Download Rome’s Geography and beginnings Central Mediterranean

Rome’s Geography and
beginnings
Central
Mediterranean
Italian Peninsula
Along the Tiber
River
Mountainous
Alps separate Italy
from Europe
Romulus and Remus
• Sons of war god
Mars
• Brothers fought
over where to build
city (Tiber River)
• Romulus kills
Remus
• Rome was named
for Romulus
Rome Republic
•
•
•
In place of a
Monarchy.
Voters elect
officials to
run the state.
Adult male
citizens
could vote
Consul
• Two who ruled with equal
power (like our Executive
Branch)
• Commanded military and
government offices
• Could overrule one
another
• Veto- reject legislation
• Term lasted 1 year – no
experience needed
• Elected by the Senate
Consul discussing an
earthquake
Senate
• 300 members, advised
elected officials,
controlled public
finances, handled all
foreign relations
• Advisory body to the
consul
• Wealthy aristocrats
• Lifetime appointment –
because of their stability
and experience
*Assembly
• Popular assemblies:
in these all citizens
voted on laws,
elected officials
• Tribunes- elected
officials to
represent the
Plebeians
• Spoke for the
people
Forum
• Public meeting place
• the public square
and site of the most
important
government
buildings and
temples.
• All political
decisions took place
here
Dictator
• Total rule during times
of crisis
• No more than six
months
• Death is a result of
anyone who declares
themselves dictator for
life
12-Tables
• 450 BC, plebeians forced
patricians to have all laws
written down
• Laws displayed in Roman
Forum, central square, on 12
large bronze tablets
• Because laws were posted,
patrician judges could not
make decisions based on own
opinions or secret laws
• People never had any doubts
about what the laws were.
Roman Citizenship
consisted of different classes:
Plebeians- Roman workers, farmers, and
artisans
Patricians- Wealthy land owners
Proletariat- Poorest of Romans (largest
population)
Slaves- captured/conquered people of
Roman Empire
Gladiator games
Punic Wars
• Between Carthage
and Rome
• rival for control of the
Mediterranean
• City-state in North
Africa – modern day
Tunisia
• 3 wars total
Phoenician sea port in the
Mediterranean
First
• A 23 year battle for
Sicily
• Rome gained control
of Sicily
• Carthage agrees to
give up all lands they
control in Sicily
•
•
•
•
•
Second
Rome gains control of Spain and western
Mediterranean islands
Hannibal –military general who was raised to hate
Rome by his father
Crossed Alps with war elephants and terrorized Italy
One victory led to the death of 70,000 Romans!
When Carthage was threatened, he returned to
Carthage but killed himself rather than be taken
prisoner.
•
•
•
•
•
Third
Carthage is no longer a threat to Rome
But Romans HATED Carthage. This is all
Rome needs to begin a final assault on
Carthage.
Rome destroyed and salted Carthage to prohibit
land use (maybe).
Expanded the Roman Empire into the Northern
region of Africa and up into Spain.
Julius Caesar
• Roman senator and
general
• 59 B.C. Consul
• 58 – 50 B.C Conquers
Gaul
Caesar, Crassus and Pompey
1st Triumvirate
• One of Caesar’s biggest rivals was another
general called Pompey
• The Senate disliked Caesar and supported
Pompey – they ordered Caesar to get rid of
his army
• Caesar ignored them and defeated Pompey
in battle
• Caesar then took over Rome as ‘Dictator for
Life’
Caesar’s Reform
• Made sweeping public works programs to
create more jobs
• Gave us the 365 day calendar
• Expanded Roman Citizenship
Codified laws –
• took decades old laws
and organized them to
make them apply
fairly and consistently
to all citizens
• Senate troubled by his
ambition and disregard
for the law
Rome’s first absolute ruler
• ENDED the Rome
Republic.
• This is treachery and
leads to death.
• Assassinated on
Senate steps by a
group of senators.
The Murder
• 15th March 44BC Caesar gets ready to go to the
senate
• More than 60 conspirators wait for Caesar in the
Senate
• The conspirators, all senators, are led by Brutus
and Cassius
• With daggers concealed under their togas they
murder Caesar, stabbing him at least 23 times
• Caesar says to his friend Brutus “E’tu”(‘You, too,
my child.’)
Why was Caesar murdered?
• Turn to pages 161-162 of your textbook
• Read and write down any reasons
Assessment
Your Task – write a newspaper front page
article reporting on the murder of Julius
Caesar
Include
• Headline
• Visual of event (picture)
• what happened and why it happened (at
least 100 words)
Roman Times
16 March 44BC
JULIUS CAESAR DEAD GEEZER!
Octavian/Augustus (exalted
one)– 27 B.C.
• Caesar’s nephew and
adopted son.
• 2nd Triumvirate
• Defeated Mark Antony
and Cleopatra in a
civil war.
• Became Rome’s first
emperor.
• Began Pax Romana –
peace and prosperity.
• Lasted 207 years from
27 B.C – A.D. 180
• Improved roads and
aqueducts.
• Beautification
programs.
• Marble facing on
buildings.
*Christianity
• Jesus is the son of God
• Stressed the importance of
love for God, neighbors
and enemies
• Missionaries will help
spread the word of God
after Jesus dies.
Constantine I
• Embraces and adopts
Christianity as the official
religion
• Moves the capital city
from Rome to Byzantium
(Constantinople)
• Set up church Hierarchy
(Pope, Cardinal, Bishop,
Priest)
Empire Splits
Moving the capital from Rome to Byzantium
created an Eastern (Byzantine) Empire and
Western (Roman) Empire.
Split in the Catholic Church
•
•
•
•
In the West, the Pope was the
head of the Church
In the East, the Emperor of
Constantinople was the most
powerful church leader.
Byzantines differed from the
Western Christian Church on
issues of religious practices.
Christianity split into the
Roman Catholic Church and
the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Reasons for the Fall of
Rome:
• 476 AD
• Rome’s Boundaries spread to far
- political instability/
assassinations
– not enough troops to man posts
– not enough money to pay troops
• Germanic Barbarians attacked
western borders and weakened
military defenses
• The gap between rich and poor
became to great
- unjust legal systems
- Natural Disaster
Roman Achievements
Aqueducts
• long bridge like
structures that carried
water to more
populated areas
• public baths
*Roads
“all roads lead to Rome”
Roads
• long lasting surfaces
not just dirt.
• concrete (sand and
rock).
• can be seen over 2,000
years later in parts of
Europe.
Architecture
• Glorified the
government not the
gods.
• *Arch • Gave us the dome we
see in architecture
even today.
• Concrete
• Concerned with the
rights of ordinary
citizens and not just
the elite. All people
had right to equal
treatment
• Innocent until proven
guilty
• Punished for actions
not thoughts
• Unreasonable laws
could be set aside
Roman Law
Justinian and the Byzantine
Empire
• Strong Central
Government
• Strong, well-trained
military with advanced
technology.
• kept the Romans
codification of laws and
the Hagia Sophia,
Christianity’s oldest
church
• Constantinople was a
successful commercial
trade center.
• Gradually weakened by
constant battle with Persia
•
•
Ottoman Empire
After Justinian died, the
Empire was threatened
by outside powers
including the Turks (an
Asian nomadic people)
in 1000 A.D.
By the 1300’s the
Ottomans had begun to
move into the Balkans,
capturing
Constantinople and
finally ending the
Byzantine Empire.
• Many People in the
surrounding regions
welcomed the
conquerors.
• The Ottoman’s
Muslim beliefs were
challenged by the
Crusades in the
Middle Ages.