I. The Land and Peoples of Italy
Rome’s central location and geographic features made it a desirable
location from which to expand
A. The location of Rome was ideal for
settlement, and provided a central position in
Italy from which to expand
B. An Indo-European people known as the
Latins were living in the hills of Rome from
about 1500 to 1000 B.C.
1. They were herders and farmers
2. Spoke Latin
Reflection:
Look at the location of Rome.
What makes it an ideal
location for a new settlement?
C.
The Greeks and the Etruscans heavily influenced the
development of Rome
1.
Greeks came to Italy in large numbers during the age of Greek
colonization
2.
The Greeks occupied Sicily and influenced Rome’s cultural
and artistic systems
3.
It was the Etruscans who influenced the Rome the most
a.
By 650 B.C., they controlled the city and most of Latium
Reflection:
 The Latins in Rome were influenced by two major
groups: the Etruscans and the Greeks.
 In your opinion, which group most influenced the
development of Rome and why?
II. The Roman Republic
The Romans were practical and skillful in politics and military
matters
A. A new era in Roman history occurred in 509
B.C. when the last Etruscan king was
overthrown and a republic was established
B. By 264 B.C., Rome had conquered virtually all
of Italy
C. The Roman historian Livy provided stories
that glorified the virtues of past Romans
II. The Roman Republic
D. Rome was a successful empire because:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Romans were good diplomats
They were smart about extending citizenship
rights
Gave conquered states the autonomy to run their
own affairs
Romans were excellent at military operations
a. They were brilliant strategists
b. Built roads throughout the empire to move
armies and supplies
Romans created practical legal and political
institutions
Roman Senate
Roman Road
II. The Roman Republic
E. Patricians and plebeians made up Roman
society
1. Men in both groups were citizens and could
vote
a. However only patricians could be elected
to public office
2. Patricians and plebeians struggled over social
and political equality
II. The Roman Republic
F. The Roman Senate was made up of 300
patricians who were elected for life
1. The Roman Senate selected the consuls and
praetors and passed laws
2. Two consuls, chosen every year, ran the
government and led the army into war
3. A praetor was in charge of civil law
Reflection: How would you describe the social
structure of Rome?
II. The Roman Republic
G. By 287 B.C., a law making all Roman males equal
citizens was passed
H. Rome’s first attempt at a legal system was the
Twelve Tables adopted in 450 B.C.
1. This code of laws proved to be inadequate for
the needs of the Roman society
2. Romans then established standards of justice
that applied to all Roman citizens
3. The principles of this legal system provide the
basis of our current legal system
Reflection:
 Greece created a direct democracy and
Rome formed a republic.
 Are they both forms of a democracy? How
would you define a democracy?
 If so, what are similarities between the two?
 What are the differences?
III. Roman Expansion
After their conquest of Italy, the Romans faced the state of Carthage
A. In 264 B.C., the First Punic War began between
Rome and Carthage
1. A Phoenician colony in North Africa that had
grown wealthy from trade
2. Rome was victorious and claimed the island of
Sicily
III. Roman Expansion
B. In 216 B.C., the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed
the Alps with his army of 46,000 men and 37 battle
elephants to attack Rome
1.
This was the beginning of the Second Punic War
2. In 206 B.C., the Romans pushed the Carthaginian
forces out of Spain
3. At the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C., Rome defeated
Hannibal, and Spain became a Roman province
C. In 146 B.C., the Third Punic War was fought.
1.
The Romans destroyed Carthage and became the
dominant power in the Mediterranean world.
Create a cartoon of the Punic Wars
 You will create a foldable according to the teachers




instructions.
You will create a cartoon for the Punic wars. Each
drawing will be in chronological order and must show
what took place during the 3 Punic wars.
Each slide must have a caption which gives some
insight into what is happening in the slide. (using
bubbles to show talking is also acceptable)
Each slide must also be colored
(Remember your teacher is visual and loves COLOR!!!
IV. The End of the Roman Republic
Political and social unrest led to civil wars, ending the Republic
A. By the second century B.C., the Senate was in control of
foreign and domestic policy of Rome, including financial
affairs
B. A small group of landed aristocrats began to gain more
power and soon brought instability to the Roman Republic
1.
Small farmers were forced off their lands
2. They moved to the city where they created a large class
of poor
3.
Large landed estates, latifundia, were created by the
rich
4. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus tried to institute land
reform but were murdered by a group of rich senators
Video:
 Why do you think the patricians would take
the land of the farmers?
 How do you think this contributed to the
fall of Rome?
