Download 7th Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome
Geography
• The Italian Peninsula shares much of its
weather with Greece
– Warm, dry summers and wet, cool winters
• Italy is a peninsula, like Greece.
– It is surrounded by water from the East, West and
South
– The North is blocked by a large mountain range
called the Alps
Geography
Geography
• Italy is divided in half by a mountain range
that runs Northwest to Southeast called the
Apennine Mountains
Geography
• The area on the West side of the Mountains is
known as the Latium Plain.
– Large hilly area fed by the Tiber River and streams
from the mountains
– Fertile ground, very easy to grow crops of all kinds
Geography
• Because the largest civilization in Italy sprung
up on the Latium Plain, they and their
language were called Latin
Foundation of Rome
• The Legend: Area once ruled by a powerful
kingdom called Alba Longa
– King killed by his evil brother, Queen went into
exile, gave birth to two sons Romulus and Remus
– Brother Amulius, discovered the brothers and had
them thrown into the Tiber River to die
– Gods intervened, and the children floated to
safety where they were raised by a she-wolf
The Legend
• Found by shepherds, the two boys grew up and
became powerful
– Decided to found a city, and waited for an omen as to
where to build it
• Omen is a sign from heaven
– Romulus saw six vultures rise above the river where
they were found
• Romulus and Remus quarreled about the meaning of the
signs, and Romulus killed Remus in the argument
• Went on to found a named after himself where he saw the
birds
The Actual founding
• A tribe of ancient Latins chose Rome as the
site for their city
– Area offered several advantages
• Rome surrounded by Seven Hills, made it easy to
defend
• Situated on the Tiber River which flowed into the Sea,
giving access to trade and fishing
• Surrounded by good farm land
Romans and the Greeks
• Between 750-600BCE settlers from Greece
established about 50 colonies along the coast
of Southern Italy and the Island of Sicily
– Known as Magna Graecia or Greater Greece
– Early Romans learned about Greek society and
began copying much of it
Roman Gods
• Roman gods were essentially copies of the
Greek gods with different names
– Zeus became Jupiter
– Aries became Mars
– Aphrodite became Venus
– Chronos became Saturn
– Hermes became Mercury
Structure of government
• Early Romans ruled by hereditary kings
– Advised by a Senate made up of twenty people
– Senate included the heads of the most rich and
powerful families in Rome
Roman religion and government
• To maintain control of religion, Rome
established office of Pontifex Maximus, or
head priest
– In charge or major sacrifices
– Was an elected office in which people served on a
temporary basis
The Etruscans
• Around 575BCE, a tribe known as the
Etruscans moved into Northern Italy
– Believed to have come from Asia Minor
• Their legends claim they were refugees fleeing the
destruction of Troy
• Etruscans merged with the Romans, and
Etruscan kings ruled Rome for six decades
The Etruscans
• Etruscans familiar with the Greeks
– Brought a written language similar to Greek,
which they adapted to fit Latin
– Knew advanced building techniques
• Turned Rome from a village of straw-roofed huts into a
city with stone buildings and paved roads
Buildings of the Etruscans
• The Circus Maximus: large racing track in the
center of the city. Rome hosted large chariot
races for the entertainment of the people. At
over 2,000 feet long, it was the largest
stadium in the ancient world.
Circus Maximus Then and Now
Buildings of the Etruscans
• Temple of Jupiter
– Built after the Romans defeated the Sabines
– Erected on the top of the Capitoline, the highest
Hill around Rome
– Contained a massive golden statue of Jupiter
Buildings of the Etruscans
• The Cloaca Maxima
– Large stone sewer system
– Highly advanced, parts are still in use today
– Carried fresh water around the city, and took
polluted water out to the sea
– Made Rome one of the cleanest cities in the
ancient world
Cloaca Maxima
The Forum
• The Etruscan Kings drained the swampy area
below the Palatine Hill and built a large public
meeting place
– Meant to be an imitation of the Agora in Athens
– Became the center of all Roman life
– Held stalls for shops, meeting hall of the Senate
and law courts
Roman Forum
End of the Kings
• Last king of Rome was Lucius Superbus
– Son attacks the daughter of a nobleman named
Lucretia
– Father does not punish the son
– People so outraged that they rise up and
overthrow the King
– Replace the King with the Rule of the Senate
Roman Republic
• The term Republic comes from two Latin
words Res Publica which means the Affairs of
the People
• Society was divided into three major classes
Classes in Society
• Patricians: Powerful, noble families
– Owned large areas of land and had mansions
within the city
– Controlled households of hundreds of people
including slaves, farmers, bodyguards and scribes
