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The Roman
Republic
Around 900
BC the Greeks
came into
contact with
the Italian
peoples.
This proved to
be both good
and bad.
Good Italy
Bad Italy
1. in the middle of 1. silting rivers
the Mediterranean created mosquito
infested swamps
2. rich soil
2. mountains cover
3. mild climate
3/4
of
Italy
4. protected by
3. rocky coast
mountains
When the Greeks arrived, the Etruscans
ruled northern Italy. (We still haven’t
translated their writings.) After several
attempts, the Etruscan
underclasses freed
themselves of the
wealthy overlords
and priests that had
been controlling
their society.
Most notable among these rebels were
the Latins from Latium. Their center
was the city of Rome. This was created
by seven villages on seven hills
surrounding a valley who agreed to
form a single community.
Around 620 BC, an Etruscan family
called the Tarquins gained control of
Rome, teaching them how to build with
brick, roof their houses, drain
marshland, lay out streets, and draw
cartoons.
Roman!
New, wealthy aristocrats declared
Rome a republic. These wealthy
aristocrats were called patricians.
Most of Rome’s inhabitants were
plebeians, who had
all rights of
citizenship but
were poor.
In 534 BC,
Tarquin the
Proud was
such a cruel
king that the
Romans drove
him out.
Patricians could hold public office,
plebeians could not. Patricians
organized the Roman gov’t into two
branches: executive and legislative.
Plebeians refused to join army unless
the Patricians met their demands:
1. Allowed Plebian representatives tribunes - who had veto power.
2. Improved Plebeian social status.
3. No more enslavement for debt.
4. Allowed marriage between Plebeians
and Patricians.
5.Written laws instead of common law.
Roman religion borrowed Greek
gods and gave them Roman names.
Greek
Roman
• Aphrodite • Venus
• Ares
• Mars
• Zeus
• The
Etruscan
god Jupiter
Roman Family Life
• father in charge • extended families
• educated sons • could sell kids or
• harsh discipline wife
• trained to be
• valued the
soldiers & farmers
“state”
• trained in morality
Rome set up a
constitution that gave
power to the citizens
(male land owners) much
like the Greeks, but more
complex.