Download Rome and Christianity

Ancient Rome and the Rise of
Christianity
Chapter 5
The Roman World Takes
Shape
Section 1
Roman Civilization Arises in Italy
• Italian peninsula is
centrally located in the
Mediterranean Sea,
and the city of Rome
sits toward the center of
Italy.
Unifying the lands of Italy
• Italy was much easier to unify than
Greece:
– Not broken up into small, isolated valleys
– Apennine mountains are less rugged than the
mountains of Greece
– Has broad fertile plains in the north and west.
Early Peoples Settle Italy
• By 800 B.C. the Latins migrated to Italy.
• The Latins settled along the Tiber River.
• Etruscans lived north of Rome and ruled
much of central Italy
• Romans adopted the Etruscan alphabet,
engineering, and gods and goddesses.
The Romans Establish a Republic
• 509 B.C. marks the beginning of the
Roman state when the Romans drove out
their Etruscan ruler.
• Form of government was called a res
publica or “that which belongs to the
people”.
– People chose some of the officials
– Prevent any individual from gaining too much
power.
Structuring the Republic
• Senate was the most powerful governing
body.
– 300 members were patricians.
– Senators served for life.
• Senators nominated two consuls from the
patrician class whose job was to supervise
the business of government and command
the armies.
-Consuls only served one term to limit power.
Structuring the Republic
• In the event of war, the senate might
choose a dictator, or ruler who has
complete control over a government.
– Ruled for 6 months
– Organize an army and lead them to victory
just like Cincinnatus
Plebeians fight for their rights
• Plebeians= the farmers, merchants,
artisans, and traders who made up the
bulk of the population.
• Plebeians elected tribunes to protect their
interests.
– The tribunes could veto those laws that they
felt were harmful to plebeians
– Forced the government to write down the
Roman laws on twelve tablets.
Laws on Twelve Tablets
The role of women changes over
time
• Roman women played a larger role in
society than did Greek women.
– They could own property
– Ran businesses
– Patrician women went to public events with
their husbands
– Some had political influence
*Most women however worked at home, raising
families, spinning, and weaving.
Romans Educate Children
• Upper and lower class children learned to
read and write
• Children memorized major events and
developments in Roman history
• Rhetoric was an important subject for boys
who wanted to pursue political careers.
Mars and Jupiter
Citizen-soldiers make up the
Roman army
• Loyal and well-trained army.
• Basic military unit was the legion, each of
which included 5,000 men.
• Originally men fought without being paid
and had to provide their own weapons
• Eventually they received a small stipend
but their main compensation was always a
share of the spoils of victory.
Roman Legion
Rome is just with conquered lands
• Treated its defeated enemies with justice
• Conquered people had to acknowledge
Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply
soldiers for the Roman army.
From Republic to Empire
Section 2
Rome grows through conquest
• Rome’s conquest of the Italian peninsula
brought it into conflict with Carthage, a
city-state on the northern coast of Africa.
Rome fights Carthage in the Punic
Wars
• In the first Punic War Rome defeated
Carthage and won the islands of Sicily,
Corsica, and Sardinia.
2nd Punic War
• In the 2nd Punic War
Carthage sought
revenge.
– Carthage General
Hannibal led an army
with dozens of war
elephants and men
– Was winning battles all
across Italy
– Failed to capture
Rome itself.
• Romans will
eventually defeat
Hannibal
3rd Punic War
• Rome completely destroyed Carthage.
• Survivors were killed or sold into slavery.
• The Romans were not masters of the
Western Mediterranean.
Ruling the Mediterranean
• Romans were committed to Imperialism=
Establishing control over foreign lands and
peoples..
• Controlled the Hellenistic rulers who had
divided the empire of Alexander the Great.
• Controlled Macedonia, Greece, and parts
of Asia Minor
The Impact at Home
• Conquest of trade routes brought riches to
Rome.
• Wealthy Romans bought up huge estates
called latifundia.
– Forced people to work on the latifundia.
• Gap between rich and poor widened and
angry mobs began to riot.
Making Attempts at Reform
• Two Patrician brothers names Tiberius and
Gaius Gracchus were the first to bring
reform.
– Tiberius wanted the state to distribute land to
poor farmers
– Gaius Gracchus wanted to use public funds to
buy grain to feed the poor
The Roman Republic Declines
• Rome plunged into a series of civil wars
• Slave uprisings
Julius Caesar the Dictator
• In 58 B.C., Caesar set out with his army to
make new conquests. After 9 years of
fighting, he completed the conquest of
Gaul
• Some people in the Senate wanted
Caesar to disband his army, but he fought
on.
• “I came, I saw, I conquered” he said after
announcing one victory.
Julius Caesar
Caesar Makes Reforms
• He launched a program of public works to
employ the jobless and gave public land to
the poor.
• Granted Roman citizenship to more
people
• Introduced a new calendar based on that
of the Egyptians.
Caesar Killed, War Follows
• Caesar’s enemies worried that he planned
to make himself King of Rome so they
planned to kill him.
• In 44 B.C. Caesar arrived in the senate
and his enemies stabbed him to death.
• This brought on a new round of Civil Wars.
• Octavian and Mark Anthony joined forces
to hunt down the murderers.
The Roman Empire Begins
• The senate gave Octavian
the title of Augustus, or
Exalted One, and declared
him princeps, or first
citizen.
• Augustus exercised
absolute power and
named his successor just
as a king would do.
Augustus Builds a Stable
Government
• The senate had little power compared to
the emperor.