IV. The End of the Roman Republic
C. A change in the recruitment of soldiers also
created problems
1. Soldiers seeking land swore allegiance
to the general, not the state
a. Giving military generals great power
b. Generals commanded legions of
soldiers
1) A legion consisted of 5,000 troops
IV. The End of the Roman Republic
D. In 60 B.C., the First Triumvirate was formed to run the
government
1.
Triumvirate is a government by three people with
equal power
2. The leaders of the triumvirate were Crassus, Pompey,
and Julius Caesar
E. Julius Caesar illegally crossed the Rubicon River with his
army
1.
causing a civil war in which he defeated Pompey
2. He went into Rome because he felt Rome needed to
be saved from the instability
IV. The End of the Roman Republic
F. In 45 B.C., Julius Caesar was made dictator and
controlled Rome
1. Dictator is an absolute ruler
2. Caesar’s land reform policies were unpopular
with the rich
3. Members of the senate thought he wanted to
be a king
4. He was assassinated by a group of senators in
44 B.C.
5. Rome plunged into civil war again
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Why do you think that the Senate killed Caesar?
How do you think this contributed to the fall of Rome?
IV. The End of the Roman Republic
G. The Second Triumvirate was
composed of Octavian,
Antony, and Lepidus
1. Octavian and Antony
soon came into conflict
a. Antony joined forces
with Cleopatra of
Egypt
b. After defeat, they
committed suicide
2. Octavian soon became the
sole ruler of the Roman
Empire
Video:
 Why do you think Octavian was so successful in
defeating Antony?
 Why do you think the Roman Republic came to and
end?
V. The Beginning of the Roman
Empire
A.
In 27 B.C., Octavian gave the Senate some
power but became the first emperor of
Rome
1. The Senate gave Octavian the title of
Augustus, meaning the revered one
2. The Senate also gave Augustus the title
of imperator
a. Imperator means commander in
chief
V. The Beginning of the Roman
Empire
B. Augustus’ new political system allowed the emperor to
select his successor
1.
The next four emperors came from his family
2. They became more powerful and corrupt
C. Nero was a ruthless ruler
1.
He blamed the burning of Rome on the Christians
2. He killed his own mother and also committed
suicide
3. His death in 69 A.D. caused a civil war to break out
V. The Beginning of the Roman
Empire
D. Following the civil war, emperors were more tolerant
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The time period known as the Pax Romana began
a.
Period of peace and prosperity
The building of roads and public works was undertaken to
help the empire
The Roman Empire expanded to include Dacia,
Mesopotamia, and the Sinai Peninsula
Trajan, one of the good emperors, strengthened his
defenses along the Rhine and Danube Rivers in Europe
Hadrian built a wall in England to defend against the Scots
Hadrian’s
Wall
V. The Beginning of the Roman Empire
E. The empire at its height was one of the greatest
the world has ever known
F. Latin was the language of the western empire,
whereas Greek was spoken in the east
G. Roman culture spread through the empire and
mixed with the existing Greek culture resulting in
a Greco-Roman civilization
Interactive Map of the Roman Empire and Celtic
Lands
Roman Empire Map
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Use map on page 158
Color the area of the Roman Empire and Create a
Key and match it to key
Roman
Color the rest of the land area Brown
Empire
Color the water of Blue
Label the city of Rome and Byzantium
Label the area of Africa and Asia Minor
Label the waterways: Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea,
Caspian Sea, North Sea, and Red Sea, and Atlantic
Ocean
VI. Roman Arts and Literature
The Romans spread Greco-Roman arts and culture
throughout the empire
A. Art and Architecture
1.
The Romans borrowed heavily from Greek styles
of art and architecture
2.
Greek art and sculptures were highly prized
by Romans
Unlike Greeks, Roman art depicted realistic
forms
3.
VI. Roman Arts and Literature
B. The Romans constructed roads, bridges, and
aqueducts throughout the empire
1. They used curved forms: arches, vaults, and
domes
2. They used a new and better concrete on a
massive scale
3. Built 50,000 miles of roads
4. Built dozens of aqueducts that brought water
to the city of over one million people
The Pantheon
Roman
Aqueduct
The Coliseum
VI. Roman Arts and Literature
C. Literature
1. The Age of Augustus is known as the golden
age of Latin Literature
2. Virgil wrote of the splendor of Rome
a. His masterpiece was the Aeneid
a. Aeneas was the ideal Roman whose virtues
are duty, piety and faithfulness
b. Rome’s gift was the “art of ruling.”
