Transcript Chapter 5 Rome and the Rise of Christianity

Chapter 5
Rome and the Rise of
Christianity
The Rise of Rome
Roman history is the story of the Romans’
conquest of Italy and the entire Mediterranean
world. The Romans were conquerors, but they
also governed, using republican forms that have
been passed down to us.
 Italy had more land for farming than did Greece,
enabling it to support a large population.
 Rome had a good central location in Italy from
which it could expand.
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The Roman Republic
Republic- the leader is not a monarch and
some citizens have the right to vote.
 Romans strongly believed in their sense of duty,
courage, and discipline.
 Livy- Roman historian who provided many
stories to teach the Romans the virtues that had
made Rome great.( problem was that they were
not always historically correct.)
 Romans were good diplomats, excelled in
military matters, and were practical in law and
politics. ( more to come in the unit)
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Roman Political Structure
Early Rome was divided into two groups
of orders:
1. Patricians- wealthy landowners who
were Rome’s ruling class.
2. Plebeians- less wealthy, small farmers,
craftspeople, and merchants
3. ***Men in both groups were citizens and
could vote, but only the patricians could
be elected to office.
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The Roman Senate
Was a select group of about 300 hundred
patricians who served for life.
 Their role was to advise government
officials and then they were also allowed
to enforce the laws.
 Does this sound similar to an aspect of our
government?
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Roman Law
One of Rome’s gifts to itself and other
civilizations was its system of laws. Rome’s
first code of laws was the Twelve
Tables. These were the first written set of
laws that were publicly displayed in Rome.
 ***The influence of the Twelve Tables can
still be seen in legal systems today.***
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Twelve Tables of Rome
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Table I: Proceedings Preliminary to trial
Table II: Trial
Table III: Execution of Judgment( 30 days shall be allowed by law for payment of
confessed debt and for settlement of matters adjudged in court.)
Table IV: Paternal Power
Table V: Inheritance and Guardianship
Table VI: Ownership and Possession
Table VII: Real Property
Table VIII: Torts or Delicts
Table IX: Public Law ( being put to death without a trial and unconvicted..is
forbidden)
Table X: Sacred Law
Table XI: Supplementary Laws
Table XII: Supplementary Laws ( whatever the people ordain last shall be legally
valid)
***page 149 in text***
How do these Twelve Tables still apply today?
Roman Expansion
(The Three Punic Wars)
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The First Punic War- this war began due to
Carthage’s attempt to seize Sicily.
This action worried Rome and both sides were
determined to control Sicily.
The Romans built up their army/navy and
defeated the Carthagian military fleet.
Carthage gave up all rights to Sicily and paid a
fine to the Romans. Sicily became the first
Roman province.
Carthage vowed revenge and would pursue
control of Sicily again in the future.
The Second Punic War
The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, invaded
Rome and killed off almost 40,000 men. The
Romans refused to surrender and raised yet
another army.
 The Romans began to reconquer some of the
Italian cities that had been taken by Hannibal.
They also sent troops to Spain.
 Rome than invaded Carthage and crushed
Hannibal’s forces, and the war was over.( Spain
became a Roman province and Rome had
become the dominant power in the Western
Mediterranean.
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The Third Punic War
50 years later, the Romans/Carthage would fight
their third and final battle.
 Rome went in and completely destroyed the
Carthage. They burned and demolished the city,
and sold their inhabitants into slavery.( Most of
the slaves in Rome were actual Romans and
were regarded as part of the household.)
 The territory of Carthage became a Roman
province called Africa.
 Rome was now master of the Mediterranean.
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Section 5.2
 From
Republic to Empire
The First Triumvirate
Triumvirate- a government by three
people with equal power.
1. Crassus- richest man in Rome
2. Pompey- was a military hero
3. Julius Caesar- was also a wealthy military
hero.