– Only Patricians could serve in the Senate
• One could be adopted into a Patrician family, but this
was extremely rare
Classes in Society
• The Plebians: Plebians were considered citizens but
originally had little power
• In 494BCE, the Plebians, sick of being mistreated,
began leaving the city
– Patricians granted them more power, fearing that the
empty city would be impossible to defend
• Plebians gained the right to vote for members of
Senate, could also elect two Consuls, which fulfilled the
old role of King
– Could hold minor offices in the government
– Managed to outlaw debt slavery
• Selling oneself into slavery to pay a debt
Classes in Society
• Slaves: Slaves had no rights in society and
generally did the lowest levels of work
– Unlike Greeks, Romans had no Academies,
Patricians preferred having educated slaves teach
their children
– Slaves captured in combat were often forced to
fight each other as gladiators for the amusement
of the Roman people
Roman Society
• Romans valued strength, and bravery above
all
• Roman families were ruled by the Pater
Familias, the head of the family
– Usually the oldest man in the family
– He had complete control over the family’s wealth
and could distribute it as he pleased
• Roman politicians valued what they called
Gravitas, or seriousness and dignity
Roman Government
• Roman government known as SPQR which
stood for Senatus Populosque Romanus, or
The Senate and People of Rome
• Symbol of Rome was the Fasces, a bundle of
reeds to symbolize peace and prosperity and
an axe head to represent war
– Armies bearing the Fasces were supposed to
remove it when entering the city to prove they
came in peace
The Fasces
Roman Government
• Consul: Served in place of kings. Two consuls
elected for only one year
– No one person could be consul for more than 10
years
– One consul could always override the decisions of
another, known as a Veto (Latin for “I forbid”)
Roman Government
• Senate expanded to 100 members.
– Made laws for the City and advised the Consuls on
matters of war
– Senate membership was for life, once they were
chosen to be on it
– Initially all Patricians, but by the end a few
powerful Plebians had joined
The Assemblies
• Below the Senate were local governments
known as the Assemblies of Tribes
– Roman citizens organized into 35 tribes that
handles local law
Other offices
• The Censors: 2 censors were elected to run
the census and collect taxes
– Could add or purge Roman citizens
• Praetors: Acted as judges, interpreted law and
decided on civil cases
Roman Government
• Dictator
– In times of crisis, the Senate could name a single
ruler to control the government
– This man would have absolute power, until the
crisis passed
– Most famous dictator was Cincinnatus
• A former soldier, he was taken off his farm to save the
city. Once he had beaten back the enemy, he returned
to his plow
Cincinnatus
Roman Law
• Roman Law during the Republic was kept on
the Twelve Tables
– These were tablets engraved with the law
– Displayed in the Forum
– Each table dealt with a different subject such as
criminal law, religious law, or civil law
Roman Philosophers
• Upon conquering Greece, the Romans
adopted most of the Greek schools of
philosophy and opened their own academies
• Purely Roman philosophers generally rejected
the ideas of gods or the afterlife
– Philosophy was based on the idea that this life
was all that counted
Stoicism
• Originally created by Zeno of Citium during
the Hellenistic Period
– Believed that the most important part of a human
being was his/her will to affect change
– Held that virtue was sufficient for a good life
• Most famous proponent was Emperor Marcus
Aurelius wrote a book called “Meditations”
– Argued that humans should not worry about
stress or minor problems because soon we would
all be dead and forgotten
Epicurianism
• Created by Epicuris
• Held that pleasure and new experiences were
the primary pursuit of mankind
– Also known as hedonism
– “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you will
die”
Early Trials
• 390BCE: A tribe of warriors from Gaul (the
area now known as France) led by the
Cheiftan Brennus attack Rome
– They sack the city:
• Destroying a city through burning, looting and murder
– The surviving Romans are forced to pay a massive
tribute to convince the Gauls to leave
– Romans ensure that their city is never attacked
again
Brennus
Pyrrhic Wars
• Rome begins expanding southward rapidly,
defeating tribes and taking territory
• Greeks in the South fear that the Romans will
soon attack them, demand that they pull back
• Romans refuse, so Greeks send their best
general Pyrrhus to defeat them
Pyrrhic Wars
• Pyrrhus wins every battle he fights against the
Romans
– However, he takes terrible losses with each fight
– Eventually he is forced to retreat back to Greece
– Rome conquers all of Italy after Pyrrhus leaves
Punic Wars
• Rome faced direct competition from a
powerful kingdom across the Mediterranean
Sea, known as Carthage or Punis.