C. Literature
3. Horace wrote Satires about the Roman
people
a. Laughs at the weakness of humans
4. Livy wrote about the history of Rome,
although his accuracy is often questioned
a. The Early History of Rome
b. 142 books that told stories about people
and their character
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
City life in ancient Rome had problems similar to life today
A. Family Life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Roman households were headed by the
paterfamilias—the dominant male
Could sell his children into slavery or have
them put to death
Absolute authority over wife
Over time this authority over the family
declined
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
B.
Boys and girls were educated in Roman
society
1. Greek slaves were often teachers for
rich Romans
2. Upper-class girls were often sent to
primary schools for their education
3. At the age of 12 to 14 boys entered
secondary school while girls entered
into marriage
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
C.
Women had considerable freedom and
independence
1. They could not enter politics
2. They could own and sell property, attend
theatre and races, and socialize
3. Women were not segregated from males
4. Marriage meant for life but divorce was
possible for both male and
VII.
Life in Ancient Rome
D. Slaves
1.
2.
3.
4.
Slavery was common in the ancient world, and
the Romans depended heavily on slave labor for
household duties and the building of public works
Most people owned slaves and many were looked
upon as part of the family household
Roman conquest brought about a change in the
use of slaves
Greek slaves were used as tutors, musicians,
doctors, and artists
D. Slavery
5.
Some slaves were used for hard labor on farms and
construction projects like roads and buildings
a. These slaves were treated harshly
b. Spartacus was a gladiator who led a slave revolt in
73 B.C.
1) Involved 70,000 slaves
2) Defeated several Roman armies
3) When finally captured, Spartacus and 6,000
followers were nailed to crosses lining the
streets entering Rome
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
E. Living Conditions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Rome was the cultural center of the Roman Empire
The large public buildings and magnificent
architecture of the city was unequaled anywhere else
in the empire
a.
The place to be if you wanted to become somebody
Very noisy and busy
No carts or wagons allowed in streets during the day
because of congestion
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
5.
6.
7.
A gap existed between the rich and the poor.
a. The wealthy lived in comfortable villas the
poor lived in apartment complexes called
insulae
b. Fire was very much a threat in the insulae
c. Rooms often very crowded because of so
many people living in them due to the high
cost of rent
People often spent much of the time, even at
night, outside
Conditions were not so great for the poor
VII. Life in Ancient Rome
F. Starting with Augustus, emperors provided the
poor with grain for bread
G. The emperor provided the entertainment for
the city
1. Horse and chariot races, theater performances,
and gladiator fights
2. This was done to keep many poor preoccupied
and their minds off of their terrible living
conditions
An Example of a Roman Mosaic
Creating a Mosaic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
On a sheet of paper, create your design. A simple
geometric design is the easiest. Animals, birds, fish
or objects such as bowls or pitchers are more
difficult.
Copy your design on a piece of cardstock.
Take four sheets of colored paper and cut them into
squares of about 1/8th of an inch.
Spread glue all over you’re the design on the
cardstock.
Placed colored papers in your design.
VIII. Religion in the Roman Empire
Prior to Christianity, Roman religion involved the
worship of a number of gods and goddesses and the
belief that Rome had earned the favor of the gods
A. Although tolerant of other religions, the
official religion of the Romans involved the
worship of numerous gods and goddesses
1. They were not tolerant if other religions
threatened public order or morals
2. Rituals guaranteed peace and
prosperity
Religion in the Roman Empire
B. Rome controlled the
Jewish state of Judaea
under the direction of
an official called a
procurator
1. The head Roman
official of a
province
C. There was unrest in
Judea among the Jews
Religion in the Roman Empire
D. Four different groups of Jews had varying opinions on
how to deal with Roman rule
1. The Sadducees favored cooperation with the
Rome
2. The Pharisees believed observance of their
religious laws would protect them from Roman
influence
3. The Essenes waited for God to save Israel from
oppression
4. The Zealots called for the violent overthrow of
Roman Control
E. A Jewish revolt was ended in A.D.70, and the Jewish
temple in Jerusalem was destroyed
IX. The Rise of Christianity
A. Jesus was a Jewish teacher who traveled and
taught in Judaea and Galilee
1. Despite his adherence to the Law, Jesus’
primary emphasis was on the transformation
of the inner person
2. Jesus taught ethical concepts such as humility,
charity, and love towards one another
3. Jesus’ preaching led some to believe he would
lead a revolution against Rome
The Rise of Christianity
B. After Jesus’ death, apostles such as Simon Peter
and Paul spread the message of Jesus to Jews and
Gentiles
1. Paul founded Christian communities all along
the shores of the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor
C. The teachings of Jesus were passed on orally
and, eventually, written down by his followers.
