Travel to Rome!

Ancient Rome Creation Myth According to an ancient Roman myth, the war god Mars fathered twin sons, Romulus and Remus. Their mother was a Latin princess. A jealous Latin King feared that the twins might some day claim his throne, so he ordered them placed in a basket and set afloat on Italy’s Tiber River. The king assumed they would drown. Miraculously, a she-wolf found the half-starved infants and fed them with her own milk. Soon after, a shepherd discovered the babies and brought them up as his sons. As young men, Romulus and Remus decided to build a city near the spot where they had been abandoned as babies. Each brother chose a hilltop and claimed leadership of the new city. Soon they were fighting bitterly over their rival claims. In the heat of anger, Romulus struck his brother and killed him. The hilltop Romulus had chosen, the palatine, became the center of the new city. The city itself was called Rome, taking its name from the triumphant and murderous brother.

Ancient Rome Creation Myth One day during a thunderstorm, Romulus disappeared. A dark cloud enveloped him and lifted him up to heaven. Romulus, now a god, later came back to earth to speak: “Go tell the Romans,” he said, “it is heaven’s will that my Rome shall be the capital of the world. Let the children of Rome learn to be soldiers. Let them know and teach their children that no power on earth can stand against Roman armies.” By 27 B.C.E., Rome was the “capital of the world.” Rome’s ships controlled the entire Mediterranean Seas, and its armies exacted taxes and tributes from people on three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Three Major Periods of Roman History Roman Origins Circa 1000-509 BCE Earliest settlements on Palatine Hill 753 BCE – Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus

Three Major Periods of Roman History Roman Republic 509-31 BCE Etruscan kings overthrown under leadership of Lucius Junius Brutus, the traditional founder of the Republic, in 509 BCE Republic = “thing of the people” Ended with Battle of Actium in 31 BCE

Three Major Periods of Roman History Roman Empire 31 BCE-476 CE Began when Octavian’s forces defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra End of Western Roman Empire traditionally dated to 476 CE, when last emperor, Romulus Augustus, deposed Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire continued until conquered by the Turks in 1453

Government: Patricians and Plebeians Nobles Controlled the government of the Republic Executive power Two consuls elected for a one-year term Elected by adult male patricians Legislature Senate – upper house About 300 patricians Served for life Controlled by about 12 families Assembly – lower house All free, adult males who could afford weaponry All acts had to be approved by the Senate

Government: Patricians and Plebeians Common people Few rights and little power Could not run for public office Could not marry into the nobility (the patrician class) Little say in the creation of laws Continuously threatened to secede from Rome and create their own city

Why was Rome so successful? Infrastructure: Well-built military roads radiating from Rome Military ability Strategy: Divide and control Treatment of conquered peoples Few geographical barriers on the Italian peninsula Military roads radiated from Rome Troops could be sent quickly to quell unrest in any area Dual purpose—roads came to allow quick and easy travel by tax collectors, traders, travelers, and officials Famous roads Appian Way Flaminian Way Valerian Way Public funds dedicated to building and maintaining the Republic’s infrastructure Military Ability: Great soldiers, all well-trained, all volunteers Divide & Control Strategy: Rome’s fear: That allies and colonies would unite against Roman Rule Rome’s solution: Keep groups under Roman control disunited How it was done: Forbade alliances between them Separate privileges and treaties Treatment of Conquered Peoples: Conquered peoples were treated well Some received full Roman citizenship, including suffrage Some controlled their own affairs but paid tribute and gave soldiers to the Roman army Colonies Rome established colonies in conquered areas, each protected by a garrison of Roman soldiers Republic encouraged intermarriage Led to the spread of Roman culture and language (Latin)

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

What was the Roman Empire? There were two periods of Roman government. Roman Republic 509 BCE-30 BCE Roman Empire 30 BCE-476 CE Rome technically had an “empire” under the Roman Republic. But the term “Roman Empire” refers to the time period, beginning with Augustus, when Rome was ruled by emperors.

