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GEOGRAPHY
Italy is a peninsula in the
middle of the Mediterranean
Sea
Rome sits at the center of the
peninsula at the curve of the
Tiber River
Built on the seven hills
Fertile plains
Location allowed them to send
military in all directions
ORIGINS
Two theories of the origin of Rome:
 Mythical: Created by twins, Romulus and Remus.
Romulus killed Remus and became the first king of
Rome.
 Historical: Settled by three groups of people:
Latins, Greeks, & Etruscans
ORIGINS CONT.
1.LATINS
 First to settle Rome, considered first Romans
2.GREEKS
 Settled along the southern coasts of Italy & Sicily
 Did well with trade; brought Greece and Rome together
3.ETRUSCANS
 Native to northern Italy
 Metalworkers & engineers
 Influenced architecture (arch) & the alphabet
BEFORE THE REPUBLIC
Romans elected kings to rule for life
Seven kings: First king was Romulus, last was
Tarquin
Romans over threw the tyrannical Tarquin
& thus began the Roman Republic
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
509 BC – 40 BC
REPUBLIC:
Form of government
Power rests with the citizens
Citizens vote for their leaders
CITIZEN = Free-born, landowning males
ROMAN SOCIETY:
TWO main divisions fighting for power:
1. PATRICIANS:
 Citizen
 Wealthy landowners
 Had most of the power, inherited
2. PLEBEIANS:
 Citizen
 Farmers, artisans, merchants
 Majority of population
Constantly battled over power and control of government
CODIFICATION OF LAW
 Writing down laws so
they apply to all
 12 Tables
 Roman Written law
 Posted for all to see
 Established idea that all citizens have the right
to protection
 Plebeians gained more power with the
establishment of the tables
GOVERNMENT
Two main divisions within government:
1. CONSULS
 Two were elected
 Commanded army and director of government
 Limited power, 1 year term
2. SENATE
 300 members from upper class
 Advised leaders on laws and foreign policy
 VETO power – ability to overrule a decision
In time of crisis, a DICTATOR was appointed
 Absolute power to make laws & command army
 Chosen by consul & elected by senate, served for 6 months
ROMAN ARMY
All citizens who owned land had to serve
Want to hold public office had to serve ten years
Soldiers organized into LEGIONS
Large military units
Divided into groups of 80 men
called a century
Legions supported by cavalry
POWER SPREADS
 Steadily the power of Rome grew
 Roman army conquered new lands &
key to Rome’s greatness
 Conquered people enjoyed the rights
of Roman citizens
 But could not vote
 Just treatment allows Rome to grow
LEADING TO THE PUNIC WARS
 Roman Republic conquers and controls all of Italy
by defeating the Etruscans in the north and the
Greeks in the south
 Trade vital through out the Mediterranean
 Carthage (large city state in North Africa quickly
becomes a rival
PUNIC WARS
 264 BC – 146 BC
 Rome vs. Carthage (North Africa)
 Cause: Conflicts over trade and
control of Mediterranean region
 3 Different Wars
 First War: 264-241BC
 Fought over Sicily & Western
Mediterranean
 Carthage advantage: strong navy
 Rome quickly builds a strong navy
 Rome Wins
Rome
Sicily
Carthage
PUNIC WARS CONT.
 Second War: 218 – 201BC
 Hannibal
 General for Carthage
 Brilliant military strategist
 Out for revenge of first Punic War
 Assembled 50,000 infantry, 9000 cavalry & 60 elephants
 Attempted surprise attack through Alps, at first successful
 Romans regrouped & with aid from allies stopped Hannibal
from capturing Rome
PUNIC WARS CONT.
 Third War: 202 - 141BC
 Rome found leader to match Hannibal’s strength,
Scipio
 Rome attacks Carthage
 Breaks through city walls
 Burns city to the ground
 People sold into slavery & city made a Roman province
END OF THE REPUBLIC
 As Rome grew, republican government became very unstable
 Gap between rich and poor widens
 Effect: Farmers/soldiers to lose land to large estates, become
homeless & lose jobs
 Unemployment rises
 Tiberius and Gaius try to help to poor but are murdered because of
their ideas
 Slaves makeup almost 1/3 of population
 Civil War breaks out within Rome
 Soldiers become less organized, recruited from the poor, loyal only to
their general
PRIMARY SOURCE:
HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS
 Read and take notes as you are reading through the article
in your notebook.
