Transcript Ancient Rome - Regents Review

Overview of the
Roman Empire
Parallel Events
(Greece vs. Rome)
• Ancient Greek Events
• 490-479 BCE: Persian
Wars
• 460 BCE: Age of
Pericles in Athens
• 431 BCE:
Peloponnesian Wars
• 331 BCE: Alexander
the Great conquers
Persian Empire:
Hellenistic Age
• 133 BCE: end of
Greek dominance in
Med. world
• Ancient Rome Events
• 509 BCE: Rome sets
up a Republic
• 450 BCE: 12 Tables of
Law
• 270 BCE: Rome
controls most of Italian
peninsula
• 264-146 BCE: Punic
Wars vs. Carthage
• 133 BCE: Roman
power extends from
Spain to Egypt
The Geography of Rome
Italy in 750 BCE
The Origins of Rome
Rome’s Geography
• 1. Site of Rome was chosen for its
fertile soil and strategic location –
(close to Mediterranean Sea)
• 2. Located on Italian peninsula –
surrounded by water on three
sides… where else are there
peninsulas?
• 3. Built on seven hills on the Tiber
River
Early Roman Peoples
•Latins: ancestors of the Romans
• Herders and farmers: settled along the
Tiber River along the 7 hills
• Etruscans: ruled central and northern
Italy Came from Asia Minor(Eastern
Mediterranean) Called themselves
Tyrrhenians in honor of their king.
Romans borrowed Etruscan alphabet,
arch and worshipped similar gods and
goddesses
• Greeks: settled in southern Italy/Sicily
Influence of the Etruscans
 Writing
 Religion
 The Arch
The Mythical Founding of
Rome:
Romulus & Remus – twins,
sons of Mars (god of war),
raised by she-wolf, Romulus
eventually killed Remus to
be king!
Republican Government
**Republic – government in which
people vote for their leaders
2 Consuls
(Rulers of Rome) –1 year term, one
to lead army and one to direct
government
Senate
(Representative body for patricianswealthy aristocrats, landowners), make
foreign and domestic policy
Tribal Assembly
(Representative body for plebeians –
lower class Romans – artisans,
merchants, and farmers), make laws
The Twelve Tables, 450 BCE
 Providing political and social
rights for the plebeians.
 Basis of later Roman law
 Hung in the Forum
 Law is one of the most
important Roman
contributions
The Roman Forum
Roman Roads:
The Appian Way – first
major roadway
Rome’s Early Road System
Roman Aqueducts –
idea borrowed from the
Greeks, brought water
to the cities
The Roman Colosseum
– major spectacles occurred
here, including gladiator
fights!
The Colosseum Interior
Circus Maximus – like a
racetrack of today, chariot
races took place here!
The Legacy of Rome
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Republic Government
Roman Law
Latin Language
Roman Catholic Church
City Planning
Romanesque Architectural Style
Roman Engineering
• Aqueducts
• Sewage systems
• Dams
• Cement
• Arch