Download Classical Rome Notes - Polk School District

The Empire of Rome
Chapter 7
The Geography of Rome
• Roman Empire began on Apennine Peninsula
– Shaped like a high-heeled boot
– Begins in the Alps to the north
How does the geography
affect the cultural
development?
• Blocks off Italy from rest of Europe
• Several mountain passes left Italy vulnerable to attack
– Stretches into the Mediterranean Sea
• Economy often based on sea trade
• Often let Italian Sea ports open to invasion
• Apennine Mountains run down the center from
top to bottom
The Origins of Rome
• As early as 2000 BC invaders from Caucus Mts. move into
Apennine Peninsula
• 700 BC-Latins create settlements on banks of Tiber River
–
–
–
–
Built on 7 hills, 15 miles inland from coast
Had access to sea via the river
Region known as Latium
Settlements unite to form Rome
What role did
geography play in where
they chose to settle?
What are some similarities between
Greek & Roman culture?
• 600 BC - Etruscans from North take over Latium
– Had written language
– Skilled artisans
– Created paved roads, sewer systems, & expanded farmland by
draining marshes
– Population increased rapidly
• Greeks settle in Southern Italy & Sicily
– City-states extremely disorganized
– Absorbed into Latin/Etruscan populations
– Latin/Etruscans adopted elements of Greek Culture
The Early Roman Republic
• 509 BC – Etruscans overthrown by Roman landowners
• Establish a republican form of government
– A form a government where voters elect government officials
– Only adult male citizens could vote
• Three governing groups:
– The Senate:
What are some similarities between
the governments of Greece, Rome,
& the USA?
• Most influential level of gov
• Controlled money & foreign policy
• During war times, name a dictator to rule for 6 month terms
– The Magistrates
• Consisted of three parts
– Consuls: 2 elected officials who ran the day to day operations of the government
under the direction of the Senate
– Praetors: oversaw the armies during war times & the courts during peace
– Censors: oversaw the moral conduct of the Roman people & registered citizens
according to class
– Popular Assemblies
Of the magistrates, who had the
• Voted on laws written by the Senate
most impact on daily life ? How?
• Elected officials to public office
• Tribunes: 10 people elected by the Assemblies who watched the actions of the
Senate
Comparison Activity A
Government
of the
Roman
Republic
Either the
US
Government
or
Athenian
Government
The Conflict of the Orders
• Two main social classes develop during Roman Republic:
– Patricians:
•
•
•
•
Powerful landowners
Controlled the government
Served in public office
Power was inherited (passed down from father to son)
– Plebeians:
•
•
•
•
Majority of the population
Mainly farmers & workers
Could not hold public office
Could vote but had few other rights
• Shift in Power:
– Plebeians gain more power through strikes
• Able to join military
• Able to serve public office
• Created own assembles & gained positions as tribunes
– Plebeians forced judges to write down codes of law
• Known as the Twelve Tables
• Open for public viewing in the Forum (public square)
Why would the
plebeians want the
laws written down;
why did the
patricians oppose
this?
Dictator or Censor
Dictator or Censor
The leadership ladder for the
Patricians. Also, Patricians
could serve in the Senate.
Consul
Consul
Praetor
The leadership ladder for the
Plebeians after the Conflict of
the Orders. Also, all citizens
served in the Assembly.
Praetor
Aedile
Few Plebeians made
it beyond the position
of Aedile.
Quaestor
Aedile
Quaestor
Tribune
The Republic Grows
• Republic grows through wars
• The Role of the Army
In some countries, if you do
not go to college, you must
serve the state for 2 years?
What do you think of this?
