to read and
write.
• Many wealthy Romans hired
Greek tutors to teach their
children.
• Children memorized major
events in Roman history
and studied rhetoric or
public speaking.
ROMAN RELIGION
The Romans were
polytheistic
The goal of Roman
religion was to
maintain trust and
harmony with the
spirits, a condition
known as the “peace of
the gods”
The head of the Roman
religious observances
was the pontifex
maximus