Transcript The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic
1
Italian peninsula

750 miles north to south
 Averages 120 miles
across
 Apennine Mts. runs north
to south
 Fertile plains for farming
 Islands of Corsica,
Sardinia, and Sicily are
nearby
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Impact of Geography

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
Apennine Mts. did not
divide Italy into small
isolated communities
(unlike Greece)
More land for farming
enabled it to support a
larger population
Rome’s location was
favorable
away from the coast
built on seven hills – was
easily defended
central location on the Tiber
river
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Impact of Geography (cont.)

The Italian peninsula
juts into the
Mediterranean Sea

Important crossroads for
the Mediterranean
Governing Rome’s
empire was made easier

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The Land and People
1st Millenium B.C. Latin speaking IndoEuropeans built
Rome on the plain of
Latium
 Influenced by other
groups


Greeks and Etruscans
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The Greeks

Colonized 2/3s of
Sicily and moved up
the Italian peninsula
 Passed on olive
cultivation, alphabet,
sculpture,
architecture, &
literature to the
Romans
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The Etruscans

Influenced Rome
more than the Greeks
 Were from north of
Rome in Etruria
 Made Rome a major
city
 Passed on the toga
and organization of
the army (also
aqueduct, road, and
wall building)
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Early Rome

Legend says that twin
brothers Romulus &
Remus founded
Rome in 753 B.C.
 Early Romans were
herders and farmers
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Early Roman Expansion

Continuous warfare
 Was attacked by
neighboring states and
defeated them
 Full Roman citizenship
given to the
conquered (their army
was destroyed though)
 By 270 B.C. – all of
Italy under Roman
control
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Why so successful?


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
Good diplomats
Firm, even cruel, when
necessary
Rebellions were crushed
without mercy
Extended citizenship to
many
States ran own internal
affairs
Established colonies,
built roads, & fortified
towns
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The Roman State

Distrust of kingship led to
a complicated form of
government (Consuls,
Praetors, Senate,
Centuriate Assembly,
etc.) – division of power
 Early struggles between
Patricians & Plebeians
over rights and power
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Rome and Carthage
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1st Punic War (264-241 B.C. )
Actions

Romans send army
to Sicily
 Carthage considers
it an act of war
 Romans build a
naval fleet
 Romans defeat
Carthaginian navy
off Sicily
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1st Punic War (264-241 B.C.)
Results

Carthage gives up
rights to Sicily &
pays a fine
 Sicily becomes first
Roman province
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2nd Punic War (218-201 B.C. )
Actions

Carthage adds new lands from
Spain to make up for the loss of
Sicily
 Romans encourage Carthage’s
Spanish allies to revolt
 Carthaginian general Hannibal
sent to attack Rome (w/ 30-40
thousand men, horses and
elephants)
 Hannibal crosses Alps and
attacks Rome at Cannae and
wins
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2nd Punic War (218-201 B.C. )
Actions (continued)

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
Rome on the brink of disaster
& raise another army
Romans reconquer Italian
cities
Send troops to Spain and push
out Carthaginians
Romans invade Carthage and
defeat Hannibal at Zama in 202
B.C.
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2nd Punic War (218-201 B.C. )
Results

Carthage loses Spain
and becomes a Roman
province
 Rome becomes the
dominant power in the
Mediterranean
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3rd Punic War (149-146 B.C.)
Actions

Calls in Rome for
complete destruction of
Carthage
 Carthage completely
destroyed in 146 B.C. –
city burned, buildings
pulled down, & inhabitants
sold into slavery
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3rd Punic War (149-146 B.C.)
Results

Rome turns attention to
the eastern
Mediterranean
 Greece & North Africa
placed under control of
Rome
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Julius Caesar
100-44 B.C.
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Military Commander
 Had
military
leadership
experience from
Spain and Gaul
 Had an army of
loyal veterans
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1st Triumvirate

With Crassus &
Pompey
 Crassus dies in battle
 Senate wanted Pompey
as leader – was the
least harmful to their
cause
 Senate votes for Caesar
to give up his command
– he refuses
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Civil War
Caesar’s forces
crosses the Rubicon
River and marches on
Rome
 Defeats Pompey’s
forces and officially
becomes the dictator
of Rome in 47 B.C.

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Caesar’s Reforms

Gave land to the poor
 Increased Senate to
900 members
 Granted citizenship to
people in the provinces
 Introduced a new
calendar (from a 355
day lunar to a 365 day
solar)
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Assassination

Who?

Approximately 60 collaborators led by
Marcus Brutus & Gaius Cassius
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When?

March 15, 44 B.C.

Where?

Rome (senate chambers)

Why?

Senate was losing power; Caesar
was acting like a king
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How?

Stabbed 23 times (supposedly)
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Significance?

Led to the rule of the second
triumvirate for ten years, civil war,
and Octavian as emperor
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Christianity Becomes the
Official Religion of the
Roman Empire
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 Jesus
is born in
Judea
 Begins preaching
a simple
message of
humility, charity,
and love towards
others
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 Is
denounced
by Roman and
Jewish
leadership
 Is tried and
sentenced to
death.
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 By
the order of
Pontius Pilate
Jesus is
crucified
 Loyal followers
believe that he
overcomes
death
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 The
“gospel” is
preached by his
disciples to Jews
and non-Jews
alike
 Christian
communities are
founded in Asia
Minor and along
the Aegean Sea
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 The
Romans
disregard
Christianity at
first but then
random
persecution
begins
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 Grows
slowly at first,
but begins to appeal to
the Romans for several
reasons (salvation for
all, baptism was
simple, could relate to
Jesus, sense of
belonging, & personal
relationship with god)
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 Constantine
becomes the first
emperor to convert
to Christianity
 Constantine
issues the Edict of
Milan in 313
(official tolerance
of Christianity)
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 Emperor
Theodosius the
Great (378-395
A.D.) makes
Christianity the
official religion
of the empire
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The Fall of the Roman
Empire
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Internal Reasons

Empire split into two
parts: east
(Byzantium) and
west (Rome)
 Lack of income from
trade and taxes
 Social factors such
as Christianity and
the decline of Roman
values
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Different Theories

Lead poisoning from
water pipes caused
mental decline
 The plague wiped
out large numbers of
Romans (population
decline)
 Reliance on slavery
led to a decline in
technology
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External Reasons

Invasions by the
Visigoths, Vandals,
Ostrogoths, Huns,
and others
 Shortage of soldiers
to fight threats
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