Ancient Rome and the
Roman Republic
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Geography
-Located on the Italian
peninsula, in the center of
the Mediterranean Sea
-The Alps are in the North
-The Apennine Mts. are on
the eastern coast
-broad, fertile plains in the
north and west
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Early Civilization
-Italy was originally occupied by many different
groups of people
-Two main groups were Greek colonists and the
Etruscans
-The Etruscans ruled much of central Italy and
Rome itself
-Ancestors of the Romans, the Latins, settled in the
area that is now Rome around 800 B.C.
3
Legend of the Founding of Rome
-Legend has it that twin
brothers, Romulus and
Remus founded the city
-According to the tale,
the twins’ mother was a
Latin woman and their
father was the war god
Mars
-This led Romans to
believe that they had a
divine origin
4
Rome Geography
Rome is located:
-On the banks of the
Tiber River
-On and around seven
hills
Why would this
geographic
location be an
advantage?
5
Politics
- 509 B.C. Rome is Founded
-Romans drove out their Etruscan ruler and
established a republic
- They did not want one person to have all the
power
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Structure of the Republic
-Patricians= landholding
upper class
-Plebeians= farmers,
merchants, artisans,
traders
-Senate= governing body
Patricians
Plebeians
-Consuls= two patricians
-Dictator= assigned to be
in charge in the event of a
war for six months
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Patricians vs. Plebeians
-Plebeians have no say
in the government
- Eventually get to elect
their own officials called
tribunes in 494 B.C.
- For 84 years, (421-337
B.C.) plebeians fought to
have a role in each part
of the government
8
Social Structures
-A man was the head of the household and his wife
and children did not question his authority
-Over centuries, women received more rights.
These included:
-Owning property
-Running businesses
-All children were taught to learn to read and
write
-Wealthy had private tutors for their children
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Religion
-Romans were polytheistic-they believed in
many gods and goddesses
-Many of the gods were adapted from the
Greek gods
Greek God
Roman God
Zeus-ruler of all gods
Jupiter-ruler of all gods
Hera-wife of Zeus,
protected marriage
Juno-wife of Jupiter,
protected marriage
Poseidon-god of the sea
Neptune-god of the sea
-Roman calendar is full of feasts and celebrations to
honor the gods and goddesses
-Temples for worship to ask for divine assistance
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Politics
-Rome grows strong and begins conquering the rest of
Italy
-By 270 B.C., Rome controls most of the Italian peninsula
-Military is made up of citizens
-Rome conquered justly- allowing those conquered to
keep their culture, customs, and government- as long as
they supplied soldiers, paid taxes, and acknowledge
Roman leadership
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The Punic Wars
-Carthage had an empire
throughout the Mediterranean
-Rome fought Carthage in
three wars from 264 B.C. to
146 B.C. (118 years!)
-By the Third Punic War, Rome
had completely destroyed
Carthage and gained all of
Carthage’s territory
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Economics
-Conquests brought much wealth to Rome
-Wealthy families bought huge estates called
latifundia.
-Romans forced the people they conquered to work
as slaves on the latifundia
-Slave labor hurt the small farmers because it cost
them more to produce food, and the price was
driven down by the immense quantities coming into
Rome
-Farmers fell into debt, sold their land, and moved
to the city looking for work
-gap between rich and poor widens=riots and chaos
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The Gracchus Brothers
-Tiberius and Gaius
Gracchus were patricians
who were elected tribunes
•The brothers worked to
get the state to distribute
the land to the poor
farmers
•They also worked to get
the state to buy grain to
feed the poor
•Senate felt they were a
threat to its power, and
hired thugs to kill the
brothers and their followers
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Republic to Empire
-Civil wars break out to decide who should hold
power. The senate wanted to keep the status quo;
political leaders wanted to weaken the senate and
enact reforms
-Slave uprisings throughout the republic
-Armies became loyal to their commanders
because they gave them benefits such as captured
land
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