Download Rome Geography of Rome: The Italian peninsula is 600 miles long

Rome
Geography of Rome:
 The Italian peninsula is 600 miles long and about four times the size of Greece, or two-thirds
the size of California
 There is a mountain range that runs almost the whole length of the peninsula called the
Apennine range, but it does not serve as a barrier to political unification
 The plain of Latium also had a strategic position. The hills were very easy to defend. This is
where the city of Rome would spring up.
 Rome was also in the center of the Italian peninsula which helped them control the rest of the
peninsula and made it more difficult for other peoples to unite the Peninsula against Rome.
 The actual position of the Italian peninsula would also help the Romans create an empire. The
Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean sea, giving Rome good position to
dominate the entire region.
Rome's Origins:
 Legend says that Rome was founded in 753 b.c by a legendary ruler named Romulus. Legend
stated that Romulus and his twin brother Remus were thrown into the Tiber River and raised
first by a she-wolf and then by a shepherd.
 In fact Rome was established in the 8th century b.c by inhabitants of nearby settlements. These
settlements united and created a common meeting place for the settlements. Rome grew from
the meeting place, called the Forum.
 Finally in about 625 b.c, the Etruscans conquered Rome. Under the Etruscans Rome became an
important city.
The Roman Monarchy 753-509 b.c.:
 Rome followed similar political growth to the Greek city-states. They started at monarchy, went
to oligarchy, then became a modified democracy and finally ended with the permanent
dictatorship of the Roman emperors.
 For over 200 years the executive power of the kings was called the imperium. Imperium was
conferred on the king by a popular assembly made up of male citizens, and the king was
expected to take advice from a council of nobles called the Senate.
 Senators held their positions for life and could only come from the patrician class. The
commoners were members of the plebeian class.
 In 509 b.c, the Roman monarchy ended when the patricians, with some plebeian help,
overthrew the kings and established an aristocratic form of government called the Republic.
Establishment of the Republic:
 The Roman Republic can be divided into two periods. The first, from 509-133 b.c, shows a
change from aristocracy to a more democratic government , and the expansion of Roman
military and political control.
 In 509 b.c the Roman monarchy fell. The reason for this was that the last king Tarquin the
proud, failed to listen to the advice of the senate and governed in a selfish and irresponsible
manner.
 The imperium that used to be wielded by a king was now held by two people known as consuls.
Consuls would be elected yearly. One must be a patrician to be eligible. In times of crisis a
dictator could be substituted for the consuls. This dictator would be chosen by the popular
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assembly and could only have power for six months.
Patricians could control the popular assembly by telling the plebes who relied on them for
livelihood and security to vote certain ways.
For more than two hundred years the plebes tried to get more political equality. Slowly they
acquired more and more power through their right to organize, which was granted after they
threatened to leave Rome and establish their own city.
The plebeians were allowed to establish the Concilium Plebis, or “gathering of the plebeians”.
This assembly was presided over by tribunes and could pass decrees that were binding to
plebeians. Tribunes were eventually given the right to stop unjust or oppressive acts of the
partician consuls and senate by saying veto (“I forbid”)
The plebeians also demanded that all laws be written down so all could see it, the right to
appeal a death sentence imposed by a consul and be retried by the popular assembly, the
abolishment of debt slavery and the right for a patrician to marry a plebeian.
The reason that the plebeians had so much bargaining power was because Rome at this time
was almost constantly at war, and the patricians were worried that if demands were not met then
the plebeians might not fight.
Finally in 367 b.c, once consulship was reserved for plebeians, and plebeians were eligible to
hold other offices as well.
In 287 b.c, the plebeians were granted equal status and the Concilium Plebis was recognized as
a constitutional body whose laws were binding on all citizens. Despite this from 287 b.c to 133
b.c Rome was primarily governed by the more experienced Senate.
The Conquest of Italy:
 Rome rose from a small-city state to the dominant power in the Mediterranean world in less
than 400 years (509-133 b.c). Roman expansion however was not really planned. Rome thought
of all their wars as defensive, waged to protect themselves against potentially hostile neighbors.
 Rome created an alliance with other Latin cities in central Italy. This alliance would dissolve
and the other cities waged war with Rome, fearing its increased power. Rome was victorious in
338 b.c and made the other city-states sign treaties with Rome.
 After their victory over the Latin League the Romans had border conflicts with mountain tribes.
In conquering them in 290 b.c, Rome's borders would expand to the Greek colonies in southern
Italy.
