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ANCIENT ROME
Prepared by Anita Billeter
Palmdale School District
with funding from
Jordan Fundamentals Grant
Keeping History Alive Grant
SEVEN KINGS
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Roman legend says that Rome
was founded in 753B.C. and
Romulus was the first of seven
kings
About 575 B.C. the Etruscans
from the north moved into
Rome and ruled it for the next
66 years.
Under the Etruscan kings, Rome
made rapid progress in the area
of writing and new building
techniques.
The Romans rebelled against
the seventh and last Roman
king, an Etruscan, and never
lived under kings again.
Midpoint of the Mediterranean
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Rome lay near the center of the
peninsula, with Etruscans to the
north and Greek colonies to the
south.
Rome’s location had several
advantages: it was a difficult
place for enemies to attack;
close to the sea, but not too
close; and on an important river
that brought supplies in and
out.
Rome was also within easy
reach of Greece, Spain and the
northern coast of Africa.
Patricians and Plebeians
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With the overthrow of the
last Etruscan king, Romans
adopted the republican
form of government.
Consuls, the leaders in
place of a king, were
elected by a citizen
assembly and advised by
the Senate.
Roman society was made
up of patricians and
plebeians, who were
citizens; and slaves, who
had no rights.
STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS
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In 494 B.C. the plebeians
demanded greater rights by
withdrawing from the city,
forming their own assembly, and
electing their own leaders.
In the 300s B.C., the plebeians
obtained more rights, such as
the right to become members of
the Senate.
In 287 B.C., after more than 200
years of struggle and once more
withdrawing from the city, the
plebeians obtained equality
under Roman law.
ROMAN GOVERNMENT
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The Roman government
and the army were
managed by two consuls,
a patrician and a plebeian.
The consuls were advised
by the Senate, which
controlled the treasury and
foreign policy.
Laws proposed by the
Senate could be approved
or disapproved by the
citizens’ assemblies.
EARLY EXPANSION
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Year after year, the Roman
army marched off to
expand the area under
Roman control.
By 338 B.C. Rome had
conquered Latium and
Etruria, and by 275 B.C.,
Rome ruled the whole
Italian peninsula.
Rome did not punish the
people it conquered, but
instead made them allies.
THE PUNIC WARS
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Rome and Carthage fought
three long wars over
control of the
Mediterranean, called the
Punic Wars.
Hannibal, an important
commander of the
Carthage troops, led an
almost successful invasion
of the Italian peninsula.
Hannibal’s defeat marked
the end of the Carthage
empire.
CONQUEST OF THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
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After defeating Carthage, Rome
conquered Greece and
Macedonia, and by 50 B.C.
controlled the entire area
around the Mediterranean.
Rome was successful because
its people were determined, it
made allies of its conquered
enemies, its army was highly
disciplined and experienced, it
greatly valued military success,
and it used the spoils of war to
build up the treasury.
TROUBLE AT HOME
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Rome’s farms were
destroyed during the
second Punic War, and
farmers could not afford to
rebuild them.
Landless farmers moved to
the city to find work,
creating a large mass of
poor, jobless people.
Slaves—captured in the
many wars– were often
mistreated and sometimes
rebelled.
FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
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Rome’s rapid expansion
caused problems at home
and conflicts broke out
between the rich and poor.
Julius Caesar was an
ambitious general who
challenged the Senate and
caused a civil war.
After three years of civil
war, Caesar won and
declared himself dictator,
ending the Roman
republic.
GREEK INFLUENCE ON ROME
Roman’s studied and
copied Greek statues and
art, and Greek literature
greatly influenced Roman
writers.
► Greek scholars were
brought as slaves to Rome
to teach wealthy Roman
children.
► The Roman’s renamed and
worshipped Greek gods.
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ROMAN GENIUS
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Rome mastered the skills of
military organization, legal
administration, and engineering.
The Roman military was
determined, disciplined, and
able to wage long battles.
Roman engineers built roads
that are still in use, perfected
the arch, invented concrete,
built aqueducts, and developed
surveying.
The Romans developed a legal
system with courts, judges, and
lawyers that has served as the
model for modern-day legal
systems in many parts of the
world.
ESTABLISHING PEACE AND ORDER
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After Caesar was assassinated,
his adopted son, Octavian (later
called Augustus), brought peace
to the empire and became a
popular leader.
Augustus oversaw major
building projects, created a
police force and fire brigade,
and set up a department to
supply food to Roman citizens.
Augustus's reign marked the
beginning of the Pax Romana,
which lasted more than 200
years.
RULING THE EMPIRE
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During the 200 years after
Augustus's death, four
dynasties ruled the Roman
Empire.
Each of the four dynasties
ended with the violent
overthrow of an unpopular
or unfit emperor.
While most Roman
provinces lived in peace
during the Pax Romana,
the Roman army had to
put down rebellions in
Gaul, Britain, and Judea.
UNIFYING THE EMPIRE
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The Roman emperors
encouraged the building of cities
modeled on Rome, which spread
Roman ideas and customs
throughout the empire.
The emperors granted
citizenship to people in the
provinces, giving them certain
rights.
The emperors allowed officials
in provinces to govern their own
cities, and to participate in the
central government of Rome.
THREE SOCIAL CLASSES
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Roman society was divided into
three major classes—the elite,
the “more humble,” and the
slaves—determined by birth and
wealth.
The elite made up less than 2%
of the people, while the “more
humble” included most of the
freemen and women of the
empire.
Slaves may have made up as
much as one third of the people
in the empire, and were
completely at the mercy of their
masters.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL LEVEL
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Social divisions were
clearly defined as seen in
ancient Rome.