 The notes you take should answer the question: How was
Hannibal successful as he moved through the Alps?
 Once you have completed the reading and notes,
Please write an 8 - 10 sentence response to the
question: How was Hannibal successful as he moved
through the Alps?, using your notes to support your
claims.
JULIUS CAESAR TAKES CONTROL
Julius Caesar
 Strong military leader & strategist
 Elected consul 59BC with the help of
Crassus and Pompey, serves for year term
 After term as consul, he appointed himself
as governor of Gaul
 Conquered all of Gaul along side of his
men. Gained men’s loyalty and devotion.
 News travel to Rome, expanding his
popularity
CAESAR CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
 Popularity causes fear in other leaders, mainly Pompey
 Pompey attempts to stop Caesar from moving into
Rome and taking power.
 Caesar defeats Pompey’s armies in Greece, Asia,
Spain, Egypt
 Returns to Rome a hero, named dictator for life in
44BC
 Ruled with absolute power but made a number of reforms
REFORMS UNDER CAESAR
 Public lands given to the poor
 Roman citizenship outside of Italy
 Public works projects to create
jobs
 New calendar with 365 days
BEGINNING OF THE EMPIRE
 Caesar stabbed to death by senators
jealous of power – Brutus and Cassius (44BC)
 New trio of leaders take control
 Mark Anthony, Octavian (Caesar’s nephew), Lepidus
 Trio falls apart, Lepidus first, then Mark Anthony (who allied with
Cleopatra) & Octavian fight, Octavian wins
 Octavian takes new name Augustus (“exalted one”), becomes
Emperor in 27 BC
 Republic ends and Empire begins
PAX ROMANA – ROMAN PEACE




Rome’s Golden Age, 27 BC to 180 AD, 207 years!
Time of peace, Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”)
Efficient government and able rulers
Augustus
 Glorified Rome - beautiful buildings
 Form of government that lasted for centuries
 Business expanded
 Money system established – one coin used ANYWHERE in
empire
AGRICULTURE & TRADE
 90% of Romans farmed
 Common coin, denarius,
makes trade within empire
easier
 Rome has vast trade
network, include China &
India
 NETWORK OF ROMAN
ROADS links empire places
all over the world; as far as
Persia & Russia
SLAVES
 Up to 1/3 of the population slaves
 Very important to life in cities and farms
 Public slaves: worked for government, buildings or
mines
 Private slaves: servant, farms
 Treated as valuable property but treatment varied –
after all, they do all the work. Their owner determined their
treatment
 Some rebelled, most famous slave rebellion, Spartacus
GLADIATORS AND THE ARENA
 To distract & control masses, the
government put on events in
Colosseum
 Mock battles, theater, games, chariot
races and gladiator events
 Animals- bears or lions, used to fight each
other, be hunted, or execute criminals
 Gladiator
 Criminals or slaves
 Forced to fight to the death
 Crowd would influence whether the
competitor would live or die
THE ARENA SHORT WRITE
Why were the events in the
arena (Colosseum) so popular?
LAW
 Innocent until proven guilty
 Face accusers
 If doubt about guilt then innocent
 Any law that seemed
unreasonable, unfair could be set
aside
 System of checks and balances
 LONGEST CONTRIBUTION OF
ROME
ARCHITECTURE
Roads
 Built to last using concrete & so water could
flow off easier
 Made trade and military travel, easier
Aqueducts
Built to carry water into the cities to fountains
Drinking water, bathing water sewers
ARCHITECTURE CONT.
