Download Rome - Intro

Rome - Intro
CHW3M
Brains and Drains
Greek Brains? and Roman Drains?
Public toilets
at Ostia, 40
BCE
Affordable Housing Institute: US. The Economics of Water: Part
5 – Roman Municipal Finance. 2012.
http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2008/04/theeconomics-of-water-part-5-roman-municipal-finance.html (March
29, 2012).
Cloaca Maxima
Wilke D. Schram. The Roman Water System. 2006.
http://www.romanaqueducts.info/aquapub/tardieu_photos.htm (March 29, 2012).
Timeline
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700s BCE – Etruscan civilization
753 BCE – Founding of Rome
509 BCE – Roman Republic begins
44 BCE – End of Republic – beginning of
Empire
476 CE – Fall of the Roman Empire in the
west
 1453 CE – Fall of the Roman Empire in the
east

Republic
44 BCE: Rome at
the end of the
Republic
Romulus and
Remus
About.com. Legendary Rome Timeline. 2012.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romehistory/tp/Legendar
y-Rome-Timeline.htm (March 29, 2012).
Metropolitan Museum. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Roman Republic.
2000. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/romr/hd_romr.htm (March 29, 2012).
Geographic Features That Affected
Rome’s Development
Physical
map of
Europe
Free Maps of the World. Physical Map of Europe. N.d.,
http://www.freeworldmaps.net/europe/index.html (April
2, 2012).
Orientation Toward the Sea
Trade
 Coastal trade
 Some natural harbours; some ports were
built (e.g., Ostia – Rome’s harbour)
 Therefore:
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Eventually Rome was able to dominate the
Mediterranean.
No Internal Physical Barriers
There were mountains but they didn’t
divide like in Greece
 Therefore:
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There was more unity than in Greece after
the Romans (a tribe) began expanding and
conquering other territories.
Agriculture
Very fertile soil (due to volcanic ash)
 Good rivers
 Population growth meant that there still
wasn’t enough land
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Need to import grain from Sicily and Egypt
Therefore:

Romans needed to conquer more territory in
order to expand (military)

Carthage potential enemy
Volcano
Mount Vesuvius
Kidipede. Pliny the Elder. 2012.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/liter
ature/elderpliny.htm (March 29, 2012).
Exploring the Environment: Volcanoes. Mount Vesuvius. 2011.
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/vmtvesuvius.html (March 29, 2012).
Rome – the City
Well defended by 7 hills
 It was not directly on the sea; warships
couldn’t reach it
 Centrally located – easy for armies to
march in any direction
 Therefore:
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Strategic location; Rome could conquer in
all directions throughout the Italian
peninsula and then onward
Rome Map
7 hills of Rome
Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome Geography. N.d. http://www.ancientrome.com/geo_f.htm (March 29, 2012).
The Alps
These mountains separated Rome from
the rest of Europe
 Po River was seen as a border dividing
civilized Rome from northern
“barbarians”
 Therefore:

Rome felt protected by these mountains,
possibly superior
 There were invasions, however

Alps
Hannibal crossing
the Alps
Alps
Archaeology Photoblog. Hannibal In the Alps. Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project: 1994-2006.
http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/archaeolog/2006/04/hannibal_in_the_alps_stanford_1.html (March 29, 2012).
Etruscans
They were another tribe on the Italian
peninsula
 We know a lot about them from their
tombs
 Highly advanced culture before the
Romans
 Some of Rome’s 7 early kings were
Etruscan

Etruscan Cultural Contributions to
Rome
Greek alphabet
 Urban infrastructure

Tunnels
 Dams
 Arches and vaults
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Religious practices
Animism = spirits are everywhere
 Taking auspices = predicting the future by
looking at the livers of animals
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Etruscan Cultural Contributions,
con’t
Funereal games = gladiator games
eventually
 Symbols

Fasces = became a
Roman symbol of imperium,
having the power over life
and death
(see page 168 in textbook)

fasces
Livius. Fasces. N.d., http://www.livius.org/fa-fn/fasces/fasces.html
(March 29, 2012).
Etruscan Art
Etruscan urn, 4th
or 3rd century BC
Metropolitan Museum. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Cinerary Urn. 2000.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/96.9.225a,b (March 29, 2012).
First Emperor
Augustus
Metropolitan Museum. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. List of Rulers of the Roman Empire.
2000.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roru/hd_roru.htm (March 29, 2012).
Monarchical, Aristocratic or Democratic
Element of Republican Government?
Includes the two leaders of
the armies
A check on their power is
that they can only serve
one year in a row
It looks like they might have
the most power in this
supposedly “balanced”
system
Patricians with a lot of
power
A check on their power is
that they control where the
army is sent
A check on their power is
that they must agree
Eventually came to have
some say against patricians
Homework Takeup: 172-176
Name two societies that one point
defeated the Romans.
 Name two societies the Romans
defeated.
 What was the importance of coloniae to
the Romans?
 How did roads help Romanize the Italian
peninsula?
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