THE RISE OF ROME
THE LAND
• Italy
• A peninsula
• Juts into the Mediterranean sea
• Large fertile plains;
• Po river valley (north);
• plain of Latium (ROME);
• Region of Campania (south of Latium)
THE PEOPLE
• Into Italy: 1500-1000 BCE
• Latins: lived in Latium
• Spoke Latin
• Herders and farmers (on top of Rome’s Hills)
• In 800 BC:
• Here come the Greeks and Etruscans
THE GREEKS
• Settled in:
• Southern Italy and eastern Sicily
• Sicily is an island; south of mainland
• They brought
• Olives, grapes, their alphabet!
• Also sculptures; architecture; literature
THE ETRUSCANS
• Most influenced early Rome
• North of Rome: Etruria
• Etruscan Dress
• Toga and short cloak
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
• Roman Republic: the leader is NOT a monarch and SOME
citizens can vote
• WAR AND CONQUEST:
• Rome was surrounded by enemies…
• Romans had conquered the Greeks (and eventually ALL of Italy)
• Latins had full Roman Citizenship
• Everyone else was an ally
• Had to provide soldiers for Rome
• You could improve your status in Rome!
STRATEGIES
• Success came from: Duty, Courage, Discipline
• Livy: historian; taught Romans Virtues
• Cincinnatus: Farmer turned Leader
• Good Diplomats
• Excelled in the military
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
• 2 Groups
• Patricians
• Wealthy land owners (voting AND elected into office)
• Plebeians
• Small farmers, craftspeople, merchants (could ONLY vote)
• Elected Officers
• Consuls
• 2 (elected every year) led the Roman Army into battle
ROMAN SENATE
• Selected 300 patricians: SERVED FOR LIFE
• At first: only to advise the government; then the force of law
• Centuriate Assembly
• Elected the chief officials
• Based on wealth! (the wealthiest have the most power)
THE STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS
• Ongoing struggle of wealthy vs poor
• Could not marry outside of your “class”
• Eventually the plebeians won!
• Council of the Plebs: power to protect the Plebeians
• Elected into office and marriage (laws they passed)
• “Equal” under law
• Sort of….
ROMAN LAW
• System of law (still used today!)
• Innocent until proven guilty
• Ability to defend yourself
ROMAN EXPANSION
• The Phoenicians founded Carthage on North Africa
• Largest and richest state in the area
• Rome and Carthage fought… a few times
THE FIRST PUNIC WAR
• Started in 264 BCE
• Fought on the island of Sicily
• Romans were a land power: had to build a fleet
• ROMANS WON!
• Carthage gave up Sicily and paid a fine
• Vowed revenge…
THE SECOND PUNIC WAR
• Hannibal: greatest Carthaginian general; started war again.
• Brought the war to Rome
• Carthage: 46,000 men, horses and 37 battle Elephants!
• The Alps killed most of the elephants, but still defeated the Romans!
• They met Hannibal head on
• Cannae: Romans lost 40,000 men
• Rome gradually recovered; and attacked Carthage; in North Africa
• Hannibal was still in Italy!
• Romans fought: Scipio Africanus
• ROMANS WIN
MORE CONQUESTS
• Third Punic War…
• It caused the absolute destruction of Carthage
• Carthage became “Africa”
• Rome became the master of the Mediterranean
• Macedonia, Greece, Pergamum = all conquered by Rome.