– Every adult landowning male (citizen) to serve
in military
– Extremely strict military discipline
– Main military unit was the legion:
• Consisted of 4,500-6,000 legionnaires
• The Auxilia was made of non-citizens
• Adapted strategy & techniques of the
people they conquered
The Role of Public Policy
• Wanted newly acquired people to be loyal to Rome
– Believed in giving citizenship to conquered peoples near Rome
– Gave partial citizenship to conquered peoples distant from
Rome
– Allowed conquered areas some level of selfgovernment
• Appointed a governor to oversee a conquered territory
• Allowed for the creation of local assemblies
– served as advisors to governor
– Operated the courts and oversaw day-to-day operations
• Allowed for the spread of Latin language & culture
throughout Europe & the Mediterranean area
Expansion of the Roman Republic
500 BCE – 218 BCE
Rome Fights Carthage
• Carthage:
– Phoenician colony on the coast of North Africa
– Great commercial power, controlled western Mediterranean
– Had colonies on Sicily, island South of Italy
• Reasons for the Punic Wars
– Carthage fears Rome will take Sicily
– Rome fears Carthaginian navy will prevent Roman trade in the
Mediterranean
• First Punic War:
– Rome captured a Carthaginian ship & studied its weaknesses
– Roman navy would ram into Carthaginian ships & board them
with armed soldiers
– War lasted 23 years, Carthage asks for peace
Rome Fights Carthage II
• Second Punic War:
– Hannibal, a general, leads huge army over the Alps from Spain
into Italy
• Included foot soldiers, mounted cavalry, & elephants
• Heavy casualties during crossing due to mountain climate & terrain
– Northern Roman outposts fall to Carthage
– Rome sends troops into North Africa under
command of Scipio
Does he think
I’m a mountain
goat?
• Hannibal called back to Carthage to defend city
• Hannibal defeated at the Battle of Zama
• Third Punic War:
– Romans decide to crush Carthage so that it could never again
threaten Rome
– Rome declares war w/ Carthage & Macedonia, a Carthaginian
ally
– Rome wins, taking Greece, gaining territory in North Africa &
eastern Mediterranean
The End of the Republic
• Expansion & warfare lead to unrest in Roman Republic
– Senate gained power at the expense of the citizens
– Patricians dominate all political life
– Farmer-soldiers bankrupt, lose farms & livelihood
• Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus see need to reform Rome
– Tiberius becomes Tribune,
• supports reforms that angered the Patricians
• Tiberius & several hundred followers clubbed to death by the Senate & their
followers
– Gaius elected Tribune
• Uses public funds to buy grain to sell to poor at low cost
• Senate outraged, orders his death
• Gaius & supporters killed by riot started by the Senate
• Allies of Rome rebel due to poor treatment
What role did the
Senate play in
bringing about an
end to the
Republic?
– Wars break out throughout republic
• Allied militaries trained by Roman, evenly matched on battlefield
• Rome eventually wins, but at great cost to empire
– Civil war & unrest dominates Roman politics
The First Triumvirate
• Julius gains military power
– Caesar joins with two other generals to form a political alliance
known as the First Triumvirate
How does Julius Caesar
• General Gnaeus Pompey
• General Licinius Crassus
– Caesar becomes consul in 59BC
rise to power; why did he
join with Pompey &
Crassus
• Asks for military command in Gaul (modern France)
• Within 10 years, all of Gaul under Caesar’s control
• Triumvirate falters
What is the
importance of
Caesar's crossing
the Rubicon?
– Crassus dies while Caesar in Gaul
– Pompey fears Caesar’s power, orders him back to Rome w/o
army
• Caesar refuses, marches army to Rome crossing the Rubicon River
• Pompey flees to Greece, where he is defeated
• Caesar marches on to Egypt, places Cleopatra on the throne under
command of Rome
– Senate declares Julius Caesar dictator for life
The Reign of Julius Caesar
• Caesar & The Senate
Caesar has been hailed
as both a hero and a
villain; which do you
think and why?
– increased the size of the Senate to 900
– reduced the Senate’s power
– Showed mercy to the Senators who had supported Pompey
• Senate’s Response to Caesar
– Feared Caesar’s popularity with the people
– Feared Caesar would take total control of Rome
What does Caesar’s
– Group of Senators planned Caesar’s death
murder tell you about
• Ware the Ides of March:
Roman politics?
– March 15, 44BC, Caesar takes his place in the Senate
– Caesar surrounded & stabbed repeatedly
– Among the conspirators were two of his friends Gaius Cassius
& Marcus Brutus
The Second Triumvirate
• Julius Caesar had named Octavian as his heir
• power struggle breaks out
– Octavian only 19, needs help to hold onto power
– Brutus & Cassius take armies east and steal Asia Minor from
Rome
• Marc Antony, Octavian, & Lepidus form a new
triumvirate
– Antony takes military east to re-conquer lost territories
• Destroys armies of Brutus & Cassius
• Reclaims Syria & Asia Minor
• Settles in Egypt to rule Eastern Empire under direction of Octavian
– Octavian Grows in Power
•
•
•
•
What are some
similarities between
Octavian & Julius
Caesar?
