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ANCIENT ROME
THE RISE OF ROME
• The Land and the Sea
– A. Crossroads of the Mediterranean
• 1. Italy has an almost subtropical climate
• 2. the Appenine Mountains help protect the
Italians from invasion at the same time as they
encouraged them to look west for expansion and
trade
• 3. Latium and Campania are two of Italy’s most
fertile areas.
• 4. The Romans built their city on seven hills,
including the Palatine, along the Tiber River.
The Etruscans and Rome (750 – 509 BCE)
• A. The Etruscans
– 1. The Etruscans played a
major role in Italian life.
– 2. They engaged in active
trading relationships with
the wider Mediterranean
world.
– 3. Their society developed
cities much like Greek citystates.
– 4. Ruled as kings
– 5. Gave Rome city wall,
alphabet, 1st sewer
system, Roman Forum
• B. The Romans
– 1. According to legend, Romulus and Remus
founded Rome in 753 BCE and from then until the
rape of Lucretia in 509 BCE the Romans lived
under Etruscan control
– 2. Tarquin the Proud-Last Etruscan King
– 3. The Romans embraced many Etruscan customs
509 BCE: Roman Forms a
Republic
The Roman Conquest of Italy (509 – 290 BCE)
A. Over the following two centuries the Romans
carried out the conquest of Rome
• B. Between 390 and 290 BCE the Romans
consolidated their gains and reorganized their
army
• C. The Romans gave their Latin allies
considerable local autonomy and, for some, the
possibility of full Roman citizenship
The Roman State
• A. Social Conflict in Rome
– 1. The Roman constitution was
an ever changing mix of
traditional beliefs, customs, and
laws.
– 2. In the early republic, social
divisions determined the shape
of politics
• a. Political power was in the hands
of wealthy landowners called
patricians
• b. The common people were called
the plebeians.
• 3. The most important political institution was
called the Senate.
• 4. The republic also had several assemblies
that elected magistrates and passed legislation.
• 5. In 471 BCE, the plebeians won the right to
their own assembly, the concilium plebis
• 6. Contact with foreigners led to the
development of a theory of “natural law”, law that
• applied to all societies.
• 7. The Struggle of the Orders was the attempt
by the plebeians to win political representation
and to protect their rights from patrician
domination.
• 8. Rome’s need for plebeian
soldiers led to early reforms
• 9. The lex Canuleia made it
legal for patricians and
plebeians to marry
• 10. The Law of the Twelve
Tables (451 BCE) was codified
as a result of plebeian
agitation. Gave all free citizen
the protection to law. Written
down!
• 11. The struggle ended in 287
BCE with the passage of the
lex Hortensia
• B. Roman Republic:
– 1- Executive: 2 Consuls elected by assembly
for one year terms. They are the commander
in chiefs of military and have the power to
veto
– 2. Legislative: Senate of 300, chosen from
aristocracy for life, controls foreign and
financial policies, advises consuls
– 3. Judicial: 8 Judges chosen for one year by
Centuriate Assembly, 2 oversee civil and
criminal cases, 6 govern provinces
– 4. In time of crisis, the republic could appoint
a DICTATOR: a leader who had absolute
power to make laws and command army.
Only for 6 months, chosen by consuls and
elected by senate.
Roman Expansion
• A. The Roman conquest of the Mediterranean
world was not the result of a long-term plan for
world domination, but the result of Roman efforts
to eliminate all perceived threats to their society.
• B. The struggle with Carthage for Sicily resulted
in the First Punic War
• C. During the Second Punic War
Carthage expanded its power into
Spain.
– 1. Carthage’s greatest general,
Hannibal, lead an army all the way to
the gates of Rome.
– 2. He was ultimately defeated by the
Roman general Scipio Africanus.
• D. The Third Punic War ended
with the destruction of Carthage
itself.
• E. At the same time as the Punic
wars, Roman armies conquered
much of the eastern
Mediterranean.
Old Values and Greek Culture
• A. Political disturbances in the last
centuries of the Republic stemmed
from the acquisition of empire.
• B. Many people responded to the
events of the second century BCE
by reasserting traditional Roman
values - example Cato the Elder,
Roman Consul 195 BCE.
