Download Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

Ancient Rome and Early
Christianity
509 BCE to 476 CE
Italian Peninsula (The “Boot of
Europe”)
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Alps Mountains in
the North.
Apennines running
north to south along
the peninsula.
Tiber and Po Rivers.
Legend of the Foundation of
the Roman Civilization
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Romulus and Remus.
Both thrown into the
Tiber River by their
uncle.
Found by a shewolf and
nursed until they were
found by a sheepherder
and his wife.
Romulus built Rome in
753 BCE.
The way it really
happened.
Foundation of Early Rome
Neolithic Revolution arrives on the
Italian Peninsula around 1000 BCE.
 Between 2000-1000 BCE, there were
groups of Indo-Europeans that settled
on the Italian Peninsula.
 By 900 BCE, one of these groups, the
Etruscans ruled the northern part of the
peninsula.
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Foundations (Con’t)
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The Etruscans brought with them the Greek
alphabet and were able to quickly dominate
the other groups of people that inhabited the
Italian Peninsula.
The Etruscans were skilled artists and
painters. Much of what we know of them
comes from their art.
The Etruscan society was divided up into two
social groups: aristocrats and the lower
class.
Foundations (Con’t)
The Etruscan upper class treated others
as virtual slaves.
 By the 600’s BCE, a family of wealthy
Etruscans called the Tarquins took
control.
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They helped the people of the town of
Rome, which had been built in 753 BCE, to
build with brick, lay out streets, and drain
the swamps that surrounded the city.
They also taught the Romans their religion.
Foundations (Con’t)
With the help of the Tarquins, Rome
became one of the wealthiest cities in
the region.
 However, by 534 BCE, a king named
Tarquin II took control. He was an
extremely cruel leader.
 In 509 BCE, the Romans drove the
Tarquins out of Rome and declared the
new region, res publica or republic.
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Roman Republic
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Under the Etruscan rule, Roman society
had been divided into two groups:
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Patricians - wealthy, landowning aristocrats
Plebeians - wealthy, non-aristocratic
townspeople, merchants, small farmers,
etc..
Both groups had the right to vote, serve in
the military and both paid taxes to the
government. However, only patricians
could hold public office.
Republican Government
The government of the republic was
organized into both executive and
legislative branches.
 At first, the legislative branch consisted
of two branches: the Senate and the
Assembly of Centuries. The Senate
outranked the Assembly of Centuries
and the 300 members served for life.
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Republican Government
(Con’t)
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The executive branch was headed by
two patricians elected by the Senate.
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Consuls
Served one year terms
Veto power
Consuls appointed other government
officials.
Only a dictator could overrule the consuls.
Dictators were only appointed during crisis.
Plebeian Demands of 494
BCE
The plebeians wanted a bigger voice in
the government.
 In 494 BCE, the plebeians refused to
serve in the military until their demands
for representation in the government
was made.
 The patricians agreed to the demands
of the plebeians.
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Plebeian Victories
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As a result of their threatened strike, the
plebeians won the following
concessions from the patricians:
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Representation by tribunes.
Slavery by debts was abolished.
Plebeians and patricians could marry.
The creation of the Twelve Tables. A
written code of Roman laws that were
place din the Forum.
Roman Life
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Religion:
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Roman religion was based on Etruscan
deities and Greek gods and goddesses.
During the 500 years of the Roman
Republic, the Roman actually preserved
much of the Greek culture.
Romans changed the names of the Greek
gods and goddesses to better reflect
Roman ideals.
Roman Life (Con’t)
The real power in the Roman Republic
rests in the hands of the Senate.
 The “backbone of the republic was the
“citizen-farmer” of Rome. These were
the people that manned the Roman
armies and gave Rome the power to
expand.
 The basic unit of Roman society was
the family.
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Roman Life (Con’t)
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The oldest living male member of the family
was the absolute head of the household.
– The oldest male owned all property,
controlled the education of the sons, and
conducted the family’s religion ceremonies.
– The oldest male had the power to sell
family members into slavery or even kill
them.
– Women had few legal rights under the law.
Roman Republic - Expansion
and Crisis
500 - 27 BCE
Roman Republic - Expansion
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From 500 to 300 BCE, the Roman Republic
faced threats from the other groups on the
Italian Peninsula. One by one, the Romans
were able to either conquer or force these
groups to submit to Rome.
