Download Ancient Rome - King High School

Ancient Rome
The Roman Republic
509-27 BC
Roman Geography
Latin speaking tribes
settle on banks of
Tiber river in the 1st
half of 8th century BC
Centrally located on
Italian peninsula
Apennine Mts do not
present barrier to
travel.
Pre-republic 753-509
Etruscan influence
Ruled area north of Rome
Romans adopted many Etruscan customs
Togas, Fasces, Alphabet (from Greeks)
Also Etruscan Architecture such as the vault
and arch
Rome became a true city under Etruscan rule
Political development
Overthrew Etruscans In 509 BC
Established Republic
Primary governing body was the Senate
Senate originated as advisory council of leading
Aristocrats of Rome – Patricians
Initially only Patricians could serve
Didn’t make laws, only counseled and
advise – later had force of law
Politcal continued
Senate elected two Consuls to be executive
magistrates for one year terms
Selected from the Senate
Could not serve as consul again for ten years
Consul’s duties
Military leaders most of the time
Responsible for day to day governing of Rome
Each consul had Veto
Each was immune from prosecution while in
office
Political cont.
In an emergency a dictator was elected for a six
month term
Dictators had absolute authority
Usually led armies against enemies
Lictors – assistants to the consuls, carried fasces
As Rome grew , other offices were created to
assist consuls
Questars – treasury officials and prosecuters
Censors – determined citizenship, public morals,
who could sit in Senate.
Aediles – adminstered state festivals, supervised
markets
Roman Law
Roman constitution developed over time
Praetors – assistants to consuls
Administered Justice and Interpreted law,
established body of law over time
Ius civile – laws that governed Roman
citizens
Ius Gentium – laws that governed
relationships of Romans and Foriegners
Roman law cont.
Stoic idea of natural law eventually
dominates Roman jurisprudence
Equity also becomes guiding principle
Practicality is overall principle of Roman
Law throughout
Roman law eventually becomes foundation
for all western law
Plebian political gains
Plebian council established – 471 BC
Represented plebian issues
Laws passed applied to all Romans in 287
Office of Tribune created – 445 BC
Tribunes protect plebian rights in Senate
Had Veto
Eventually became as powerful as Consuls
Roman Society
Struggle of the Orders
Patricians – landed aristocracy
Initially had all political power
Could serve in Senate for life
Plebians – the rest of Rome’s citizens
Were protected as Roman citizens but had no
political power
Goal was to achieve political equality
Struggle cont.
First gains made in 494 because plebians
refused to fight in army
Lex Canuleia – 445 BC – allowed plebians
and patrcians to marry
Twelve tables published laws for all to see
Licinian-Sextian laws in 367 BC gave
plebians the right to be consuls and serve in
Senate eventually one consul had to be
plebian
Struggle cont.
Lex Hortensia – 287 – laws from Plebium
council apply to all Romans – patrician and
plebian
All citizens considered Equal under law
All citizens could aspire to any office
Roman values
Paterfamilias – eldest dominate male ruled
Women had few rights outside of household
Very strong family life
Roman religion was adopted from the Greeks
through the Etruscans
Very ritual and ceremony based- most festivals to gods
were legal requirements
As Rome expanded many Romans adopted
Hellenistic philosophies
Romans retained practical attitude toward life.
Rome’s Economy
Primarily Agricultural - mostly small
farmers
As Rome grows commerce becomes
important
Develops minor metal industry and large
ceramic industry
Local craftsman dominate trades
Expansion of Rome
Italian Peninsula
Conquest of Italy
Rome never adopted systematic plan of conquest
They used diplomacy as much as military force
Gained valuable allies by extending various
degrees of citizenship to neighbors.
Adopted local customs and laws as well
Built a permanent loyal core of citizenship in Central
Italy
Dominated most of Italian peninsula by 282 at the
end of the Samnite wars
Pyrrhic War
Rome’s expansion alarmed Greeks in
southern Italy
Tarantum initiates war against Rome in 282
Gets help from King Pyrrhus of Epirus
Rome’s legions are defeated in first two
battles – but Roman tenacity and manpower
eventually overcome Pyrrhus and Tarantum
and drove the Greeks from Italy in 275 BC
Mediterranean prior to Punic Wars
Punic Wars
Once Greeks leave Southern Italy, Sicily becomes
a strategic location.