***The power of these three enabled them
to dominate the political scene.***
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Caesar’s Takeover
Caesar’s march on Rome started a civil war
between his forces and those of
Pompey/Crassus. He would eventually defeat the
other two forces. This left Caesar in complete
control of the Roman government.
 Caesar was officially made dictator (absolute
ruler)
 He would eventually be assassinated by a group
of Senators.
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The Second Triumvirate
Octavian- Caesar’s grandnephew
2. Anthony- Caesar’s ally and assistant
3. Lepidus- was commander of Caesar’s
army.
Octavian and Anthony would emerge as the
two stronger leaders and split the Roman
empire in half.
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The Age of Augustus
The senate awarded Octavian the title of
Augustus. The Senate gave Augustus the
title of imperator ( commander in chief or
emperor.) Augustus would be Rome’s first
emperor.
 He maintained a strong army of about
151,000 men and also began a new
system for governing the different
provinces.
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Pax Romana
Means “ Roman Peace”- was a period of
peace and prosperity.
 It lasted for almost 200 years and Rome
went through a time with a strong
military/government. The quality of life
during “Pax Romana” was flourishing.
 What were some other aspects?
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Roman Architecture
The Romans adopted many features of the
Greek style of art.
 The Romans excelled in architecture and used
the following styles: arch, vault, and dome.
 They were also the first group to use concrete
on a massive scale.
 The Romans were superb builders and they used
their skills to build roads, bridges, and
aqueducts. ( In Rome, almost a dozen
aqueducts kept a population of one million
supplied with water.)
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Roman Literature
The high point of Latin Literature was reached in
the Age of Augustus. Therefore, the Augustan
Age has also been called the golden age of Latin
literature.
 The most distinguished poet of the Augustan
Age was Virgil. He wrote a masterpiece entitled
Aeneid, in honor of Rome and was compared to
Homer’s work in Greece.
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Why do you think both Virgil and Homer were
compared to each other?
Slavery and Slave Revolts
Slavery was common throughout the ancient
world, but no people had more slaves or relied
so much on slave labor as the Romans.
 Again, most of these slaves were from Italy and
were regarded as part of the family. They served
many duties. ( any examples?)
 Some slaves started to revolt against their
owners and even led to some murders.
 The most famous slave revolt in Italy was led by
a gladiator named Spartacus. Spartacus
managed to defeat several Roman armies before
being trapped and killed.
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Gladiators in Ancient Rome
Public spectacles have always been a part
of civilization. These games took place in
the arena. ( most famous one was the
Coliseum)
 These games embodied the Roman virtues
of bravery, honor, and glory in a world that
was cruel and unpredictable.
 ***turn to page 166-167 in book***
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The Development of Christianity
Constantine became the first Christian emperor and
then under Theodosius the Great, the Romans
adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman
Empire.
 Constantine issued the Edict of Milan , which
proclaimed official tolerance of Christianity.
 Zealots- called for the violent overthrow of the Roman
Rule. Why would this be a problem?
 Jesus- a Jewish teacher who traveled and preached.
These teachings, known as Christianity, began as a
movement within Judaism.
 Jesus’ preaching stirred controversy and finally led to
Pontius Pilate ordering Jesus crucifixion.
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4.5 Decline and Fall
Diocletian- powerful ruler that felt the
Roman Empire was too large for a single
ruler.
 Visigoths- a Germanic tribe that was the
first to invade Rome.
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Theories of Decline
Christianity’s emphasis on a spiritual kingdom weakened Roman
military virtues.
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Traditional Roman values declined as non-Italians gained
prominence in the empire.
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Lead poisoning through leaden water pipes and cups caused a
mental decline in the population.
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Plague wiped out one-tenth of the population.
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Rome failed to advocate technologically due to slavery.
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Rome could not create a workable political system.
***There is some truth in all of these theories but probably the thing
that finally caused the fall of the Roman Empire was invasions
from Germanic Tribes. Rome was so large and very difficult to
protect in entirety.***
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