Ancient Rome500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.

Date: 1/17/2012

Daily Question: What are the major accomplishments of Ancient Rome?

Warm-up Question: When you think of Ancient Rome, what do you think of? What have you learned in the past? Where do you think Rome is located? (Answer as best you can)

Ancient Rome500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.

Date: 1/17/2012

Daily Question: What are the major accomplishments of Ancient Rome?

Warm-up Question: What did you learn about Ancient Rome on Friday that you would like to know more about (“nothing” will not receive credit – choose at least one thing – if you don’t know what to write look at your notes packet)

What is the geography of Rome?

• Italian Peninsula• Seven Hills of Rome• Tiber River• Mediterranean Sea

• What benefits did these features bring to Rome?• Trade from the sea• Safety from invasion• Proximity for trade/communication

Where was the Ancient City of Rome founded?

• Founded by Latin people on the Tiber River in the center of Italy and near the midpoint of the Mediterranean.

• Rome’s location on the Italian Peninsula helped its development (Peninsula-land surrounded on three sides by water). Rome had a mild climate, good farmland, and a strategic location that promoted trade.

• The Alps and Apennines mountains protected Rome, but didn’t isolate it.

• Italy’s large plains made farming easier than in Greece

Why here? Why “Rome”?• The location was considered to be holy according to the Gods• Why call the city “Rome”?• According to myth…

• Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. They were abandoned by their parents as babies and put into a basket that was then placed into the River Tiber. The basket ran aground and the twins were discovered by a female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time before they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the twins. When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a city where the wolf had found them. The brothers quarreled over where the site should be and Remus was killed by his brother. This left Romulus the sole founder and king of the new city. He gave his name to it – Rome. The date given for the founding of Rome is 753 BC.

MAP OF ancient city of ROME

Early rome• Early Rome was characterized by independent

city-states, each ruled by a king.

• In 509 B.C.E., Romans (Latins) overthrew the Etruscan kings. The Romans then conquered central Italy and said Rome was now a republic. The people had the power to vote and choose leaders. By 264 B.C.E., Rome controlled all of Italy.

The first Period of expansion509 B.C.E. – 264 B.C.E.

• In the 4th century B.C.E., Rome began to get larger. Within 150 years, it had captured almost all of Italy. Rome allowed some of the conquered peoples to enjoy the benefits of citizenship. With its good location, Rome saw a growth in trade. This brought it into conflict with Carthage, a trading city in North Africa.

Expansion Maps• Color in the first map for the first

period of expansion – conquering the Italian Peninsula (509 B.C.E. to 264 B.C.E.)

Government of Rome• Two groups struggled for power in the new republic. One

was the patricians. They were the aristocratic landowners who held most of the power. The other group was the plebeians. They were the common farmers, artisans and merchants who made up most of the population.

• At first, the patricians had the most power. Over time, the plebeians got the right to form their own assembly. They could elect representatives called tribunes.

• The government had three parts. Two consuls, or officials, were elected each year. They led the government and the army. A person could not become consul a second time until after 10 years – preventing too much power to one person.

Government of rome• The second part of the government was the senate. It usually had

300 members chosen from the upper classes. The senate passed laws.

• The third, and most democratic, part of government was the assemblies. The assemblies included members from different parts of society, such as citizen-soldiers or plebeians. The assemblies could also make laws.

• If there were a crisis, the republic could appoint a dictator. This was a leader with absolute power. The dictator made laws and commanded the army. But his power lasted only for six months.

• Any citizen who owned property had to serve in the army. Roman soldiers were organized into military units called legions. The Roman legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers.

• The basis for Roman law was the Twelve Tables. This set of rules said that all free citizens were protected by law.

The roman legion• The legions were the fighting force that

spread Rome’s power around the Mediterranean. Each legion had a nickname and a flag, called its eagle. Losing the eagle in battle was a disgrace. Legions were self-sufficient and could live off the land. They did their own construction and even built roads and bridges.

• Roman soldiers had armor, a helmet, a shield and a dagger.

Second Period of ExpansionPunic war

264-146 B.C.E.• From 264 B.C.E., Rome and Carthage fought 3 bitter wars

called the Punic Wars. In the first, Rome won control of the island of Sicily. In the second, Hannibal, a brilliant Carthaginian general invaded northern Italy. He and his soldiers did much damage. But he was unable to take Rome.

• It took an equally brilliant Roman general, Scipio, to defeat him. By the time of the third war, Carthage was no longer a threat to Rome. Even so, Rome destroyed the city and made its people slaves. Carthage became a new Roman province.

Roman Republic After the punic wars

Expansion Maps• Color in the second map for the second

period of expansion – expansion during the Persian Wars (264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E.)

The Third Period of Expansion145-44 B.C.E.

• From 145 to 44 B.C.E., Rome came to rule the entire Mediterranean world. Rome took control of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Roman general Julius Caesar conquered much of Gaul (modern France).

• The Romans now called the Mediterranean “our sea,” but the republic was in trouble.

Expansion Maps• Color in the third map for the third period

of expansion – expansion during the final years of the Roman Republic (264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E.)

Problems in the republic• Government and economy becomes unstable• Gap between rich and poor grows• Slave population nearly 1/3 of Roman

population• Civil war breaks out• As the Republic grows increasingly more

unstable, military rulers grow in strength and power…

Civil war in rome• Rome’s victory in Carthage brought conflict between the rich and poor in

Rome. Civil war – fighting between groups in the same country – broke out. Roman generals were becoming dictators. They set their armies against the power of the Senate.

