Download Ancient Rome & the Rise of Christianity (509 BC – 476 BC)

Ancient Rome & the Rise of
Christianity
(509 BC – 476 AD)
Chapter 6: pages 126-151
Parallel Events
(Greece vs. Rome)
Ancient Greek Events
490-479 BC: Persian Wars
460 BC: Golden Age of
Pericles in Athens
431 BC: Peloponnesian
Wars
399 BC: Socrates put to
death
331 BC: Alexander the
Great conquers Persian
Empire: Hellenistic Age
133 BC: end of Greek
dominance in Med. world
Ancient Rome Events
509 BC: Rome sets up a
Republic
450 BC: 12 Tables of Law
396 BC: Etruscan
civilization in decline
270 BC: Rome controls
most of Italian peninsula
264-146 BC: Punic Wars
vs. Carthage
133 BC: Roman power
extends from Spain to
Egypt
Section 1: The Roman World
Takes Shape
Geography and People of Italy
Rome began as a small city-state (Palatine hill)
located in the center of the Italian peninsula
Apennine mountains run the length of Italy
Less rugged than Greek mountains
Italy much easier to unify --- no isolated citystates
Most Romans settled in the west
Fertile plains in the north below the Alps
Early Roman People
Latins: early ancestors of the Romans & descendants of
Aeneas, the hero who fled Troy after the Trojan War
Herders and farmers: settled along the Tiber River along
the 7 hills
Etruscans: dominant group who ruled central and
northern Italy – economy based on agriculture, trade and
piracy
Came from Asia Minor (Lydia according to Herodotus)
due to a famine on NE Greek island of Lemnos
Called themselves Tyrrhenians in honor of their king
Tyrrhenus
Romans borrowed Etruscan alphabet (borrowed from
the Phoenicians), arch and worshipped similar
gods/goddesses
Etruscan Origins
1828 AD: a plowman and
his oxen crashed through a
buried stone roof of a tomb
Knowledge of the
Etruscan way of life comes
from their death
Kept the ashes of their
dead in urns & also began
to bury corpses in
underground chambers
Loved games: chariot
races, wrestling, boxing,
discus, dice, handball,
marbles & knucklebones
(used sheep and goat
vertebrae)
Other Early Inhabitants
Greeks: settled in southern Italy/Sicily in 750 BC
Phoenicians: came from Eastern Mediterranean city of
Tyre (modern day Lebanon) and settled in southern Italy,
Sicily and Carthage
great trading & naval power
The Phoenicians often traded by means of a galley, a manpowered sailing vessel. They were the first civilization to
create the bireme.
The Purple People!
Greek word for Phoenician (phoinikes) = color purple or
crimson (red-purple), through its close association with the
famous dye Tyrian purple, used in the textile industry.
Tyrian Purple
Purpura dye in Mexico!
Spiny Dye-Murex – species of sea snail
The Roman Republic
Latins drove out Etruscan
rulers around 509/510 BC
Set up a Republic: Govt.
of the people
Senate (Latin Senex =
elder, old man): most
powerful governing body
made up of 300
patricians; served for life
Patricians: landholding
upper class
Senate members varied
from 100 – 300 – 900 – 600
throughout Rome’s history
Roman Senate continued!
2 consuls elected from the patrician class
(Comitia centuriata) led the Senate.
Consuls job was to consult with the Senate,
supervise business of the govt. and command the
armies
Consuls served 1 year term/43 yrs. old/could serve 2
terms but not back-to-back/could veto each other
In times of war/crisis: Consuls appointed a
dictator to rule for 6 months; many were military
commanders
Dictator: ruler with complete control over the
government
Plebeians Demand Equality
Plebeians: Commoners such as farmers, merchants, artisans,
traders; made up majority of the population
Made efforts to gain power
456 BC: 3 patricians sent to Athens to study the laws of Solon
450 BC: 12 Tables of Law (Appius Claudius) set up in the
Forum --- made it possible for plebeians to appeal decision of
a judge
12 Tables of Law
http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html
Later gained right to elect tribunes (10): Roman plebeian
officials who protected the interests of the plebeians
Tribunes could veto (block) laws that weren’t in the interest of
the common people. They could veto the consuls! They could
not veto military decisions! An assault on a tribune was a capital
offense!
Roman Society
Family: basic unit of
society - patriarchal
Male head of
household (usually
father) had absolute
power
Enforced discipline
Demanded respect
Women: played larger
role than most Greek
women
Could run businesses,
attend baths, theater and
public entertainment –
supported arts and public
festivals (similar to the
rights of Spartan women!)
Most worked at home,
however!
Education
Girls and boys learned to read and write
Wealthy Romans hired private tutors (from
Greece) to supervise education of
children
Rhetoric was important subject for boys
who wanted to pursue political success
www.crystalinks.com/romeducation.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/famil
ies.shtml
Religion
Gods/goddesses resembled Greek and Etruscan
deities
Statues and temples built throughout Rome
Festivals honored the deities
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/worlds_intert
wined/etruscan/religion.shtml
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/roman/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/names.html
Expansion in Italy
Roman legion: military unit of 5,000-6,000 men
Centuries = 60-100 men; 2 centuries = 1 maniple; 3
maniples = 1 cohort; 10 cohorts (5,000-6,000 men) +
300 cavalry = 1 LEGION
Romans built upon the Greek phalanx & made it
more flexible.
Citizen-soldiers fought without pay at first
Values of loyalty, courage & respect for authority
= strong soldiers
Later years --- soldiers were paid a stipend in salt
(from Latin phrase salarium argentum = salt money)
---where we get the word salary
270 BC: Rome controlled most of Italian peninsula
Rome & Provinces
Loyalty of conquered territories (in Italy)
occurred because of the following:
Enemies treated with some justice --- could keep
most customs, monetary system, govt., etc.
Also: partial and/or full citizenship awarded
Conquered territories (outside Italy) owed:
Tribute/Payment (3 prizes of war): Grain,
slaves, treasure
Had to acknowledge Roman leadership
Had to supply soldiers for the Roman armies
Roman Roads
Roman armies built a
network of roads to link
distant territories to
Rome.
Trade and travel increased
but was slow and difficult
(word travel related to
travail or “torture”)
www.teachingideas.co.uk/
history/romanrd.htm