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Social Studies
Harcourt Brace
Harcourt Brace Social Studies: The
World
Chapter 8
Ancient Rome
OVERVIEW
This chapter discusses the Roman Republic, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and the birth and growth of Christianity.
KEY TERMS
•
acid rain: rain mixed with
pollution, which can damage
buildings it falls on
•
forum: an open space, such as a
public square, where many people
come to share their opinions
•
apostle: religious follower
•
•
aqueduct: a system of bridges
and canals for carrying water
gladiators: slaves and prisoners
who were made to fight for the
entertainment of others
•
basilica: a government building in
ancient Rome
•
•
census: a counting of all the
people who live in a country
Christ: another word for
"messiah"
•
consul: a chief official in the
Roman assembly
•
crucifixion: killing someone (such
as a criminal) by nailing him or her
to a cross
•
Christianity: the religion based
on the teachings of Jesus
•
dictator: a ruler with complete
power
•
•
gospels: writings that describe
the life and death of Jesus,
especially the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in
the Bible
•
legion: a large group of soldiers
(up to 6,000) in the Roman army
•
martyr: someone who dies for a
cause, such as a religious belief
•
messiah: in Judaism, someone
who will come to save the world
and bring peace
•
parable: a story that is used to
teach a lesson or make a point
•
patricians: members of the upper
class in Roman society
•
persecute: to make someone
suffer unfairly, such as for his or
her religious beliefs
•
plebeians: members of the lower
class in Roman society
•
policies: the official plans of a
ruler or a government
•
province: a region that is part of a
larger country but which also has
its own government
•
republic: a government in which
citizens elect their leaders
•
senate: a governing body
•
New Testament: the part of the
Christian Bible that tells about
Jesus and the early Christians
•
tribunes: officials elected by the
plebeians because they felt they
had no say in the senate
•
Old Testament: the part of the
Christian Bible that is taken from
the Hebrew scriptures, and which
tells of the time before Jesus
•
veto: to block or overrule a law
disciple: a follower
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Section 1: The Republic of Rome
II.
After Alexander’s death, the center of power in the
Mediterranean shifted to Rome.
I.
Rome is located on the Italian Peninsula.
A. The Italian Peninsula has fertile soil.
1. Its hills and mountains are not as rugged as those
in Greece, making trade and travel easier.
B. Italy, however, had few natural harbors.
1. Therefore, the early people of Italy traded among
themselves and not with foreigners.
Before Rome was founded, people had lived on the
peninsula of Italy for many years.
A. The Latins, a people from central Europe, migrated to
Italy around 1000 B.C.
B. They settled near the Tiber River and built villages.
One of the villages grew and became Rome.
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Social Studies
Harcourt Brace
Harcourt Brace Social Studies: The
World
Chapter 8
Ancient Rome
3.
C. The land around Rome was fertile, and had plenty of
natural resources.
1. The hilly country was a natural barrier against
enemy attack.
D. According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 B.C.
by a pair of twins, Romulus and Remus.
III. Rome became a republic.
A. The Etruscans conquered Rome around 600 B.C.
1. They introduced Greek ideas and customs to the
Romans.
B. After about 100 years, the Romans rebelled and
ended Etruscan rule.
1. The Romans founded a new government, a
republic, in which the citizens elected leaders.
C. Two consuls were elected by the assembly each year.
1. The consuls shared the power. They served as
judges, led the armies, and acted on behalf of all
Roman citizens.
2. When necessary, a dictator was appointed, who
served for six months.
3. Dictators were considered more powerful than the
two consuls.
D. A group of men called the senate advised the consuls.
Only patricians could become senators.
1. The plebeians (the lower class) had little
authority.
E. The plebeians rebelled in 494 B.C.
1. They withdrew from Rome and elected tribunes.
F. The plebeians wanted more say in the affairs of
Rome. They also wanted Rome’s unwritten laws to be
made known to everybody.
1. In time, the plebeians and the patricians came to
enjoy almost the same rights, including the right
to veto.
