ROME The Republic The Empire. The Origins of Rome The Myth Romulus and Remus.
ANCIENT ROME. LEGEND OF ROME Mythological start of Rome: Founded in 753 B.C. by twins Romulus &...
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Transcript of ANCIENT ROME. LEGEND OF ROME Mythological start of Rome: Founded in 753 B.C. by twins Romulus &...
ANCIENT ROME
LEGEND OF ROMEMythological start of Rome:Founded in 753 B.C. by twins Romulus &
RemusAbandoned on Tiber River – raised by
she-wolfLater the brothers quarrel – Romulus kills
Remus
GEOGRAPHYUnlike Greece - geography allowed
people in Rome to UNITE under one government
Built on seven rolling hills on the Tiber River
CENTER of the Italian PENINSULAMidway between ALPS and Southern tip
of ItalyNear the Mediterranean Sea
Three Early Groups3 groups battled for control:I. LATINSII. GREEKSIII. ETRUSCANS600 B.C. Etruscans take over509 B.C. last Etruscan King (Tarquin
the Proud) overthrown – Rome sets up a REPUBLIC
{“public affairs}
REPUBLICForm of Government power is with citizens who
have right to vote for leaders {Rome – only free-born male citizens had voting rights}2 Main Groups struggle for power:PATRICIANS – wealthy landowners- held most
powerPLEBEIANS- majority of the people: farmers,
artisans, merchants
{Plebeians could vote but could not hold high office}
TWELVE TABLES 451 BC. – creation of written law code: TWELVE TABLES OF LAWCarved on Twelve Tablets hung for all
to seeBecame the basis for all Roman LawsAll free citizens had right to
protection
ROMAN ARMYAll land owning citizens required to serve in
armyLEGIONS – large military units of Roman
soldiersBy 265 B.C. Rome had conquered all of ItalyMain enemy becomes CARTHAGE – located in
North Africa
http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/the-rise-and-fall-of-carthage/
Punic WarsSeries of 3 wars fought
between Rome and Carthage
1st Punic War (264 BC- 241 BC)• Romans
defeat Carthage
• Gain control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean
2nd Punic War(218 BC- 202 BC)
• Carthage led by Hannibal surprise Rome by attacking Spain
• Used elephants – used elephants
• Romans led by General Scipio defeat Hannibal
3rd Punic War(149 BC- 146 BC)• Rome invades
and conquers Carthage
• Rome becomes the dominant power in the Mediterranean!
END OF THE REPUBLICBy 270 B.C. Rome had conquered all of ItalyThrough a series of WARS Rome became the
DOMINANT power in the Mediterranean areaExpansion led to a widening gap – RICH/POORThousands of slaves captured in wars caused
unemploymentRome’s enlarged TERRITORY made the Republic
unstableEventually the republic gives way to a DICTATOR
ruled empirePeriod of Civil War broke out
60 B.C. 1st TRIUMVIRATE
3 leaders: JULIUS CAESAR, CRASSUS, POMPEY brought stability back to Rome
58B.C. -Caesar becomes Governor of GAUL (France) & invades Britain
49 B.C. – Civil War breaks out again between Caesar and Pompey – Caesar’s troops force Pompey to flee to Rome
Caesar follows Pompey to Egypt where Pompey is killed {while in Egypt Caesar becomes involved with CLEOPATRA}
JULIUS CAESAR46 B.C. –Julius Caesar comes to powerCaesar returns to Rome – because of his
popularity {with both army & poor) he is appointed DICTATOR
44 B.C. – Caesar is appointed “dictator for life”Caesar governed as an ABSOLUTE ruler – total
powerCaesar was very popular:
*Romans conquered most of central and western EUROPE *Created jobs for the poor *Increased pay for military *Made Rome the largest EMPIRE in the world
DEATH OF CAESARMany Nobles & Senators were upset with
Caesar’s Power, Success, & PopularityMarch 15, 44 B.C. – “IDES OF MARCH” –
Caesar is murdered in the Senate Chambers – stabbed to death
Rome once again fell into Civil War…
2nd TRIUMVIRATEAfter Caesar’s death 3 supporters took control
of Rome:OCTAVIAN- Caesar’s adopted sonMARK ANTONY- experienced generalLEPIDUS- powerful politicianThe three ruled for 10 yearsCivil War (again!) – after Lepidus retired –
Octavian and Mark Antony fought for control of Rome
2nd TRIUMVIRATEWhile in Egypt Mark Antony had become
involved with Cleopatra30 B.C. – Mark Antony defeated by Octavian
{both Mark Antony & Cleopatra commit suicide to avoid capture}
Octavian become sole ruler of Rome
AUGUSTUSOctavian took title of AUGUSTUS {“Exalted
One”}Also took title of EMPEROR {“Supreme Military
Commander}Rome was now an EMPIRE ruled by one manAugustus ruled from 27 B.C. – 14 A.D. –
absolute power {27 B.C. is considered start of Roman EMPIRE}
PAX ROMANA 27 B.C. – 180 A.D.
