Download Greeks and Romans

Period 2, Section 2
I.
The Emergence of Rome
A. In 509 B.C. the Romans
established a republic.
In a republic the leader is not
a king and certain citizens had
the right to vote.
B.
Enemies surrounded Rome,
and so the young republic
began a long period of
continuous warfare.
By 267 B.C., Rome had
defeated the Greeks and
controlled almost all of Italy.
C.
Rome faced a strong power in
the Mediterranean –
Carthage, which was founded
on the coast of North Africa.
Carthage had a large trading
empire in the western
Mediterranean.
D.
The Romans fought three
wars with Carthage.
Carthage’s greatest general,
Hannibal, almost brought
Rome to disaster.
After creating new armies and
a navy, the Romans destroyed
Carthage in 146 B.C.
Rome now controlled the
Mediterranean Sea.
II.
The Roman State
A. Early Rome was divided in
two groups, the patrician and
the plebeians.
Patricians were large
landowners.
Plebeians were craftsmen,
merchants, and small farmers.
B.
The patricians and plebeians
were both Roman citizens and
could vote.
Only patricians could be
elected to public office.
C.
There was often conflict
between the patricians and
the plebeians.
The plebeians wanted political
and social equality.
A popular assembly called the
council of plebs was created
to protect the rights of the
plebeians.
D.
By 287 B.C., all male Roman
citizens were supposedly
equal under the law.
However, a few wealthy
patrician and plebeian
families formed a new
senatorial ruling class that
came to dominate political
office.
III.
From Republic to Empire
A. In Rome the Senate became
the real governing body.
Rival groups within the
Senate fought for power
causing disorder.
B.
Between 82 and 31 B.C.,
various individuals including
Julius Caesar competed
for power
After Caesar’s assassination
by Brutus, Caesar’s
grandnephew Octavian took
control of the Roman world.
C.
The Senate admired Octavian
and awarded him the title of
Augustus (“the revered one”).
Augustus controlled the army and
thus had great power.
The Senate gave Augustus the
title imperator (commander in chief).
Augustus became the first
emperor of the Roman Empire.
IV.
Roman Law
A. One of Rome’s most
important contributions to
society was its system of law.
Rome’s first code of law was
the Twelve Tables
B.
As Rome expanded and
special rules were needed, a
body of law was developed
known as the Law of Nations.
The principles are still
recognized today:
1. innocent until proven
guilty
2. accused people have the
right to defend oneself
V.
Slavery in the Roman Empire
A. No one relied on slavery as
much as the Romans.
As Rome conquered the
Mediterranean area, large
numbers of war captives were
brought to Italy as slaves.
B.
Some slaves revolted. The
most famous slave revolt in
Italy was led by the gladiator
Spartacus.
Seventy thousand slaves
joined Spartacus and they
defeated several Roman
armies before being defeated.
Spartacus was killed and
thousands of his followers
were crucified.
VI.
Daily Life in the City of Rome
A. Rome had the largest
population of any city in the
empire.
While the rich lived in
comfortable villas, the poor
lived in apartments called
insulaes.
B.
Grand public spectacles
entertained the people.
Emperors often combined
these spectacles as part of
religious festivals.
The festivals featured horse
and chariot races at the Circus
Maximus, and the very
popular gladiatorial shows.
VI.
Roman Culture
A. Latin literature’s high point
was during the Age of
Augustus.
The most distinguished
Roman poet was Virgil, who
wrote his epic poem Aeneid in
honor of Augustus.
B.
The Romans developed a
taste for Greek art.
Greek statues adorned their
cities and homes.
Reproductions became popular.
C.
The practical-minded Romans
excelled in architecture.
The Romans continued to use
Greek style buildings, but also
created new forms based on
curved lines such as domes
and arches.