1. A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HISTORY AND ROME’S INFLUENCE

2.  ACCORDING TO MYTH, ROME WAS FOUNDED IN 753 B.C. BY TWINS ROMULUS AND REMUS  LEGEND SAYS THEY WERE RAISED BY A FEMALE WOLF!

3.  BUILT ON 7 HILLS (HILLS = NATURAL PROTECTION)  ON A RIVER (TIBER)= GOOD FOR TRADE, FRESH WATER  CENTER OF ITALY—ALPS PROTECT NORTH  CLOSE TO MED. SEA FOR TRADE, FAR FAR FOR ENEMY ARMIES  SOIL & CLIMATE = DECENT

4.  INFLUENCED BY:  GREEK COLONISTS = TRADE, GOVERNMENT, RELIGION  ETRUSCANS (NATIVE TO ITALY): WRITING SYSTEM, THE ARCH, METALS, BATTLEFIELD TACTICS

5.  FORM OF GOV’T WHERE PEOPLE VOTE FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO REPRESENT THEM  ROME EXPANDS ITS POWER & LAND W/ WAR  ROMAN ARMIES #1 WORLD  AS LIFE GOT EASY, ROMANS LOST RESPONISBILITY

6.  RULER WITH ABSOLUTE POWER OVER LAWS, GOVERNMENT, AND MILITARY  EX.: JULIUS CAESAR (KILLED IN ROMAN SENATE AFTER BEING APPOINTED “DICTATOR FOR LIFE”

7.  ROME BECOMES AN EMPIRE DUE TO:  ARMIES & CONQUESTS  TRADE!  FARMING  SLAVES  ETHICAL & ORDERED GOVERNMENT

8.  “THE ROMAN PEACE”: 27 A.D. -180 A.D.  TIME OF HUGE PROSPERITY, PEACE, SAFETY THROUGHOUT EMPIRE

9.  ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE  AQUEDUCTS  ROADS

10.  LATIN LANGUAGE (OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF CATHOLIC CHURCH)

11.  #1 CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD  “ROMAN CITIZEN”: EVERYBODY WANTED TO BE ONE TO GET BENEFITS  EX: ST. PAUL

12.  117 A.D. = EMPIRE BIGGEST  EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE OF THE “ROMAN PIE”  “BARBARIAN” TRIBES ATTACK BORDERS

13.  DECIDES EMPIRE “TOO BIG AND TOO DIFFERENT”  SPLITS=EAST & WEST (MANAGE EASIER)  330 A.D. EMPEROR CONSTANTINE MOVES CAPITAL TO BYZANTIUM (ISTANBUL) (CHRISTIANITY IS OFFICIAL)  476 A.D. WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE “ENDS”  EASTERN EXISTS FOR 1,000+ YEARS