Rome
Chronology of Rome
Pax Romana (27BCE – 180 CE)
500 BCE
Republic
Begins
12 Tables
Struggle of the Orders
471-287 BCE
250 BCE
Punic Wars
264-146
250 CE
1 CE
Caesar
is Dictator
47– 44 BCE
Decline and fall
Of the Roman
Republic
133-31 BCE
The Rise
Of Roman
Empire
14 -180 CE
The Age
Of Augustus
31 BCE –
14 CE
500 CE
The fall
Of Rome
The spread
Of Christianity
325 – 500 CE
Expansion of Empire
Geography of
Rome
Centrally located
in the
Mediterranean
Protected by the
Alps to the North
On a Peninsula –
surrounded on 3
sides by sea
On the Tiber
River
Geography of
Rome
Centrally
located in the
Mediterranean
Protected by
the Alps to the
North
On a Peninsula
– surrounded on
3 sides by sea
On the Tiber
River
THE ALPS
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
* CARTHAGE
Tiber River
* ROME
Sicily
Adriatic
Sea
HOW DID ROME’S GEOGRAPHY IMPACT ITS
DEVELOPMENT?
IT WAS SURROUNDED ON 3
SIDES BY WATER, SO ….
IT HAD MOUNTAINS TO THE
NORTH, SO….
IT WAS CENTRALLY
LOCATED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, SO…
STRONG SEA TRADE DEVELOPED
AND THE SEA PROVIDED
PROTECTION
THE MOUNTAINS
PROVIDED PROTECTION
FROM INVADERS
IT BECAME A POWERFUL
TRADE CITY
The Etruscans and Greeks influenced the development of Rome. Etruscan
engineering and metalworking was adopted. The Greeks taught the Romans
how to grow grapes and olives.
Rome’s earliest form of government was a monarchy.
Its kings were Etruscan. They were overthrown.
Then, it became a Republic –which is a representative
democracy. What is a democracy?
It had a Senate (legislative body), Consuls (CEOS,
commanded armies) and an Assembly (citizens).
At first, it only represented the Patricians. Who were the patricians?
Wealthy landowners
Then the Plebeians gained political rights and established their
own senate called the Tribunes. Who were the Plebeians?
Everyone else – 90 percent of the population
Then the twelve tables became
the law of Rome. Both plebeians and
patricians were covered by the laws.
The twelve tables established that
people were innocent until
Proven guilty
Citizenship
•Citizens were
adult male
landowners
•All citizens were
required to serve in
the army for 10
years
•Citizenship was
offered to many
non-Romans.
Who was not allowed to be a citizen?
Women and Slaves
The Roman Republic was a
representative democracy? How
was this different
From Athenian Democracy?
The Consuls were the
CEOs of the government
– they directed the
military
The Senate made the
laws and the Assemblies
recommended laws
Rome was constantly fighting its neighbors because its
neighbors kept trying to invade. Rome won every battle
because of its superior military. It didn’t set out to conquer
the Italian Peninsula but it kept defeating invaders until Rome had
control of the whole peninsula.
In 264 BCE, Rome
and Carthage
battled over
Sicily.
Carthage was a
rival and
wanted to control
trade in the
Mediterranean
Sea. Carthage
attacked
Sicily and Rome
went into its first
battle with
Carthage.
This was called
The Punic Wars.
Rome all three battles but the second war was nearly a toss-up. Carthage had a general
named Hannibal who tried to invade Rome by surprise by taking his troops across
the Mediterranean sea into Spain and up through the Alps. He won many battles
But Rome won the second round In the third battle, Rome attacked and completely
destroyed Carthage.
After the Punic wars, there were social problems in Rome as soldiers
returned to Rome and there were no jobs. Slaves from Carthage went to work
on the large estates putting the small farmers out of business. The unemployed
settled in the city—urban poverty became a problem.
Unemployment, poverty and an expanding lower class caused
the decline of the Republican government.