IV. The Romans had conquered the entire Italian Peninsula by
272 B.C.
A. A rivalry developed between Carthage and Rome over
the control of sea trade.
1. Rome and Carthage fought three wars, known as
the Punic wars, between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C.
2. During the second Punic War, the Carthaginian
general Hannibal invaded Italy and threatened
Rome.
B.
V.
Hannibal was defeated in 202 B.C. by the Roman
general Scipio at the battle of Zama, near
Carthage.
Carthage was destroyed in 146 B.C., after the third
Punic War.
1. By this time, Rome controlled Macedonia,
Greece, and some areas in southwestern Asia.
2. The Romans separated the land into selfgoverning provinces.
Rome became a dictatorship.
A. Conflicts between plebeians and patricians led to
unrest in Rome.
1. Lucius Sulla became dictator in 82 B.C., after a
civil war.
B. After Sulla retired in 79 B.C., leaders such as Cicero
and Pompey ruled as consuls.
C. Julius Caesar returned to Rome from Gaul in 49 B.C.
1. He defeated his enemies in a civil war, and
became dictator for ten years in 46 B.C.
D. Caesar was declared dictator for life in 44 B.C., but
was killed soon afterwards, on March 15, 44 B.C.
1. Civil war followed Caesar’s death.
Section 2: The Empire expands
Augustus became the ruler of Rome after Julius Caesar’s
death. Augustus expanded the empire, and took Roman
culture to different lands.
I.
Augustus took control of Rome.
A. After Caesar’s death, Romans debated the merits of
Caesar’s policies in the forums.
B. Mark Antony, a Roman general, and Octavian, Julius
Caesar’s grandnephew, seized control of Roman
territory.
1. Antony claimed Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor,
while Octavian ruled the western lands of the
empire.
C. Antony and Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, planned to
establish their own empire.
1. Octavian declared war after hearing about this
plan.
2. He defeated Antony at the battle of Actium in 31
B.C.
3. He now controlled all Roman lands.
D. Octavian was given the title Augustus, meaning “holy
one” or “respected one,” by the Roman senate in 27
B.C.
E. Although in effect an emperor, Augustus never gave
himself this title.
1. He believed he was serving the Roman Republic.
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Harcourt Brace Social Studies: The
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Chapter 8
Ancient Rome
II.
Augustus helped bring about a peaceful and prosperous
period.
A. Augustus was a strong ruler.
1. During his rule a Pax Romana, or Roman peace,
spread throughout the empire.
2. The Pax Romana lasted from 27 B.C. until A.D.
180.
B. He established laws that are still in practice today.
1. One such law held that a person was innocent
until proven guilty.
2. Another held that no one should be forced to give
evidence against himself or herself in a court of
law.
C. Augustus made changes in the government.
1. Top government jobs were given to carefully
chosen people.
2. It was easier to become a Roman citizen.
D. The Romans were the first to take a census.
1. The census helped ensure that all people paid
their taxes.
E. Augustus depended on the powerful Roman army to
keep unity and peace in the empire.
1. The Roman army was divided into legions.
F. The Romans built an excellent system of roads
throughout the empire.
1. The roads made trade and travel easier, and
helped unite the empire.
III. Under Augustus, the city of Rome was greatly developed.
A. Augustus wanted Rome to be a grand city. He wanted
it to look like a great empire’s capital city.
1. Augustus built new libraries, temples, public
baths, and large government offices called
basilicas.
2. Romans constructed aqueducts to transport
water.
B. Greek culture heavily influenced Roman architecture.
1. Roman architects used Greek beams and
columns in their buildings.
C. The Romans built sports arenas and theaters.
1. The Colosseum, the largest arena, held 50,000
people.
2. Battles between gladiators were often held in the
Colosseum.
D. Some ancient Roman architecture survives today, but
much of it has been destroyed by acid rain.
IV. Literature, language, and the arts flourished in Rome.
A. Greek culture influenced Roman sculptors and artists.
1. Greek writing styles were also copied.
2. The ideas of Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were
popular in Rome.
