Download Roman Republic - Ms. McLoughlin

Roman Republic
Geography
Rome is located on the
peninsula of Italy. The
Mediterranean Sea
provides transportation
and food.
Italy provides fertile
plains and river valleys
for food and easy
communication.
Roman Religious Ideals
Romans were polytheistic,
believing in many gods and
spirits.
Knowledge of the Greek Gods
filtered into Roman culture.
This is known as cultural
diffusion.
The Greek God Zeus became the
almighty Roman God Jupiter.
The Greek Goddess Hera became
the Roman Goddess Juno.
The Roman Republic
Rome was founded about 509 BCE. Romans founded a new
type of government called a republic. In a republic people
chose officials to represent them.
The highest form of government in Rome was the Senate.
Senators were wealthy landowners (called Patricians.)
The Roman Republic Cont…
The senators elected two Consuls, whose job it was to run
the government and command the army.
Romans Valued Family Ties
Roman families were headed by the
eldest male. The Romans emphasized
discipline, strength, and loyalty.
Women had many rights and duties in
Roman society. She did not, however
have the key right, the right to vote.
Officially, the Roman women were
expected to remain in the background.
Society was Divided Into Classes
Upper class Romans were known
as patricians. These people held
nearly all the important political
offices.
Common framers, artisans, and
merchants were known as
plebeians.
These two classes were based on
birth alone. The line between the
two classes was extremely rigid.
Rome Built a Mighty Army
Both patricians and
plebeians lead double lives
as farmers and soldiers
because of the constant
threat of war.
All male citizens were
required to serve in the
army, and no one could hold
public office until he served
10 years as a soldier.
Rome Built a Mighty Army
Massive military units were
called legions. Which
consisted of:
Infantry: 4,000-6,000 Heavily
armed foot soldiers.
Cavalry: Smaller groups on
horseback that assisted the
infantry.
Each legion was divided into
60 smaller groups called a
century.
A Fight with Carthage
By 270 BC Rome had conquered all of
Italy. They went on to control northern
Africa (Carthage), Greece and parts of Asia
Minor. But the expansion also led to much
corruption.
Julius Caesar
Caesar came to power
in 48 BCE. Under
Julius Caesar Rome
conquered many
lands.
Caesar also reformed
the government,
founded libraries and
planned public work
projects.
Caesar Murdered
Caesar was murdered in 44BCE by a group of
Roman aristocrats who feared his power and did
not want a dictator.
Augustus
After Julius Caesar died,
his grandnephew,
Octavian (Augustus)
took over.
Augustus ruled with
absolute power and was
the first emperor of
Rome. This began the
Roman Empire period
during which Rome was
ruled by a series of
emperors.
Under Augustus Rome
enjoyed a peaceful period
that lasted about 200 years.
This was referred to as the
Pax Romana.
The government maintained
order, enforced laws,
defended the borders and
helped the poor. Many
public works projects were
conducted, such as
aqueducts, canals and roads.
Solid paved roads were built to assist trade and
communication around the empire. Many still
exist today.
Roman aqueducts were incredible works of
engineering and architecture.
The aqueducts could carry up to 300 million
gallons of water to the city of Rome every
day.
Roman
architecture
borrowed Greek
elements, but
made them more
grand and heavy.
Roman architects
designed arches
and domes that
could carry great
weights.
The Colosseum
Cultural Contributions
Roman poets, historians
and philosophers like
Virgil and Tacitus wrote
works in Latin that
survive to this day.
Latin is the root of several
modern languages.
Roman numerals can also
be seen in many places
today.
Legal Contributions
The most valued contribution of
the Romans to the world was the
Twelve Tables of written laws.
The Roman legal system provided
security for the empire, equality
under the law, the right to a
defense and to be considered
innocent until proven guilty.
The Roman legal system inspired
legal principles still practiced
around the world today.
Activity
Read the 12 Tables established by the Romans
Complete the HandoutIn the first column, summarize each of the 12 tables in
your own words.
In the 2nd column, identify if the United States has any
laws similar (the same) to that of the 12 tables
On a separate sheet of paper, decide whether
you agree or disagree with each table. If you
agree, tell me why. If you don’t, tell me how
you would change it so you did agree with it.
Rise of Christianity
Romans paid little attention to Christianity
at first then began to see it as a threat to
society
Persecution of Christians began under
Emperor Nero around 64 A.D.
Nero blamed Christians for the fire that
burned Rome. He subjected them to cruel
deaths
Persecution strengthened Christianity
forcing it to become more organized
Roman Acceptance of Christianity
Christianity grew because it was more
appealing to the poor because it viewed
everyone as equal
Diocletian was the last major emperor to
enforce persecution of Christians. He soon
realized that Christianity was too powerful
to be destroyed by force
Constantine =first Christian Emperor from
306-337 A.D. He issued Edict of Milan that
tolerated Christianity in Rome
Theodosius the Great = adopted Christianity
as official religion in 380 A.D.
Decline and Fall
Rome wasn’t built in a day and it took a
long time to decline. Eventually the
emperor Diocletian divided the empire into
eastern and western empires in 284CE.
While the western empire fell into chaos
and was invaded, the eastern empire
survived as a center of trade and culture and
became the Byzantine Empire.
Invasions of
Visigoths and
Germanic tribes
Causes of the
Fall of Rome
Heavy taxes,
Shrinking middle
Class,
Not enough
farmers
Governmental
Corruption,
People stop
Supporting the
government
Population decline
From war and
Famine,
People got lazy
Reasons for the Decline of Rome
Trade and industry began to decline in
Rome after a period of unrest with bad
emperors
Due to a large number of slaves, the
plebians stopped working.
Tax problems led there to be little money
for repairing roads and maintaining the city
Reasons for the Decline of Rome
Crops suffered because farms were
destroyed by war
The Army began to hire German soldiers
due to the lack of people in Rome. The
German soldiers had no loyalty to Rome so
they were not successful in war.
Invaders began to attack Rome because of
its instability
Fall of Rome
Invaders called the Huns attacked the
Eastern part of the Empire and the city of
Constantinople
German Visigoths and the Vandals attacked
Rome and took control
The Roman Empire ceased to exist as a
mighty empire by 476 AD. However, the
Byzantine Empire in the East continued on.