Romans could change
social position through the
gain or loss of wealth.
An individual could
improve social position
through gaining wealth,
but this was hard to do.
RICH AND POOR
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Rich Romans lived in
homes with many rooms,
running water, heat, and
servants.
Poorer Romans lived in
dirty and poorlymaintained buildings called
insulae, that had no
running water and little
light.
For the majority of
Romans living in crowded
conditions, fire and crime
were serious problems.
FAMILY LIFE IN THE EMPIRE
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In the later days of the empire,
women gained more power, and
laws prevented fathers from
selling their children or forcing
marriages.
Wealthier families sent their
children and even household
slaves to school until age 15,
after which only boys continued
their education.
Professional people—such as
engineers—learned through
apprenticeships, not formal
education.
BENEFITS OF LIFE IN ROME
► The
Roman
government gave free
wheat, and sometimes
money, to citizens.
► There was a plentiful
supply of water for
drinking, cooking, and
bathing.
► The emperor provided
circuses and games.
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
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The Romans worshipped
many gods, some of which
were state gods, while
others were gods of the
household.
The Roman religion was
based on rituals, especially
the sacrifice of animals.
For the most part, Romans
were tolerant of other
religions in the Empire.
An Agricultural Economy
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Four out of five people in
the Roman Empire worked
on farms.
Roman farmers’ crops
were small and they did
not make significant
profits.
The Roman economy was
primarily concerned with
the basic task of feeding
soldiers and city dwellers.
TRADE IN THE EMPIRE
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The most important trade item
for Romans was grain for
feeding the vast numbers of
people in the Empire.
Mining was the largest industry
in the empire, with building
materials and metals coming
from outside of Rome.
Trade in manufactured goods
was limited, while trade in
luxury goods was the smallest
part of the economy.
THE NEW FAITH
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Romans followed a number of
religions and also allowed a
great deal of freedom to other
religions
Jews and Christians began to
disagree on religious grounds,
and Christianity slowly became a
separate religion.
There are few written historical
accounts of Christianity’s early
history. Much of what we know
comes from the New Testament
part of the Bible.
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
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Jews and Christians shared
the same basic beliefs, but
differed on the idea of the
messiah.
At first Christians
concentrated on trying to
convert other Jews.
After serious debate, the
early Christians decided to
preach Christianity to the
Gentiles.
THE WORK OF PAUL
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Paul, a convert to Christianity,
made three long journeys to
spread Christianity and establish
Christian communities.
Paul’s Roman citizenship, the
good roads, and listeners open
to new ideas helped Paul spread
Christianity in the Greekspeaking world.
While in Rome to stand trial,
Paul preached and taught for
two years before being
executed.
ROME’S EARLY RESPONSE
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At first the Romans paid
little attention to the
Christians.
Some Romans were quite
suspicious of Christians,
and Nero blamed them for
starting a major fire which
destroyed much of Rome.
Although by A.D. 100 there
was a law condemning
admitted Christians to
death, it was seldom
enforced.
THE ATTACK ON CHRISTIANITY
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In A.D. 250 Emperor Decius
ordered the execution of all
Christians who refused to
worship the Roman gods.
Up until A.D. 311, Christians
suffered two more waves of
persecution under two different
emperors.
Roman mobs destroyed
Christian churches and sacred
books. Christians were fired
from jobs, forced to leave the
army, attacked, and killed.
THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
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Emperor Constantine made it
legal for Christians to worship,
gave money to the church, and
became involved with church
decision-making.
Constantine gave Christianity
the support of the Roman
authorities, but also combined
religion and government, and
persecuted Jews.
Christianity gained power as the
Roman Empire was declining.
THE END OF PAX ROMANA
Rome suffered political
turmoil during the years
after A.D. 180; in one 50
year period, 25 emperors
ruled.
► Prices rose, trade was
disrupted, and people
could not afford to pay the
taxes Rome needed to
defend the empire.
► Tribes from the north
overran Rome’s borders.
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THE REIGN OF DIOCLETIAN
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Diocletian introduced a
number of reforms to solve
the problems of the
empire.
Diocletian’s reforms
reorganized and stabilized
the empire, but limited the
freedoms of the Roman
people.
Under Diocletian, the
power of the emperor over
the people became
complete.
THE REIGN OF CONSTANTINE
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Constantine helped
Christianity become the
empire’s main religion.
Constantine completed the
reorganization of the
government, and moved
the capital to
Constantinople.
After Constantine’s death,
by A.D. 400, the empire
had permanently split into
two parts.
BARBARIAN INVASIONS
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Over a period of 300 years,
many barbarian tribes made
their way south into the Roman
Empire.
By the A.D. 200s, the frontier of
the empire was no longer a
clear-cut boundary between
barbarians and the Romans.
Historians use the year A.D.476,
when the last emperor was
forced out of the western part
of the empire, as the fall of
Rome.
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
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While the Roman empire
declined, Christianity grew
stronger.
Some of the barbarian
tribes from the north
converted to Christianity.
Pagan Romans blamed
Rome’s decline on the fact
that Romans had
abandoned their old gods.
THE CAUSES OF THE FALL
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A far-flung empire,
economic decline, and the
growth of a government
which required more and
more of its people were
some of the factors in the
fall of the Roman Empire.
Other factors in the fall
included: decline in the
work force, a lack of
technology, and a greatly
weakened army.
THE ROMAN LEGACY
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Following the fall of the
western Roman Empire,
Europe entered 500 years
of decline called the Early
Middle Ages.
In Europe, Rome’s heritage
in book form was
preserved in monasteries.
In Constantinople, scholars
copied many important
Greek and Roman works,
thereby saving them for
the future.