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Ancient Rome
Rome – “The Eternal City”
Founding of Rome goes back to the
very early days of civilization.
 It is so old, it is today known as 'the
eternal city'.
 Romans believed that their city was
founded around 753 BC where the city
of Rome, Italy is today.

Romulus and Remus
Twin sons of the war
god, Mars
 Abandoned at birth,
brought up by a wolf
 Decided to build a great
city, fought over what to
name it
 Romulus killed Remus in
the argument, named the
new city Rome.

http://www.mrdowling.com/702-romulus.html
Romulus and Remus
Click picture for video of Romulus and Remus
Roman Government
Early Rome was governed by kings – only 7
 Patricians were the noble families of Rome. In
509 BC, a group of patricians expelled the
Etruscan king, Tarquin the Proud, and said
that Rome would be a republic.
 Romans took power over their own city and
ruled themselves.
 Had a council known as the 'senate' which
ruled over them. From this point on one
speaks of the 'Roman Republic'.

The “REPUBLIC”
Rome was too big to be ruled by a direct
democracy like Ancient Greece. (Remember
how all the male “citizens” voted directly.)
 In a republic, the people elect representatives
to carry out their wishes in government. (like
we do today)
 The Roman republic last 500 years. In that
time, Rome grew from a small city-state into
a world power.
 Women, slaves, and poor people could not
vote.
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Classes of People
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Rome had four classes of people.
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Lowest class was slaves-owned by other people
and had no rights at all.
Next class was plebeians- free people, but they had
little say at all.
Second highest class was the equestrians
(sometimes called 'knights'). They were given a
horse to ride if they were called to fight for Rome. To
be an equestrian, you had to be rich.
Highest class was the nobles of Rome. They were
called 'patricians'. The power in Rome lay with them.
The Roman Senate
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A senate was eventually formed in the
republic
A senate was a group of 300 particians
(wealthy men) who debated and made
decisions concerning the empire
Each year senate chose two consuls
(officials) who administered the laws that had
been passed
In 451 B.C., the 1st set of written laws were
developed by Rome. They were carved on 12
stone tablets
These laws led to the constitutional
government that we have today
Becoming an Empire
In the 1st century BC, the army generals
became very powerful. They continued
to capture more and more land.
 They also fought over who should have
the final say.
 Generals were replaced by one man- an
emperor.

Expansion of Roman Republic

Interactive Map
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was divided into
provinces
 Each province was ruled by a governor
who collected taxes and protected the
land.
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The Empire
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The most obvious achievement of the
Romans was their vast empire, which
spread over three continents
Lasted from 625 BC to AD 476 =
1101 years
In comparison the United States of
America has only existed since 1776 - less
than 250 years
CONQUERING AN EMPIRE
Roman army was divided into small
groups called legions
 Legions were usually made up of about
6,000 men
 Because of their size, legions were fast
and easy to move
 Duty of army to protect frontiers

The Roman Army
achieved world fame with their
incredible army - basically defeated
everybody
 Roman Legion was perhaps the most
powerful army ever
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equipped with the same basic weapons:
shields, spears and swords
 Best trained, equipped, and organized in
the world
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Video
Newly conquered lands
When the Romans conquered new
lands (at first)……..
 Local customs and religion were NOT
changed
 Their governments remained the same

First Punic War
By 265BC, the army was big enough to defeat
anyone it faced. Rome stopped making citizens of
the people it conquered. Newly conquered lands
became provinces of the Republic.
 The Romans fought three wars against Carthage,
a city on the north coast of Africa. The first war
was fought over Sicily which was richer than any
other land in the area and a perfect target for the
Roman army.
 The Romans won and forced Carthage to give up
Sicily.
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Second Punic War
Rome attacked Carthage a second time, but a
young general named Hannibal nearly captured
Rome. The Romans expected Carthage to attack
from the sea, but Hannibal led his army over
the Alps while riding elephants.
 Hannibal’s army might have defeated the
Romans, but Hannibal returned home when
Roman soldiers invaded Africa.
 The Roman army defeated Hannibal and won
the war.

