Transcript THE RISE OF ROME

THE RISE OF ROME
ITALIAN gEOGRAPHY
• BOOT SHAPED
PENINSULA
• RICH SOIL
PLEASANT
CLIMATE
• RIVERS
SHORT/SWIFT NOT
GOOD FOR
INTERNAL
NAVIGATION
legend
Twin Brothers --- Romulus & Remus
• Father was god Mars
• Mother a mortal princess
• King set twins afloat on Tiber River
• Babies reached shore
• Raised by a female wolf
• Found by a shepard and his wife
• When grown killed the King and put real grandfather on
throne
• Brothers set up city of Rome on edge of Tiber
• Brothers fight/Romulus kills Remus
• Rome is born!
Roman beginnings
• 3 main groups of
people
• 1) Greeks
• 2) Estruscans
• 3) Latins
GREEKS
• Colonies of City-States
along So. Italian coast
and island of Sciily
• Spread alphabet
ETRUSCANS
• From Asia Minor
• Ruled most central
Italy
• Ruled city of Rome
• ---taught use of arch
• ---taught engineering
techniques to drain
marshes around Rome
• ----gods/goddesses
merged with Roman
deities
LATINS
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Indo-European stock– in Italy by 800BC
Settled along Tiber River
Small villages on 7 hills
Herded and farmed
• DROVE OUT ETRUSCANS 509BC
• Yea!!! Rome founded!!!
ROME’S 1ST GOVERNMENT
• NEVER WANTED A KING
AGAIN!
• REPUBLIC
• --- “Thing of the
people”
• Officials chosen by
the people
• (keep one person
from gaining too
much power)
STAGES OF ROMAN
CIVILIZATION
• ROMAN
REPUBLIC
• ROMAN
EMPIRE
• LONG
DECLINE
ROMAN REPUBLIC
• Most powerful body: The Senate
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300 members
All patricians== landholding upper class
Served for life
Issued decrees/interpreted laws
CONSULS
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Chosen by Senators
2 each year
1 year terms
Patricians
• Had to ‘consult’ with Senate
• In charge of armies/govt business
DICTATOR
• IN EVENT OF WAR ONLY
• GIVEN EMERGENCY POWERS FOR 6
MONTHS
• HAD COMPLETE CONTROL DURING
THIS TIME
• HAD TO GIVE UP POWERS AT END
CINCINNATUS
• MODEL DICTATOR
While plowing fields told by messenger
Left plow, organized army, led Rome to
victory, attended celebrations, returned to
his field
16 days!!!!
Plebeians
• Most everyone else (farmers, traders etc)
• Had little influence in early govt
• Politics in early Roman republic one of
struggle by plebeians to gain power in
government