The first Triumvirate ruled Rome for a very short period of time. Triumvirate
Means rule by three: Julius Caesar, Crassus and Pompey.
But the Senators were afraid of Caesar’s power. After Crassus died, Caesar then
defeated Pompey. He then declared himself Dictator for life. What happened
to the Republic and Democracy? The senators did not want to relinquish power
to Caesar or any other leader. They assassinated Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BCE
Caesar left no successor and Rome faced a civil war.
Mark Antony and Caesar’s grandnephew Octavian battled for
control of Rome. Octavian defeated Mark Antony and became the
first emperor of Rome – He was called Caesar Augustus or “exalted one”
The 200 years that followed were called the Pax Romana.
What does Pax Romana mean?
It was a time of economic, political, and social stability.
Augustus established a civil service, rule by law, common
coinage and safe travel on the Roman roads.
During this time, Rome
expanded and conquered
all of the civilizations
around the
Mediterranean sea and
into Europe, Africa and
Southwest Asia. It
became a huge empire.
The Decline and Fall of Rome began 400 CE (or AD)
Economic problems
Political problems
Cost of defending Rome’s borders
was too high
Currency was worthless because
Government used less and less silver in coins
Not enough soldiers to
defend borders
Mercenaries were hired
Invasions
People didn’t want to
serve the government
As Rome began to fall, the emperor Diocletian moved the capital
From Rome to the East near Byzantium. Later Constantine would
Name this new capital in the east Constantinople. He would also
Be the first emperor to legalize Christianity.
After that, Rome fell to invaders: Germanic tribes called
Visigoths and Ostrogoths. The east continued as the Byzantine
Empire.
Contributions of Rome
Architecture: Arches, Domes, Pantheon
Building and Engineering: Roman Roads, Colosseum, Aqueducts
Language: Latin, Romance Languages
Literature: Virgil’s Aenid
Religion: Adoption of Christianity
1. Upper class Romans in the Roman Republic were known as
a. Plebeians
b. Senators
c. Gladiators
d. Patricians
2. Lower class citizens where known as
a. Plebeians
b. Patricians
c. Slaves
d. Tribunes
3. The lawmaking body of the Roman Republic was
a. Tribunes
b. Estates general
c. Parliament
d. Senate
4. Representatives who were elected to represent plebeians in the Roman Republic were:
a. Senators
b. Tribunes
c. Vetoes
d. Pages
5. The first codification of Roman Laws was called:
a.
b.
c.
d.
The twelve tables
Law of nations
Ten Commandments
Hammurabi’s code
6. What Carthaginian general led his elephants over the Alps in the 2nd Punic War?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Octavian
Caesar
Hannibal
Phillip II
7. Who were members of the first Triumvirate?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Crassus, Pompey and Octavian
Octavian, Leipidus and Mark Antony
Crassus, Pompey and Caesar
Crassus, Cleopatra and Caesar
8. What Roman Dictator was named Dictator for Life bringing about an end to the
Roman Republic?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Julius Caesar
Augustus Caesar
Nero
Mark Antony
9. How did Julius Caesar die?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He was assassinated by his army
He was assassinated by Mark Antony
He was assassinated by members of the Senate
He was assassinated by his wife
10. Who was the first emperor of the Roman
Empire
a.
b.
c.
d.
Julius Caesar
Octavian (Augustus)
Mark Antony
Pompey
11. What was the 200 year era of peace in
Rome called?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The first triumvirate
Paterfamilias
Latifundias
Pax Romana
12. Which of the following caused the decline and fall of Rome:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Economic decline caused by inflation
Not enough soldiers to protect the borders coupled with barbarian invasions
Political instability caused by unstable emperors
High taxes which were required because Rome had become a welfare state
All of the above
13. As the Western empire fell, the Eastern empire continued but was called:
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Islamic Empire
The Byzantine Empire
The Ottoman Empire
The Yuan Dynasty