Transcript Chapter 6 Roman Republic

Cornell Notes
TOPIC:
ANCIENT ROME
DAY I
Roman Origins
First settled around
1000 B.C. by the Latins,
Greeks, and Etruscans
who competed for
control of the area. The
Latins built the first
settlement at Rome.
According to
legend, Romulus
and Remus were
twin brothers raised
by a she-wolf and
built the first city by
the Tiber River.
• The Romans were
heavily influenced by
the Etruscans who
had a system of
writing (alphabet) and
architecture (arches).
The Early Republic
Etruscan kings ruled for
nearly a century under
such harsh conditions
that Romans swore to
never again be ruled by
kings. Rome then formed
a republic, a form of
government in which
power rests with citizens
who vote for their
leaders.
Two main groups struggled
for power and voted in
Rome, the patricians who
were wealthy landowners
and plebeians who were the
common farmers, artisans
and merchants. An
important victory for the
plebeians came when they
forced Rome to adopt a
written law. The Twelve
Tables became that law and
protected all citizens under
the law.
The government
consisted of a
senate, whose
members were
initially elected by the
upper class, when
things got tough they
elected a dictator to
rule for six months.