Download Rome : Geography and the Rise of Rome

Rome : Geography and the Rise
of Rome
The Basics or What You Should Have Learned
from the Reading
Rome’s Geography –
Some Basics
• Rome is located in Italy,
which is in Europe.
• Italy is a peninsula.
• Italy’s terrain is
mountainous and
hilly.
• Often times, Roman
cities were built around
rivers.
• Italy’s climate is very
much like that of
southern California,
which allowed the
Romans to grow many
crops.
Arno River
Tiber River
Rome’s Beginning
Aeneas was a Trojan War hero who
fled to what is today Italy. He
married a Latin king’s daughter.
Many of his descendants became
rulers in Italy. His story was written
in an epic poem by Virgil called the
Aeneid.
Romulus
and Remus
• Not a lot is known about the actual
beginnings of Rome.
Romulus and Remus were
descendants of Aeneas who are
thought to have founded Rome.
• Because Romans lacked facts
about how their great city started,
they often told stories about how
they came to be.
• During times of
war, Romans
would elect
dictators.
Cincinnatus:
The most
famous
Roman
dictator
• Dictators would
lead with
ABSOLUTE power
for only 6 months in
order to keep them
from abusing their
power.
The Romans
Create a Republic
• Rome was originally a monarchy,
but after many years of cruel
rulers, they decided upon a new
type of government.
• Romans determined that a
republic would better suit
their needs.
• A republic is a type of
government in which officials
are elected to govern. Much
like OUR government!
• A big difference, however, is
that the Roman government
was NOT a democracy.
Cincinnatus
• Cincinnatus was a farmer.
• He was asked to lead
Rome with absolute
power against a
powerful enemy.
• After conquering the
powerful enemy,
Cincinnatus gave up his
power. He did this even
though the people of
Rome wanted him to
keep leading them.
George Washington is known as the
American Cincinnatus because he gave
up power despite Americans wanting
him to run for a 3rd term as president.
Two “Types” of
People in Rome
• The plebeians were the
peasants, craftspeople, traders,
and other workers.
• Even though they made up the
majority of the population,
they could not vote or be part
of government.
• Patricians were nobles who were the
only Romans who could participate in
government.
• They were usually wealthy and made up
the minority of Rome’s population.
•
The patricians, knowing that
the two sides needed to get
along for Rome to succeed,
decided to make a change in
the government.