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The Roman World
Chapter 7 section 1
The Land and Geography
 The geography if Italy had a great deal to do with
the rise of Roman power
 Italy is shaped like a boot stretching out into the
Mediterranean with mountains in the North
 {Italy is protected to the north by the Alps cutting
it off from the rest of Europe}
 There are pathways for people to move through
the Alps creating avenues to get in and out of Italy
 To the East is the Adriatic sea the Mediterranean is
to the West and South
 Not all the geography worked to Rome's
advantage when dealing with outside invasion
 The Mountain passes to the North were small to
get an effective army through but it was done
 It is a Peninsula which meant the only other way
to invade would have been by sea and Italy had a
long coastline
The Founding of Rome
 Sometime before the mid 700 BC a group called
the Latins moved into the west-central Italy
 In the late 600’s they came under the rule of a
Etruscan King
 Under the Etruscans Rome grew into a large
prosperous city
 The city dwellers made jewlrey, clothing, metal
work, and pottery
 They also knew how to drain marshes, pave roads,
and construct sewers
 In time the Etruscans blended with the Roman
population
Greek Influence
 Some Greeks also settled in the ancient city
 Greek colonies in southern Italy became Greek
city-states which became quarrelsome with those
of Greece
 The Greek culture of these colonies influenced the
Roman culture
 Many Roman Gods mirrored Greek gods
 Jupiter had many of the same traits as Zeus
 Many Roman myths were similar to Greek myths
 Rome was located at a crossroads for trade which
is why it flourished
Jupiter
aka
Zeus
Rome's location
 Rome was built on seven hills along the Tiber
river, 15 miles from the coast
 This location protected the city from invasion by
sea
 Rome’s location gave it economic advantages as
well
 The city was located at a shallow part of the Tiber
which made it the easiest place to cross
 This made Rome the center of trade routs for Italy
bringing traders through the city
The Early Roman Republic
 When a group of wealthy land owners overthrew a
Etruscan king they vowed to never rule by
monarchy
 They established a Republic in which voters
elected officials to run the state
 Only adult male citizens could vote and take part in
the government
 There were three important groups of citizens who
helped govern the Republic: The Senate,
Magistrates, and Popular assembly
 {The Senate who controlled the public funds and
decided foreign policy} were the most powerful of
the three governing bodies
Rome’s Senate
Continued
 They also sometimes acted as a court
 In times of emergency the could have a citizen act
as dictator (absolute ruler) for up to six months
 During that time he had complete control over the
army and courts
 Magistrates who made up the second group of
Roman leaders were elected officials
 This group consisted of consuls, praetors, and
censors
 {Consuls or chief executives had veto power in
senate}
 Veto means “I forbid”
Magistrates
 The Division of power was an example of checks
and balances
 Checks and balances prevents any one power of
government from becoming too powerful
 This is where the U.S. got its form of government
 In times of war praetors were elected to help the
consuls
 They commanded armies
 In times of peace they oversaw the Roman legal
system
 Censors appointed candidates to the senate and
oversaw the moral conduct of citizens
Assemblies
 Assemblies also existed in the Roman Republic
 Citizens in these assemblies voted on laws and
elected officials
 Some assemblies voted to make war or peace
while others served as courts
 They elected 10 officials called tribunes who had
power over actions of the senate and other public
officials
 If they thought an action was not in the interest of
the public they would not approve them
Conflict of the Order
 Changes in the Senate stemmed from the attempts
of the common people to win more rights
 Romans were divided into two classes Patricians
and Plebeians
 Patricians were the wealthy land owners who
controlled government
 {Plebeians who made up most of the population in
Rome} were mainly farmers and workers and had
few rights
 Over time they increased their power through
demands and strikes
From the HBO series Rome
Plebeians
 {They Prompted the engraving of the Roman laws
on the Twelve Tables}
 These were placed in the public square for all to
view
 The first Plebeians were appointed to govt. in the
late 400’s BC
 Some eventually became powerful and wealthy
themselves
 Those joined the Patricians to form the Roman
nobility
The Role of the Army
 Every adult male citizen who owned land was
required to serve in the Roman army
 The soldiers enforced the army discipline
themselves, which was very strict
 The major unit of the army was the legion,
consisted of 4 to 6 thousand citizens called
legionnaires
 Later Romans made the auxilia which were units
made up of noncitizens
 Morale amongst the troops was usually high
Roman Legionaries
The Role of Wise Policies
 {The Romans granted the citizens of nearby cities
they had conquered full citizenship in order to gain
loyalty
 They granted partial citizenship to those cities
that were more distant} including those Greek citystates in Italy
 Partial citizens could own land and marry but could
not vote
 They expected conquered people to provide land
for Roman farmers
 This allowed the spread of the Latin language and
Roman law
Review
 What natural barrier protects Italy in the North?
 who controlled the public funds and decided
foreign policy?
 Who are the chief executives had veto power
in senate?
 who made up most of the population in Rome?
 How did the Romans gain loyalty of citizens of
nearby cities?
 Who prompted the engraving of the Roman
laws on the Twelve Tables?
The End?