Encourages Lepidus to retire
Takes control of Western Rome
Declares war on Marc Antony & Cleopatra
Antony & Cleopatra commit suicide following fall of Alexandria to Rome
• East & West Roman Empire reunited
Octavian: Caesar Augustus
• Senate appoints Octavian as Augustus, first
What should Octavian
citizen
do differently?
– Did not want to make Julius Caesar's mistakes
– Becomes known as the 1st Roman Emperor, but never
called that during his life
• Unified Roman Republic becomes the Roman
What constitutes an
Empire
empire?
– Series of military conquests expand Rome’s territory
• Expanded north into Germany to the Rhine River
• Expanded to control Spain
• Time period becomes known as the Pax Romana,
“Roman Peace”
The Pax Romana
• The Julio-Claudian
• The Five Good Emperors
Emperors ruled for 54 years
– Combined reigned for nearly
– Were descendants of Julius
Caesar
– Emperors of Note:
100 years
– Emperors of Note:
• Hadrian
• Caligula:
– known for his brutality &
insanity
– Murdered after four years in
power
Farthest
boundary of
the Empire!
• Claudius
– Known for his intelligence
– Ordered the invasion of Great
Britain
– Murdered by his wife,
Agrippina
• Nero
– Blamed for a fire that
devastated Rome
– Committed suicide
Notice
any
trends?
– Born in Spain
– Believed in Romanizing the
provinces
– Built a series of fortifications,
including Hadrian’s Wall
• Marcus Aurelius
– Last of the Five Good
Emperors
– Known as a scholar &
philosopher
– Preferred peace to war, but
saw to the defense of the
Empire
– Believed to be murdered by
his heir
Building A Strong Empire
• Government & Law
– Served as a strong unifying
force
– Kept order & enforced laws
– Emperor held most power
• Appointed officials to govern
provinces
• Made all policy decisions
– Provincial governors ruled
over outlying areas
• Reported to Rome
– Written law adapted to meet
new needs
• Twelve Tables expanded
• Judges given power to interpret
law
• Believed that laws & legal
principles applied to all
• Trade & Transportation
– Agriculture main economic
activity
– Built infrastructure to support
What are trade
some
similariti
es between
Rome’s
gov. &
ours?
• Roman Army built roads &
bridges
• Roads designed to move people
& military rapidly
• Over 60,000 miles constructed
• Roman Army:
– Soldiers to serve 16-20 years
• Stationed at outposts along
frontier
• Non-citizen recruits were given
citizenship at end of term
– Goal was peace-keeping
Life in The Empire
• Daily Life
– Life for the Wealthy
• Roles of Men, Women &
Children
• Usually had a city home & country
home
• Much time for recreation
• Known for lavish banquets
– Life for the Average Person
• Usually lived in multi-storied
apartment houses
• Food was scarce, meal usually just
bread, cheese, & fruit
– Life for the Slaves
– Father held most power
– Wife/mother managed the
household
– Women could own property
– Education in Rome
• Children educated in the home
during early years
• Elementary schools throughout
empire to teach reading,
writing, math, & music
• Older boys sent to secondary
schools to learn Greek,
literature, rhetoric
• Largest element of the population
• No laws to prevent abuse of slaves
• Able to buy freedom, but few
could afford it
Why was this a vulnerable social
• Slave ownership was a status
structure? How will this contribute
to the fall of Rome?
symbol
Religion & Recreation
• Roman Religion
– Early Romans believed in
ancestral spirits,
• these spirits were called lares
• Focused on Vesta, the spirit who
guided home & hearth
– After conquering Greece,
Romans adapted Greek beliefs
to meet own needs
– State religion developed
during reign of Caesar
Augustus
•
•
•
•
Promoted patriotism
Built temples
Emperor was chief priest
Rituals part of daily life to
reaffirm harmony with Gods &
State
• Recreation
– Patrons of Theatre
• Roman plays heavily influence
by Greek tradition
• Preferred comedies and satires
over tragedies
• Also enjoyed music, acrobats,
dances, & mimes
– Patrons of Sport
• Large chariot races in the
Circus Maximus in Rome
• Enjoyed seeing people pitted
against animals
• Enjoyed watching trained
fighters battle (Gladiators)
• Enjoyed watching mock battles
• Almost all sports ended in the
deaths of the loser
– Enjoyed public executions
Factors that Contributed to the Fall of Rome
• Economic Factors