The toughest challenge came from the
Greeks that inhabited the southern part of the
peninsula. “Pyrrhic Victory” 275 BCE.
Roman Legions - Might of
Rome
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The strength of Rome
was in its armies or
legions.
Each legion was 6000
men strong.
It was quicker than the
Greek phalanx.
Roman soldiers were
well trained. Deserters
were punished by
death.
Roman Legions (Con’t)
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The ranks of the Roman legions were made
up of the citizen farmers.
Romans would even allow conquered
peoples the opportunity to serve in the
legions.
Romans set up military colonies throughout
the Italian Peninsula to protect key points and
cities. To connect these colonies, the
Romans build roads.
Punic Wars
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In 264 BCE, the city
of Carthage
attempted to seize
the waterway
between Sicily and
the Italian
Peninsula. This
area is called the
Straits of Messina.
Punic Wars (Con’t)
The Roman legions were able to quickly
defeat the Carthaginians on the Island
of Sicily.
 Carthage then attacked Rome with its
powerful navy.
 Rome’s power was in its legions. This
gave Carthage an advantage against
Rome.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
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During the early stages of the war, a
Carthaginian warship was beached during a
storm. The Romans captured it and made
copies.
It allowed the Romans to use its superior
legions on the seas and Carthage was
defeated in 241 BCE.
Rome required Carthage to pay an indemnity
for the damages.
Punic Wars (Con’t)
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In 221 BCE, a
Carthaginian
general named
Hannibal was put in
command of the
Carthaginian armies
in Spain.
In 219 BCE, he had
taken one of Rome’s
colonies.
Punic Wars (Con’t)
Punic Wars (Con’t)
Hannibal set his sights on Rome.
 Leading 40,000 soldiers and 40 battle
elephants, he marched towards Rome,
crossing Gaul and natural obstacles.
 The Romans felt comfortable in the fact
that Hannibal was a long way off and
that Rome was protected by the
obstacles that lay in Hannibal’s path.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
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Hannibal continued to march towards Rome.
His armies crossed over the Alps in the
middle of winter and surprised the Romans
by making it into the northern part of the
peninsula. Over half his armies died on the
march.
Roman legions were sent to stop Hannibal.
All were destroyed and the Carthaginians
continued to advance on Rome.
Punic Wars (Con’t)
When Hannibal and his armies arrived
outside Rome, they were not strong
enough to attack the city itself.
 Hannibal then moved his armies into the
southern part of the Italian Peninsula
and attacked smaller cities and towns.
 In 216 BCE, the Romans met Hannibal
on the battlefield at Cannae.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
Hannibal and his armies were vastly
outnumbered.
 When the Romans attacked, Hannibal
sprung his trap. The Romans were
completely routed off the battlefield by
the outnumbered Carthaginians.
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Don’t kill the Romans - “Hamstring them.”
Punic Wars (Con’t)
For the next 14 years, Hannibal and his
armies attacked and plundered cities
and towns in southern Italy.
 In 202 BCE, a Roman general named
Scipio attacked Carthage. Hannibal
was summoned home to protect the
city.
 Scipio defeats Hannibal at the Battle of
Zama.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
As a result of losing, Carthage had to
give most of its warships to Rome and
pay another indemnity.
 Hannibal was hunted by the Romans
and finally committed suicide in Asia
Minor as the Romans were about to
capture him.
 For the next 50 years, Carthage rebuilt.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
The Romans continued to fear
Carthage.
 Cato, a Roman senator, ended all of his
speeches with the statement, “Carthago
delenda est” (Carthage must be
destroyed).
 Hannibal had left a mark on the psyche
of the Romans.
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Punic Wars (Con’t)
In 146 BCE, Rome attacked Carthage,
burned it to the ground and sold all of its
citizens into slavery. Legend also states
that the Romans plowed salt into the
ground so nothing would grow.
 This victory gave Rome control over the
Western Mediterranean region. Then
they turned their attention to Greece.
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Crisis in the Roman Republic
Unemployment
 Overcrowding in the cities.
 Slavery
 Rising crime rate.
 Traffic congestion
 Deepening class struggle
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Crisis (Con’t)
From the period 230-130 BCE, the
Romans expanded their borders in the
Eastern Mediterranean region as well.
 As Rome expanded, the social
conditions within the republic began to
deteriorate.
 Throughout the Italian Peninsula and
the conquered territories, wealthy
Romans began to seize lands.
