Download Page A (Section I): Early Rome and the Republic

Chapter 6: Ancient Rome




(This is from Wikipedia)
Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient
Rome grew from a small town on central Italy's
Tiber River into an empire that at its peak
encompassed most of continental Europe,
Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa
and the Mediterranean islands.
Among the many legacies of Roman dominance
are the widespread use of the Romance
languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese
and Romanian) derived from Latin, the modern
Western alphabet and calendar and the
emergence of Christianity as a major world
religion.
After 450 years as a republic, Rome became an
empire in the wake of Julius Caesar's rise and
fall in the first century B.C. The long and
triumphant reign of its first emperor, Augustus,
began a golden age of peace and prosperity.
By contrast, the empire's decline and fall by the
fifth century A.D. was one of the most dramatic
implosions in the history of human civilization.
Section I: Early Rome and The Republic
(Pages 124-131)


This section is about:
How the geography of
Italy influenced
Roman civilization.
The growth of the
Roman republic and
the reasons for its
decline.




Let’s start by looking at
“Active Reading” and
“Predict” on the top of page
126.
And, at the same time, let’s
look at the main ideas of
Section I.
One good reading skill
(during reading) is to
compare what you are
reading to something else.
Comparing Rome to another
place (China): what may
happen in the history of
Rome - What’s your
teacher thinking about?
The Dynastic Cycle?
Can it happen in places besides China?
The Land and
Geography of Italy




At the height of it’s
power, Rome (the
“heart” of Italy),
controlled most of Europe,
Northern Africa, western
Asia, and the Balkans.
Italy is a 700 mile by 100
mile long “boot.” It’s
“toe” is Sicily.
The Mountains and the
Tiber and Arno Rivers are
important to Italy.
……..
Climate / Agriculture
Cold
Warmer/Wetter
Fertile Land
(grapes and olives)
Good Soil
Colder/Dryer
Lots of Water
(Good for Trade)
Semi-Tropical
According to legend…
Romulus and Remus (twin brothers) founded Rome



They had a big fight
(near the Tiber
River), and Romulus
killed Remus.
Romulus named the
new city after himself
and became the first
king.
The first Romans
were probably
farmers and herders
(their people were
called Latins).
The Latins weren’t the only group living there.





The Etruscans lived in central Italy
(with a written language and skilled
architects, builders and artists).
The Greeks were also in southern
Sicily and southern Italy (the Romans
liked the Greeks and tried to adopt
some of their culture).
When Rome started as a civilization,
it had seven different kings.
Romulus (founder of the city), Numa
Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus
Martius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius
Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus.
– you don’t need to know about any
of them (although it is a little
interesting if you want to look on
your own).
The last of the 7 kings was evil
(took people’s property / had enemies executed, etc…)




When the people revolted
against him, they set up a
republic (this is when
voters choose people to
represent them).
Sound like a country
you’re familiar with?
But – we have a
constitution – the
Romans did not.
Let’s quickly look on
page 128 – in your
textbook (on the top left).

Each year 2 people were elected
to be “Head of State.”



Consuls were the most important
magistrates (government officials)
– who held one year terms.


The senate had the most power

These consuls proposed laws and
led the army – and they had to
agree (one could veto the other).
Other magistrates: praetors
(judges), aediles (marketplace
controllers), questors (financial
officers), and censors (counted
people every 5 years).
They discussed issues and made
decisions. The first senators were
called patricians.
None of this was written down in
a “constitution” – it was just
accepted.
All these people were elected





The tribal assembly was
controlled by the plebeians
(common people).
Eventually, the assembly won
the right to elect their own
officials – called tribunes.
Tribunes could veto any
government action.
The patricians ran the
government, but plebeians
made up most of the countries
people and army.
Easy – huh? (maybe not)
Since they had some
disagreements, they decided
to come up with the Twelve
Tables (Rome’s first book of
laws).
Roman Society





Patricians and Plebeians were
free.
Rome had many slaves (who’s
masters had the power of life
and death – or even to give
them their freedom).
Women: did not have the
same rights as men, but it got
better for them. By the end of
the republic, they could own
property and take part in
government decision making.
Families: oldest male made
most important decisions and
kept the family together.
Religion borrowed much from
the Greeks, but 3 main gods.
Expanding Rome’s Control



By 265 BC, Rome
ruled most of the
Italian peninsula.
But Carthage was
just south of them –
so you know what
happened…..
There were three
wars between Rome
and Carthage (The
Punic Wars).
The Punic Wars




1 – fought for control of
Sicily (Romans won).
2 – Carthage’s general
(Hannibal) tried to invade
Rome and later, Rome
tried to take over
Carthage (Rome won, but
didn’t get Carthage).
3 – Rome destroyed
Carthage and enslaved all
survivors (Rome wins the
Punic Wars).
So, Rome also continued
on and conquered Greece
and ended up ruling the
entire Mediterranean
region (next slide).
All these conquests made Rome wealthy.




It also caused Rome
to get a big difference
between the rich and
the poor.
Romans made many
captured people into
slaves. They
eventually had more
slaves than citizens.
So workers would lose
jobs to people who’d
work for free.
This caused a lot of
tensions and unrest in
Rome.
Google Earth / Ancient Rome
But…