Rome Founding 1500 BC Latins crossed Alps Settled
Rome
Founding Ë1500 BC - Latins crossed Alps ËSettled on 7 hills by Tiber River ËAgricultural Ë750 BC - conquered by Etruscans ËCame from eastern Mediterranean, possibly Asia Minor. ËPolytheistic (not like the Greeks) ËGreek colonists lived in southern Italy
ËEarly Political system ËIndependent, fortified city-states ËFormed small confederacies ËBy 6 th century BC, Etruscan military conquered much of the Italian peninsula
Reign of Romulus 753 -716 BCE Numa Pompilius 715 -674 BCE Tullius Hostillius 673 -642 BCE Anchus Marcius 642 -617 BCE Lucius Tarquinian Priscus 616 -579 BCE Servius Tullius 578 -535 BCE Lucius Tarquinius Superbus 535 -510 BCE 509 BCE Roman Revolt Republic Established!
Republic Ë509 BC – 27 BC ËPopulation divided into two groups ËPatricians – hereditary aristocracy ËPlebeians – lower classes; largely excluded from government ËTwelve Tables – Roman law code ËProtected the Pebeians ËPlebeians eventually gained right to vote and hold office ËSlavery was common with freed slaves becoming “freed persons”
ËNever a democracy like Athens ËTwo consuls were chief civil authorities ËCould appoint a dictator ËSenate was a key advisory body ËSociety based on “piety” ËValue system that embraced devotion to the gods and family
Conquered Mediterranean World ËItalian Peninsula Ë340 -270 BC ËWell-trained citizen-soldiers ËWise treatment of conquered peoples ËGranted full and partial citizenship ËConquered areas remained independent: loyal to Rome, provided troops, and land to farmers ËEastern Mediterranean by 1 st century BC
ËRome vs. Carthage Ë264 BC - 146 BC Punic Wars ËFirst – 264 - 241 BC – treaty ËSecond – 218 – 201 BC – Hannibal crosses the Alps – Rome eventually won ËThird – 149 – 146 BC Carthage burned
Effect of Conquests ËOfficials/Nobles gained large fortunes, more power ËRoman virtues disappeared ËRuined small farmers & workers ËFarmers migrated to cities ËCitizen-soldiers replaced by professional soldiers ËConstant threat of slave revolts – Spartacus ËGovernors ran provinces (bribes, taxes) ËGap between the rich and poor, powerful and powerless grew
Republic to Dictatorship ËBy 1 st century BC, three men had joined forces against the senatorial elite Ë59 BC - First Triumvirate ËGaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey Magnus, Marcus Licinus Crassus ËCrassus died in 53 BC…became Caesar vs. Pompey
Republic to Empire Ë52 BC - Pompey made consul without colleague ËCaesar had his army’s loyalty ËSenate told him to disband army Ë49 BC – crossed the Rubicon and invaded Rome ËPompey defeated – murdered in Egypt ËCaesar became dictator ËAssassinated in 44 BC
Caesar’s Roman Republic
Republic to Dictatorship ËCivil War: Octavian vs. Antony ËMark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius, the chief conspirators in Julius Caesar’s death ËOctavian defeated Antony ËBecame absolute ruler of Rome
Roman Empire Ë27 BC - 476 AD ËOctavian ËSenate gave him the title of Augustus (“the revered one”) ËBegan Pax Romana ËRelative peace and minimal expansion ËDeveloped trade/industry/science/arts
Rise of Christianity Ë26 AD - Jesus begins preaching Ë29 AD - Jesus is crucified ËFollowers spread & establish organization ËRomans persecute Christians Ë“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. ” ËProblem with Christians – the emperor wasn’t first…God was
Spread of Christianity
Fall of Judea ËRome respected its belief in one god and allowed them to not worship the emperor Ë66 AD - Jews revolt ËRomans crush Jerusalem ËTemple torn down (Wailing Wall) ËJews are scattered and not allowed back
Roman Empire ËTrajan (98 – 117) ËEmpire at its greatest ËHadrian (117 – 138) ËBuilt defensive walls in Britain
Roman Empire ËMarcus Aurelius (161 -180) ËPhilosopher/ruler/soldier ËHis death ended Pax Romana ËDiocletian (284 -305) ËDivided Empire ËConstantine (306 -337) ËReunited empire ËMoved capital to Byzantium ËConverted to Christianity
Internal Decay - Military ËArmy lacks discipline ËFat and Lazy ËRomans forced to hire foreign soldiers to defend borders - mercenaries. ËDon’t always do what they are told ËMoney goes to highest bidder ËMilitary interference in government ËArmies considered themselves masters of the state, not its servants
Internal Decay - Economic ËHeavy taxes to support government & army ËHigh inflation & loss of war loot ËReliance on slave labor ËTax based decline due to war & disease ËIncreased landless poor ËAgricultural output falls ËSmall farmers abandoned land ËBecame workers on large estates
Internal Decay - Political ËOppressive government loses popular support ËCorruption ËRivalry over succession = power struggles = civil wars ËEmpire could not be governed efficiently from one central city ËPrimitive transportation ËPoor communication ËPeople stop looking to empire for protection ËStart looking to large landowners – beginnings of feudalism
Internal Decay - Social ËPopulation declines ËPlagues from trading ËDeclining patriotism, discipline, devotion to duty ËDevotion of upper classes to luxury and self-interest ËCities declined ËCulture and industry ËPeople fled to rural regions ËMoral decay
Germanic Invasion ËGermans allowed to settle ËHuns pushed more Germans in ËVisigoths in Spain ËOstrogoths in Italy ËVandals in North Africa ËFranks in Gaul ËAngles & Saxons in Britain Ë476 AD - last Roman emperor
Roman Contributions ËPax Romana— 27 BC-180 AD ËGreco-Roman (classical) civilization spread throughout Empire ËRoman Law ËInfluenced legal systems in Byzantine Empire, Western Europe and US ËArchitecture ËEffectively used concrete, and dome arch
Roman Contributions ËLanguage ËRomance languages ËLiterature ËCicero—Father of Latin prose ËVergil—Wrote the Aeneid ËHistorical Writing ËLivy—Wrote history of Rome ËPlutarch—Wrote Parallel Lives
Roman Contributions ËScience ËPractical scientists in: ËSanitation ËPublic health ËResearch scientists generally non-Roman ËPtolemy (Greek) ËSun revolves around earth
Rome
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