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Transcript
Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 Rome Section 1 Italy’s geography is the perfect place for the emergence of a mighty empire. Right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with good soil and a mild climate it was ideal. The people who founded Rome were part of a people called the Latins. Around 616 BC the Etruscans took Rome over. The Etruscans had great influence over Rome and were great metalworkers and jewelers. The Etruscans ruled until Romans overthrew the last king. The Romans put in a Republic as their type of government. A republic is where elected officials govern the state. In the early days of Rome Patricians were the few aristocratic families at the top. They elected officials from among themselves. The Plebeians were the lower class in Rome. When they challenged the patricians for power they gained the Plebeian Council. They protected the Plebeians. Eventually they gained the right to veto, or ban, laws that were unjust. Laws were eventually written down in the Roman Forum, or Central Square, on 12 large bronze tablets. The code became known as the law of the twelve tables. Working together the Patricians and Plebeians created a practical and flexible unwritten constitution, or political structure. Eventually the government consisted of three parts: the Senate, a body of three hundred members, various popular assemblies, and officials called magistrates, who put laws into practice. When the last king of Rome was thrown out two officials called consuls took his place. They served for one year and acted as chief executives and commanders of the army. In a time of crisis a dictator was elected. They had almost unlimited power but could only server for six months. If you were between the ages of Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 17 and 46 you had to serve in the military during times of war. The Punic wars were fought between Carthage and Rome. They were a series of three wars won eventually by Rome. Rome also conquered Greece and adopted their gods. They just gave them different names. Section 2 The first triumvirate, or rule of three men, was made up of Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey, and Licinius Crassus. Crassus was the only one who wasn’t a very successful military person. He was one of the wealthiest people in Rome though. Crassus eventually died and then Pompey and Caesar faced off in a civil war. Caesar won and became dictator for life. The second triumvirate was made up of Octavian, Caesar’s adopted son and heir, Marc Antony, and Lepidus. Lepidus was pushed aside and following the double suicide of Antony and Cleopatra the following year Octavian was left alone. The senate gave Octavian the name Augustus. Augustus made Rome a very beautiful city and over forty years re-built temples and created new ones. Two of the worst emperors Rome had followed Augustus when Caligula and Nero were rulers. They good emperors restored order in Rome. The empire grew its largest under Trajan and when Hadrian took over he built a wall in modern northern Britain. The period from the beginning of Augustus’s rule to the last of the good emperors is often called the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace. During the Pax Romana over 50000 miles of roads were built binding the empire together and providing transportation. The Pax Romana was one of the most important eras in Rome. Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 Section 3 Daily life in Rome was very different for the lower class from the upper class. The upper class usually had two homes: a city home and a country home or villa. The wealthier people were mostly the only ones who participated in politics because it did not pay to be a public official. Though that was a good life, the majority of the almost one million residents of Rome were in the lower class. They were given food and different forms of entertainment to keep them from rebelling. Romans enjoyed circuses, where chariot races took place. Family was very important in Rome. Paterfamilias, or family father, was the oldest living male and had a lot of power over the family. Education was mostly completed within the household except for very wealthy families who could hire a tutor. Religion was also a big part of Rome’s daily life. They believed that gods sent sighs and warnings. They paid augurs, priests, particular respect for reading these signs. Aqueducts, or manmade channels, were used to bring water to the city. Arches were used to construct such structures which the Romans are particularly known for. Many aqueducts can still be found standing today in Europe. The biggest contribution made, though, were roads. Roads are used every day all over the world. Examples of Roman architecture can be found all over the modern western world. The language spoken in Rome was Latin. Five romance languages were derived from Latin. They are Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Italian. They Romans used a law system called civil law. It was a form of law based on written code of law. This form of law was adopted throughout Europe after the fall of Rome. Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 Section 4 Christianity developed from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This new religion was rooted in the beliefs and customs of Judaism. Judea was conquered by the Romans under Pompey. The Jews were unwilling to give up their religion so the Romans allowed them to keep it if the paid their tribute and maintained civic order. Eventually a branch of Judaism, a group called Zealots, rebelled and as a result many Jews were slaughtered. In a second uprising all Jews were banned from Jerusalem entirely. Though some Jews revolted, others waited for the coming of the Messiah, a spiritual leader who, according to prophecy, would restore the ancient kingdom and bring peace to the world. Jesus of Nazareth was a spiritual leader who emerged teaching about seeking forgiveness for your sins and not teaching about armed revolt. Nearly all we know about Jesus comes from the Gospels-the first four books in the New Testament. In time Jesus began to preach. He began to gain followers, or disciples. Jesus’ popularity grew and grew until it alarmed authorities. He was arrested tried and sentenced to death. According to the New Testament, after being crucified and buried Jesus rose from the dead and spent 40 days teaching his disciples before ascending to heaven. He was then called Jesus Christ. After Jesus’ death 12 disciples, whom Jesus had specially chosen, set out to spread the word of God. These special people were called Apostles. Paul, one of the Apostles, greatly helped spread Christianity, and without him it might have just been another branch of Judaism. Eventually Romans started killing Christians because they thought they were a threat to their society. Those killed were called martyrs, or people who would die for their faith. Constantine was the first emperor to embrace Christianity. This helped it spread even further. In the Christian church ceremonies were performed to make people feel closer to Jesus Christ. One ceremony was the Eucharist, or drinking of wine and eating of bread to Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 remember the last supper. The most important official in the church was the Bishop. Bishops emerged to oversee church affairs in most cities and had authority over all other priests within the city. Peter emerged as the Apostle who founded the Roman Church and acted as its first Bishop. As a result later bishops of Rome became known as Popes or Peter’s spiritual heirs. Section 5 When the last of the good emperors died Rome was left without good leaders. Inflation became a very big reason of Rome’s collapse. Inflation is when there is a dramatic rise in prices. Diocletian tried to slow the decline of Rome by putting himself in absolute power above the rest. He also divided the empire in two with him ruling the east and a co-emperor ruling the west. Constantine ended a civil war that broke out after Diocletian and his co-emperor decided to retire. He made two very big decisions while in the throne. He, first of all, supported Christianity and second of all created a new capital called Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. He put his city there because the east was richer and had better protection than the west. After Constantine died invaders from the north became a very large threat to Rome. One of the biggest threats was posed by Attila and the Huns. He led them to an attack on Gaul. The Romans sided with the Visigoths and defeated the Huns. Attila then turned on Rome itself but stopped when Pope Leo I convinced him to leave Italy. Though the Huns did not take Rome they left the western half in ruins. Odoacer eventually overthrew the last emperor of Rome and this is considered the end of the Western Roman Empire. Thought the west collapsed the Connor Schultz History P. 5 Readers Notebook 11/6/10 eastern part of Rome was not defeated and they would go on to survive for several centuries longer.