Download Ancient Rome - Vale Middle School

Ancient Rome
Chap 3 Sec 3
Notes
The Beginnings of Ancient Rome
The Formation of the Roman Republic
Tiber River villages in Italy unite to form Rome around 750 B.C.
Kings rule Rome for 200 years
In 509 B.C., Rome becomes a republic—power belongs to citizens
- citizens govern themselves through elected representatives
The Senate
Powerful Roman Senate is assembly of elected representatives
- each year selects two leaders—consuls—to head government,
military
Patricians
Early Senate is made up mainly of patricians—members of rich,
landowning families
- as the only citizens allowed to be judges, they control the law
Plebeians
Plebeian—ordinary, working male citizen: farmer, craftsperson
- can vote, but cannot hold public office until 287 B.C.
- in 287 B.C., plebeians gain equality with patricians
The Expansion of the Roman World
Controlling the Mediterranean
By 200s B.C., Rome rules Italian Peninsula, central Mediterranean
Carthage city-state rules North Africa, southern Spain
- controls western Mediterranean, but defeated by Rome
As population grows, Rome’s army, territories expand
Roman culture, language spreads into Spain, Greece
By 100 B.C., Rome rules most of Mediterranean area
From Republic to Empire
The End of the Roman Republic
Julius Caesar—Roman general, governor of Gaul
- Senate fears he is too powerful, orders him to resign
In 45 B.C, Caesar wins the battle to control Republic
- returns to Rome, becomes dictator, ends the Republic
The Beginning of the Roman Empire
Senators kill Caesar in 44 B.C.; civil war erupts
In 27 B.C., Octavian (Caesar’s adopted son) begins Roman Empire
- an empire is ruled by a single, powerful leader
As emperor, Octavian took the name Augustus
The Augustan Age
Augustus rules Empire for over 40 years, continues its expansion
- borders extend north to Rhine, Danube rivers
Architects, engineers build new buildings, lighthouses
Trade of olive oil, wine, pottery, marble, grain increases
Literature includes Virgil’s long poem the Aeneid
“Pax Romana” (Roman Peace)—200 years of peace, cultural growth
The Rise of Christianity
A New Religion
Christianity spreads from Middle East after Augustus dies, A.D. 14
At first, mostly popular in eastern half of the Empire
- spreads along transportation network through Empire by 200 A.D.
Most leaders tolerate Empire’s different religions
- but Christians are persecuted, punished, killed for their beliefs
Constantine’s Vision
Constantine becomes emperor in A.D. 306
Before a battle in 312, he has a vision of a cross in the sky
- promises if he wins the battle, he will become a Christian
- wins battle, keeps promise
Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire