Download Erin Monahan Period 1 9/23/12 Notes Rome`s Mediterranean

Erin Monahan
Period 1
9/23/12
Notes
Rome’s Mediterranean Empire 753 B.C.E. – 600 C.E.
 Rome lay in the midpoint of the peninsula
 Tiber River on one side
 Double ring of SEVEN hills around the city
o Provided protection
 Apennine range runs along Italy
 Alps shield Italy from the north
 Climate affords long growing seasons
 Hillsides well forested for construction and timber
 In Etruria had iron and other metals
 Farming land has fertile volcanic soil
Republic of Farmers 753 B.C.E.—31 B.C.E.
 Romulus, cast adrift on Tiber and nursed by she wolf, mythically founded
Rome in 753 B.C.E.
 Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills around Rome was occupied as early as
1000 B.C.E. the merging of all the hills took place shortly before 600 B.C.E.
 Latin and cultural patterns were shared by most of the indigenous people
o When Etruscans came in seventh century B.C.E. Rome prided herself
of offering hospitality to exiles and outcasts
 Land was basis of wealth
o Social status, political privilege, and fundamental values related to
land ownership
 Families with large tracts of land constructed the senatorial class
 Roman Republic (507—31 B.C.E.)
o Power in several assemblies
o All male citizens eligible to attend but wealthy votes > poor votes
o Civic officials elected each year top were the two consuls who
presided over meeting of the Senate and assemblies and commanded
the army on military campaigns
 Roman Senate= real centre of power
o First was advisory counsel to the kings of Rome later to the
Republican officials
o Senators nominated sons for public office; served for life
 Inequalities in Rome between patricians (elite) and plebeians (common
people/majority of population) called Conflict of the Orders
o Result of the protest of the plebeians= publication of the laws on
twelve stone tablets in 450 B.C.E. to check judicial officials decisions
o Also elected tribunes from the lower classes who had the power to
veto what was thought to be against lower orders’ interest
 Family= several generations + domestic slaves
o Oldest living male= absolute authority over rest of family
(paterfamilias)
 Patron/client relationships bound individuals and families
o Clients wanted the help and protection from patrons; wealthy
influential men
o Senators had dozens/hundreds of clients who he provided with legal
advice and representation, physical protection, loans of money
o Client in turn expected to follow patron to battle, support politically,
work on his land, and contribute to patrons daughter’s dowry
o In Rome inequality was accepted, institutionalized, and turned into
system of mutual benefits and obligations
 All info on Roman women only on the upper class
 In Rome women were seen as children in eyes of the law
 Started under the authority of her paterfamilias when married came under
jurisdiction of paterfamilias of husbands family
 Unable to own property/represent herself in legal proceeding; depended
entirely on male guardian to advocate her interests
 However women less constrained then in Greece; gained greater personal
protection and economic freedom
 Romans believed in shapeless forces called numina
o Vesta: pulsating energy of fire, dwelled in the hearth
o Pennates: watched over food in the cupboard
o Other deities lived nearby in hills, caves, grottoes, and springs
o Made offering of cake and liquids to gain favour of spirits
o Jupiter= god of the sky
o Mars= god of agriculture and war
 Tried to maintain pax deorum (peace of the gods) by sacrifices and rituals of
priests to gods in return gods expected to bring success to undertaking of
Roman state
 Equated major deities to Greek: Zeus=Jupiter, Ares=Mars and absorbed
myths attached to the gods
Expansion in Italy and the Mediterranean
 Reached peak in third and second centuries B.C.E.
 Roman state encouraged war; war=glory
 All male citizens who owned a specified amount of land were required
military service
 Equipment= body armour, shield, spear, and sword
 Armies famous for their training and discipline
 Tension between pastoral Apennine tribes and Rome sparked the initial
conquest
 Romans granted political, legal, and economic privilege of Roman citizen
to their conquered people
 Demanded soldiers from all her subjects
 Two wars against Carthaginians (descendants of Phoenicians in present
day Tunisia) 264—202 B.C.E.