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Crisis (Con’t)
Small farms were bought up by the
wealthy Romans from farmers who fell
behind in their taxes or were away
serving in the roman legions.
 These small farms were combined into
huge estates called latifundias.
 These latifundias also switched from
subsistence to cash crops.
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Crisis (Con’t)
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Labor for these huge estates came from
the increasing numbers of slaves that
Roman expansion had brought into the
republic.
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The most highly prized slaves were from
Greece. These were the best educated
and most artistic.
By 100 BCE, slaves formed about 30% of
republic’s population.
Crisis (Con’t)
As more slaves became available,
many of the small farmers and their
families were forced to move into the
cities seeking employment.
 Jobs were not available to them
because most were uneducated and
slaves had taken many of the jobs.
 This created a new class of urban poor.
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Crisis (Con’t)
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Realizing the dangers
of the vast numbers of
hungry and unemployed
within the cities,
politicians implemented
“bread and circuses.”
Keeping the people
entertained and fed
became a major priority
for the republic.
Crisis (Con’t)
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The gap between the rich and poor became
wider and Rome positioned legions
throughout the republic to put down any
rebellions.
In 133 BCE, a tribune named Tiberius
Gracchus proposed limiting the sizes of the
latifundias and giving land to the poor.
Members of the Senate opposed his ideas
and had him assassinated doing street riots
sponsored by the Senate.
Crisis (Con’t)
10 years later, Tiberius’ brother Gaius
was also murdered in Senate backed
riots because of his social reforms.
 After the death of the Gracchi brothers,
the generals took control of the republic.
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Civil War 88 - 82 BCE
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In 107 BCE, a Roman
general named Marius
became consul in
Rome.
Marius opened the
army ranks to the urban
unemployed.
His armies swore
allegiance to him rather
than Rome.
Civil War (Con’t)
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A rival general
named Sulla
struggled for control
of Rome.
Sulla led the
Senate’s armies
against Marius and
defeated Marius’
armies.
Struggle for Power
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In 60 BCE, the 1st
Triumvirate was
formed by Julius
Caesar, Cassius,
and Pompey.
They wanted to
restore the power of
the republic.
Struggle for Power (Con’t)
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While serving as consul of Rome,
Caesar realized that he needed military
victories to advance his political career.
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In 59 BCE, Caesar left Rome to take
command of the roman legions in the
province of Gaul.
He was able to defeat the Celts and
expand the republic to the Rhine River in
present day Germany.
Struggle for Power (Con’t)
By 50 BCE, Caesar was being hailed as
a hero by the Roman public and the
triumvirate was falling apart. Cassisu
had been killed in battle and Pompey
grew increasingly jealous of Caesar.
 In 49 BCE, Pompey urged the Senate to
recall Caesar from Gaul.
 Caesar was ordered to give up his
armies and return to Rome.
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Struggle for Power (Con’t)
Caesar took 5000 loyal soldiers with
him and marched towards Rome.
 He crossed the Rubicon River with his
legion. This was a direct violation of
Roman law.
 Caesar forced Pompey and his armies
out of the Italian Peninsula and declared
himself dictator for life in 45 BCE.
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Julius Caesar
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Caesar granted
citizenship to many
people from the
provinces.
Appointed senators
from the provinces
that were loyal to
him.
Set up public works
programs.
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Ordered landowners
to hire more free
laborers.
Continued to
distribute free grain
to the poor.
Instituted a new
calendar based on
365 days.
Caesar (Con’t)
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Many people supported Caesar and his
reforms. However, some saw him as a tyrant
who wanted to become king.
Under Roman law, any person that wanted to
become king could be executed with trial.
As Caesar was going to the Senate on March
15, 44 BCE, Caesar was assassinated by a
group of Senators who opposed him.
The End of the Roman
Republic
After Caesar was assassinated, the 2nd
Triumvirate was formed by Octavian,
Marc Antony, and Marcus Lepidus.
 This triumvirate was formed to avenge
the assassination of Caesar.
 The triumvirate did not last long.
Lepidus was forced to retire and Marc
Antony and Octavian struggled for
control of Rome.
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End of the Republic (Con’t)
Marc Antony married Cleopatra and
Octavian convinced the roman people
that Antony planned to rule with
Cleopatra as his Queen.
 In 31 BCE, the forces of Octavian and
Marc Antony and Cleopatra met at the
Battle of Actium.
 Within a year, both Antony and
Cleopatra had committed suicide.
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