1. ROMA
Ancient Rome and

2. Essential Question:
What were the lasting characteristics of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire?

3. Rome was located on the Italian peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea
The Geography of Rome
Rome was located on the Italian peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea
The Romans were influenced by the Greeks and a neighboring tribe called the Etruscans

4. The Culture of Ancient Rome
Roman religion was polytheistic and based on the Greek gods (usually only the names changed)

5. The Culture of Ancient Rome
Roman writing was called Latin; it was based on Greek writing

6. The Culture of Ancient Rome
Like Greek agoras, Roman cities had a forum for markets and public gatherings

7. Roman society was divided into three major groups
Ancient Roman Society
Roman society was divided into three major groups 5%
At the top were the nobles (called patricians); they controlled most of the land and held key military and government positions

8. The Life of the Patricians

9. Ancient Roman Society
Most Roman people were commoners (called plebeians); they were farmers, shopkeepers, or peasants

10. The Life of the Plebeians

11. Ancient Roman Society
At the bottom of society were slaves and residents of the Roman Republic who were not Roman

13. Gladiators

14. The Roman soldiers were divided into groups of 5000 men called legions
The Roman Military
Rome had the largest army in the Mediterranean at the time; it was also highly organized
The Roman soldiers were divided into groups of 5000 men called legions
The Roman Army In addition to their government, the Romans placed great
value on their military. All citizens who owned land were required to serve in the
army. Seekers of certain public offices had to perform ten years of military service.
Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions. The
Roman legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry).
A group of soldiers on horseback (cavalry) supported each legion. Legions were
divided into smaller groups of 80 men, each of which was called a century. The
military organization and fighting skill of the Roman army were key factors in
Rome’s rise to greatness.

15. THE PUNIC WARS
The Romans went to war with a neighboring kingdom, Carthage (based in northern Africa)

17. THE PUNIC WARS
The Carthaginians engaged the Romans in three long wars over the course of about a hundred years

18. THE PUNIC WARS
Led by the great general Hannibal, the Carthaginians nearly defeated the Romans in the second war; they invaded the Italian peninsula and almost captured Rome
Instead of a head on attack, Hannibal marched his enormous army (which included 50,000 men, 9,000 cavalry and 60 war elephants) through Spain and France, over the Alps and into Italy.

19. THE PUNIC WARS
The Romans held the Carthaginians off, then completely destroyed Carthage in their third war

20. THE PUNIC WARS
With Carthage’s defeat, the Romans were then the most dominant power in the Mediterranean, carving out an enormous empire

21. Controlling this massive territory, though, would present new problems for the Romans
ROMAN TERRITORY

22. PROBLEMS IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
Rome’s expanding territory brought wealth, but also brought issues:
The new lands brought more slaves, which created a job shortage for Roman citizens
Generals who controlled the army became more powerful than Senators

23. PROBLEMS IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
Rome’s expanding territory brought wealth, but also brought issues:
People flocked to the big cities from farms, which created food supply shortages
Struggles for power led to a series of civil wars between Romans