Transcript Rome File

Rome: Republic to Empire
Roman origins
Horatius – legendary Roman folk hero thought to be
responsible for saving the Latin people from the
Etruscans
Exhibited characteristics important in Roman culture:
courage, loyalty, and devotion to duty
Virgil author of the Aenid an epic poem focused on
Aeneas’ escaped from Troy to found Rome
Romulus & Remus
Sons of a latin woman
and the war god – Mars
The twin brothers were
abandoned in the wild,
but were raised by a
female wolf
Upon reaching adulthood
they founded the city of
Rome and later Romulus
killed his brother
Geography of the Italian
Peninsula
Centrally located in the
Mediterranean Sea
Not broken up into
independent valleys (ie;
Greece)
Mountain range runs down
the spine of the peninsula
and is NOT steep
Broad fertile plains = good
farming
Peoples of the MidMediterranean
Latins (later Romans):
migrated to Italy in 800 B.C.,
founded Rome – the city on 7
hills, successfully drove out
Etruscans in 509 B.C.
Etruscans: come from Asia
Minor, had acquired alphabet
from the Greeks & developed
the arch; tomb building
Carthaginians: sea trading
people of North Africa and
most likely descending from
the Phoenicians
The Tiber & the 7 Hills
The river which flows
near the center of Rome
which developed amongst
the easily defensible hills
in the area
Res publica – a republic
“that which belongs to
the people”: a style of
government
Established in hopes of
preventing any one person
from gaining to much
power
Structure of Roman Society
Patricians: landholding elite (300
member senate from this group)
Consuls: 2 per yr from patrician
class who ruled and checked each
other’s power (1X)
Dictator: senate chosen individual
who would have absolute power
for no longer than 6 mos. for the
purpose of winning a war (ie:
Cincinnatus)
Plebeians: farmers, merchants,
artisans and traders who were
citizens
Plebeians rise up
Tribunes: officials elected by
plebes to protect their
interests after 450 B.C.
Veto: power of the tribunes
to block senatorial
legislation
Law of the 12 Tables: circa
450 B.C., the laws were
inscribed on tablets
displayed in the Forum
(marketplace) - for the first
time plebes could appeal a
judgment
Roman Military Structure
Legion (legate): ~6,000 men 10
cohorts each cohort consisted of
6 centuries (centurion) and each
century made up of 100
legionnaires (Marius’ mules) (28
legions at height)
Praetorians: official bodyguards of
the emperor and generals
Aquilifer: he who carries the
standard (aquila = eagle) Fasce:
bundle of sticks strapped to an
axe; symbol of strength through
unity
Decimation: 1 in 10 killed for
fleeing the field
The Punic Wars
Triad of conflicts between Rome
and Carthage between 264 – 146
B.C.
Punicus = Phoenician
1st war: Rome won Sardinia, Sicily
& Corsica
2nd war: Hannibal: sworn enemy
of Rome sought revenge & almost
captured Rome during the 2nd
war by marching his army & war
elephants over the Alps
3rd war: Rome captured Carthage
& covered it in salt – many
Carthaginians sold into slavery
Rome in Transition
Imperialism: policy of
establishing control over
foreign lands and people
Mare Nostrum: “Our Sea” by
133 B.C. Rome controlled
the Med from Spain to Egypt
Tiberius and Gaius
Gracchus: tribunes &
brothers who through their
efforts at reform angered the
senate to the point where
they hired thugs and
murdered the reformers and
1,000s of their followers
From Republic to Empire
Citizen soldier armies
transitioned into
professional armies filled
with legionnaires
interested in amassing
more wealth and led by
generals waged in their
own struggles for power
Julius Caesar (100? – 44 B.C.)
general who conquered Gaul
(France) and due to
enormous popularity was
fired by the Senate who
viewed him as a threat
“iacta alea est”= the die is
cast – when Caesar crosses
the Rubicon with his army
Pompey and other enemies
were crushed and Caesar
cruised the Med crushing all
rebellions – “veni vidi vici”
Caesar’s Reign
Ruled unopposed from 48 -44
B.C. and pushed through a series
of reforms: Julian calendar, public
works projects which also helped
w/ unemployment, and
reorganized the governing of
provinces
Ides of March: Caesar’s enemies
feared he would name himself
emperor and stabbed him to
death in the Senate on March
15th 44 B.C. (Brutus)
Kaiser & tsar both derive from
the title “caesar”
Mark Antony v Octavian
Caesar’s death started a
fierce civil war between his
chief general – Mark Antony
& his chosen grandnephew
– Octavian – that is after
they hunted down all of the
conspirators
Octavian emerged victorious
over Antony and his
lover/ally Cleopatra
Octavian given title
Augustus = “Exalted One”
and was declared princeps –
1st citizen
Augustus & the Empire
Augustus ruled from 31
B.C. – 14 A.D. and
solidified the Roman
Empire
Senate remained
Civil service program
High level jobs based on
meritocracy
Tax system based on
census
Postal service
Unified currency
Era of Inconsistency
Roman leaders were up
and down and often
controversial in terms of
their right to the throne
Caligula (horse named
consul) & Nero (set fire to
Rome & blamed
Christians) were both
most likely insane
Fights broke out each
time an emperor died
Pax Romana (Augustus – Aurelius)
200 yr period of unrivaled
success for the Roman
empire
96 – 180 A.D. marked an
exceptional period of “good”
rulers:
Hadrian: codified roman law
and built a wall across no.
Britannia
Trade flourished throughout
the empire including
connections w/ the Silk
Road in East
The Roman Achievement
Rome revered, protected, &
spread the Greek & Hellenistic
culture, but added their own
flavor to create the Greco-Roman
period
Satirize: writings designed to
comment on society and culture
through humor
Livy: famous historian who
glorified Rome’s past and her
heroes
Stoicism enjoyed a resurgence –
duty & acceptance of one’s fate
Art, Architecture, & Science
Mosaic: picture made of colored
pieces of stone, glass, or tile
Columns, aqueducts, arches, and
the first dome – the Pantheon
Ptolemy: astronomermathematician who believed the
sun & other bodies revolved
around the earth
Pliny: scholar who complied one
of the first encyclopedias: botany,
zoology, geography, etc.
Legal Legacy
Civil law: applied only to
Roman citizens
Law of Nations: applied to
all under Roman rule,
foreigners or not
Basic Legal foundations of
the West:
Innocent until proven
guilty
Right to face your accuser
Unequal penalty system –
based on class