Transcript The Roman World - Avon Community School Corporation

The
Roman
World
Chapter 13 Section 2
The Roman World
The Big Idea
The Romans unified parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia in
one of the ancient world’s greatest civilizations.
Main Ideas
• The Roman Republic was governed by elected leaders.
• The Roman Empire was a time of great achievements.
• The spread of Christianity began during the empire.
• Various factors helped bring about the decline of Rome.
Main Idea 1:
The Roman Republic was governed by elected
leaders.
Government
• Rome was originally a monarchy.
• In 509 BC the Romans overthrew their king and created a
republic, a government in which people elect their leaders.
• Rome’s leaders were advised by the Senate, a council of
powerful Romans.
• All Roman citizens were encouraged to vote and take part in the
government.
Expansion
• Under the republic, Rome grew. By 100 BC the Romans ruled
much of the Mediterranean world.
• The Romans conquered and took over many lands. For example,
they fought and defeated Carthage in North Africa.
Main Idea 2:
The Roman Empire was a
time of great achievements.
• The change from republic to empire began after the murder of
Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
• Caesar’s adopted son Octavian took over the Roman world. As
ruler, he was renamed Augustus, which means “honored one.”
• Augustus was respected for his many accomplishments:
– Added territory to the empire
– Built monuments and public buildings
– Improved roads
• Augustus’s rule was the beginning of the Pax Romana or Roman
Peace, a period of peace and achievement that lasted for about
200 years.
Achievements of the Pax Romana
Building and
Engineering
• Great builders and
engineers
• Many Roman buildings
are still standing today.
• Romans also built
durable roads, bridges,
and aqueducts, or
channels used to carry
water over long
distances.
Language
and Law
• Many modern languages
based on Latin, the
Roman language
• Wrote great plays,
poems, and stories
• Roman law influenced
many legal systems
around the world,
including that of the
United States.
Main Idea 3:
The spread of Christianity began
during the empire.
• Christianity is based on the life, actions, and teachings of
Jesus of Nazareth.
• Christianity began in Judea in southwest Asia but quickly
spread through the rest of the Roman world.
• Early Christians traveled from city to city, teaching people
about their beliefs. As a result, large communities of
Christians formed in many Roman cities.
Christianity in the Roman World
• Some Roman leaders feared that Christians
would rebel against the government.
Persecution • To prevent rebellion, these leaders began to
persecute, or punish, Christians.
• Christians practiced their religion in secret to
avoid persecution.
• In the 300s the emperor Constantine became
a Christian.
Acceptance
• Constantine ended persecution.
• In the 380s all non-Christian religions were
banned in Rome.
Official Religion
• Christianity became a powerful influence in
the Roman world.
Main Idea 4:
Various factors helped bring about the
decline of Rome.
• By the late 300s, Roman society was weakening.
– Crime rates rose.
– Taxes and poverty increased.
– The Roman education system broke down.
– The government fell apart.
– Many people no longer felt loyal to Rome.
• Many factors contributed to the weakening.
Factors in Rome’s Decline
Government Problems
Invasions
• For years Rome was ruled
by bad emperors who were
more interested in their
own happiness than in
ruling well.
• Barbarian invaders began to
attack Roman territory in the
300s and 400s.
• Ambitious military leaders
tried to take over, but they
were no better than the
bad emperors.
• Civil wars between rival
leaders added to Rome’s
problems.
• The powerful invaders
defeated Roman armies and
took land away from the
Romans.
• In 476 an invading group
destroyed Rome and
overthrew the last emperor.
Most historians consider this
event the end of the Roman
Empire in western Europe.