Ancient Rome

Geography The city of Rome was established along the Tiber River Located on the Italian Peninsula (surrounded on three sides by the Med. Sea) Rolling hills and fertile soil made farming possible The legend of Romulus and Remus was used to describe the beginnings of Rome The land was ideal for trade and communication within the peninsula

The Etruscan Civilization The Etruscan people lived to the north of Rome They traded with the Greek colonies of the region Etruscan’s adapted the Greek alphabet for their own language (also borrowed ideas about pottery, and sculpture) Formed independent city-states governed by a King (ruled the Italian peninsula for over 100 years

The Roman Republic Consuls (2) Served for one year Headed the republic and controlled the army Had Veto Power Senators Served for life Served for life, declared wars, handled money matter Elected by the Patricians

The Roman Republic (Continued) Tribunes Were elected by the Plebeians They represented the Plebeians in the Roman Republic There were more Plebeian citizens than Patricians-so they controlled the tribal assembly

Social Classes of Rome Patricians were the highest social class during the early Roman Republic Patricians did not allow the Plebeians to take part or have an equal say in the government The Plebeians decided to leave Rome (when they did this there was no more workforce) The Patricians decided to give rights to the Plebeians so they would come back to Rome Slaves in Rome had more rights than in other lands They were often given their freedom upon their owners death or could buy their freedom

The Punic Wars The Punic Wars were fought against Carthage in northern Africa Fought three wars against Carthage to gain control of the Mediterranean sea During the second Punic War, Hannibal invaded the Italian Peninsula by taking an army of elephants over the Alps Rome won the Punic Wars by destroying the city of Carthage

Impacts of the Punic Wars New territories were added when Carthage was defeated Conquered people had to pay taxes to Rome These taxes made the Patricians more wealthy Captured enemy soldiers were forced to become slaves Slaves were taken back to Rome Plebeians lost jobs because of the increased number of slaves The rich got richer and the poor got poorer

Julius Caesar Caesar had been consul and then took an army and conquered Gaul Caesar then set his sight on Rome He brought his army to Rome and within 60 days conquered the Italian Peninsula His leadership and military victories convinced the Senate that Caesar should rule for ten years

Caesar (Continued) He improved the lives of the poor Created new jobs and gave citizenship to more people Changed the Senate so it better represented the Roman people The Senators wanted more power so they assassinated Caesar on the ides of March 44 B.C.

After Caesar After Caesar’s death Rome was broken into a triumvirate The three leaders were Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus Antony and Octavian united and defeated Lepidus Antony then united with Cleopatra and fought Octavian Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra in 31 B.C. Octavian became the single ruler of the Roman Empire-changed his name to Augustus Caesar

The Rule of Augustus Though he was the emperor-he made sure some elements of the Republic remained Augustus carefully chose people to serve as governors for the provinces He gave Roman citizenship to those who lived in the provinces Created new laws Under his reign Rome began taking a census to ensure all people paid their taxes The empire grew and more soldiers were needed to protect the borders Soldiers were given land for their services

The City of Rome Augustus had libraries, government offices, temples, and public baths to be built Their was a great deal of entertainment found throughout the empire-the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum, public baths, and theatres The Aqueducts brought fresh water to the city of Rome The gladiator games took place in the Colosseum which held 50,000 people

Beginnings of Christianity Roman religion was based on the Greek gods (polytheistic) Christianity comes from the Greek word Cristos or messiah Jesus was a Jewish teacher who delivered a message of peace As Christianity spread, the Roman governors in the region became nervous Pontius Pilate sentences Jesus to death Jesus’s followers reported that on the third day after his death he rose from the dead-convincing them that he was the Messiah The Roman roads allowed Christianity to spread quickly throughout the Roman Empire

Christianity (Continued) Romans began to persecute Christians for their beliefs-they believed it would stop the spread of Christianity Christianity continued to grow despite the threats of sever punishments Constantine made Christianity an accepted religion (after seeing the word Christos in the sky)

The End of the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ended because: It became to big to protect all of its borders Bad leaders fought for control and no consistency was established Rome’s economy fell, people lacked food and jobs resulting in riots The capital was moved to Constantinople Barbarians from the north were much bigger and stronger than the Romans