• C. The paterfamilias (highest
ranking male) was the most
powerful force in the Roman family
in the traditional scheme of things.
• D. Religion played a
significant role in Roman
life.
• E. On the other hand,
many people embraced
Greek urban culture.
• F. Roman military
victories brought the
bounty of the East back
to Rome.
• G. Hellenism had a
great impact on Roman
art, literature, and leisure
activities.
The Late Republic (133-31 BCE)
• A. Factional politics and civil wars resulted
from Rome’s acquisition of empire.
• B. Rome’s Italian allies sought full citizenship.
• C. A growing number of urban poor led to
further problems for the Roman state.
• D. The Gracchi Brothers sought land reform for
the Roman poor and full citizenship for Rome’s
Italian allies.
• E. The Social War resulted from the agitation of
the Italian allies for full Roman citizenship
• F. The reforms of powerful leaders such as
Marius and Sulla, the first general to march his
army inside the walls of Rome, had dangerous
implications for the republican constitution.
• G. Political leaders such as Marius, Sulla,
Pompey, and Julius Caesar acquired enormous
power.
• H. Powerful generals jeopardized republican
government.
•
i. Military turned disloyal as Rome expand.
Soldiers began to fight for their generals more
than Rome.
JULIUS CAESAR (60-44 BCE)
• A. His team= Crassus
(wealthy) and Pompey
(general)
• B. 59 BCE: Elected Consul:
for next 10 years these 3
men DOMINATED Rome
as a triumvirate. To remain
in power after 1 year, he
appointed himself governor
of Gaul. A military genius,
he conquered all of Gaul
winning support of his men.
• C. Caesar gains popularity,
Pompey gets jealous,
becomes his rival! Pompey
gets senate to orders
Caesar to disband and come
home in 50 BCE
• D. Jan. 10, 49 BCE: Caesar
defies Senate and crosses
Rubicon River into Italy and
marches army towards
Rome. Pompey flees!
Caesar’s troops crushed
Pompey’s troops in Greece,
Asia, Spain & Egypt (while
there, had a little affair with
Cleopatra)!
• E. 46 BCE: Caesar returns to Rome with
support of army and people.
• Senate appoints him DICTATOR! 44 BCE:
named dictator for life
• F. CAESAR’S REFORMS
• -absolute ruler
• -granted citizenship to many in
provinces
• -expanded Senate
• -Created jobs for poor
(Construction)
• -Created colonies for the landless
• -increases soldier’s pay
• -improved calendar
• -pressed for “honest” government
• -planned founding of public libraries
• -gave free grain to extreme poor
• G. ASSASSINATION
• -Senators feared a loss of their influence,
considered him a tyrant
• -group of Senators led by Marcus Brutus
and Gaius Cassius plotted assassination
• -IDES OF MARCH: March, 15, 44 BCE:
stabbed to death in Senate Chamber
OCTAVIAN, MARC ANTONY and LEPIDUS
• A. The 2nd Triumvirate: Lepidus retires.
Octavian and Antony becomes rivals, split
empire West and East respectively.
• B. Rome was plagued by civil war in the
last century of the republic.
• C. Order was restored by Caesar’s
grandnephew Octavian (later Augustus) in
31 BCE.
• D. Octavian defeated his rival, Marc
Antony, at the Battle of Actium, a naval
battle, in 31 BCE
THE PAX ROMANA (27 BCE-180 CE)
Augustus’ Settlement (31BCE – 14 CE)
• A. The Principate and the Restored Republic
– 1. Octavian used the guise of restoring the Republic.
– 2. In reality, Octavian created a constitutional
monarchy.
– 3. He called himself princeps civitatis (“first citizen of
the state”).
– 4. Octavian assumed most of the important civil and
religious offices of Rome.
– 5. Much of his power resided in his role as
commander of the army.
– B. Augustus’s Administration of the Provinces
• 1. Augustus encouraged local self-government
and respect for local customs.
• 2. He also fostered the cult of Roma, goddess of
Rome, and of himself deified (in the East). This
served as cultural “glue” for the Empire.