These writings would become the core of the
New Testament
The Rise of Christianity
D. Even though the Romans tolerated other
religions, Christianity was seen as
dangerous to the state
1. Christians refused to worship the state
gods
a. This was seen as an act of treason
punishable by death
b. Christians saw this as worshipping
false gods and endangering their own
salvation.
The Rise of Christianity
E. Persecutions of the Christians started under the reign
of Nero
F. Roman persecution of Christians strengthened
Christianity
1. Fear of persecution meant only the most
committed would choose to follow the faith
2. The structure of Christianity became more
organized
3. Bishops emerged to control church communities
4. Clergy, church leaders, had distinct functions
separate from the laity, or church members.
Video:
 What did Nero do after the fire?
 Why did he blame the Christians for the fire?
The Rise of Christianity
G. Why was Christianity able to attract so many
followers?
1. It was a personal religion and offered salvation
to all. Doing so gave life meaning to many
2. The state-based religion was impersonal and
existed for the good of Rome
3. It was similar to existing religions offering
immortality
4. Christianity fulfilled the human need to belong
5. Christianity proved attractive to all classes,
especially the poor and powerless
The Rise of Christianity
H. The last great persecution of the Christians was under
Emperor Diocletian
1.
Even he recognized the strength of the Christian
religion
I. In the fourth century A.D., the Roman emperor
Constantine became the first Christian emperor
o
He issued the Edict of Milan which proclaimed
official tolerance of Christianity
J. Theodosius the Great adopted Christianity as the
official religion of the Roman Empire
Video:
 Who is this video about?
 Why do you think that Constantine reversed
Diocletian's ban on Christianity?
 Why do you think Constantine declared he was a
Christian?
X. The Decline
Political upheavals, the plague, and the division of the empire led
to its decline
A. After the last of the five “good emperors” died in 180
A.D., a period of conflict, confusion, and civil wars
followed
B. Roman rulers relied on military strength to control
the large empire
C. From A.D. 235 to 284, the Roman throne was
controlled by the person with the most military
power
D. The throne was occupied by 22 different rulers during
this 50 year period
1. Most met a violent death
The Decline
E. In the third century A.D., invasions, civil wars, and
plague nearly caused an economic collapse of the empire
1.
Plague created a shortage of labor and soldiers
2. Trade and farm production declined
3. Armies were needed more and more but cost a great
deal of money
4. Sassanid Persians moved into Roman territory in the
east
5. German tribes poured into Gaul, Spain and the
Balkans
The Decline
F. Two emperors—Diocletian and Constantine—
attempted to save the empire by changing the
government structure, economic and social
systems, and by implementing Christianity as
the new state religion
G. Diocletian ruled from 284 to 305 and split the
empire into four regions
1. Enlarged the army
2. Created more civil service jobs
3. Created price and job freezes
The Decline
H. Constantine ruled from 306 to 337 and created a
new capital city in the east
1. The capital city was called Constantinople
and was built on the site of the former Greek
city of Byzantium on the shores of the
Bosporus
2. Continued policies of Diocletian
I. Spending large amounts of money to save the
empire hurt the Roman economy and inflation
appeared
XI. The Fall
The migration of Germanic tribes helped bring an end to the
Roman Empire
A. To survive hard times, the Roman Empire was divided
into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman
Empire
1.
Western capital remained Rome
2. Eastern capital was Constantinople
B. The Huns moved into Eastern Europe and pushed the
Germanic Visigoths west across the Danube River
1.
The Visigoths were initially Roman allies but revolted
2. They sacked the Roman capital in A.D. 410
C. The Vandals poured into Spain and North Africa
1.
They captured Rome in A.D. 455
The Fall
D. In A.D. 476, the western emperor Romulus
E.
Augustulus was deposed by the Germanic army
1. This marks the end of the Western Roman
Empire
2. The Eastern Roman Empire remained
a. It became known as the Byzantine Empire
A.D. 476 is considered the end of the Roman
Empire
The Fall
F. There are many
theories to propose
the fall of the Roman
Empire
1. The rise of
Christianity
weakened Roman
military virtues
The Fall
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Italian values decreased as the non-Italian
population increased
Lead poisoning through lead cups and pipes
caused a decline in the population
Plague weakened the Roman population
Slavery led to a decline to technology
Rome could not create a workable political system