 The Greek colonies thought that Rome was going to conquer them to so called in Pyrrhus, a
Greek King who was hired as a mercenary. Pyrrhus thought of himself as a second Alexander
the Great and defeated the Romans twice with War Elephants. He suffered heavy losses
however and when a third battle still did not force the Romans to surrender he returned home.
By 270 b.c the Romans conquered the Greek colonies and controlled the whole peninsula south
of the Po River.
 The Romans treated their conquered opponents in Italy fairly. They were allowed to self-govern
and no tribute was necessary. They were only required to obey Roman foreign policy and
supply troops for the Roman army.
 If a state proved itself loyal its citizens could be granted partial or even full Roman citizenship.
In the first century b.c, all peoples in Italy were citizens.
First Punic War:
 After 270 B.C, Rome's only serious rival in the Western Mediterranean was the city-state of
Carthage. Originally Carthage was a colony of Phoenicia, but in the 6th century B.C, Carthage
became independent and a commercial power.
 Carthage was wealthier and more populous than Rome, and had a fantastic navy to boot. With
its navy Carthage controlled North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, Western Sicily and much of Spain.
 In 264 B.C, a conflict of interest between Carthage and Rome led to the first Punic War. The
conflict was over Sicily.
 The war was costly for both sides. The Roman ground forces were successful at once, but the
Carthaginian navy was unopposed. The Romans quickly built a navy and, surprisingly, defeated
the Carthaginian navy. They did this through the use of the Corvus, or Crow, boarding bridge.
 Following the defeat of the Carthaginian navy, Rome invaded North Africa where they were
soundly defeated. When fleeing from Africa, the Roman fleet was hit by a storm.
 The war did not end until Rome defeated the Carthaginian navy one last time. This forced
Carthage to ask for peace in 241 B.C. Rome annexed Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica giving them
the first pieces of their overseas empire. These overseas territories will be regulated and taxed
by Roman officials called governors.
The War with Hannibal:
 At an early age Hannibal Barca (247-185 B.C) swore to his father that he would never be a
friend of Rome.
 After the defeat of the first Punic War, Carthage enlarged its empire in Spain, while Rome
struggled to prevent this. This gave a way for Hannibal to draw Rome into open conflict and
start the second Punic War.
 Hannibal did this by attacking Saguntum, a Spanish town allied with Rome.
 Hannibal then led 40,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry and African War Elephants over the Alps in
218B.C. In crossign the Alps he lost nearly half of his men and all but one war elephant, but he
achieved surprise.
 Despite the fact that rome outnumbered him, he handily defeated Rome in 3 major battles in as
many years. He never attacked Rome directly however.
 Hannibal was brilliant, and his greatest victory came at Cannae in 216 B.C. It was here that his
50,000 men surrounded and defeated around 80,000 Romans on an open field. Almost all
80,000 were captured or killed.
 Rome never surrendered however and eventually Scipio Africanus, a Roman general, invaded
Africa, forcing Hannibal to return home. Scipio destroyed the outnumbered Carthaginian army
at zama in 201 B.C.
 Hannibal then fled to the Seleucid Empire where he finally committed suicide to avoid capture
by the Romans.
Society of the Early Republic:
 Society of Early Rome was ruled primarily by the family.
 The family father had absolute power
 Parents would try to instill virtues of loyalty, courage, self-control and respect for laws and
customs.
 Men in early Rome spent much of their time in the military or politics. This left women to raise
the children and maintain the estates and farms.
 Marriage was an important lifelong union in the early republic. Divorces were not common.
That being said marriages were arranged, and the purpose was to have children.
The First Civil War: Marius against Sulla:
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 Gaius Marius was elected consul in 107 B.C, he was asked to raise an army to put down foreign
threats. Marius created a new type of army that was comprised of landless citizens who saw
their interests tied to Marius.
 In 88 B.C, a king in Asia minor declared war on Rome.
 The Senate and Concilium Plebis (renamed the Tribal Assembly), both see this as a way to get
an upper hand on the other. The Senate sends Cornelius Sulla to take care of the king, and the
tribal assembly send Marius.
 Sulla and Marius end up fighting each other. Both wanted their political organization and
themselves to get the credit.
 Sulla was completely victorious and the Senate appointed him dictator in 82 B.C for an
unlimited term. His task was to revise the constitution.
 Sulla created a country where the Senate was far more powerful than the Tribal Assembly. In 79
B.C, Sulla resigned as dictator and retired from public life.
The Second Civil War: Pompey vs. Caesar
 Pompey was elected consul in 70 B.C
 He originally won popularity as a military leader. He became very popular with the commoners
for repealing Sulla's laws against the Tribal Assembly.
 Pompey dealt with piracy, threats from Asia Minor, and expanded Rome as far as the Euphrates
through client states.
