Rome and Early Christianity Section 1

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Preview
• Starting Points Map: Italy and the Mediterranean
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Roman Civilization Develops
• Quick Facts: Etruscan Influences
• Rome Becomes a Republic
• Quick Facts: Checks and Balances in the Roman Government
• The Republic Expands
• Faces of History: Two Commanders of the Punic Wars

Rome and Early Christianity
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Section 1

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Main Idea
From a small town on the banks of an Italian river, Rome grew to control the entire Mediterranean region.
Reading Focus
• Where and how did Roman civilization develop?
• What led to Rome’s becoming a republic?
• What were the major events in Rome’s expansion?

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
“All roads lead to Rome.” “Rome was not built in a day.” “When in
Rome . . .” How did Rome win such a place in modern popular culture?
Italy’s Geography
• Peninsula logical place for emergence of mighty empire
– Juts south from Europe far into Mediterranean Sea
– Lies almost halfway between eastern, western boundaries of the sea
– Protected by mountains, sea
– Rich soil, mild climate
The Founding of Rome
• Legend: Romulus and Remus, twin brothers raised by she-wolf; founded city 753 BC
• Members of Indo-European tribe, Latins, reached Italy
1000s BC; built Rome
•
City prospered partly from location on Tiber River
• Valuable trade routes, easy access to sea

Rome and Early Christianity
Section 1
• Rome first ruled by Latin Kings
• Came under Etruscan rule, 600 BC
• Etruscans came from northern Italy
– Evidence found at cemeteries indicates Etruscans great metalworkers, jewelers
– Etruscan culture heavily influenced by Greeks
• Etruscans had great influence on Roman society

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1

Rome and Early Christianity
Section 1
Answer(s):

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Etruscan Rule Ends
• Etruscans ruled Rome until about 509 BC
• Romans revolted, threw out last of kings, setup new type of government
• Republic —elected officials governed state
Patricians
•
In early days, heads of a few aristocratic families, patricians, elected officials
•
Patrician families controlled all society
—politics, religion, economics, military
•
Maintained power through patronage system
Plebeians
• From beginning, common people, plebeians, challenged patricians for power
• Invaders threatened 494 BC; plebeians refused to fight until changes made
• Patricians knew they would have no army, expanded plebeian rights

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Plebeian Council
• After receiving new rights, plebeians formed own assembly, Plebeian
Council, to oversee affairs and protect interests
• Gained right to elect officials known as tribunes
• Tribunes’ job—protect against unjust treatment by patrician officials
• Gained right to veto —ban laws that seemed harmful, unjust
Laws - Twelve Tables
• 450 BC, plebeians forced patricians to have all laws written down
• Laws displayed in Roman Forum, central square, on 12 large bronze tablets
• Because laws were posted, patrician judges could not make decisions based on own opinions or secret laws
• One new law banned marriage between patricians and plebeians

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
New Offices and Institutions Elements of Government
• Patricians, plebeians worked out practical constitution
• Created new offices of government
• Senate: 300 members, advised elected officials, controlled public finances, handled all foreign relations
• Consisted of three parts:
Senate, popular assemblies, magistrates
• Popular assemblies: in these all citizens voted on laws, elected officials
• Initially dominated by patricians; all state offices later open to both patricians, plebeians
• Magistrates: governed in name of Senate and people, put laws into practice, acted as priests

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Consuls
• When last king thrown out, his place taken by two magistrates called consuls
• Elected for one year; chief executives, army commanders
Censors
• Next most important after consuls
• Recorded wealth, residence of population
• Filled vacancies in Senate
Praetors
• Primarily judges , could act for consuls if consuls away at war
• After terms ended, given military commands, appointed provisional governors
Constraints
• Government worked well because of system of checks, balances
• Each part could impose certain constraints on others

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
During the days of the Roman Republic, Rome was a thriving and vibrant city. At its heart was the Forum , the public square and site of the most important government buildings and temples.
Location
• Nestled between two hills: Palatine,
Capitoline
• Palatine, where wealthy lived
• Capitoline, where grandest temples were
Political Center
• City leaders often found in Forum mingling with common people
• Senate met in
Forum
• Key public addresses made there
Busy Place
• Forum more than just political center
• Popular place for shopping, gossip
• Busy shops lined either side of
Forum
• Public celebrations usually held there

