Download The Roman Empire A Story of Rising and Falling

The Roman Empire
A Story of Rising and Falling
by Joe Waite
The Roman Empire
How Did It Get Started?
According to an old legend, Rome was
started by two twin orphans who were raised
by a she-wolf. Their names were Romulus
and Remus, and they wandered around the
woods in Central Italy. Anyway, the boys mysteriously could speak Latin, and led a group
of people to one of the hills of the city. They
got into a fight about who should name the
new city. Romulus stabbed Remus through the
heart. That it is why we call it Rome today,
and not Reme.
What probably really happened is that
groups of nomadic tribesmen decided to make
a permanent settlement on the Tiber River.
They didn’t want to be right on the sea because
of the risk of getting attacked by pirates and
storms. The Tiber constantly flooded, and life
in the new settlement was hard.
Why is Rome So Cool?
Rome is called the “Eternal City” because people think that it will always be there.
They may be right. Rome has existed for 2500
years, and it is still used as the capital of Italy
today.
People visit there because you can still
see the old Roman ruins. Throughout this unit,
you will see pictures of some of the places that
the Romans built about 2000 years ago. The
map in the next column shows you where Italy
is located in southern Europe, Rome being the
capital city of modern Italy.
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Rome was lucky, like Greece, because
it had lot’s of coast line and was protected by
mountains. The Italian Peninsula looks like
a boot, and the top of the boot is covered with
the Alps Mountains, one of the highest ranges
in the world. In addition to this, the low lying
Appennine Mountains run down the boot of
Italy, like a long spine. These aren’t as tall,
but still offered some protection. The Mediterranean became Rome’s link with the world..
Like Greece, it was protected by natural defenses, and like Greece, was dry and hot.
Therefore they found it necessary to trade with
other cultures if they wanted new things.
Rome Becomes a Class Society
The early Romans divided into socialeconomic classes. The poor people were
called plebeians (plee-bee-ans). They didn’t
have any power and they felt just like poor
and deprived people feel today. The upper
class was called the patricians (pa-trish-ans).
They, like many rich folks, had all the power.
The plebians made the patricians worry when
many of them began leaving Rome and starting new lives. Soon the patricians learned
that they had
better be nice or
there would be
nobody left to
do the scummy
jobs. All power
rested with the
patricians. They
had a bunch of
patrician men in
the Senate that
made all of the
laws. They let
the Plebians have
just enough power to think that
they actually could make some decisions. Most
of the time, the patricians controlled Roman
society.
Rome Becomes Strong
Growing Roman power in the Mediterranean put them in direct competition with
the North African city of Carthage. The Romans, during what would become called the
Punic Wars, built a strong navy and defeated
the Carthagians in the first war. Carthage’s
greatest general, Hannibal, wanted to make the
Romans pay. In
what would become
one of the greatest
marches of all time,
Hannibal crossed
into Spain, around
Gaul (France) and
into the Alps, with
elephants (like the
one pictured above)!
He was going to use
these elephants like
tanks. Anyway,
he had a bad time
crossing the Alps because of blizzards and angry tribesmen rolling boulders down onto their
heads. But he eventually made it into Northern
Italy with 25,000 men remaining. The Romans
tried to attack him, but he stopped them at a
crucial battle and slaughtered 50,000 Romans.
He did this by pretending to have his middle
retreat, or run away. What they really did was
to trap all the Roman soldiers into a circle,
and closed the circle in on them. Anyway, the
Romans got Hannibal to leave by attacking
Carthage and Spain. Hannibal rushed back
through Spain, only to find crabby Roman
troops waiting for him. His men were trampled
by their own elephants when the Roman soldiers blew trumpets during the attack.
Carthage got strong again just 50 years
later. The Roman Senate decided enough was
enough and ordered the final destruction of
Carthage. Salt was put on the soil so that no
crops could ever grow there again. Rome was
now the most powerful empire in the Mediterranean. They had goods and taxes pouring in
from all over the place. This made them stronger and stronger.