B.
C.
Virgil wrote the Aeneid, an epic poem glorifying Rome.
It made Romans feel more patriotic.
The use of Latin spread throughout the empire, and
helped unify the different peoples who lived in the
empire.
Section 3: The birth of Christianity
Judaea, Christianity’s birthplace, was a part of the Roman
Empire.
I.
Before Christianity, Romans believed in many different
gods.
A. Roman gods included Jupiter, Mars, and Ceres.
B. Romans often adopted the beliefs and the gods of
other conquered cultures in the empire.
C. Religion was an important aspect of Roman life.
1. Although the Romans controlled religious
practices in the empire, they allowed some
groups, including the Jews, to follow their faiths.
II.
Jesus had many followers.
A. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town in Judea.
1. His early life was spent in Nazareth.
B. Jesus taught that there is one God.
1. He also taught belief in the Ten Commandments,
as did other Jewish teachers.
2. He told people not to go against God’s will, and
not to sin.
C. Jesus used parables to explain his ideas. He gained
new followers.
1. Many people believed that Jesus was in fact the
messiah, somebody who would bring world
peace.
2. Many reported that he performed miracles.
D. Some Jewish leaders opposed Jesus’s ideas. They
were upset that he and his disciples did not follow
Jewish law strictly.
III. Jesus’s teachings gradually began to spread throughout
the Roman Empire.
A. Roman leaders became concerned that Jesus’s
teachings might disrupt life in the empire, or that
Jesus might try to establish his own kingdom.
1. In about A.D. 30, Pontius Pilate ordered that
Jesus be crucified.
B. After Jesus’s death, his disciples told of his
resurrection, and spread his teachings.
1. These stories were carried across the empire,
bringing in new believers.
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Social Studies
Harcourt Brace
Harcourt Brace Social Studies: The
World
Chapter 8
Ancient Rome
C.
D.
Jesus came to be called Jesus Christos, or Jesus
Christ, after the Greek word for “messiah.”
The twelve apostles, Jesus’s closest followers, were
the first group to spread Jesus’s teachings.
1. The apostles Peter and Paul were important
teachers of Christianity.
IV. Romans began to persecute Christians.
A. Roman leaders became concerned as Christianity
spread.
1. They thought their own gods were angry because
Christians didn't worship them.
B. The Romans killed many Christians.
C. Roman persecution only strengthened the Christians
in their beliefs.
1. Many Christians became martyrs, willing to die for
their beliefs.
D. The Gospels and the New Testament (an addition to
the Old Testament) helped Christianity grow.
V.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Constantine shifted his capital to Byzantium, which
was renamed Constantinople in A.D. 330.
Many people left Rome, now that it was no longer the
capital.
Rome, however, remained the Christian Church’s
headquarters.
The Roman Empire split into eastern and western
halves.
1. The eastern empire would keep the Roman way
of life alive for many centuries.
2. The western empire split into small kingdoms.
Christianity grew rapidly, and spread far beyond the
Roman Empire.
Constantine, a prominent Roman general, accepted
Christianity.
A. The Roman Empire was becoming weaker.
1. There was not enough money to run the empire,
despite increased taxes.
2. Outsiders attacked different parts of the empire.
B. Rome had many weak emperors between A.D. 180
and A.D. 312.
1. The empire was now so large that people in the
provinces did not feel that they were a part of it.
2. Civil wars broke out as Roman generals fought
amongst themselves for power.
C. The army of Constantine, a Roman general, was
about to fight the army of another Roman general in
A.D. 312. Both generals wanted to become emperor.
1. Just before the battle, Constantine, although not
a Christian, saw the letters chi rho, the Greek
letters for “Christ,” in the sky.
2. Constantine’s army won the battle, and
Constantine became a supporter of Christianity.
D. Christianity became an accepted religion after the
Edict of Milan was passed in A.D. 313.
1. In the same century, Christianity became the
Roman Empire’s official religion.
VI. By around 330, the Roman Empire began to decline.
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