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The Roman Empire
The Real Story
• C. 2000BCE – IndoEuropeans arrived – settled
entire peninsula
• Blended with Neolithic
inhabitants – adapted culture
• Iron metallurgy appeared
900BCE
• People called Etruscans
dominated area
– Built prosperous cities
– Made political and economic
alliances
– Actively traded in Med Sea
– Troubles in 6th cent. BCE
• Greeks defeated them at sea
– Celts from Gaul on land
– Early Roman kings were
Etruscans
The Republic
• 509BCE – Roman nobility deposed last Etruscan
king
• Replaced monarchy with aristocratic republic
• Built Roman Forum – political and civic center full
of temples & public buildings
• Created republican constitution
• Executives were two consuls – civil & military
power – 1 yr. terms
– Elected by assembly of hereditary nobles (known as
patricians) known as the Senate
• Advised consuls and ratified major decisions
• Tension between the patricians & plebians
(common people)
– Threatened to secede
– So they received the right to elect officials known as
tribunes
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Had power to intervene in matters and veto
By 4th cent. BCE – plebians could hold most state offices
Also had one consul come from their class
By 3rd cent. BCE – they dominated gov’t
• In military or civil crisis, Romans could appoint
dictator for 6 months
Expansion of Republic
• Constant threat from Etruscans and Gauls
• Romans gained control of entire peninsula
• Conquered people were mostly exempt from
taxes – could rule locally, trade, marry, etc.
– Could not make other alliances – must provide
soldiers
• Romans wanted to expand in Med Sea
– Most powerful there was Carthage (Tunisia) – center
of trade – wealth and power
• 264-146BCE – series of wars called Punic Wars
– Finally Rome destroyed Carthage – salted ground,
annexed colonies in N. Africa and Iberia
• 3 Hellenistic empires still controlled east Med
• Later fought Antigonid and Seleucid empires
(had become weak)
– Didn’t annex them – entrusted them to allies
• By mid 2nd cent. BCE – Rome is THE power in
the Med Sea
Imperial Expansion
• Patterns of land distribution caused political and
social tension
• Conquered land went to aristocrats – formed
latifundia (like plantations)
• 2nd & 1st cent. BCE this led to conflict & civil war
• Gracchi Brothers – limited amount of land a
person could hold – some given to small
farmers- assassinated
• Showed that Constitution not working any longer
• Politicians and generals began trying to take power
– Gathered troops form landless or city
– Most important were:
• Gaius Marius – reformer who wanted redistribution of land
• Lucius Sulla – ally of wealthy conservatives
• Result – civil war – Sulla won
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Problems continued
Small farmers lost land – went to city
City people kept joining armies of generals
Then along comes Julius Caesar (neph. Of Marius)
– 60sBCE – active in politics – sponsored gladiator events –
good reputation
– 50sBCE – conquered Gaul for Rome
– Conservatives feared him – tried to get him out of power
• 49BCE – took army to Rome
– took over
• Dictator by 46BCE
• Centralized military and
political functions
• Took property from
conservatives – gave to
supporters
• Citizenship to people in
provinces
• Alienated many wealthy
• Assassinated in 44BCE
• Another civil war – 13 yrs.
Julius Caesar
in Power
Caesar Augustus
• Struggled ended with power in hands of Octavian
• Naval battle at Actium in 31BCE – defeated rival
Mark Antony & Cleopatra
• 27BCE – Senate gave him title of Augustus – ruled
45 years
• Created gov’t structure that would last 300 years
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Monarchy disguised as a republic
Ruled like Caesar – but more cautiously
Allowed members of elite in gov’t
Standing army with commanders who owed him
loyalty
• Put loyal people in top positions
• Died in 14CE
Continuing Expansion
• Rome continued to expand
• Even gained Gaul, Britain, Spain & part of
Germany
– sparsely populated – sm. Villages
– Sent soldiers, diplomats, governors and merchants to
live there
– Stimulated trade & economies & growth of towns like
Paris, London
Pax Romana
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Augustus brought peace to empire
Occasional flare-ups among conquered people
Lasted 2 ½ cent.