• Julius Caesar tried to take control. First he joined with two others – Crassus, a wealthy man and Pompey, a successful general. They formed a triumvirate – a group of three leaders. For the next ten years, the triumvirate ruled Rome.

Crassus Pompey Caesar

Timeline

•Read through the timeline of events in Ancient Rome

Julius caesar• Caesar gained fame with several

victories in battle. Pompey feared Caesar as a result. The two fought another civil war that lasted several years. Caesar won the civil war and then governed as an absolute ruler. A year after his election as dictator, the Roman people elected Caesar “dictator for life.”

CAESAR’S REFORMS• Granted Roman citizenship

to many people in the provinces

• Expanding the Senate, adding friends and supporters

• Helped the poor by creating jobs, especially construction

• Started colonies where the landless could own land and increased pay for soldiers

• He instituted the Julian calendar was 365 ¼ days

Words of caesar• “I had no shield with me but I snatched one from a

soldier in the rear ranks and went forward to the front line. Once there, I called to all the centurions (foot soldiers) by name and shouted encouragement to the rest of the men… My arrival gave the troops fresh hope…” – Julius Caesar

1. What personal attributes made Julius Caesar a strong leader?

2. How did his troops feel towards him?

Beware the ides of march• On March 15, 44 B.C.E., Caesar was met by a

mob of sixty senators who stabbed the dictator to death.

Second triumvirate• Immediately after Caesar’s death,

there was another civil war. Three rulers began ruling Rome as the Second Triumvirate. These rulers were Octavius (Caesar’s nephew, later known as Augustus), Marcus Lepidus, and Mark Antony.

• This triumvirate ruled for a period of ten years. Lepidus died after the ten year period and Octavian and Antony fought for sole control of the empire.

• Caesar’s nephew, Octavian, was the winner. He took the title Augustus, meaning “exalted one.” The Roman Empire was not ruled by one man. Augustus was the father of the Pax Romana, the Golden Age of Rome.

The Fourth Period of ExpansionPax romana

• For about 200 years, the Roman empire was a great power. Its population of between 60 and 80 million enjoyed peace and prosperity. This periods is known as the Pax Romana – Roman peace.

• The empire stretched around the Mediterranean, from modern Syria and Turkey west and north to England and Germany. It relied on farming which employed 90% of all workers.

• Trade was also important, bringing silk from China. Traders used common coins to buy and sell goods. Coins made trading easier.

• Rome had a vast trading network. Goods traveled throughout the empire by ship and along the Roman roads

Pax Romana• Trading ships were protected by the Roman navy. The

army defended all the people and Roman territories from attack. Many of the army’s troops came from the conquered peoples. Once they finished their time in the army, they became Roman citizens.

• Augustus was Rome’s ablest emperor. He brought peace to the frontier, built many public buildings and created a lasting government. He also set up a civil service. That is, he paid workers to manage the affairs of government.

• Between 96 C.E. and 180 C.E., the Five Good Emperors ruled Rome. The death of Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180 marked the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire and the end of Pax Romana.

Pax romana

• Economy- 90% of economy is based on agriculture, many become extremely wealthy.

• Trade- Due to the expanding borders, many luxury items are obtained through trade. Major trading routes and shipping networks are formed throughout.

• Government- Organized under Augustus, and remains in tact for generations. Relies on civil service, reliable tax system, programs to beautify and strengthen the city.

Slavery in Rome• 1/3 of population of Rome was in slavery• More dependent on slavery than any other

civilization• Some trained to be gladiators and fight to the

death against other gladiators, wild animals and devices

The fall of rome

• The Roman Empire’s period of greatness lasted about two hundred years. It began with the reign of Augustus in 27 B.C.E. and ended with the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 C.E.. After the year 180, the empire began to decline.

PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EMPIRE

POLITICALBeginning about the year 200, the orderly succession to the throne that had characterized the empire throughout its history ended. Rival factions of the army fought civil wars and installed their own candidates as emperor. During one fifty-year period, twenty-six different emperors ruled from Rome. Of this number, twenty-five were murdered. Such instability in government weakened Rome and made it vulnerable to attacks from Germanic Tribes in the North

PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EMPIRE

MILITARY

Roman soldiers became less disciplined and loyal. They gave their allegiance not to Rome but to their commanders, who fought among themselves for the throne. To defend against the increasing threats to the empire, the government began to recruit mercenaries, foreign soldiers who fought for money. While mercenaries would accept lower pay than Romans, they felt little sense of loyalty to the empire.

PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EMPIRE

ECONOMICHostile Germanic tribes outside the boundaries of the empire and pirates on the Mediterranean Sea disrupted trade.Having reached their limit of expansion, the Romans lacked new sources of gold and silver. Desperate for revenue, the government raised taxes. As a result of a drain of gold and silver, the government also started minting coins that contained less and less silver. It hoped to create more money with the same amount of precious metal. However, the economy soon suffered from inflation, a drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a rise in prices. Agriculture faced equally serious problems. Harvests in Italy and western Europe became increasingly meager because overworked soil had lost its fertility. Years of war had also destroyed much farmland. Eventually, serious food shortages and disease spread, and the population declined.

PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EMPIRE

SOCIALFeelings of loyalty eventually weakened among average citizens as well. In the past, Romans cared so deeply about their republic that they willingly sacrificed their lives for it. Conditions in the later centuries of the empire caused citizens to lose their sense of patriotism. They became indifferent to the empire’s fate.

Homework• Ancient Greece – Wars/Expansion Packet –

questions• Individual Artifact Project• Compare & Contrast Essay• Extra Credit: Research one event talked about

today and write a 1pg explanation of why it was important in the development/growth of the Roman Empire.