Download From Republic to Empire - White Plains Public Schools

From Republic to Empire: The Romans
E. Napp
Objective: To identify and explain factors leading to the rise of the Roman Empire
Do Now: Multiple-choice questions from previous lessons
1. Which ancient civilization is associated
4. • Roman women could own property.
with the Twelve Tables, an extensive road
• Roman women could make wills leaving
system, and the poets Horace and Virgil?
their property to whomever they chose.
(1) Babylonian
A valid conclusion drawn from these facts is
(2) Greek
that Roman women
(3) Phoenician
(1) had the right to vote
(4) Roman
(2) enjoyed some legal rights
(3) were equal to men
2. One contribution of ancient Roman
(4) could hold political offices
culture was the development of
(1) the concept of zero
5. How did the geography of the Italian
(2) the process of making silk
peninsula influence the development of the
(3) a republican form of government
Roman Empire?
(4) the printing press
(1) The unnavigable rivers in the northern
part of the peninsula protected the Romans
3. A geographic similarity between Italy and from their neighbors.
India is that both of these countries are
(2) The harsh climate prevented agricultural
located
production on the Italian peninsula.
(1) on peninsulas
(3) The lengthy, rugged seacoast encouraged
(2) on archipelagos
frequent invasions of the Italian peninsula.
(3) between two oceans
(4) The location of the peninsula contributed
(4) south of the equator
to Roman control of the Mediterranean
region.
What continents did the Romans
conquer land on?
____________________________
____________________________
What sea united the Roman
conquered lands?
____________________________
____________________________
List one advantage of
conquering a vast empire:
____________________________
List one disadvantage of
conquering a vast empire:
____________________________
Cornell Notes Outline: The Roman Empire (Add Key Words and Summaries)
The Key Words:
The Summaries:
The Notes:
I.
Conquest and Empire
A. By 270 B.C.E., Rome had conquered Italy
B. Punic Wars
1- Three wars against Carthage, North
Africa (264 B.C.E.)
2- To control Sicily and Mediterranean
3- Rome destroyed Carthage
a) Killed many, sold others into
slavery
C. Conquered Carthage, Macedonia, Greece, and
other parts of Asia Minor.
II.
Problems for the Republic
A. Rome’s expansion created new problems
1- Widening gap between rich and poor
2- Corruption in government
3- Rise of powerful generals
a) Julius Caesar
1. Murdered
III.
The End of the Republic
A. Augustus Caesar became the first emperor in
27 B.C.
1- Absolute power
2- End of republic
3- Beginning of Pax Romana or a time
of peace in the Roman Empire
4- Emperors reigned until the fall
While some Roman emperors improved the empire, some Roman emperors harmed it.
Unfortunately, emperors served for life. The only way to remove a corrupt or bad emperor
was to murder him. Between A.D. 180 and 284, 25 out of 29 Roman emperors were
murdered. Caligula became emperor in 37 A.D. (C.E.) He was insane. Some individuals
reported that he made his favorite horse a senator and demanded that people call him a
god. Eventually, his own guards killed him. Nero was one of Rome’s worst emperors. He
thought of himself as an artist and sang and played the lyre. When he played, people were
forced to listen. In 64 A.D., a fire lasting nine days destroyed half of Rome. Some people
said that Nero started the fire. They even said that he played his lyre while Rome burned!
Finally, Nero was forced to take his own life. Hadrian ruled from 117 – 138 A.D. He
passed laws that protected women, children, and slaves. He even built a wall across
England. This wall defended Roman territory in the south of England from the enemy in
the north. Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161 A.D. He lived a simple life and liked
books and ideas. He even took direct command of the Roman army to protect the empire
from barbarians, or Germanic invaders of the Western Roman Empire. Aurelius was able
to make a temporary peace with the Germanic invaders. Constantine was an important
Roman emperor. He converted to Christianity approximately three hundred years after
the Romans crucified Jesus. Constantine’s conversion led to the protection and tolerance
of Christians in the empire.
Write one fact about each of the following Roman emperors:
Caligula: _____________________________________________________
Nero: _______________________________________________________
Trajan: _______________________________________________________
Hadrian: ______________________________________________________
Marcus Aurelius: _______________________________________________
Constantine: ___________________________________________________
Create a list of problems Rome experienced as it became an empire:
1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________
Do Empires Rise?
Why?
Do Empires Fall?
Matching Exercise:
A. Pax Romana
______ He was an important Roman
emperor. He converted to Christianity.
B. Barbarian
______ Citizens elect representatives. It
lasted in Rome from 509 to 27 B.C.
C. Constantine
D. Republic
E. Twelve Tables
F. Code of Justinian
G. Punic Wars
H. 476 A.D.
I. Patricians
J. Plebeians
______ It was the written law of Rome.
It included concepts like innocent until
proven guilty.
______ It was a golden age in the Roman
Empire. It was a time of peace,
prosperity, and achievements.
______ It marks the fall of Rome. High
taxes, invasions, and corrupt rulers were
factors.
______ They were the wealthy
landowners of Rome. They served in the
Senate.
_______ It was an ethnocentric term. It
referred to a person outside of the
Roman Empire (member of a Germanic
tribe).
_______ These wars between Rome and
Carthage led to Rome’s rise to power as
an empire builder.
_______ They were the working people
of the Roman Empire. They wanted
political rights.
_______ After the fall of Rome, a
Byzantine emperor collected and
organized all Roman laws into a code.
The Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. There were many reasons for the fall of Rome
including Barbarian invasions. Rome was under continual attack by fierce tribes from
Northern Europe and Central Asia, such as the Goths and Huns. The Romans considered
these tribes barbarians or culturally inferior peoples. Eventually, these tribes successfully
invaded Rome. In addition, the Roman government depended on the abilities of the
emperors, but many later emperors were corrupt and ineffective leaders. Also the costs of
defending and administering the empire led to high taxes. Inflation and unemployment led
to economic difficulties. Finally, later Roman armies relied on paid soldiers. These
soldiers were often recruited from non-Roman peoples, who were less loyal than Roman
citizens.
Summary: ____________________________________________________________________