– C. Roman Expansion into Northern and Western
Europe
• 1. Rome expanded into northwest Europe (Spain, Gaul,
Britain, and western Germany).
• 2. Rome also expanded north from the Mediterranean to
the Danube.
• 3. Roads and military settlements brought Roman culture
to newly conquered provinces.
– 4. Local peoples adopted Roman culture
because it was “flexible and convenient” and
because it was necessary for upward mobility
in the Empire.
– 5. The city of Lyon exemplified a Roman
provincial city, with its amphitheater and other
Roman buildings.
– D. Literary Flowering
• 1. This period is generally referred to as the
Golden Age of Roman Literature.
• 2. This age produced well-known writers such as
Horace, Virgil, Livy, and Ovid.
• 3. Roman writers of the Empire celebrated the
dignity of humanity and the peace and stability of
the Pax Romana
ARCHITECTURE
• A. COLOSSEUM-The Name Colosseum
comes from the Latin word meaning:
GIGANTIC!!
– 1. BUILT: AD 72-82
– 2. Building began under Vespasian, opened by
Titus, and completed by Domitian.
– 3. CAPACITY: 45,000-50,000 people
– 4. MATERIALS: Stone and concrete
– 5. SIZE: 157 Feet high, 620 feet long
– 6. 80 entrances, central arena, elevators and
ramps from the cells and animal cages
– 7. Held events: GLADIATOR FIGHTS!!!
• B. GLADIATORS
– 1. Gladiators were slaves and freemen! Used
for entertainment!
– 2. Emperors put of GAMES to appease their
citizens and to show their power!
– 3. Men and women both were gladiators!
– 4. Fought each other and wild animals: lions,
tigers, elephants, hippos
– 5. Many animal populations were severely
hurt!
• C. PANTHEON
– 1. Built: 118-126 AD by Hadrian
– 2. Roman Temple built to honor gods
– 3. Built as a Roman Temple and later used as
Catholic Church
LANGUAGE AND LATIN
• About ½ of the words in present-day
English come from languages other than
English!
– A. Romance Languages: Languages that
developed from Latin!
•
•
•
•
Romans spoke something called Vulgar Latin
Each area had its owe dialect: version of Latin
These dialects became separate languages
-Such as: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
and Romanian
– B. Germanic Languages:
• 1. Languages that came from Germanic Tribes
– Germanic Languages: English, German, Polish,
Russian, and Scandinavian dialects are just a few!
The Coming of Christianity.
• A. Unrest in Judaea
– 1. The first century witnessed the rise and
spread of Christianity.
– 2. Christianity originated in Judaea under
Roman occupation. The background to
Christ’s life was frequent and sometimes
bloody clashes between Jews and the Roman
occupiers.
– 3. There were two primary responses to
Roman domination among the Jews.
• a) The Zealots (sect of Jews) aimed to expel the
Romans from Judaea by violence and refused to
pay taxes to the Romans.
• b) Other Jews awaited a Messiah who would
destroy the Roman Empire and save the Jews.
• B. The Life and Teachings of Jesus
– 1. Jesus of Nazareth was born in Galilee, a
stronghold of the Zealots.
– 2. The principal evidence for the life and
deeds of Jesus is the four Gospels of the New
Testament.
– 3. More gospels existed in antiquity than are
now included in the New Testament.
– 4. Jesus’ teachings were essentially Jewish.
• C. The Spread of
Christianity
– 1. Paul of Tarsus, a
Hellenized Jew, asserted that
Christianity was universal – for
Gentiles (non-Jews) as well as
Jews.
– 2. Early Christians were not
as systematically persecuted
as once believed.
– 3. Because Christianity
reached Rome, capital of the
known world, early, it spread
rapidly throughout much of the
Empire.
• D. The Appeal of Christianity.
– 1. Christianity appealed to common people
and the poor with its sense of belonging (the
Lord’s Supper), its offer of salvation in the
afterlife, and its insistence on the importance
of every human being in the divine plan.
