Goals for Today Students will be able to: Analyze the importance of geography in Ancient Rome’s Formation Understand the social and political structure of Ancient Rome Identify the similarities and differences of the Twelve Tables to other forms of law codes (Hammurabi, USA, etc.) Look at the importance of Pompeii in Ancient Roman history

The Rise of Rome

Roman history is the story of the Romans’ conquest of Italy and the entire Mediterranean world. The Romans were conquerors, but they also governed, using republican forms that have been passed down to us.

Creation Myth of Rome Romulus and Remus - Twin sons of Mars (Roman god of War) Abandoned by their Uncle Amulius in the Tibor River to drown. Found and raised by a she-wolf Found and raised by the Shepard Faustulus

They kill Amulius Both built great cities - Romulus kills Remus for making fun of his city Romulus populates the city of Rome with slaves and criminals Romulus became the first king in 753 BC Mars carries him up to the heavens and he becomes the god Quirinius

The Land and Peoples of Italy Main Idea: Rome’s Central location and geographic features made it a desirable location from which to expand

Geography Apennine Mountains Italy is a peninsula 750 miles from north to south 120 miles from east to west Rome is the capital of Italy Apennine Mountains Went north and south divided the east and west Also settled on the island of Sicily

A Favorable Location More land to farm than Greece Did NOT divided Rome into many small city states Rome was built on 7 hills Easily defended A good central location

Mountains and Rivers of Rome Italy’s mountains did not divide Italians like it did the Greeks Italy had more land to farm than Greece The Tiber River helped Rome with farming and transportation

Rome Rome was built on seven hills and was easy to defend Italy sticks out into the Mediterranean Sea which made it a crossroad between eastern and western Mediterranean countries Rome was far enough inland to be safe from pirates

The Peoples of Italy Latin Greeks Moved in around 1500 to 1000 B.C. Indo-European people who spoke Latin Settled on Latium Herders and Farmers Greeks Had settled during Greek colonization 750 B.C. to 550 B.C. Were mostly in the south Occupied Sicily They influenced agriculture with the introduction of the grape and olive tree They influenced culture with their architecture, sculpture and literature Adopted their alphabet

Etruscans The Etruscans had the greatest influence on the Romans They were located North of Rome in Etruria, they expanded into Italy and came into control Rome and most of Latium They turned the Latin villages into the city of Rome Romans adopted their dress, the toga and shirt cloak Also adopted their military organization

The Roman Republic Main Idea: The Romans were practical and skillful in politics and military matters

Establishment of Roman Republic Early Rome was under the control of seven kings and several were Etruscans Establishment of Roman Republic The Romans overthrew the last Etruscan King in 509 B.C, they established the Roman Republic Republic: a form of government in which the leader is not a monarch and certain citizens have the right to vote.

War and Conquest Rome was surrounded by enemies and for the next 200 years they fought continuous warfare 338 Rome crushed the Latin states, and then the Greek states Defeated the Greeks in 264 B.C. and virtually conquered all of Italy

Roman Political Structure Early Rome was divided into two groups- the patricians and the plebeians

I. Patricians Wealthy land owners, Rome’s ruling class Minority of the roman Republic Not a lot of people in this group Only ones could could be voted into office

II. Plebeians Less wealthy landowners, small farmers, craftspeople, and merchants They were the workers Made up the majority of the population Citizens and could vote

CEOs: Consuls Chief executive officers of the Roman Republic Highest office chosen every year two years ran the government led the army into battle

Praetors/Judges In charge of civil law that applied to all Roman citizens Look over judicial affairs Could judge or appoint a judge

Senate Roman Senate: Select group of about 300 patricians who served for life Approved laws, controlled finances and made public policy.

Council of Plebs Council of the Plebs Came into being as a result of the struggle between the two Roman social orders

The Struggle of Orders Caught in the middle of the struggle between patricians and plebeians were children They were forbidden to marry each other Plebeians resented this b/c since they served in the Roman army that protected the republic they thought they deserved political and social equality Led to the success of the plebeians In 287 B.C. the council of the plebs received the right to pass laws for all Romans All male Roman citizens were now supposedly equal under the law

Roman Law Rome’s chief gift to the Mediterranean world was its system of laws Twelve Tables (450 B.C.) First code of laws for Rome Written on 12 tablets Roman developed a more sophisticated system of laws Applied to only Roman citizens Problems arose when non-citizens had to be dealt with

Law of Nations Natural law or universal law based on reason Established standards of justice that applied to all people

Legal Principles of Today Many legal ideas that we use now originated in Ancient Rome Innocent until proven guilty People accused of a crime are allowed to defend themselves before a judge A judge is expected to weigh evidence before reaching a legal decision.