Arches
 Curved structures, connected an
opening and supports its own
weight. Enabled bigger & stronger
building to be built
 Pantheon – Temple to Roman gods
 Colosseum - Could seat up 50,000
 Bath houses – Gathering place,
atrium in the middle
ART
Mosaics – Small colored glass or stone to create a picture that
decorated floors
 Mythology, history, everyday life, plants/animals
Sculptures
 Marble; Copied the Greeks but then become very realistic
 Included flaws
 Subjects: Rich, famous & powerful people
Murals
 Frescos - large paintings on walls; brightly colored of
everyday people, life, plants/animals
RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
 Prior to the expansion of the Empire, Romans religion was
polytheistic and impersonal. It was illegal to believe in anything
else
 Jews fall under Roman influence 65BC
 Becomes Roman province – Ruled by Herod 6AD
 Rome conquers Judea, home of the Jews, & makes it part of
the empire, 6AD
 Many Jews believe a Messiah, or savior, will free them
 They believe Jesus is the Messiah
JESUS CHRIST
 Born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth
 At age 30, begins preaching
monotheism, Ten Commandments
 Does good works, performs miracles
 Stresses a personal relationship with
god, love for friends and enemies
 Apostles – 12 men who were disciples
(pupils) of Jesus
JESUS’ DEATH
 Pontius Pilot, Roman governor, felt
he challenged authority of Rome
 Jewish felt Christ was
blaspheming against God
 Sentenced and crucified for his
teachings and resurrected from the
tomb
CHRISTIANITY SPREADS
 Followers spread Christianity – new religion based on Jesus’
teachings
 PAUL
 Apostle of Christ
 Preached about Christianity
 Common languages of Latin & Greel helped spread message
 Jesus is the son of God who died for people’s sins
 Christianity open to all converts
 Wrote Epistles – letters to the Christian churches
 Saved by faith not works; Saved by grace
CHRISTIANS AND ROME
Christians persecuted for refusing to worship Roman
gods, blamed for Rome’s troubles even more after Pax
Romana
Peter and Paul killed by Nero
Many killed in the Colosseum – considered martyrs (those
who die for a cause or belief)
Peter crucified upside down
JEWISH REBELLION
Jews rebel against Rome
Romans storm Jerusalem, destroy temple
Jews driven from homeland; Begins centuries of Jewish
exile.
CHRISTIANITY’S WIDESPREAD
APPEAL
Christianity grew because it:
Embraced ALL people
Gave hope to the powerless
Appealed to those who were repelled by the
extravagance of imperial Rome
Offered a personal relationship with a loving God
Promised eternal life after death
CONSTANTINE & CHRISTIANITY
Constantine
 Roman emperor bettles for
control of Rome in AD 312
 Has vision of cross, places on
shield
 Believe God helped him win;
legalizes Christianity
 In AD 380 Emperor
Theodosius makes
Christanity religion of empire
EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Priests: Direct a single church
Bishop: Supervise a number of
churches
Peter: First Bishop of Rome;
clergy trace their authority to
him
Pope; the father/head of the
Christian Church; Rome, center
of Church
THE DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE
 Pax Romana ends in AD 187 with the death of
Marcus Aurelius
 The emperors that followed were unable to lead
the giant empire
 Economy Weakens
 Outside hostile tribes the empire disrupt trade
 INFLATION: drop in value of money and rise in
prices – weakens trade
 Overworked soil, war-torn farm-land leads to
food shortages
Marcus Aurelius
THE DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE
Military/Political Trouble
Infighting and civil wars within the Empire
Roman Army was no longer dominant
Soldiers loyal to commanders, not Rome
Government enlists mercenaries – forces soldiers to pay
to fight
Attacks from barbarian tribes such as Visigoths, Huns,
Franks and Vandals
Most lose interest in Roman affairs
THE DECLINE OF THE EMPIRE
 Emperors Attempt Reform
 Emperor Diocletian Reforms the Empire
 284 AD: Diocletian divides the empire in two
 Two empires: East (Greek–speaking) & West (Latinspeaking)
 Constantine becomes emperor of Western Empire 312 AD
 Seizes Eastern Empire
 Moves capital from Rome to Byzantium
 Capital renamed Constantinople
THE END OF THE EMPIRE
 German Invasions
 Mongol nomads from Asia, the Huns,
invade northern borders of the empire
 Germans, who have lived peacefully in
northern empire, flee further into Empire
 Romans unable to stop them; Rome
sacked 410 AD; Rome shocked
 Attila the Hun
 Unites the Hun; plunder 70 cities in East
 Attack Rome in 452 but famine and
disease prevents victory
AN EMPIRE NO MORE
Last Roman emperor falls to Germans in 476
End of Western Empire 476 AD
Odacer barbarian king conquered Romulus Augustus
14-years old
Last Emperor
East thrives for another thousand years (Byzantine
Empire)