• E. Death of Jesus
– 1. Jesus’ popularity threaten Roman
and Jewish leaders. Roman governor,
Pontius Pilate accused Jesus of defying
the power of Rome. Jesus sentenced
to death by crucifixion
– 2. After death, his body was placed in a
tomb and according to the Gospels, 3
days later it was gone, and a living
Jesus began appearing and finally
ascended to heaven
– 3. Because of this….Jesus’ followers
were more convinced he was the
messiah (savior)…..They began to call
him JESUS CHRIST. CHRIST comes
from the Greek word Christos meaning
savior, the word Christianity came from
The Julio-Claudians and the Flavians (27 BCE – 96 CE)
• A. Claudius created an efficient bureaucracy of
professional administrators.
• B. The army and the Praetorian Guard assumed
greater power in political affairs and set a
negative precedent in the Roman state.
• C. Nero’s inept rule let to military rebellion and
his death in 68 CE.
• D. Vespasian brutally suppressed rebellion in
Judaea (68 – 70 BCE).
FIRE 64 CE
NERO
The Age of the “Five Good Emperors”
• A. The Antonine Monarchy
– 1. Hadrian further bureaucratized the
government and separated civil from military
service.
• B. Changes in the Army
– 1. Under the Flavian emperors the frontiers
became firmly fixed.
– 2. By Hadrian’s day the Roman army had
become a garrison force and many common
soldiers were “barbarians,” not Romans.
– 3. Hadrian secured Rome’s frontiersHadrian’s Wall
Life in the “Golden Age
A. Imperial Rome
– 1. Rome had a population of between 500,000 and
750,000.
– 2. Supplying the city with cheap grain was a constant
preoccupation of the imperial government.
– 3. The emperor provided entertainment to the city in the
form of gladiatorial contests and chariot racing.
• B. Rome and the Provinces
– 1. Latin was used throughout the empire for
legal and religious purposes.
– 2. A new culture emerged out of the
interactions of the communities that made up
the Roman Empire.
– 3. Cities were centers of interaction between
Romans and the people they ruled.
THE COLLAPSE OF ROME
• Economic Troubles
• A. Hostile tribes outside boundaries and pirates
on Mediterranean Sea disrupted trade!
• B. Reached limit of expansion, could not get
new resources (gold and silver)
• C. Desperate for revenue, taxes are raised and
coins minted not worth their face value
• D. INFLATION: drop of value of $ and increase
in prices
• E. Agriculture: harvest suffer due to overworked
land and war
• F. Food shortages and disease spread.
• Military and Political Turmoil
– Soldiers less disciplined and loyal, fight for
general not Rome.
– Mercenaries: foreign soldiers hired to fight,
had less loyalty to empire
– Citizen loyalty drops, indifference emerges
– Lack of motivated, worthy emperors
• Civil Wars and Invasions in the Third Century
• A. Barbarians on the Frontiers
– 1. Civil war in Rome coincided with massive
migrations of barbarian peoples on their frontiers.
– 2. Migrating peoples took advantage of weakened
Roman defenses.
• B. Turmoil in Farm and village Life
– 1. Imperial officials squeezed peasants hard for
taxes.
Reconstruction Under Diocletian and Constantine (284-337 CE)
• A. Diocletian reorganized the
administration and fixed prices and wages.
– 1. Splits Empire:
• -EAST: Greek Speaking (Greece, Anatolia, Syria,
Egypt)
• - WEST- Latin Speaking (Italy, Gaul, Britain, Spain)
• B. Constantine made tax-collecting positions
into a hereditary class.
• C. Small farms declined as wealthy landlords
reclaimed abandoned land and created great
estates farmed by dependent clients (serfs).
• D. Constantine recognized Christianity as a
legitimate religion.
• E. Constantine also built a new capital, called
Constantinople (on the site of the Greek city of
Byzantium).
• F. Despite reforms, decline could not be
checked.
• G. Last Emperor, Romulus Augustulus
removed 476 CE
• H. Western part of empire falls into the
dark/middle ages. Eastern half becomes
Byzantine Empire.
Romulus Augustulus giving up his crown
From the Classical World to Late Antiquity
(ca 200 – 700 CE).
• A. Late Antiquity was simultaneously a
world of continuity and change.
• B. By 500 CE the Mediterranean had split
between the Greek East and the Latin
West.
• C. Barbarians and educated Romans in
the West needed each other and created a
shared culture.