Acquired Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain first
200—146 B.C.E. Wars against Hellenistic (Grecian) kings and established
territories there
 59—51 B.C.E. Gaius Julius Caesar conquered Celtics of Gaul (France)
 Indigenous elites were willing to collaborate w/ Roman authorities and
given responsibility for local administration and tax collection
 Every year senator was dispatched to act as governor of a province
o Collected taxes, protected province from attacks, and decided legal
cases
Failure of Roman Republic
 Third and second centuries B.C.E. Italian farmer away for long period of
military service and investors took possession of farms by purchase,
deception, or intimidation
o Small independent farmers replaced by latifundia (broad estaters)
o Found it more profitable to graze herds/ make wine than grow wheat,
staple of Italian diet  became dependent of imported grains
o Cheap slave labour made it harder for peasants to find work moved
to Rome and other cities but still couldn’t find work so lived in dire
poverty
o Decline in peasant farmers= shortage of men for military service
o 88—31 B.C.E. Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian
commanded armies more loyal to them than to the state
o Victorious commanders executed political opponents and exercised
dictatorial control over state
Roman Principate 31 B.C.E.—330 C.E.
 Octavian, Caesar heir, eliminated all rivals by 31 B.C.E.
o Military dictator but called himself merely princeps= first among
equals
o Given name Augustus by Roman Senate= piety and prosperity
o Died in 14 C.E. during his rule conquered Egypt, parts of the Middle
East, and Central Europe
o Allied himself w/equites, Italian merchants and landowners;
established bureaucracy with honesty, consistency, and efficiency
o After death four member of his family took role of emperor chosen by
armies
 Roman emperors were deified and worshiped after death; cult worship of
the living emperor developed to increase loyalty of subjects
 Decrees of the Senate, bills passed in the Assembly, and annual
proclamations of the praetors
o Later a group arose that analyzed laws and applied them to new laws
required by the changing of society
 During Pricipate emperor became major source of new laws; everything they
said had the force of law
Urban Empire

80% of the 50-60 million people lived on the borders and engaged in
agriculture
 Empire administered through the towns and cities; urbanites benefited the
most
 Major cities= Alexandria, Egypt; Antioch, Syria; and Carthage
 Rome had nearly a million habitants; because of so many people proper
sewage and clean water were a struggle to obtain
 Upper class lived on the seven hills in elegant houses
o Houses centred on an atrium, rectangular courtyard that let in light
and rainwater for drinking and washing
o Around atrium were dining rooms, gardens, a kitchen, and maybe a
private bath
o Bedrooms on upper level
o Floors decorated w/ mosaics and on the walls w/ frescos
 Poor lived in crowded slums; damp, dark, smelly, frequent fires
 Cities and towns sprung up around major city and were miniature replicas of
the Rome
o Town council elected officials to maintain law and order and collect
taxes; usually wealthy members of society
o Had a forum, government buildings, temples, gardens, baths, theatres,
amphitheatres, games and public entertainment
 After second century C.E. slaves were no longer plentiful/inexpensive
replaced by tenant farmers (cultivated and lived on the land and in return got
portion of the prophets)
o Wealth concentrated on rural agriculture labourers
 Commerce enhance by the Pax Romana (Roman peace)
o City of Rome depended on grain imports from Sicily and Egypt
o Grain, meat, veggies, and other food traded locally
 Glass, metalwork, delicate pottery, and other luxuries exported
o Roman frontiers were good for large markets
o Prized silk from China and spices from India
 Romanization-spread of Latin language and Roman way of life- most lasting
mark of the Roman Empire
 When Roman like towns came to be they attracted the ambitious indigenous
peoples
 Rome granted them Roman citizenship, attendant privileges, legal
protections, and exemptions from some types of taxation
 Emperors made citizenship to individuals/entire community as reward to
good service to all free male adults
 Transformed into a commonwealth of peoples
 In 212 C.E. Emperor Caracalla granted citizenship to all adult male
inhabitants of the empire
Rise of Christianity
 Jewish Judea= Israel today put under Roman rule in 6 C.E.