• High level jobs were open to men of talent.
• Made the tax system fair by ordering a
census of the empire so their would be
records of all who should be taxed.
• Set up a postal service
• Issued new coins to make trade easier.
• Put the jobless to work.
Emperors Vary
• Not all Augustus’s successors were great
rulers.
• Hadrian codified Roman law, making it the
same for all provinces.
Pax Romana Brings Prosperity
• “Roman Peace”…200 year span.
• Roman rule brought peace, order, unity,
and stability.
• Roman legions maintained and protected
the roads
• Trade flowed freely
The Distraction of Entertainment
• Circus Maximus, Rome’s largest
racecourse.
• Gladiator contests
– Battled one another
The Roman Achievement
Section 3
Romans Write Literature, History,
and Philosophy
• Borrowed many ideas from the Greeks
• Also adopted Hellenistic achievements.
• The blending of Greek, Hellenistic, and
roman traditions produced what is known
as Greco-Roman civilization.
Poets Write with Respect and
humor
• Many Romans spoke Greek and imitated
Greek styles in poetry.
• The poet Virgil tried to show that Rome’s
past was as heroic as that of Greece.
• Other poets used verse to satire, or make
fun of, Roman society.
Historians Tell the Story of Rome
• Livy and Tacitus were best known as
Roman historians
• Livy sought to arouse patriotic feeling by
recalling Rome’s historic past.
• Tacitus wrote bitterly about Augustus who
felt had destroyed Roman liberty.
Creating Expressive Art
• Roman artists depicted scenes from
Roman literature and daily life in spended
mosaics.
• Mosaics= a picture made from chips of
colored stone or glass.
Advancing Architecture
• Immense palaces, temples, and stadiums
stood as mighty monuments to Roman
power and dignity.
• Improved on existing structural devices
such as columns and arches.
• Used concrete to create a round dome as
a roof for large projects.
Pantheon
Romans apply Science and
Mathematics for practical use
• Romans excelled in engineering
– Built roads, bridges, and harbors
– Built aqueducts that carried water from the
hills into roman cities
Science and math
• Ptolemy proposed his
theory that the Earth was
the center of the
universe, a mistaken
idea!!!
• Applied geography to
make maps and medical
knowledge to help
doctors improve public
health
• Collected information into
encyclopedias.
New Law Codes Protect the
Empire
• The principles of Roman law would
become the basis for legal systems
throughout the world.
• Developed civil law
• Innocent until proven guilty
• Without a reasonable doubt or “clearer
than daylight”
• Judges interpreted the laws and made fair
judgments
The Rise of Christianity
Section 4
Early Empire includes diverse
religions
• Various religious beliefs existed in Rome.
• Jupiter, Mars, Juno, and other traditions
remained important.
• Rome tolerated diversity as long as
Romans honored Roman gods and
acknowledged the divine spirit of the
emperor.
Division Arise in Judea
• By 63 B.C. the Romans had conquered Judea
• The Romans excused Jews from worshiping
roman gods.
• While most Jews were reluctantly willing to live
under Roman rule, other called Zealots were
not.
• They called on Jews to revolt against Rome and
establish an independent state.
• Some Jews believed that a messiah, or anointed
king send by god, would soon appear to lead
their people to freedom.
A Jewish Rebellion Defeated
• In A.D. 66, discontent flared into rebellion.
• Roman forces crushed the rebels,
captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the
Jewish temple.
• Because of this destruction, thousands of
Jews decided to leave Judea.
Jesus Proclaims His Teachings
• As turmoil engulfed the Jews a new
religion, Christianity, arose around them.
• We know about the life of Jesus through
the accounts of four followers:
– Matthew
– Mark
– Luke
– John
Jesus Begins Teaching
• Born in 4B.C. in Bethlehem
• Jesus grew up in Nazareth and
worshiped God.
• At the age of 30 he began
preaching the gospel to villages
near the Sea of Galilee.
• He recruited 12 disciples to help
him with his mission. Became
know as apostles.
Jesus Teaches New Beliefs
• Belief in one God and the 10
commandments.
• Jesus called himself, “the son of God”
• Emphasized gods love and taught the
need for justice, morality, and service to
others.
Condemned to Death
• Some people regarded Jesus as a
dangerous troublemaker.
• Jewish Priests thought he was challenging
their leadership.
• Was arrested by the Romans, tried, and
condemned to death by crucifixion.
• Jesus had risen from the dead
The Message of Christianity
Spreads
• Those Jews that believed Jesus was the
messiah would be called Christians.
• Peter and Paul played a huge role in
establishing Christianity all across Rome.
Paul Spread Christianity
• Paul had never met Jesus but joined the
Christians and decided to spread Jesus’
teachings.
• Paul journeyed around the Mediterranean
and set up churches.
Christians Are Oppressed
• Rome’s tolerant attitude toward religion
was not extended to Christianity.
• Christians had to meet in secret to avoid
persecution.
• Martyrs= people who suffer or die for their
beliefs.
Rome Accepts Christianity
• The Roman Emperor Constantine finally
ended the persecution of Christians with
the Edict of Milan.
Joining the Church
• Had to be baptized, or blessed
with holy water.
• Seen as equals and addressed
each other and “brother” and
“sister”.
• Each Sunday Christians gathered
for ceremony of thanksgiving to
God.
Structuring Clergy
• Only men to become members of the
Christian clergy.
• Every diocese had its own priest. Over
the priest presided a bishop.
• The Bishops of the most important cities
gained greater authority and took on the
name patriarch.