Download Classical and Imperial Rome

By: Mark A. Gonzalez & Susan Pojer
Bradenton Christian School
Bradenton, Florida
The Geography of Rome
Italy in 750 BC
Influence of the Etruscans
 Writing-never been deciphered
 Religion
 The Arch
The Mythical Founding of Rome:
Romulus & Remus
According to legend,
their mother was Rhea Silvia conceived the
twins by the god Mars. Once the twins were
born, they were abandoned to die in the
Tiber river. They were saved by a series of
miraculous interventions: the river carried
them to safety, a she-wolf found and suckled
them, and a woodpecker fed them. A
shepherd and his wife found them and
fostered them to manhood as simple
shepherds. The twins, still ignorant of their
true origins, proved to be natural leaders.
Each acquired many followers. When they
discovered the truth of their birth and chose
to found a new city. In a power struggle,
Romulus eventually killed Remus and the
city was named “Rome” somewhere
between 753-728 BC.
Republican Government
2 Consuls
(Rulers of Rome)
Senate
(Representative body for patricians-land
owning noblemen)
General Assembly
(Representative body for plebeians (90%
of pop.)-all other free men)
More stable than Greek direct democracy
Structure of our US Govt modeled on this
Roman Republic model
The Twelve Tables of Rome, 450
BC
 Providing political and social
rights for the plebeians.
 Codified law similar to Hammurabi’s
 Innocent until proven guilty
 Eventually applied to all conquered
areas
 Established “Rule of
Law” in Rome
• est. the lawyer
profession-Cicero-the
First great lawyer
The Roman Forum
Rome’s Early Road Systembuilt by the Roman army
Roman Roads:
The Appian Way
Roman Aqueducts
The Roman Colosseum
The Colosseum Interior and
the the hypogeum below
The Punic Wars Rome vs.
Carthaginian Empire
Hannibal’s Route (218-201 BC)
•Rome’s conflicts w/ the Carthaginians-Punic wars
•Hannibal destroyed many towns and villages almost
conquered Rome
•Romans eventually burned Carthage to the ground--Rome became the only power in the
Mediterranean
Reforms after the Punic Wars
 Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
•
the poor should be given grain
and small plots of free land.
Military Reformer
 Gaius Marius
•
recruited an army from the poor
and homeless.
•
professional standing army.
Collapse of the Republic
•Large influx of slaves-not enough jobs for
poor Romans (plebians) on the
farms moved to cities
•Led to overcrowding in the cities
•Roman currency became devalued high
inflation
•Political Leaders fought amongst
themselves—power of the Senate weakened
•Power transferred to the Consul of 3 menalso called the 1st Triumvirate
The First Triumvirate
1. Julius Caesar
2. Marcus Crassus
3. Gaius Pompey
Collapse of the Republic:
Senate v. Caesar’s
followers
Julius Caesar
Pompey
Crossing the Rubicon River,
49 BC-a point of no
return….Julius Caesar
symbolically began the
Roman Empire
“The Die is Cast!”
Crossing the Rubicon River
“Beware the Ides of March!”warned a seer
44 BC-Julius Assassinated!
The Second Triumvirate
1. Octavian Augustus
2. Marc Antony
3. Marcus Lepidus
Octavian Augustus:
Rome’s First Emperor
Also known as Caesar
Augustus
The emperor at the time of
Jesus’ birth
•Rome—the capital of
Western world
•Est. rule of law, common
coinage, civil service and
secure travel for
merchants
•Pax Romana (Roman
Peace)-220 years of
stability
•Conquered peoples could
maintain cultural identity
The First Roman
Dynasty
Pax Romana: 27 BC –180 AD
The Greatest Extent of the Roman
Empire – 14 AD
The Rise of Christianity
St. Paul:
Christian Apostle to the Gentiles
•Gospel spread by Paul
and Jesus’ disciples
•Grace through faith
and salvation open to
all who believe
attracted many
especially the poor
and women
•2nd major
monotheistic religion
•Spread throughout
the entire empire by
the 3rd century
The Spread of Christianity
Imperial Roman Road System-allowed
for the easy spread of the gospel
Nero and the Great Persecution
•Romans saw the
new religion as a
threat to its
paganism and power
•Emperor Nero
began to persecute
Christians
•Open killings in
Rome’s Colosseum
•Failed to stop the
spread of the gospel
Nero and the Great Persecution
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN
ASIA
The Empire in Crisis:
rd
3
c
The Empire in Crisis:
rd
3
c
2 Major Reasons for
Collapse of the Roman
Empire:
1. Internal-bad leaders,
too big of an empire to
manage
2. External- the Huns,
Vandals and invasion of
the Germanic tribes
Emp. Diocletian divided the
empire to introduce
economic reforms
Co-emperor w/ Constantine
for a while
Diocletian Splits the
Empire in Two: 294 CE
Constantine: 312 – 337 AD
•Rose to power 306 AD
as co-emperor, full
control of the east by
322
• set up full control of
the empire at
Constantinople
•Christianity as the
official religion of the
empire---try to unify
(Edict of Milan, 391
AD
Constantinople: “The 2nd
Rome” (Founded in 330)
Interregional Trade
Networks
Roman to Asia Trade
• Routes overland converged at
Constantinople
• Sea routes to Indian Ocean
• From central Asia-stirrups, rice,
citrus, silk and spices from Asia,
gold from Africa
Barbarian Invasions: 4c-5c
Attila the Hun:
“The Scourge of God”
•Led the nomadic Huns-from China to Germany
•Both Romans and Germanic tribes resisted him
•Attacked Rome
•His victory showed the superiority of horsemen
in warfare- the Greeks , Romans and Germanic
tribes preferred infantry
The Center of Power shifts
to Byzantium:
The Eastern Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire
During the Reign of Justinian
The Byzantine Emperor
Justinian
The Legacy of Rome
 Republic Government—US
Constitution
 Roman Law
 Latin Language
 Roman Catholic Church
 City Planning
 Roman Military Tactics still used
 Romanesque Architectural Style
 Roman Engineering
• Aqueducts
• Sewage systems
• Dams
• Cement
• Arch