Jews awaited for arrival of Messiah, military leader that would liberate the
Jews and kick out Romans
 Jesus, carpenter from Galilee was a rabbi/teacher who attracted the
attention of Jewish authorities and was later put to death by Roman
governor Pontius Pilate; crucified
o Followers carried on spreading teachings after death of Jesus
o Paul, Jew from Tarsus, travelled throughout Syria—Palestine,
Anatolia, and Greece to convert
o After 66 C.E. Christianity diverged more fully from its Jewish
beginnings
o Two centuries religion grew; first made up of women, slaves, and
urban poor
o Developed hierarchy of bishops and priests
o Early Christians persecuted by Roman Empire; not worshiping the
emperor= disloyalty
o Third century C.E. religion included educated and prosperous people
with posts in local/imperial governments
Tech and Transformation
 Roads, fortified walls, aqueducts, and buildings leftovers of Roman Empire
o Aqueducts carried water from source in urban centre
o Pioneers of the arch
o Invention of concrete
o Empire protected by mountains, deserts, and seas
o Rhine and Danube rivers vulnerable guarded by forts and
 “Third-century crisis” 234—284 C.E. When political, economic, military
issues almost wiped out the empire
o Defending permeable frontiers sucked treasury dry
o Roman emperors desperate for money decreased amount of metal in
coins= less worth
o Reverted to barter economy
o Decline in trade= less wealth in cities population migrated to
countryside
 In 284 C.E. Diocletian saved empire
o Initiating maximum prices
o Froze people in their profession and required to train sons to succeed
them
o Consequence of floors was the Black Market and people began to
think that empire no longer deserved their loyalty
o Resigned in 305 C.E.
 Constantine came to power in 312 C.E. and converted to Christianity and
ended persecution of Christians with Edict of Milan
o More converters after Constantine because Christians had more
government advantages
o 324 C.E. moved empire to Byzantium (ancient Greek city) renamed
Constantinople
Byzantines and Germans
 Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire= big religious split
 Patriarchs  Bishops  Priests= Diocese rules made up by bishops
 392 C.E. emperor Theodosius banned all pagan ceremonies
 Justinian (527—565) made the Corpus Juris Civilis and became basis of most
modern European legal systems
 Byzantine Empire became separate from Roman Empire after 395 C.E.
 Visigoths took over Rome in 410 C.E.
 Gaul, Britain, Spain, and North Africa taken over by Germans
Imperial China 221 B.C.E.—220 C.E.
 Qin state of Wei Valley conquered rivals and unified China into first
empire (221—206 B.C.E.) Shi Huangdi= founder
 Han Dynasty ruled China from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.
Resources and Population
 Agriculture= wealth
 Main tax on the annual harvest funded gov’ activities
 First capitol city= Chang’an later= Luoyang
 When prosperous gov’ also collected surplus to store and sold in times of
shortage
 Census from 2 C.E—140 C.E.
o Average household contained 5 people
o Vast majority lived in the country
 Every able bodied man most donate one month of labour to public projects
 Gov’ organized new settlements; took over land on the northern frontier,
and settled western oases and southern tropics
Hierarchy, Obedience, and Belief
 Basic unit of society= Chinese family
o Required male heir to continue ancestry cult
 Doctrine of Confucius (Kongzi) sixth century C.E. Laid rules of appropriated
conduct
o Each person had place and responsibility in family based gender, age,
and relationship to other family members
o Absolute authority= Father
o Peasant, soldiers, administrators, and rulers made required
contributions to welfare of society
o Right to education
o Self improvement
o Honour and appropriate conduct
o Women duty to cook, look after parents in law, make clothes, no
interests outside the house; Upper class extremely expected to follow
these conceptions; lower classes less strained by privileged
counterparts
o Parents arrange marriages of daughters sent to live with husband’s
side of the family; rivalries between mother-in-law and sister-in-law
grew
 Believed divinity resided in nature; worshiped and appeased natural forces
 Used feng shui to bring good fortune from landscapes
First Chinese Empire 221—207 B.C.E.