 Marcus Crassus was another up and coming leader.
 He was supposedly the richest man in Rome and had put down the slave rebellion led by
Spartacus
 Gaius Julius Caesar was yet another powerful man.
 Even though he was from a rich family, he supported the commoners.
 The Senate stood in the way of all of these men, so they entered into an informal alliance, later
known as the first Triumverate. They would pool their resources to achieve common goals.
 In 59 B.C, Caesar was elected consul and passed laws beneficial to all three men.
 Following his consulship, Caesar fought in Gaul, conquering, becoming wealthy and training a
loyal army of veteran soldiers.
 While fighting Caesar kept his popularity up by writing home.
 In 53 B.C Crassus was killed in battle. Without Crassus, Pompey started to fear Caesars'
growing power. In order to limit Caesars' power, Pompey allied himself with the Senate.
 In 49 B.C, the Senate demanded that Caesar disband his army. Instead he marched on Rome.
 Pompey and most of the Senate then fled to Greece, where Caesar would defeat them at
Pharsalus in 48 B.C.
 Pompey again fled, this time to Egypt where he was killed.
 By 45 B.C, Caesar had eliminated all threats against him and returned to Rome to exercise
unlimited power.
 Caesar gave himself the title “dictator for the administration of public affairs.” He then initiated
widespread reforms
 He granted citizenship to the Gauls, packed the Senate with non-Italians, reduced the debt,
started public works, established colonies and made it so 1/3 of all laborers had to be free.
 On the 15th of March, 44 B.C, Casear was stabbed to death in the Senate.
Third Civil War: Octavian vs Antony
 After Caesars' death his 18 year old grandnephew and heir, Octavian, allied himself with Mark
Antony. Together they defeated the conspirators in Phillipi in 42 B.C
 For more than 10 years they ruled together by dividing the Empire.
 Antony was in charge of the Eastern part of the Empire, while Octavian ruled the Western part.
 Antony fell in love with Cleopatra. He then started to transfer Roman lands to her control.
 Octavian used propaganda to turn Rome and Italy against Antony and his “foreign lover”. He
also portrayed this as a struggle between the “Roman West” and the “Oriental East”.
 Octavian and Antony's fleets engaged near Actium, Greece, and both Cleopatra and Antony fled
to Egypt. Antony committed suicide and shortly afterward, in 30 B.C, Cleopatra followed suit.
Augustus:
 Octavian returned to Rome triumphant in 27 B.C, and said he would restore the republic. He did
not do this completely however.
 He gave the Senate control over Italy and half of the provinces, he also gave the Senate the
power of the Tribal Assembly. In return, they gave him the title Augustus (“the Revered”).
 Augustus was in power for 45 years. Throughout his whole career he held the power of Tribune.
This gave him the right to propose and veto laws. He was also governor of the frontier
provinces where the army was stationed.
 Augustus created a constitution where he had almost unlimited power, but it was disguised.
 He referred to himself as Princeps, meaning “first citizen”.
 Augustus took over Egypt and extended the Roman borders to the Danube River. He failed
however to conquer the Germanic tribes.
 Augustus also revived the old Roman traditions. He rebuilt temples, revived priesthoods and
reinstated religious festivals. He also tried to reduce the rising rate of divorce. One way he did
this was by setting up courts to try adulterous wives and their lovers. If found guilty they would
be banished from Rome. Among the banished were Augustus' own daughter and granddaughter.
 He created a well paid civil service open to all classes, reduced corruption and created a large
standing army that stayed out of politics.
Pax Romana, “Roman Peace, 27b.c – 180a.d
 During this period of peace and prosperity the Roman empire was huge. It stretched from
Britain to the Euphrates and had a population of over 100 million.
 The Pax Romana started with Augustus
 During the Pas Romana piracy and lawlessness were suppressed and a reliable coinage was
minted.
 This long stretch of relative peace was good for buisness.
 The empires economy was mostly agricultural and huge estates called latifundia prospered.
 During this time period coloni, or share croppers, started to replace slaves.
Roman Society druing the Empire
 Roman women were slowly given more independence and rights during the first centuries a.d.
 Lower classes would join clubs called collegia. Each trade had their own collegia. The activities
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included feasts, religious celebrations and burials of members.
Slaves were treated very will if they were domestic. Domestic slaves would often be freed as a
reward for good service, and some freed slaves even rose to a position of power.
Slaves on the latifundias were treated very harshly. Augustus and other emperors tried to protect
slaves from some mistreatment.
Rome loved public baths. The larger baths would have gardens, walks, gymnasiums, libraries,
art and sequenced cleaning rooms.