200 year period of PEACE, PROGRESS, PROSPERITY, STABILITY {Pax Romana – “ROMAN PEACE”}
Rome’s “GOLDEN AGE” – size: 3 million square miles {from Spain to Mesopotamia, North Africa to Britain} Population over 70 million (city of Rome over 1 million)
http://www.history.com/topics/pompeii/videos#pompeii
http://www.history.com/videos/deconstructing-history-pompeii#deconstructing-history-pompeii
AUGUSTUS’ CONTRIBUTIONSCreated CIVIL SERVICE System – CORRUPTION
cut down Gov’t Officials based on MERITVast TRADING network – shipping and complex
ROADSAGRICULTURE – 90% of people engaged in
farmingStrong CENTRAL Gov’t (but believed in
governing for the GOOD of all – brought REFORMS, fairer TAXES)
Glorified Rome with Splendid BuildingsDeveloped efficient Postal SystemCommon Currency
http://www.history.com/topics/emperor-augustus/videos#deconstructing-history-colosseum
http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/what-have-we-learned-from-gladiator-graveyards/ http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/did-nero-really-play-the-fiddle-while-rome-burned/
DECLINE OF ROMETwo CENTURIES of Pax Romana ended in 180
A.D. with the death of Emperor MARCUS AURELIUS (A.D. 161- 180 )
PEACE & PROSPERITY was never duplicatedNumber of causes contributed to the decline &
fall:*MILITARY*POLITICAL*SOCIAL*ECONOMIC
DIOCLETIANA.D. 284 – DIOCLETIAN becomes Emperor –
strong ruler restored order to the Empire – doubled size of the army – controlled inflation – persecuted Christians
Believed the Empire had grown too large & complex – divided the Empire into two parts:
EAST – GREEK speaking {Greece, Syria, Egypt, Anatolia}
WEST – LATIN speaking {Italy, Spain, Britain, Gaul}
Diocletian became the first and only Roman Emperor to resign when he “retired” in A.D. 305
CONSTANTINEConstantine best known for being first Christian
emperorA.D. 312- while fighting for control in the WEST
Constantine reportedly saw an image of a cross – symbolizing Christianity – the day before an important battle – he had crosses put on his soldiers’ shields – and was victorious – took over as undisputed emperor of WESTERN empire
A.D. 313- issued Edict of Milan - ended persecution of CHRISTIANS {A.D. 380 – CHRISTIANITY becomes Empire’s Official Religion} [proclaimed by Emperor Theodosius]
“CONSTANTINE SEES A SIGN”
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/rome-and-christianity/b
CONSTANTINEA.D. 324 – Empire restored to a single ruler –
Constantine defeats Eastern EmperorA.D. 330 – Constantine moves capital from ROME
to BYZANTIUM (today this is in Turkey)Constantine built a new city modeled on Rome
but also reflecting Christianity – Byzantium would be renamed CONSTANTINOPLE {“city of Constantine”} today the city is known as Istanbul
A.D. 337 Constantine dies – Empire is divided again
Eventually the East would survive, West would fall
END OF ROMAN EMPIREDecline of the WESTERN Roman Empire took place
over many years – both internal & external problems
Main external cause – Invasions by Germanic Tribes & Huns
A.D. 476 – last Western Emperor overthrown by GERMANIC invaders
Eastern Empire became known as the BYZANTINE Empire – preserved Greek & Roman heritage - survived for another1,000 years ruling from Constantinople
1453 – Eastern Empire conquered by Ottoman Turks
LASTING ACHIEVEMENTS OF ROMANSLAW – fair, equal, innocent until proven guilty,
punished for actions not thoughtsLANGUAGE – Latin basis for other languages –
French,Spanish, Portugese,Italian (Romance Languages), many English words from Latin, language of Catholic Church
ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING – roads, bridges, arches, domes, use of concrete in spectacular buildings ex: A.D. 80 – COLOSSEUM, built AQUEDUCTS to bring water to cities
LITERATURE – poets Virgil & Ovid
http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/how-the-seven-wonders-of-the-ancient-world-work/
military political
economic
social
Factors surrounding the collapse
of Rome
MilitaryLoss sense of patriotismWarlike mentality weakened by the spread of Christianity
The government hired foreign soldiers (mercenaries) to defend borders. ◦(Army lacked training, discipline and loyalty)
PoliticalInefficient and corrupt government
Civil wars and citizens were no longer loyal to officials
Sometimes, Roman legions fought one another
Too large to govern effectively
EconomicPlebian class weakenedFarmers left land because of overreliance on slave labor
Unfair taxes and unemployment cause inflation
Constant civil war hurt economy1/3 of population was on welfare
SocialInequality of wealth created rigid class structure
Many of the underemployed became lazy and selfish
Instead of correcting economic problems, the government gave them bread and circuses –(the Colosseum)
Foreign Invasion
Rome was in decline from 200AD to 500 AD◦Final collapse came as a result of foreign invasion
German tribes, who had been at peace with the Romans for several years, invaded the territory
The Huns, a group of Mongol nomads from Central Asia, led by Atitila, destroyed several Roman cities
The Visigoths, Vandals and Franks all led attacks on the Roman Empire.
In 476 AD, the last Roman Emperor was removed and German chief named himself King of Italy.◦This overthrow led to almost a complete
collapse of western civilization