Hannibal
Commander in chief of the Carthaginian
Armies. Called himself the eternal
enemy of Rome.
 Fought against Rome for 50 years.
 Committed suicide instead of being
captured by Rome.
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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Expansion_of_Rome,_2nd_century_BC.gif
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By 100 BC Rome controlled almost every
land that bordered the Mediterranean Sea,
which they called "Mare Nostrum" - Our Sea.
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The Roman Empire reached to its greatest
boundaries about 150 AD. At its largest point, the
Roman Empire ruled from Northern Africa to the
British Isles!!!!!
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/m
ap19rm.htm
One reason for the success of the Roman
Empire was the constant work on the
Infrastructure.
 Roads, cities, aqueducts, government
buildings were almost always improved.
 Aqueducts carried water to cities. Much of
this was learned from the Etruscans who
had ruled the Romans for many years.
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Roman Empire at a glance
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The Romans copied their art,
architecture, writing and government
from the Ancient Greeks
Language
The ancient Romans spoke Latin. It was
spread throughout the Empire.
 Most could read and write.
 In new locations, it transformed into
French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese,
English, etc.
 Always wrote in capital letters.
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Architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome
The Great Builders
Perhaps more than any other civilization
the Romans are famed for their
incredible constructions - copied the
Greeks
 They invented the first amphitheaters.
The most famous being the Colosseum.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Colosseum_in_Rome,_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg
Colosseum
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kolosseumbannen.jpg
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Over 50,000 people could attend
Floor would be laid in wood, to cover hallways
underneath
Click on picture to learn about the Colosseum
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Vespasian, emperor from 69 to 79 AD,
commissioned the building of the
Colosseum – took 10 years to build. He
died and his son completed the project.
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Considered the most magnificent
amphitheater in the world.
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Venue for gladiator games and animal
fights, not races.
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The arena could even be flooded for
purpose-built ships to enact naval battles
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Gladiators
dressed up to resemble barbarians of
cultures overtaken
 the fights were a celebration of Rome's
empire
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Fight until death
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Crowd would decide if live/die with a
thumbs up or down.
Winner might gain freedom
 Gruesome spectacles
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Crucified man with bears
 Unarmed Christians with lions
 Sea battles – hundreds die
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Free to watch
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history
/ancient/romans/launch_gms
_gladiator.shtml
Spartacus
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Many conquered people were sold as slaves.
Spartacus became a gladiator.
Spartacus led a revolt against the Romans.
Spartacus built an army of thousands of slaves.
40,000 soldiers were sent to defeat the slaves.
Spartacus was killed in battle, but six thousand of
his soldiers were taken prisoner and crucified.
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/circusmaximus.htm
Circus Maximus
Chariot racing
 Public adored the top drivers - movie stars
 Chariots built purely for speed, as light as
possible, and were drawn by horses
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http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Ben-Hur/gallery/BENHURMOVIE06
http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Ben-Hur/gallery/BENHURMOVIE01
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(1959_film)
Show movie clips from Ben Hur.
Great Leaders
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Between 37 AD and 476 AD (439 yrs)
over 70 emperors ruled Rome
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(approx. 1 every 6 yrs., instability in govt.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rimini083.jpg
Julius Caesar
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Rome's most famous citizen
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He was a Roman politician and general
who, without having any orders to do
so, conquered the vast territory of the
Gauls to the north of his province in
France.
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In the year 49 BC Caesar conquered
Rome which he then ruled as a dictator.
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His military campaigns also took him to Egypt
where he met the Cleopatra.
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His life was ended as he was infamously
murdered in the senate in Rome. His enemies
thought he was becoming too powerful.
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The great English poet Shakespeare wrote a
famous play called Julius Caesar about his
famous murder.
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So famous and respected was Caesar that a
month of the year is still named after him and
