Download Chapter 5 Ancient Rome and the Rise of

Ancient Rome and the
Roman Republic
1
Geography
-Located on the Italian
peninsula, in the center of
the Mediterranean Sea
-The Alps are in the North
-The Apennine Mts. are on
the eastern coast
-broad, fertile plains in the
north and west
2
Rome Geography
Rome is located:
-On the banks of the
Tiber River
-On and around seven
hills
Why would this
geographic
location be an
advantage?
3
Legend of the Founding of Rome
-Legend has it that twin
brothers, Romulus and
Remus founded the city
-According to the tale,
the twins’ mother was a
Latin woman and their
father was the war god
Mars
-This led Romans to
believe that they had a
divine origin
4
Early Civilization
-Italy was originally occupied by many different
groups of people
-Two main groups were Greek colonists and the
Etruscans
-The Etruscans ruled much of central Italy and
Rome itself
-Ancestors of the Romans, the Latins, settled in the
area that is now Rome around 800 B.C.
5
Politics
- 509 B.C. Rome is Founded
-Romans drove out their Etruscan ruler and
established a republic
- They did not want one person to have all the
power
6
Structure of the Republic
-Patricians= landholding
upper class
-Plebeians= farmers,
merchants, artisans,
traders
-Senate= governing body
-Consuls= two patricians
-Dictator= assigned to be
in charge in the event of a
war for six months
7
Patricians
Plebeians
Patricians vs. Plebeians
-Plebeians have no say
in the government
- Eventually get to elect
their own officials called
Tribunes in 494 B.C.
- For 84 years, (421-337
B.C.) plebeians fought to
have a role in each part
of the government
8
Politics
-Rome grows strong and begins conquering the rest of
Italy
-By 270 B.C., Rome controls most of the Italian peninsula
-Military is made up of citizens
-Rome conquered justly- allowing those conquered to
keep their culture, customs, and government- as long as
they supplied soldiers, paid taxes, and acknowledge
Roman leadership
9
Religion
-Romans were polytheistic-they believed in
many gods and goddesses
-Many of the gods were adapted from the
Greek gods
Greek God
Roman God
Zeus-ruler of all gods
Jupiter-ruler of all gods
Hera-wife of Zeus,
protected marriage
Juno-wife of Jupiter,
protected marriage
Poseidon-god of the sea
Neptune-god of the sea
-Roman calendar is full of feasts and celebrations to
honor the gods and goddesses
-Temples for worship to ask for divine assistance
10
CHRISTIANITY CHALLENGES ROMAN
BELIEFS AND RULE
•ROMAN POWER ARRIVES IN
JUDEA, HOME OF THE JEWS,
AROUND 63 B.C.
•JESUS IS BORN BETWEEN 6
AND 4 B.C.
•ROMANS AND JEWS ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE
TEACHINGS OF JESUS AND
THE CHRISTIANS
•PONTIUS PILATE, ROMAN
GOVERNOR, SENTENCES
JESUS TO BE
CRUCIFIED/DEATH.
11
Social Structures
-A man was the head of the household and his wife
and children did not question his authority
-Over centuries, women received more rights.
These included:
-Owning property
-Running businesses
-All children were taught to learn to read and
write
-Wealthy had private tutors for their children
12
Entertainment
•CIRCUSES
•CHARIOT
RACES
•GLADIATORS
•COLOSSEUM
13
HOW DOES THE SEATING OF THE
COLOSSEUM REFLECT ROMAN SOCIAL
STRUCTURE?
14
Economics
-Conquests brought much wealth to Rome
-Wealthy families bought huge estates called
latifundia.
-Romans forced the people they conquered to work
as slaves on the latifundia
-Slave labor hurt the small farmers because it cost
them more to produce food, and the price was
driven down by the immense quantities coming into
Rome
-Farmers fell into debt, sold their land, and moved
to the city looking for work
-gap between rich and poor widens=riots and chaos
15
The Gracchus Brothers
-Tiberius and Gaius
Gracchus were patricians
who were elected tribunes
16
•The brothers worked to
get the state to distribute
the land to the poor
farmers
•They also worked to get
the state to buy grain to
feed the poor
•Senate felt they were a
threat to its power, and
hired thugs to kill the
brothers and their followers
Republic to Empire
-Civil wars break out to decide who should hold
power. The senate wanted to keep the status quo;
political leaders wanted to weaken the senate and
enact reforms
-Slave uprisings throughout the republic
-Armies became loyal to their commanders
because they gave them benefits such as captured
land
17
The Punic Wars
-Carthage had an empire
throughout the Mediterranean
-Rome fought Carthage in
three wars from 264 B.C. to
146 B.C. (118 years!)
-By the Third Punic War, Rome
had completely destroyed
Carthage and gained all of
Carthage’s territory
18
JULIUS CAESAR, 100-44 B.C.
•TRIUMVIRATE
•ABSOLUTE
RULER
•IDES OF MARCH,
MARCH 15, 44
B.C.
•
19
“Et tu, Brute?”
OCTAVIAN=AUGUSTUS
•SECOND
TRIUMVIRATE
•AUGUSTUS=
“EXALTED ONE”
•PAX ROMANA=
“ROMAN PEACE”
20
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
ROMAN EMPERORS, 37 A.D. TO 180
GOOD EMPERORS
BAD EMPERORS
•MARCUS AURELIUS

•
161-180, ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, DEFEATED
INVADERS, WROTE PHILOSOPHY.
•ANTONINUS PIUS
•
DOMITIAN


138-161, PERIOD OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
NERO

•HADRIAN
•
117-138, UNIFICATION, REORGANIZATION OF
THE BUREAUCRACY.
•TRAJAN
•
98-117, LARGEST EMPIRE, BUILDING
PROGRAM, MORE SOCIAL WELFARE
•NERVA
•
21
96-98, BEGAN CUSTOM OF ADOPTING HEIR

81-96, DICTATOR, FEARED TREASON WAS
EVERYWHERE-EXCUTED MANY, ASSASSINATED.
54-68, GOOD ADMINISTRATOR BUT VICIOUS,
MURDERED MANY, PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS,
COMMITTED SUICIDE, MENTALLY DISTURBED.
CALIGULA

37-41, MENTALLY DISTURBED, ASSASSINATED
AFTER SHORT REIGN.
FALL OF ROME
•SPLIT
•
DIOCLETIAN AND
CONSTANTINE
•DISLOYALTY
•OUT SIDE
THREATS
•COLLAPSE OF
ECONOMY
22
“It is the end of the
world…Words fail me. My
sobs break in…The city
which took captive the
whole world has itself
been captured.”
-St. Jerome