Footraces, boxing and wrestling were very popular.
The chief amusements were chariot racing and gladiatorial games.
Jewish Background
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Jewish life in Jerusalem centered on the temple.
Pompey made Judea a province dependent on Rome in 63 b.c
Mark Antony appointed Herod the Great as king in 37 b.c. He ruled until 4 b.c
After Herod's death Judea became a Roman administrative unit ruled by procurators.
Under the Romans the Jews were unhappy and waited for the “Messiah” or savior anxiously.
Life and Teaching of Jesus
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Jesus was born sometime before 4 b.c. And spent his early adult life as a carpenter.
He soon began teaching to lover your neighbors and to turn away from sin.
Stories of miracles began to circulate
His opponents accused him of distorting Jewish and religious law and of committing treason.
He was crucified in 30 a.d
Spread of Christianity
 After Jesus' crucifixion word spread that he had been seen alive
 Initially there were few converts in Judea. However the Jews living in foreign lands were less
firmly committed to traditional doctrines.
 The most rapid conversions occurred in Jewish communities in large cities, notable Damascus,
Antioch, Corinth and Rome.
 These earliest followers of Jesus had no thought of forming a new religion. Because of their
adherence to Jewish law, few non-Jews converted. This would all change with the teachings of a
convert named Paul.
 Originally names Saul, Paul was a Roman Citizen by birth and of Jewish ancestry. He was a
Pharisee who actually persecuted early christians. One day while traveling to Damascus, he had
a conversion and changed his name.
 Paul became a missionary and covered over 8,000 miles teaching. He encouraged Christianity
to accept non-Jews as well. He was put to death in 65 ad, during the reign of Nero
Why Did Christianity Spread
 The religion was founded by a real person whose words had been written down in recent
memory.
 It appealed to all people, all could be “saved”
 The christians performed volunteer work which made people think positively about the religion.
Persecution of the Christians
 The Roman government tolerated any religion that did not threaten the safety and stability of
the Empire. Christianity was seen as a danger to society and the state.
 One of the big reasons for this was the fact that Christians refused to offer sacrifices to the state
gods on behalf of the emperor. This was considered a patriotic act showing loyalty. This made
them traitors in some Romans' eyes.
 It appeared to the Romans that the Christians were a group of people trying to form a state
within a state.
 One writer wrote that Christians walled themselves off from the rest of society:
 as pacifists many refused to join the army
 they denied religious sects as legitimate
 refused to associate with pagans
 refused to take part in sinful activities
 During the 1st two centuries ad, persecution of Christians was sporadic and local
 During the 3rd and 4th centuries however, the empire was weakening and several organized
efforts were made to suppress Christianity. The longest and bloodiest was started by Diocletian.
It lasted from 303-311
 Diocletian imposed the death penalty on anyone who refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods.
Many Christians chose death.
Official Recognition and acceptance of Christianity
 In 311 Christianity became a legal religion in the Eastern parts of the empire
 In 313 Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity legal throughout the
empire.
 He did this because he attributed a military victory to the Christian God. He also might have
done it because Christians made up 20% of the empire.
 Theodosius I (379-395) made Christianity the official religion of Rome. Rome now started to
persecute pagans.
The Crisis of the 3rd Century
 By the late 3rd century, the emperor was now called Lord and God
 after 235 there was 50 years of civil war and numerous men who claimed the throne
 Finally in 285 Diocletian took charge. He increased the strength of the government and tried to
stabilize the empire.
 In 305 Diocletian died and a series of rivals for the throne occurred. Eventually Constantine
would become emperor.
 Constantine tied people to their jobs and land and moved the capital to the Greek city of
Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople.
Germanic Tribes
 Waves of nomadic Germans engaged in border conflicts with Rome after the Pax Romana
 Most of the German tribes were ruled by a king or chief
 The Roman historian Tacitus described them as heavy drinkers, gamblers and eager for battle
and plunder. He also praised them however saying they were courageous, respected women and
were free of Roman vices.
Germanic Invasions
 Starting the the 3rd Century, the Germans started to invade the empire.
 The invasions intensified in the 4th century due to the Huns.
 Theodosius I hold back the Germans but after his death he divided the empire between his two
sons
 In 410 Aleric, a Visigoth sacked Rome
 in 455 the Vandals sacked Rome
 Meanwhile German tribes were setting up kingdoms in the Roman Empire
 In 475 the senate was forced to elect a German, Romulus Augustus, as emperor in the west
 In 476 a German chieftain named Odovacar named himself head of the government and exiled
R.A. This marks the end of Rome.