– Fought three long, bloody wars for control of the
Area
1st Punic War
• 264 BCE: Rome and Carthage began fighting
over Sicily, the Island at the tip of Italy
– Rome had a better army, but Carthage a better
navy, with faster ships
– Rome solved this problem using a Corvus, an
extendable hooked bridge that allowed their
soldiers to board Carthage’s ships
• With destruction of navy, Carthage was forced
to admit defeat and surrender Sicily
Corvus
Second Punic War
• 229 BCE: Carthage allied itself with the Gauls
and prepared to invade Italy
– While the Gauls kept the Roman army distracted,
brilliant Carthaginian General Hannibal led his
entire army, including his elephants across the
Alps
2nd Punic War
• Hannibal crushed every Italian army sent
against him, and even threatened Rome itself
• Rome saved by Scipio Africanus, who invaded
Carthage instead of fight for Rome
– Hannibal forced to retreat to save his city
– Scipio defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama,
Carthage forced to surrender, losing most of its
Empire to Rome
3rd Punic War
• 149BCE: Tired of paying tribute to Rome,
Carthage rebelled and attempted to regain its
Empire
– Rome attacked, burned the city of Carthage to the
ground and sold all its citizens into slavery
– Carthage was permanently ended as a world
power
Rome rapidly expands
• After defeating Carthage, Rome began
conquering Gaul and Northern Africa
– Used a professional army of legionnaires
• Could field thousands of very skilled soldiers
• Used conquered lands as a form of wealth, granting it
to soldiers and taking slaves
• Those who showed loyalty to Rome could even become
citizens, and Rome ensured that all citizens were
treated equally
Slave Rebellion
• As the number of slaves increased, many poor
farmers were put out of work
– Efforts to help the poor were blocked by wealthy
Senators who owned most of the slaves
– In 73BCE a gladiator named Spartacus led a
rebellion of 100,000 slaves that nearly destroyed
the city
– Eventually, Spartacus and his allies were captured
and 6,000 of them were crucified
– Led to reduction in number of slaves kept in Rome
Slave Rebellion
Julius Caesar
Rise of Julius Caesar
• By 50BCE, Roman army had swelled with the
ranks of poor seeking employment
– Wealthy generals paid soldiers from their own
fortunes, made soldiers loyal to generals as
opposed to the Republic
• Gaius Julius Caesar was born into an ancient
noble, but poor family
– Joined the army at age of 16, won the Civic Crown,
Rome’s highest honor for a soldier
Rise of Julius Caesar
• Rose through the military and politics,
eventually elected Pontifex Maximus
– Used his position to spread his influence and
power
• Returned to the military in 60BCE, formed a
secret alliance to rule Rome
– Joined with the two wealthiest men in the city,
Crassus and Pompey
– Known as the Triumvirate (literally the three men)
Death of Crassus
• Crassus leads men to Parthia in Syria to
capture it
– Arrogant but inept military leader, repeatedly
leads his men into Parthian ambushes
– Is captured by Parthians, beheaded, and his head
covered in molten gold and sent back to Rome
• Pompey and Caesar rush to acquire his wealth
Julius Caesar
• Now one of the wealthiest men in Rome,
Julius Caesar was elected Consul in 59BCE
– Took command of Roman troops and conquered
Northern Gaul and Britain
• Became extremely popular in Rome and with his men
• Pompey become worried that Caesar was
becoming too wealthy and powerful
– Manipulates the Senate into ordering Caesar to
disband his troops and return to Rome
Julius Caesar
• Believing that he would be killed if he
returned to Rome unarmed, Caesar marches
his army into Rome, starting a civil war
• Pompey flees the city to Egypt and then
Greece
• Caesar conquers Egypt with the help of
Cleopatra, who has her younger brother
assassinated, and has a brief affair with Caesar
Cleopatra
Dictatorship
• Caesar has himself declared Dictator until he
ends the “emergency”
– After being cornered in Greece, Pompey commits
suicide in 45BCE
• Caesar establishes a new constitution and
declares himself “Dictator for Life”
Caesar’s Brief Rule
• Rebuilds a new, larger forum
– Called the Forum of Caesar (naturally)
• Reforms the calendar
– Adds three new months to make it more in-line
with the seasons
• Including Junius (named for his wife) and July (named
after him)
– Moves from a lunar to a solar calendar
– Creates a leap-year day in the month of Febrarius
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Assassination
• Senators see their power greatly diminished in
Caesar’s reforms, plot to kill him before he can
become a King
– Plot lead by Marcus Junius Brutus, one of Caesar’s
close friends
– On the Ides of March (March 15) Caesar enters
the Senate and is stabbed by a mob of Senators
Aftermath
• Touches off a long series of civil wars, first
between the Caesari (Caesar’s family and
supporters) and the Senate Loyalists, and then
between the Caesari themselves as to who
will claim Julius’ place