The Roman RepublicRome, Day 1

Myth tells us that the twins Remus and Romulus are behind the city of Rome.

Romulus founds Rome, then creates the Roman Legions and the Roman Senate.

The Founding of Rome

Roman citizenship was extended to all conquered and native-born people. Why would a government want to do this?

The Roman Republic was not a democracy. All male citizens were allowed to attend assemblies, but the votes of the rich counted more than the votes of the poor.

Senate seats were guaranteed for life and could be inherited.

The Roman Republic

The plebeians (poor) vastly outnumbered the patricians (rich.) The plebeians did have a few checks to power though:◦ Laws were published in 450 BCE to stop random sentences◦ Tribunes were elected by the plebeians and had veto

power over the Assembly◦ Patricians dealt with this by offering bribes or status to

plebeian members of the tribunes Paterfamilias: men were the legal and cultural head

of the family Religion was polytheistic and based on the Greek

pantheon. Same gods, different names.

The Roman Republic

As the republic expanded, they allowed conquered native people to run the newly conquered areas.

This didn’t work so well. Why? Then, they started sending Roman Senators

as governors. That didn’t work either. Any guesses why?

The Roman Republic

Farmers who had served in the Roman Army during the expansion came home to find that their farms had been seized by rich Romans and turned into latifundia, large slave plantations.

They couldn’t find work as farmers, so they went to the cities, swelling the urban population.

Emerging leaders, then, needed to pander to the poor in order to avoid the wrath of the tribunals.

Fall of the Roman Republic

Emerging leaders were often killed by rivals. The most famous assassination was that of Julius Caesar.

Caesar was a popular leader in the city of Rome for many reasons:◦ Military hero◦ Supported equal rights for all male citizens◦ Made the life of the plebeians better

The other patricians decided he had to go…so they killed him.

When we pick up after the assassination, we’ll see how Caesar’s nephew, Octavian aka Augustus, created the Roman Principate.

Fall of the Roman Republic

The Roman PrincipateRome, Day 2

Octavian/Augustus was Julius Caesar’s nephew. After the assassination of Caesar, there was mass chaos in Rome as many people battled for control of the empire.

Eventually, Octavian conquered all of his enemies and created a military empire, which he called the “Principate.” He expanded the empire quite a bit and maintained power by keeping the favor of the army. Future Roman leaders did the same- no hereditary guarantee in Rome.

The Romans eventually gave Octavian the title “Augustus”, which means “sacred” or “revered.”

The Rule of Octavian/Augustus

Augustus used wealthy, high-status landowners to run the bureaucracy of the empire. The thinking was, people who were independently wealthy would not be as susceptible for bribes, and they would be loyal to the government since that was the source of their power. It worked.

Under Augustus, scholars intensively studied and codified the law, and legal scholars emerged as a profession. They helped to create laws and assisted magistrates with their decisions.

In general, the principate of Augustus Caesar was stronger and more militaristic than the Republic, and governed much more effectively.

The Rule of Octavian/Augustus

Rome was by no means an “urban” empire. Most people were still rural peasants.

However, the city of Rome had a million people! Technology like aqueducts helped to keep basic services

going for the patricians, but the urban plebeians lived in stinking, fire-prone slums.

Other Roman technology included well-maintained road systems and the invention of concrete, which allowed domed buildings.

Rich landowners lived in nice parts of the city and rented out their land to “tenant farmers.” This system remained and evolved into the feudalism/lord-and-manor system of later Europe.

Life in Urban Rome

Many foreigners passed through the Roman empire, bringing their goods and ideas. The Roman roads, better maintained than any other in the world, made trade easy and fast.

More trade= more tax money, but also means there are more thieves. In Rome, the military patrolled the roads and kept them safe, further increasing trade.

Roman military might and technology created a period of peace and prosperity for the upper classes, called the pax romana.

Merchants brought the Roman culture and language throughout the known world via the Roman road system. This process of the spread of Roman language, culture, and technology is called Romanization.

Pax Romana

Jesus Christ, an Israeli carpenter, begins to preach revolution in the Galilee region. Jesus’ teachings were based on reciprocity (do unto others as you would have them do unto you), spiritual wealth instead of monetary wealth, and caring for the poor. This made him a rather unpopular figure in the Roman empire, which valued wealth, exploited the poor, and required worship of the Emperor as a god.

Jewish authorities saw him as a troublemaker and turned him over to Roman authorities, who crucified him. According to Christian mythology, however, physical death was unable to stop Jesus Christ, because he was divine- God on earth. His body was resurrected and he ascended to heaven.

After his death and miraculous resurrection, his followers, called the Apostles, continue to preach his doctrine and spread their monotheistic faith. Approximately 50 years later, their stories and beliefs were finally written down.

The Beginning of Christianity

After the death of Jesus, the apostle Paul led the new community of Christians. They eventually became a sizable minority in the Roman Empire and included many rich and educated people as well as the larger group of the poor.

There were many other small religious communities as well, though, so why did Christianity end up dominating?

Here’s one theory: The emperor Constantine, a Christian, saw a religion vision, a cross over a battlefield, in 312CE and ended the persecution of Christians. He began to prefer to have people of his own faith in governmental and business positions.

This created an enormous political and social advantage for Christians, so converts started pouring in.

The Beginning of Christianity

Constantine moved the Roman capital to the eastern city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople after himself.

Constantinople was often described as the most beautiful city of the ancient world. Now, it’s the modern Turkish city of Istanbul. It contained a beautiful wonder of the ancient world, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, which you can still visit- it’s Muslim now, though.

The Split: The Byzantine Empire Separates From Rome

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Domed Roof in the Hagia Sophia

Constantinople was very valuable in the ancient world- it was a rich city, and it occupied a strategic position on the Bosporus Strait. Whomever controlled Constantinople, controlled trade between cities on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

As you can imagine, it was invaded a lot. Moving the capital to Constantinople further

exacerbated the divide between the western Roman Empire (Latin-speaking, Roman capital) and the eastern Roman Empire (Greek-speaking, Constantine’s capital).

The Split: The Byzantine Empire Separates From Rome

After much conflict over religious, political, and economic issues, the Roman Empire split in half. The western half eventually fell to the Germanic “barbarian” tribes, but Rome retained its religious significance. The Holy Roman Catholic Pope still lives there today, in the Vatican.

The eastern half remained strong and united as the Byzantine Empire, and survived another thousand years.

In the Eastern half of the empire, the Roman Catholic Church evolved to include local flavor. It survives today as the Eastern Orthodox churches- Russian and Greek.

The Split: The Byzantine Empire Separates From Rome

The majority of the beliefs of the Western and Eastern Churches are the same, but there are some major differences like the importance of certain holidays. The art is also very different.

We’re going to look at a few pieces from the Eastern church and a few from the West. Keep a close eye on the style of the paintings and the positions of the subjects.

Religious Art of the Roman Empire

Eastern Religious Art (Byzantine)

Eastern Religious Art (Byzantine)

Eastern Religious Art (Russian)

Western Religious Art (Raphael)

Western Religious Art (Bellini)

Western Religious Art