 221 B.C.E. Han empire united northern plains and the Yangzi River Valley
under one rule= Creation of China (Qin pronounce Chin gave China its name)
 Shi Huangdi and Li Si created totalitarian state
 Went by Legalism
 Determined to eliminate rivals
o Targets= landowning aristocracy
 Abolished slavery
 Standardized everything; writing, weights, coinage, laws, and measures
 Built roads and canals and started Great Wall
Long Reign of Han 206—220 C.E.
 Liu Bang established the new dynast
 Maintained much of the Legalist theory but with less zeal with Confucianism
 Emperor Wu (140-87 B.C.E.) began military expansion to Fujian, Guangdong,
north Vietnam, Manchuria, and North Korea
 Also went to Mongolia and Xinjiang to secure Silk Road important trade
route
 From 202 B.C.E.—8 C.E. capitol at Chang’an in Wei Valley= Western Han
Period
o Surrounded by walls of packed earth
o Filled with courtiers, officials, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and
foreigners
o Temples and marketplaces in city
o Walls protected palaces, administrative offices, barracks, and store
houses
o Elite donated time to art and literature, occult religious practices,
elegant banquets, and entertainment
 23-220 C.E. moved Luoyang= Eastern Han
 Emperor= Son of Heaven just like the Zhou dynasty
o Mandate of Heaven
o Word was law
o Harmonious interaction between heaven and earth
o Lived in seclusion in walled off palace
o Lots of wives, children, servants, courtiers, and officials
o Father and emperor link between family and ancestors
 Central gov’ run by Prime Minister
 Nine ministers with the military, economic, and religious responsibilities
 Han depended on local officials to collect taxes, regulate army and labour
projects, and settled disputes
 Qin and Han emperors allied with gentry, next class of wealth under
aristocrats usually men with education and valued expertise were privileged
and respected in Chinese society
o Sons of gentry had advantage in earning gov’ positions

Daoism emphasized finding own “path” and harmonizing with cycles and
patterns of nature
o Passive acceptance of disorder
o Denial of ambition
o Contentment with simple pleasures
o Trust in ones own instincts
Tech and Trade
 Use of bronze tools started in 1500 B.C.E.
 500 B.C.E. iron became in use made steal and cast-iron weapons
 Crossbow of the cavalry
 Watermill used running water to grind grain way before it appeared in
Europe
 Developed horse collar (didn’t constrict horse’s breathing) allowed Chinese
horses to pull heavier loads and European horse
 First to make paper as early as second century B.C.E.
 Connected rivers with canals
 Population growth increased trade (10—30% lived in cities)
 Most important export= silk
Decline of Han Empire
 Nomadic herders raided villages
 Factors of fall in 220 C.E.
o Factions in the ruling clan
o Official corruption and inefficiency
o Angry peasants
o Bandits
o Ambitions of warlords
 Fragmentation lasted until rise of Shui and Tang dynasties of the sixth and
seventh century C.E.
Vocab:
o Roman Republic- Power in the assemblies where all male citizens eligible to
attend but wealthy votes counted more than poor votes
o Roman Senate- Made policy and governed Roman state members served for
life and brought together the states wealth, influence, and political and
military experience
o Patron/Client relationship- Clients sought protection, legal advice, and
representation from patrons. In turn clients supported patrons in politics,
worked the land of patrons, and contributed to dowry of daughters, followed
patrons to battle too
o Roman Pricipate- Period of the Roman emperors starting with Octavian
grand nephew of Julius Caesar
o Augustus- Means prosperity and piety given to Octavian by the Roman
Senate
o Equites- Well-to-do Italian merchants and landowners second in wealth to
the senatorial class
o Pax Romana- Roman peace and time of prosperity where trade flourished
and stability and peace guaranteed
o Romanization- The spread of the Latin language and Roman way of life
o Jesus-Young carpenter from Galilee started Christianity crucified by Pontius
Pilate
o Paul- Jew from Tarsus spread Christianity in Syria, Anatolia, and Greece
o Aqueducts- Long elevated/underground conduits which carried water from a
source to an urban centre using gravity
o “Third-Century Crisis- Between 235—284 C.E. inflation, frequent change of
rulers, Germanic raids of the country, paying to defend frontiers=costly,
ended with Diocletian
o Constantine- First emperor to convert to Christianity, moved empire to
Constantinople
o Byzantine Empire- Eastern realm of the Roman Empire but began to diverge
after 395 C.E.