Trade and culture flourished
Roman roads – milestones, courier stations
connected all parts of empire
Roman Law
• Legal scholars created elaborate system of law
• C. 450BCE –Twelve Tables was the basic law
code
• Scholars created a body of law that would apply
to all people under Roman rule
– Innocent until proven guilty
– Defendant had right to challenge accusers
• This helped integrate diverse lands and groups
• Lasted long after Rome had fallen
Trade & Urbanization
• Latifundia worked to grow crops for export
• Grains grown in Africa, Egypt and Sicily
– This allowed other areas to concentrate on fruits and
veggies or manufactured goods
• Sea lanes linked all parts of empire
• Med sea became mare nostrum (“our sea”)
Rome – the City
• Profit from trade, taxes, tribute, went to Rome
• It became very urban
• Statues, pools, fountains, arches, temples, bath
houses, stadiums, aquaducts, etc.
• Circus Maximus - 250,000 people – chariot races
• Roman Colosseum could hold 50,000
– gladiator battles & mock naval battles
• Concrete invented
• Hundreds of thousands worked construction in
many cities
• Population surged
• Bankers, shopkeepers, merchants, artisans
• Sewage and drainage systems
Pater Familias
• Means “father of the family”
• law made males heads of families
• Could arrange marriages, assign work duties,
punish, sell into slavery, kill
• Very rarely abused these powers
• Family included also slaves, servants & close
relatives
Wealth and Society
• Wealthy merchants, politicians and landowners:
– Built huge palaces, ate exotic foods, dressed richly
• Farmers and commoners
– porridge, veggies, sometimes meats, small houses
– Poverty became big problem
– Leaders tried to keep them happy with “bread and circuses”
– grain and entertainment
• By 2nd cent. BCE –
slaves were1/3 of
population
• sold, punished, or even
executed for serious
offenses
– Harsh conditions led to
revolts
• 73BCE – Spartacus
escaped – gathered
70,000 slaves
– Rome dispatched 40,000
troops to put it down
• Slaves in cities had it better
– Worked as domestic servants, laborers or for
business/craftsmen
– Could hope for freedom after loyal service at about 30
yrs. of age
Judaism
• Rome controlled Palestine/Israel
• Jews did not like being told to worship state cults
and revolted
• Roman forces defeated Jews during Jewish War
66-70CE
• Some Jews founded new sects to look for
saviors to deliver them from oppression
• One sect was the Essenes
• Dead Sea Scrolls reveal their beliefs
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Strict moral code
Baptism of water
Ritual community meal
Savior to deliver them from Roman rule
Jesus of Nazareth
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Other Jews gathered around Jesus
Taught devotion to God and love for others
Reputation for healing powers
Upset Romans because he taught that “the
kingdom of God is at hand”
– They saw it as a threat to their rule
• To stop future rebellions,
they nailed him to a cross
in early 30’sCE
• Followers said he rose
from the grave
• Called him Christ – “the
anointed one” – a savior
• Taught he was the son of
God and died for their sins
• They believed the
faithful would have
eternal life in
kingdom of God
• Compiled writing of
his life, teachings, &
letters of his followers
– Called the New
Testament
Establishing
Christianity
• Mid 1st cent. CE – followers
tried to convert people
• Most important figure was
Paul of Tarsus (Jew from
Anatolia)
– Attracted the urban masses
– Taught people to have high
moral standards
– Put faith above all else
– Explained history as result of
God’s activity
– Traveled widely looking for converts
– Last two yrs. took him to Rome – executed
• For 200 yrs. there was no central authority for the
new religion
• Communities selected people called bishops who
oversaw the priests
– Governed according to how they interpreted God’s word
– Different for different bishops
• Romans had sporadic
campaigns to persecute
Christians
• Still, religion grew quickly
• Rome had large community of
Christians bBy 300CE
• Appealed to lower classes,
urban people and women
• Gave sense of spiritual freedom
– better than wealth and power
• Taught spiritual equality of
sexes