Carthaginians expanding northward
Romans fear Carthaginian Domination of Sicily
Carthage – founded by Phoenicians in 9th century
BC – had dominated western Mediterranean
Negotiations for division of Sicily breakdown
Fighting breaks out over Messana – 1st Punic War
begins in 264
1st Punic War
Rome does not fare well initially because it has no
navy – Carthaginians are seafaring people.
Roman army captures Carthaginian ship
Rome builds fleet but it is lost in a gale, build
another and lost it also to a storm.
Eventually are able to engage Carthaginian fleet
on their own terms and inflict 6 defeats out of 7
battles at sea. War lasts for 23 years
Allows Rome to control sea around Sicily
Carthage eventually gives up and Rome gets Sicily
Med prior to 2nd Punic War
2nd Punic War
Many Carthaginians bitter over defeat
Romans claim Corsica and Sardinia in violation
of treaty with Carthage
Hamilcar Barca leads Carthaginian
expansion into Spain as way to restore
Cathaginian power
Makes son Hannibal swear to hate Rome.
Rome and Carthage agree to divide Spain at
Ebro river
2nd Punic cont.
 Hannibal attacks Rome in 221 BC
Attacks Roman city in Spain
 Roman assume war will be fought in Spain
 Hannibal surprises Rome by invading Italy in
218
 Hannibal achieves stunning series of victories
culminating with the Battle of Cannae
 Roman cities protected by walls that Hannibal
cannot breach.
 Hannibal looks for allies in Greece – Antigonid
dynasty in Macedonia
2nd Punic cont.
Hannibal hampered by lack of support from
Carthage – Rome controls sea.
Romans finally defeat Hannibal by sending
Scipio Africanus to Carthage to draw
Hannibal out of Italy
Hannibal defeated at Battle of Zama outside
of Carthage in 202 BC
Rome gains Spain and most of N. Africa
Carthage forced into very Harsh peace.
2nd Punic War Map
3rd Punic War
In 146 BC Rome destroys Carthage over a
supposed treaty violation.
Rome gained tremendous amounts of
territory as a result of Punic Wars
Rome After Punic Wars
Economic restructuring of the Republic
Punic wars had displaced many small
farmers
Rich land owners formed latifundia or
large farms worked by slaves.
Increased the number of propertyless,
urban proletariate.
Conquest of Greece
Following end of 2nd Punic war Rome turns its
attention to Macedonia
Following 3 attempts to establish a client state in
Macedonia Rome annexs all of Greece as a
Roman Province
King of Pergammon gives his kingdom to Rome
in his will
Seleucid monarchy loses Asia Minor and Palestine
to Rome after declaring war on Rome.
By 133 Rome controls all of Med except for Egypt
Call it Mare Nostrum
Conquest of Gaul
Julius Ceasar leads legions into Gaul in 59
BC
10 years of campaigning results in
thousands of dead
By 45 Caesar had subdued all of the tribes
with defeat of Vercingetorix
The Late Republic
The Gracchi
Reforms of the Gracchus brothers.
Tiberius Gracchus - nobile in the Senate. –
appealled to the Plebian Assembly.
passed through land reform
was assassinated by rivals
Gaius Gracchus – continued and expanded his
brothers work.
killed when Senate declared martial law
against him.
Civil Wars
Competition between various powerful men
Mismanaged wars and discontent of Latin
tribes result in almost a century of Civil
Wars
Social wars – Latin tribes demand and get
citizenship.
Marius and Sulla
Marius and the new Roman Army.
elected Consul to fight a war in Africa.
Recruited Army from urban proletariat.
Used Senate connections to get promises
of land for Veterans in his Army.
Army swears loyalty to Marius.
Marius retires in 104
Sulla is elected consul and goes to put down a
rebellion by Rome’s Itallian provences.
Marius doesn’t like and returns to politics gets
Plebian Assembly to declare him in command.
Sulla marches on Rome with his Army and
chases Marius out.
Sulla leaves to fight another war with his Army
and Marius Returns with another Arny and kills
all of Sulla’s supporters
Rise of Julius Caesar
Caesar's early Life
Caesar goes into Exile
Caesar in Spain
Caesar joins 1st triumverate
Caesar conquers Gaul
Caesar marches on Rome – crosses the
Rubicon
Civil war and the death of the
Republic
Caesar pursues opponents around
Mediterranean - catches Pompey in Egypt
Meets Cleopatra
Is made Dictator for Life
Is Assassinated in 44 BC
Several years of civil war end in 27 BC with
Octavian achieving victory