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Rome
•Location – Rome is centrally located in the
Mediterranean Basin and distant from
Eastern Mediterranean powers.
-Country – Italian peninsula
-Alps mountains – provided protection
-Mediterranean Sea – protection and sea-borne
commerce
-Rome became the center of trade
Rome is in a great location because:
- It is sheltered from invasion by
mountains and ocean
- It is a perfect location for trading
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• Punic Wars – Rome vs. Carthage (264 – 146
B.C./B.C.E.)
– Rome and Carthage (Africa) were in competition
over trade.
– Hannibal (general from Carthage) invaded the
Italian Peninsula through the Alps.
– Results:
• Three wars resulted in Roman victory, destruction of
Carthage and expanded trade and wealth for Rome.
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• Roman mythology was based on the Greek polytheistic
religion
– Mythology provided explanations of natural phenomena,
human qualities, and life events
• Roman gods/goddesses:
1. Jupiter – supreme god
2. Juno – Jupiter’s wife
3. Apollo – god of music and poetry
4. Diana – goddess of hunting and childbirth
5. Minerva – goddess of wisdom
6. Venus – goddess of love and beauty
- Symbols and images of gods/goddesses used in literature,
art, and architecture
Rome went through several stages of
government:
Roman Republic – government ran with input
from people (similar to a democracy)
Roman Empire/Imperial Rome – government ran
by an emperor
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• Roman Republic (where voters elect officials
to run the state)
– Social structure
• Upper class – Patricians – powerful nobility who
controlled the government, few in number
• Lower class – Plebeians – farmers and workers, majority
of the population
• Slaves – not based on race
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• Citizenship of the Roman Republic
– Citizens were patrician and plebeian men.
– Some selected foreigners who contributed to the
Roman economy could be citizens.
– Right and responsibilities included: vote, pay
taxes, provide military service
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• Features of Roman democracy
– Representative democracy – vote for leaders to
represent the people
– Assemblies – voted on laws and elected officials
– The Senate – controlled public funds and decided
foreign policy
– Consuls – chief executives who represented the
patricians (upper class)
– Tribunes – represented the plebeians (lower class)
– Laws of Rome codified as the Twelve Tables
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• Causes for the decline of the Roman Republic
– Spread of slavery in the agricultural system
– Migration of small farmers into cities =
unemployment
– Civil war over the power of Julius Caesar
– Devaluation of Roman currency = inflation (when
prices rise and demand falls)
– Use of violence rises
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• Origin and evolution of Imperial Rome
– First triumvirate (rule of 3) was formed: Julius
Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus
– Julius Caesar – very popular general who seized
power, civil wars over his power, assassinated by
friends on the Ides of March (March 15)
– Second triumvirate was formed: Marc Anthony,
Octavian, Lepidus
– Marc Anthony commits suicide
Aside on Julius Caesar:
-
very popular general who seized power, civil wars
over his power, assassinated by friends on the
Ides of March (March 15)
Why was Julius Caesar assassinated?
- Other politicians were afraid of his ambitions and
popularity
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• Imperial Rome cont’d.
– Augustus Caesar – civil wars over power, defeat of
Marc Anthony, became Rome’s first emperor
– The Roman Empire unified and enlarged, using
imperial authority and the military.
– There was failure to provide peaceful succession
of Emperors.
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• Evolution of the Roman Empire and spread of
Roman culture
– In the Mediterranean basin, Rome spread to:
• Africa, Asia, Europe (including the Hellenistic world of
the Eastern Mediterranean)
• Western Europe (Gaul/France, British Isles)
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• Pax Romana – Latin for Roman peace
• 200 centuries of peace and prosperity under
imperial rule
• Led to the expansion and solidification of the
Roman Empire, particularly in the Near East
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• Economic impact of the Pax Romana
– Established uniform (same) system of money,
which helped to expand trade
– Guaranteed safe travel and trade on Roman roads
– Promoted prosperity and stability
• Social impact of the Pax Romana
– Returned stability to social classes
– Increased emphasis on the family
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• Political impact of the Pax Romana
– Created a civil service
– Developed uniform rule of law
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• New religion was introduced to Rome Christianity
– Had its roots in Judaism
– Was led by Jesus of Nazareth who was proclaimed
the Messiah (Savior)
– Conflicted with polytheistic beliefs of Roman
Empire
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• Beliefs, traditions, and customs of Christianity
– Monotheistic religion
– Jesus was both the Son and incarnation (human
form) of God
– Life after death
– New Testament – contained accounts of the life
and teachings of Jesus, as well as writings of early
Christians
– Christian doctrine established by early church
councils
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• Spread of Christianity
– Carried by the Apostles (Paul) throughout the
Roman Empire
– Early martyrs (someone who suffers for a belief)
inspired others
– Slowed as a result of persecution by Roman
authorities
– Adopted and legalized by Emperor Constantine
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• Impact of the (Christian) Church of Rome in
the late Roman Empire
– Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity
and made it legal.
– Christianity later became the official state religion.
– The Church became a source of moral authority.
– Loyalty to the Church became more important
than loyalty to the Emperor.
– The Church became the main unifying force of
Western Europe.
Emperor Constantien
- Constantine was the winner in a battle
between co-emperors to become sole
emperor
- Constantine made Christianity the official
religion of Rome and moved the capital to
Istanbul (renaming it Constantinople)
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• Contributions of ancient Rome –
– Art/architecture: Pantheon (temple for the gods),
Colosseum (arena), Forum (center of government
business)
– Technology: roads, aqueducts (transported water
to towns), Roman arches
– Science: Ptolemy
– Medicine: emphasis on public health (public
baths, public water system, medical schools)
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• Contributions of Rome cont’d.
– Language: Latin (origin of Romance languages –
French, Spanish, Italian)
– Literature: Virgil’s Aeneid (poem on the fall of
Troy)
– Religion: Roman mythology and the adoption of
Christianity as the imperial religion
– Law: the principle of “innocent until proven
guilty” (from the Twelve Tables)
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• Why Rome fell:
– Geographic size – difficulty of defense and
administration
– Economy – cost of defense and devaluation of
Roman currency
– Military – army membership starting to include
non-Romans, resulting in decline of discipline
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• Causes for the decline of the Western Roman
Empire cont’d.
– Moral decay – people’s loss of faith in Rome and
the family
– Political problems – civil conflict and weak
administration
– Invasion – attacks on borders
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• Division of Roman Empire
– Move of capital by Constantine from Rome to
Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople
– Survival of Western Roman Empire until 476
A.D./C.E., when it ceased to have a Roman
Emperor
– Eastern Roman Empire renamed the Byzantine
Empire