Map of Roman Empire at its Height Over about 300 years the Roman Empire continued to expand its territory throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Why Did Rome Fall? Economic Reasons: Gap between rich and poor Impoverished workers became tied to the land as coloni (sold as the land was sold) As fewer members of the lower classes could afford to buy goods (no purchasing power), manufacturing and trade declined Large estates became self-sufficient, further hurting manufacturing and trade

Why Did Rome Fall? Military Reasons: Roman Republic Roman Empire Armies were servants of Rome Roman Empire Armies made and unmade emperors Reliance on barbarian troops Not ultimately loyal to Rome Could not be counted on to fight their fellow barbarians Interested in obtaining booty, not defending Rome or furthering Rome’s interests

Why did Rome Fall? Political Reasons Decline in patriotism Democracy did not exist in reality Citizens lost their tie (voting rights) to the state Patriotism became based on loyalty to an emperor, not to Rome Most emperors did not inspire respect or loyalty East/West split Two empires created problems regarding loyalty No orderly succession Murders, forced suicides, and civil wars frequently accompanied the transition from one emperor to the next

Why did Rome Fall? Social Reasons Population decline Hunger Plagues War Decline in intellectual culture People did not dedicate themselves to public service and intellectual pursuits People instead spent their leisure time watching chariot races and gladiatorial contests Religious divisions Eastern and Egyptian cults took away the popularity and status of traditional Roman religion New faiths like Christianity directly questioned and challenged concepts such as imperial divinity

Why is Ancient Rome so important to world history? Administration of a vast empire Christianity Architecture Engineering Historians Literature Roman law Romance languages Transmission of Greek (Hellenistic) culture The Romans did not necessarily create and invent everything that they are commonly given credit for. What the Romans were best at was taking something (like the Etruscan arch), adapting it, and putting it to great use (such as in the construction of aqueducts).

Tour of the Roman Senate House and Courthouse Senate House – “Curia” Courthouse – “Basilica Julia”

The division of power is an example of “Checks and Balances” Roman Republic The Republic was broken into three branches of government. Executive two consuls (chief executives) 1 year terms elected commanded army directed government with advice of legislative branch consuls could veto each other Judicial Praetors oversaw the entire legal system Elected officials heads of the Roman court system Legislative Senate and two Assemblies wealthy citizens were members of the senate all other citizens were members of the two assemblies voted on laws and elected officials The division of power is an example of “Checks and Balances”

Both the Senate and Courthouse are located in the Forum. Senate House Courthouse

Curia Here is a 3-D Model of the original senate house. The current one was rebuilt by Mussolini in the 1920s using original materials. The Curia is where the Roman Senators would meet and discuss politics.

These are the original senate doors that ancient Roman senators would walk through to get inside the senate house. The senators were one of the three branches of the Roman Republic and were responsible for foreign and financial policies. In addition, the senators advised the two consuls (leaders) of Rome. The senate was seen as the most powerful of the three branches and was made up of wealthy landowners.

This is a model of the interior of the Curia (the senate house) Besides the senate, the other groups in the legislative branch were the two assemblies. The assemblies consisted of all the “lower” class citizens. They were responsible for voting on laws and electing officials.

Judicial Branch - The Courthouse – Basilica Julia Today this is all that remains A digital mock-up of what the courthouse looked like in ancient times. The duty of the Judicial branch was to carry out the laws of the Roman Empire in order to ensure peace, stability and order. 180 magistrates (judges) would oversee the court cases. They were broken into 4 court rooms, so there were 45 judges at each trial. The accused were allowed to have lawyers and the public was allowed to watch the trials. Oftentimes lawyers would hire crowds of spectators to applaud and jeer the opposing council. Thus, court cases were a form of entertainment for many Romans.

Digital representation of the interior of the Basilica Julia, the building was divided into four courts by simply putting up screens. The magistrates, lawyers, and accused would be on the bottom floor, while the spectators would be in the balconies above.

Roman Laws The job of the judicial branch was to uphold Roman laws. These laws were based upon the concept of “natural law” which was first created by Greek philosophers. The main idea of natural law is that all humans possess the ability to reason, so if reason was common to all people, all people must be equal. If all human beings are fundamentally alike, they should all be subject to the same moral laws and principles. This is the basic principle that underlies the modern concept that people have natural rights that no government can deny. If all humans must follow these laws, then the laws must be made public knowledge. In about 450 B.C. the Romans engraved their laws on tablets called the Twelve Tables. These laws were placed in the Forum for all to view. This was the first time the Romans had ever written down their laws, and these laws became the foundation of the Roman Republic.

In 521 AD – nearly 1,000 years after the Twelve Tables were written, Emperor Justinian ordered the compilation of all Roman laws from the time period of the Tables onward. This written record became known as the Justinian Code To explore the Justinian Code … you will compare it to our Bill of Rights…