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
• Despite bustling nature of city, Romans prided themselves on connection with soil
• Farming, landownership the noblest ways to make money
• Senators forbidden to participate in any career that did not involve land, could not engage in commerce
Legend of Early Republic
• Roman tie to land illustrated in legend of early Republic
• Romans turned to greatest general,
Cincinnatus, to save them from invasion
• Cincinnatus plowing fields at the time
Return to Farm
• People made Cincinnatus dictator
• Office of dictator had nearly unlimited power but could be held for only six months
• Cincinnatus defeated enemies and returned to farm
• Had no interest in retaining power

Rome and Early Christianity
Section 1
Answer(s):

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Growth
• As Rome’s government changed, the Roman population continued to grow
• Rome needed more land for expanding population
• Began to settle surplus population on land acquired by conquering neighbors
Military Might
• Successful expansion not possible without powerful army
• All Roman men between ages 17 and 46 with minimum amount of property required to serve in army during times of war
Roman Army
• Organiz ed into units called legions, backbone of which were centurions
• Centurions: noncommissioned officers who each commanded 100 men
• Army highly disciplined, well-trained force, could fight in all types of terrain

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
The Conquest of Italy
• 265 BC, Romans had defeated Etruscans and Greek cities in Southern Italy
• Romans imposed two strict conditions on subject people—subjects had to provide troops for Roman army, abandon any dealings with foreign nations
• Other than those conditions, Rome rarely interfered with domestic affairs of people it conquered ****Important****
Sicily
• Once in control of Italy, Rome turned attention to Sicily, large island to south of Italian Peninsula
• In Sicily, Rome came into conflict with Carthage, powerful North African trading city
• Conflict grew into series of three wars
• Punic Wars raged for nearly 80 years

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
Violence between Rome and Carthage broke out in 264 BC. Because the First Punic War was fought mostly at sea, Carthage’s powerful navy dominated the early fighting. Soon, however, the Romans built a navy of their own and were able to defeat Carthage.
Hannibal
• Violence soon broke out again
• 218 BC, Carthaginian general
Hannibal led army across
Pyrenees, Alps to invade Italy
• Hannibal ravaged Italy, defeated every army he faced
• Romans needed new strategy
Scipio
• Romans decided to take war to
Africa
• General Publius Cornelius Scipio sailed to Africa, besieged Carthage
• Forced Hannibal to sail home
• Scipio defeated Hannibal, took
Carthage, won Second Punic War
The Romans had defeated Carthage, but it did not destroy the city as many citizens had wanted.

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1

Rome and Early Christianity
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• 149 BC Rome decided to destroy old enemy once and for all
– Declared war on Carthage for third time
– After siege of three years, Carthage fell
– Romans enslaved entire population, completely destroyed city
– They banned any people from living there

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
• Punic Wars raged in western republic; Rome involved in politics of eastern Mediterranean
• Hellenistic kingdoms of Macedonia, Persia, and Egypt fought constantly; Greek city-states feared being conquered
• City-states sought alliance with Rome ***Important***
Macedonia, Persia
• Romans, Greek allies fought, and defeated Macedonia, Persia
• Both became Roman provinces
• Eventually Romans annexed
Greece as province as well
• Romans adopted many elements of
Greek culture, particularly art
Greek Culture
• Romans also borrowed ideas of religion from Greeks, adopted their gods but changed the names
• Not all Romans happy with growing
Greek influence, thought Rome should remain purely Roman
• Influence continued for many years

Rome and Early Christianity Section 1
• Ancient Greek Events
• 490-479 BC: Persian
Wars
• 460 BC: Age of Pericles in Athens
• 431 BC: Peloponnesian
Wars
• 331 BC: Alexander the
Great conquers Persian
Empire: Hellenistic Age
• 133 BC: end of Greek dominance in Med. world
• Ancient Rome Events
• 509 BC: Rome sets up a
Republic
• 450 BC: 12 Tables of
Law
• 270 BC: Rome controls most of Italian peninsula
• 264-146 BC: Punic Wars vs. Carthage
• 133 BC: Roman power extends from Spain to
Egypt

Rome and Early Christianity
Section 1
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