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Legacy of the
Ancient Romans
Roman Empire (350 B.C.E – 476 C.E.)
Had a profound impact on the political, cultural
& religious movement which was a key foundation for
Western Civilization
• Importance:
Timeline
700 B.C.E.
1 C.E.
2009 C.E.
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BCE = before common era
Romans Establish 1st Republic
Rome was a small city-state ruling only a 10 mile area!
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500 B.C.E
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509 – 31 BCE
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Rome is declared a Republic
a combination of democracy and oligarchy
Patricians and Plebeians social classes participate but not equally
Roman Republic 3 Phases
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The gradual extension of rights to ordinary people
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The astonishing territorial expansion throughout the
Mediterranean world
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The political decline and collapse into monarchy in the first
century before Christ
Roman Republic Origin Reading
USA:
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Roman Written Law
•
Developed the 12 Tables: a system of written
laws that applied to ALL people throughout the empire
451 B.C.E.
• Highlights of Written law:
– Based on reason & justice
– Designed to “protect” citizens and their property
– A Person was considered innocent until proven guilty
Term Set Review
• Got importance?
Socrates
469-399 B.C.E.
Expansion of Roman Empire
Reading
The Roman Conquests
341-31 B.C.E.
• The Romans built an empire not based solely on military
supremacy
• They used skillful diplomacy to establish networks of alliances
– Built loyal “new citizens” (not bitter conquered people)
– Offered Republic Gov’t, legal system, religious freedom, written
language, advanced culture
• They created a system of strong military colonies
– Romans sent to live & protect each new area from invasion
Growth of the Roman Empire
The Birth of New Religions
Polytheism
multiple Gods
Monotheism
1 God
Judaism
Christianity
Reading:
Religious Persecution
Scapegoat
Emperor Constantine
Ruled Rome 337-340 CE
Christianity
Emperor Constantine
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojq-XmobDKw
Ruled Rome 337-340 CE
The 10 Commandments
• 1200 BCE:
Code of both religious & social behavior
– Provided a moral code for living…
.
Judeo-Christian Thought
• Greco-Roman thought initially spread in the Roman Empire
• Judaism & Christianity created a new line of “thought”
– It focused on morality/ethics more than political law
• The expansion of those monotheistic religions produced a new
line of thought called Judeo-Christian
– It included a code of social behavior
– It would greatly influence U.S. democracy and written law
Reading:
Greco-Roman Thought vs. Judeo-Christian Thought
Greco-Roman
Thought
Judeo-Christian
Thought
Roman Empire Legacy
Established Republic Gov’t
Embraced Written Law
Adopted Christianity
Had written language (Latin)
Expanded Greco-Roman & JudeoChristian thought throughout empire
Rome Empire collapses in 476 CE
Middle Ages follow rule of Rome: 500-1200 CE
Why did Rome Collapse?
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Size of empire (too big)
Increasing attacks by barbarians
Corrupt emperors
Plague
Gap between wealthy & poor
The rise of Christianity