The Rise of Julius Caesar
Rome was becoming very powerful, militarily. And like
many countries
with a strong
army, Rome had
problems from
the inside. The
rich got richer
and the poor got
poorer. Common Romans
wanted leaders
who represented them, and not the rich. Julius
Caesar would become the person that the common people looked up to the most. He knew
that military power was a great way to take
over the world. So he took over an army that
was fighting in Gaul, which is in modern day
France.
Rome was still a Republic, like our
country, but Julius was threatening to make it
a dictatorship, in which one person made all the
decisions (like the pharaohs of Egypt). What
2 system would the Romans choose?
The Triumvirate
Three people came to the front of the
power struggle. They were Mark Antony, a
young general who was strong and usually
drunk, Lucius, an old man and somewhat of
a chicken, and Octavian, an adopted son of
Julius Caesar, and only a frail 18 year old boy.
These three men had troops loyal to them, so
rather than start a civil war and make a blood
bath, they agreed to share the power.
Lucius was the first to mess this up. He
secretly tried to have his army attack OctaTHE BEAUTIFUL CLEOPATRA-vian’s. Lucius’ men knew he was a chicken,
QUEEN OF EGYPT--GIRLFRIEND OF JULIUS so when it came
Julius easily defeated and mistreated
time to fight,
the tribes of France, England, Belgium, and
they gave up to
Germany. And he bragged, and bragged and
Octavian. His
bragged. He was the type of guy who went
soldiers joined
around saying “I’m number one and your
Octavian’s army,
scum!” Anyway, the people who were powleaving only
erless, thought he was good. He became a
Antony and Octadictator, or absolute ruler of Rome. He was a
vian left to share
strong leader who picked on people that didn’t power. Octavian
like what he was doing. The Senate hated him was smart, and he
because he had too much power. Rome beknew that
came a dictatorship.
he would
They were also angered because fell in
be most
Octavian was small
love with an Egyptian princess named Cleobut very smart.
successful
patra. She was a real fruitcake, but was conif he would
sidered to be the most beautiful woman of her be patient. Meanwhile, Octavian made his sistime. She had Caesar eating out of her hands. ter, Octavia get married to Mark Antony. This
This made most of the Romans really mad be- lasted a couple of years. But silly old Mark
cause he was usually at her place in Egypt, and Antony fell in love with that lovable fruitcake
not at home in Rome tending to their business. from Egypt, Cleopatra, and sent Octavia back
Anyway, a bunch of Senators led by
to Octavian, bawling her eyes out. He then
Brutus and Crassus, got together and decided
took his men to Egypt and was ready to fight
that Caesar must go--he had too much power.
Octavian for control of the Roman Empire.
He was stabbed on the steps of the Senate in
Octavian got really mad. Octavian and Mark
the year 44 B.C. by several Roman Senators.
Antony spread lies around about each other,
There was a power vacuum in Rome,
but most Romans agreed that they didn’t want
and they were on a leaderless, dangerous
their leader sharing power with a weird Egypcourse.
tian. They backed Octavian.
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OCTAVIA, SISTER
Octavian Changes His Name to
OF CAESER
Caesar Augustus
AUGUSTUS, WAS
Octavian changed his name so people would think
SAD AFTER
GETTING DUMPED he was more important, but he was brilliant because he
BY MARK ANTONY made other people feel important. He was genuinely
FOR CLEOPATRA. interested in the well- being of Rome. He killed few
What Happens to
Antony?
Octavian gathered his troops
and sailed to war
on the Nile River. Antony and Cleopatra were stuck inside
of Egypt, trapped by the Roman Navy. When
Antony came out to attack, Octavian’s superior forces slaughtered them rather quickly. A
rumor was started that Antony was killed in
battle. When Cleopatra heard this, she poisoned herself to death. When Antony heard
that Cleopatra was dead, he killed himself.
Octavian felt bad. He was really a sensitive
guy who cared about people and his country,
but it didn’t matter. He was now the sole ruler
of Rome, and at about age 28, he had become
the strongest person in the world.
antony was mad!