o Qin- One of the warring states created Chinas first unified empire lasted from
221—206 B.C.E.
o Shi Huangdi- Founder of the Qin Empire
o Han- Dynasty ruled from 206 B.C.E.—220 C.E. and unified China again
o Chang’an- First capitol of the Han dynasty with courtiers, foreigners, soldiers,
and merchants, and craftsmen
o Gentry- Class below in wealth to the aristocrats. Sons of gentry had more of
an advantage to rise in state hierarchy and overtime became the new
aristocracy
SPICE Chart
Social
o Father was the ultimate authority in the Han and Roman empires
o In Rome Senatorial Class= wealthiest
o Equites and Gentry were secondary to the aristocracy
o Rome had slaves
o Han abolished slavery
o Rome had cults that worshiped the emperor
o Women subordinate in both Han and Roman and took care of the house
Political
o First Rome had a Republic with an assembly where all males were allowed to
vote and attend, also had the Senate which was centre of political power
o After Octavian, emperors (in reality dictators) controlled politics with
everything they said had the force of law. Deified after death
o Han also had emperors with ministers to control the outlying provinces and
territories
o During the decline of Han dynasty, peasants revolted because of their hunger
and utter poverty
o In Rome all citizens were loyal to the empire, citizenship was later given to
all Roman territories in 212 C.E.
o In Han people were loyal to the government and the family
Interaction between People and Environment
o Rome was situated on seven hills and which also helped protect the city
against invaders
o Romans constructed their aqueducts, paved their roads, protected by
mountains, rivers, seas, and deserts
o Romans developed concrete and the arch as well
o Most Romans worked the land and produced food
o In Han this was the case as well; only small amount of actual population lived
in the cities
o Han developed the horse collar, crossbow, made paper, and connected rivers
with canals and watermills
Cultural & Intellectual
o Roman Empire first were polytheistic believing in forces of nature and later
adopting Greek gods
o After Constantine Romans were Christians, monotheistic
o Romans had mosaics and frescos in their homes (the rich)
o In Han they had a mix of Legalism and Confucianism
o In Han they also had Daoism which concentrated on finding your own “path”
o In Han they had ancestor worship as well
o Emperor was the Son of Heaven and had the Mandate of Heaven
Economic
o In Rome had economy based on coinage which contained their precious
metals
o In Qin they also had economy based of coinage and standardized writing,
coins, and weights
o Pastoral herders were outside of Rome and occasionally traded with the
townsfolk
o Diocletian in Rome stopped the Roman inflation with maximum prices of
goods (floors)
o Both Han and Rome funded their projects and military endeavours with taxes
of their habitants
o In Rome their were tenant farmers which worked and lived on land owned
by someone else in return for some of the prophets yielded by the crop
o Silk Road in Han was a major trade route in China and silk was the most
important exported
good
Timeline:
221
1000 B.C.E.
People in
Seven Roman
hills
507
B.C.E.
Roman
Republic
started
206 B.C.E. Han
dynasty first
began
B.C.E.
Qin
first
unified
China
Han dynasty
arose in 206
C.E.
31 B.C.E.
establish
ed the
Roman
Principat
e
312 C.E.
Constantine
converted
to
Christianity
220 C.E.
fall of
Han
324 C.E. moved
capitol from
Rome 
Constantinople
410 C.E.
Visigoths sack
Rome