Download Chapter 5: Rome and the Rise of Christianity, 600 BC–AD 500

Chapter 5: Rome and the Rise of Christianity, 600 B.C.–A.D. 500
Rome began as a small village and became the seat of power of one of the greatest empires
the world has known.
I.
•
The Romans were greatly influenced by early settlers of the peninsula and by the
peoples whom they conquered.
•
They were also innovators in art, culture, engineering, and government.
•
Through warfare, they gradually conquered the entire Mediterranean and much of
Europe
•
While at first Christians were persecuted, eventually Christianity was declared the
empire's official religion.
Section 1 The Rise of Rome
A. Geography greatly influenced the development of Rome.
1. The narrow Italian peninsula was an important crossroads, and farmland was
plentiful.
2. Rome itself was strategically situated inland on hills along the Tiber River.
B. In the late sixth century the Romans overthrew the Etruscan kings based north of Rome
and established a republic.
1. Wealthy patrician landowners in the Roman Senate dominated the early republic.
2. Male nonpatrician Romans, called plebeians, voted and served in the army, but they
could not marry patricians or be elected.
C. Rome never became a democracy, but it did develop universal standards of justice that
have influenced many societies.
1. Rome brought most of Italy under its control.
2. It then confronted its main rival in the Mediterranean, Carthage.
3. Rome finally defeated Carthage. By the end of the war, Rome dominated the
Mediterranean Sea.
II. Section 2: From Republic to Empire
A. By the second century B.C., a few aristocrats dominated the Roman state.
1. Meanwhile, many small farmers could no longer compete and became
landless poor.
2. Some leaders called for land reform to address the problem.
3. However, the aristocrats resisted such pressures, and the republic faced a
period of civil war.
B. The First Triumvirate placed power in the hands of three wealthy generals.
1. One of these generals, Julius Caesar, marched on Rome with his troops, and
eventually he was declared dictator.
2. Caesar's rule ended in his assassination.
C. Following a Second Triumvirate, Octavian became Emperor Augustus, and the civil
wars came to an end.
1. The Roman Empire expanded its borders until, at its height, it had a
population of more than 50 million.
2.Trade and commerce thrived, but farming remained the chief occupation.
3. Large landed estates called latifundia dominated farming, and an enormous
gulf separated rich and poor in Roman society.
III. Section 3: Culture and Society in the Roman World
A. The Romans imitated Greek culture in some respects, but they also developed their
own realistic style of sculpture,
1. introduced the use of concrete in construction
2. They displayed impressive feats of engineering in their roads, bridges, and
aqueducts
B. Romans raised their children at home.
1. Education was a father's responsibility.
2. In early Rome the male head of household had absolute authority over the
family.
3. By the third century B.C., this authority was waning. Women could ask for a
divorce and enjoyed increasing independence and a more visible—if unequal—
social role.
C. Slavery was commonplace, although slaves occasionally revolted.
1. In the most famous case, a revolt of 70,000 slaves lasted two years before
being crushed.
2. Slavery was readily accepted by most Romans.
D. The small town of Rome grew into a thriving, overcrowded city.
1. There was an enormous gulf between the city's rich and poor.
2. Rome's public buildings, public works, and public entertainment provided a
sense of grandeur and magnificence.
IV. Section 4: The Development of Christianity
A. Christianity emerged at a time of widespread unrest in the Roman province of
Judaea.
1. Jesus Christ gained some followers among the Jews of Judaea.
2. Yet Jews were split on how to respond to Jesus.
3. A Jewish court denounced him and turned him over to the Roman
authorities, who saw Jesus as a potential revolutionary.
4. Jewish followers of Jesus saw him as the Savior.
5. Christianity thus began as a religious movement within Judaism that caught
on quickly following Jesus' death.
B. Paul of Tarsus, a Jewish Roman citizen, preached the gospel to Jews and non-Jews
throughout Asia Minor and along the coast of the Aegean.
1. Romans, despite a history of tolerance of many religions, viewed Christianity
as a threat to the state
2. Christians often faced persecution.
3. In the fourth century, the emperor Constantine proclaimed official tolerance
of Christianity, setting the stage for its adoption as the empire's official
religion.
V. Section 5: Decline and Fall
A. Conflict and confusion followed the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five
good emperors.
1. Invasions, civil wars, and plague brought the empire to the brink of
economic collapse.
2. Diocletian and Constantine restored at least temporary stability to the
empire by using a combination of reforms, coercion, and tight controls on
prices, vocations, and other aspects of life in the empire.
B. Diocletian deemed the empire too large for one emperor and divided it into
four units, each with its own ruler.
1. The Greek city of Byzantium became the capital of the eastern part of the
empire
2. invading Germanic tribes put increasing pressure on the western part of the
empire
3. Later Rome was sacked by two invading tribes, first the Visigoths, then the
Vandals.
4. The western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed by the Germanic
head of the army, marking the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Checking for Understanding Section 1:
__ 1. in the Roman Republic, a
social class made up of minor
landholders, craftspeople,
merchants, and small farmers
__ 2. a chief executive officer of the
Roman Republic; two were
elected each year, one to run
the government and one to lead the army into battle
A.
republic
B.
patricians
C.
plebeians
D.
consul
E.
praetor
__ 3. a form of government in which the leader is not a king and certain citizens have the
right to vote
__ 4. great landowners, they formed the ruling class in the Roman Republic
__ 5. an official of the Roman Republic in charge of enforcing civil law
Checking for Understanding Section 2:
__ 1. commander in chief; the Latin
origin of the word emperor
__ 2. a government by three people
with equal power
A.
triumvirate
B.
dictator
C.
imperator
__ 3. an absolute ruler
Checking for Understanding Section 3:
__ 1. Roman apartment blocks
constructed of concrete
A.
paterfamilias
B.
insulae
__ 2. in the Roman social structure,
the dominant male head of
the household, which also
included his wife, sons and
their wives and children,
unmarried daughters, and
slaves
Checking for Understanding Section 4:
__ 1. in the Roman Empire,
an official in charge of
a province
__ 2. regular church members
__ 3. church leaders
__ 4. the second part of the
Christian Bible, it provides
a record of Jesus’ life and
teachings
A.
procurator
B.
New Testament
C.
clergy
D.
laity
Checking for Understanding Section 5:
A.
plague
B.
inflation
__ 1. a rapid increase in prices
__ 2. an epidemic disease
Checking for Understanding answers:
Section 1: 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B, 5-E
Section 2: 1-C, 2-A, 3-B
Section 3: 1-B, 2-A
Section 4: 1-A, 2-D, 3-C, 4-B
Section 5: 1-B, 2-A