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political enemies, and only when his life was in danger. The Senate wanted Rome to be democratic again.
Augustus tricked them into thinking they had more
power than they did, but in reality, he had it all.
Augustus needed to worry about the Senate,
because they, after all, were the ones who murdered
Julius Caesar. After a while, the Senate begged him
to remain in power because they were sure that they
couldn’t rule Rome as well as he could. He continued to lead Rome for 45 years. This time period is
called the Pax Romana which means Roman Peace. A
favorite saying of the time was that “Augustus found
Rome stone, and left it marble.” This was true. He
concentrated on building up Rome’s infrastructure.
This word means a countries’ roads, schools, public
places, etc. He spent less on the army, although he
made sure that it stayed very strong. They already
controlled most of the known world as it was. A diary
of Augustus was found in Greece in the 14th Century.
Most scholars agree that it is indeed the genuine thing.
In this diary, Augustus tells about all the things that
made him happy, and about the things that bothered
him. He died of old age, at about age 76. He never
felt that he succeeded, although history has shown
him to be brilliant, and to be one of the greatest rulers
of one of the greatest nations ever to appear on earth.
What’s Next?
Some of the emperors that followed Augustus were good, while others were crazy. Rome,
like all dictatorships, was at the mercy of it’s
leaders. There was a saying that Rome would
always rule the world. This would have been true,
except that Roman society started to decay. Crime
increased, greed increased, violence increased.
People tried to get away with cheating rather than
working hard for the betterment of themselves and
their country.
Rome still had strong armies, but it was
rotting from the inside. It’s schools got weaker.
It’s politicans became corrupt. Public works
started to decay because nobody cared about their
country--only themselves.
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dals, and Huns and Visgoths. They over-ran Rome,
and Rome as we knew it, ceased to exist. Roman
culture and customs would be kept alive by just a few
people through the next 500 years.
Luckily, many Roman ideas did survive the test of
time. Today we use the Roman alphabet for writing,
and many of our words come from the Latin language,
which was used by the Romans. Romans invented
currency, which made trading a lot easier. No longer
did they have to trade goods for goods, but could use
coins as a symbol of wealth. Roman roads are still
used today, so strong were they built. The idea of
having all roads linked to a capital is used in our own
capital city of Washington DC, in which the White
House is the featured center-piece of the city. Roman
art and architecture are still used. Roman concepts of
government are still used, like the Senate in the United
States, for example.
Rome today is the capital city of the country of
Italy. Inside of Rome is the nation of the Vatican City,
which is a tiny country ran by the Pope, leader of the
Catholic Church. Many of ancient Rome’s wonders
are still standing today. You can get a real good idea
of what the Roman way of life was like just by walking through this great city.
Slave Labor
Romans used slaves as their
primary labor force. This started to backfire on them when
there became more slaves than Romans. There were revolts,
and slaves and non-slaves alike died by the thousands. Some
slaves could buy their own freedom, and even become Roman
officials. There were gangs. The family became less
important as people left and went their separate
ways. Many Americans compare ancient Rome
to the United States now. Our country is the most
powerful nation on the earth. At this point, we
fear no other country on earth. Rome didn’t either.
But Rome did not take care of it’s society. It got
weaker on the inside. Many Americans fear that
this happening here, and now. What do you think?
FEROCIOUS BARBARIANS
DESTROYED ROME.
Rome Is Split, Christianized, Then Sacked
The Romans always believed in several gods.
Mars was the god of war, Venus the goddess of
love, Neptune the god of the sea.
At the time of Augustus, Christianity started
in the Eastern Roman Empire, with he teachings
of Jesus. It took many years for the teachings of
this man to reach Rome. The first Roman emperors picked on and often killed the Christians. But
after awhile, the Christian Church became the
official church of Rome. Unfortuantely for them,
the changes in religious practice had no effect on
Roman society. The decay of Rome continued.
Rome became weak--and now they had enemies.
Barbarians with primitive customs and habits were
attacking Rome from all sides. There were Van
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