his heirs today, July (after Julius Caesar).
Mark Antony
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Julius Caesar's chief lieutenant
ruled with Caesar's stepson (grandnephew)
and heir to the throne Octavian for over 10
years
Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, the queen
of Egypt.
Both Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide
The Pax Romana soon followed.
http://www.mrdowling.com/702-cleopatra.html
Cleopatra
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- descendent of Alexander
the Great, not Egyptian
- became queen of Egypt at
17
- married younger brother to
gain throne, then poisoned
him
- mistress of Caesar until
his death
- goes with Antony and
Octavian gets mad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt
- Marc Antony kills
himself after a loss
to Octavian,
Cleopatra then uses
an asp to kill herself
according to many
writings.
Augustus (Octavian)
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Rome's first emperor.
single most important
figure in Roman history
He also added many
territories to the empire.
Christianity began under
his rule
Caesar’s nephew and
adopted son
Pax Romana
The years 27 BC to 180 AD were the
period of "Pax Romana", or "Roman
Peace."
 There was peace and order throughout
the empire during these 200+ years.
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Caligula
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Madman who killed many people
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Appointed his favorite horse senator.
Nero
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He was insane!
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He murdered his mother
and his wife
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Threw thousands of
Christians to the lions
Trajan
He was a great conqueror.
 Under his rule the empire reached its
greatest extent.
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Hadrian
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Built 'Hadrian's Wall' in the north of
Britain to shield the area from the
barbarians.
Judaism and the spread of
Christianity
Polytheism
The belief in more than one god.
 The Ancient Greeks and Romans were
polytheistic.
 The rise of Christianity changed this.
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Roman gods and goddesses
Romans believed in deities like the
Greeks. They often had different names
for them. Some stayed the same.
(Apollo)
 http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academi
cs/education/projects/webunits/greecer
ome/Romerelig2.html
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Monotheism
What does the prefix mono mean?
 Mono means one.
 So monotheism means……….
 The belief in one god
 Most of today’s cultures are
monotheistic
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Christianity was founded in Palestine (a Roman
province) based on the teachings of Jesus.
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The New Testament of the Bible tells of his life
and teachings.
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Christianity gained believers during the 1st
century AD with the help of apostles and the
Christian Church grew.
 Jesus was feared by the Romans; they thought
he encouraged political turmoil.
 Jesus was put to death by crucifixion around 33
AD on order from Pontius Pilate the Roman
Governor of Judea.
Persecution of Christians
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Persecution means to make someone suffer
for their beliefs.
Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire
Christians worshiped in secret
Many were caught and tortured and executed
Christians were thrown to the lions by Nero
who blamed them for the Great Fire of Rome
Transformation to Christianity
300 years after death of Jesus...
 Constantine the Great said he had had a sign from
the god of the Christians in a dream before he had
an important battle which he won
 Showed his gratitude by turning his entire empire
over to this new religion
 So successful was Constantine at this conversion that
the Roman empire remained Christian forever.
 Countries of the western world are largely Christian
today because of Constantine.

Constantine
Nicknamed ‘the Great’
 He was the first Christian
emperor
 He united the empire
again
 Chose his capital to be the
Byzantium, which he
renamed Constantinople.

http://www.american.edu/dgolash/slide6.htm
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Finally, 400 AD (approximately) marks
the "official end" of the united Roman
Empire.
When the
Roman
Empire was
at its "peak" it
controlled
most of the
“known
world” to
Western
Civilization.
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Eventually, the
Roman Empire fell
apart. This
happened over a
period of time
longer than 200
years involving
several factors
Fall of Rome
Roman empire was overrun by millions of
barbarians from the north and east of
Europe.
 Their armies were designed to defeat other
armies, not entire groups of people flooding
toward them.
 The collapse was complete when Rome itself
was conquered by the Visigoths in the year
AD 476.
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Reasons for the decline of
Ancient Rome
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Corrupt government
Civil War
Famine (not enough food)
Disease
Barbarians attacked villages
MMX=
Influences Today...
The Roman alphabet is what most of us
still use today in the western world
 Roman numerals are still sometimes
used on buildings/statues
 Latin – language used by Romans
influenced French, Italian, Portuguese,
Romanian, and Spanish languages
 Type of government- Republic
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