Transcript File - Mr Jones`Class

Ancient Rome BCE-CE
De nobis fabula narratur
“The Romans knew how to govern
people, establish legal structures
and construct roads that took them
to the ends of their known world”
1
GeographyLocus-Locus-Locus
 Middle
of the Mediterranean
 Larger and more arable land than Greecemts north and south
 River valleys- Po in the North, Tiber in
middle of boot
 Rome - inland accessible by boatdefensible,on “Seven Hills”
2
Origins of Rome
 Legend:
Romulus and
Remus raised by shewolf 733bce traced
boundaries with plow
 Later: Virgil’s
Aeneus, hero of Troy,
roams the Med
looking for a home
 Reality:
Etruscans
 unsure of origin
 used iron, bronze and
silver
 Rome and Latins
under rule of king
 beginning fear of
kings, rebelled
 invaded by Gaul 390
BCE
3
Steps to Unification
 Etruscans
and Gauls squeezed out by Latins
 290- conquered central Italy then Samnites
in South
 265 took over Greek city states
 key- staying power of army, won over
conquered people- become Roman citizens
4
Meanwhile, back in Rome,
the importance of citizenship
 gradual
struggle between the patrician and
plebeian classes
 2 consuls and Senate made up of patricians
 popular assemblies established with a
representative tribune- veto power
 450 BCE 12 Tables Roman Law codified
 Result- increase of privileges for plebes
5
The Punic Wars 264-146 BCE




Major rival in Med- Phoenician Carthage
First Punic War 264-42- copied ships and corvus
– out of Sicily
Second Punic war 218-202- Hannibal 216 Battle of
Camnae
Third- treaty infringement trumped up Cato’s speech
– Carthago delenda est” Carthage plowed and sowed with
salt
– Result Rome now the POWER in the Mediterranean
6
8 Struggles Continue in the
Republic
 Graft,
corruption, struggle between patrician
and plebeians
 Gracchi Brothers Tiberias and Gaius
 Marius consul 6 x
 Sulla- general seized Rome in 82 BCE
restored power to Senate
– set precedent
7
Republic’s Last Gasp
 First
Triumvirate Julius Caesar, Pompey,
Crassus
 Julius Caesar challenges the Senate crosses
the Rubicon
 47 BCE virtual ruler, increased Senate to
900
 44 BCE assassinated, Second Triumvirate
– Octavius, Marc Antony, Lepidus
– Battle of Actium 31 BCE End of an era
8
The Roman Empire
Augustus- purpose “to restore the
republic”
 27 BC Augustus become “First Citizen”
Princeps
 ended strife- beginning of Pax Romana,
almost a hundred years of peace
 tried to impact life- morality, building
 sculpture- deified him, literature as well
 Consolidation- of power/ Senate limited
 Caesar
9
The Roman World
 Ever
expanding- see maps- spread Pax
Romanae
 Politically - emperor/ dictatorship
 Extended Roman citizenship as they spread
 The Roman family- gradual less influence
for fathers
– family strong unit- run like the state
– women become more independent- socially and
ownership
10
The Roman World (cont)
 Golden
Age- literature Horace, Virgil, Ovid and
Livy
 Religion- state religion, Roman gods reflected
Greek

emperor became “divine” connection to gods
– tolerant of other religions Mithras, Persian god of light
– Christianity-”And there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus”
– persecutions not as many as thought- made stronger
– sometimes combined with others- e.g. Celtic gods
11
Slavery in the Roman World
 Important
to building projects and way of
life
 Conquests supplied slaves so came from all
over
 Not related to ethnicity or skin color
 Greek slaves educated and highly prized
 Rebellions like Sparticus 73BCE occurredCrassius
– put down, crucified slaves and held a 10 day
12
The Roman Builders- All over
the Empire
 Amazing
accomplishments- Roads that still last
 Aqueducts- bringing water to every important city
 Temples for the gods- copied Greek style- massive
 Forum- public area of the city- center- oration etc.
 Theaters- for entertainment- drama
 Coliseums- more fun, fights, gladiators, animals
 Baths- public places- series of rooms dif temps
13
The Roman Emperors- the
Good, Bad and Ugly
 Good-
Marcus Aurelius-phil “citizen of the
world”
 Calm and unified- Trajan, Hadrian, walls
and rebels
 Bad- Caligula- named horse “consul”,
Commodus, fought gladiators with blunted
weapons, Nero, mass murder- inc his
mother, pregnant wife, brother
 Many later emperors were generals- most
14
The Roman legacy- writing
and the law
 alphabet



should look familiar to us
Romans wrote down everything- very literate, passed on to
use use every day, alma mater, alter ego, per capita, vice
versa, a.m/, p.m., RIP ,list goes on ad infinitum
some consider the statutes and case law most important
legacy- took idea that a written law can protect one person
from another- put it into practice- Because it’s the laws
means something to us- not necessarily in other cultures.
tried to appeal to people through argument- idea of people
deciding
magistrates important in Rome- e.g. of Apostle Paul
15
The Roman Provinces- still
impacted
 Gaul-
France today- many roads, aqueducts,
theaters
 The Rhine- no border- Trier and Wiesbaden
 Britain- difficult place, Bath and Hadrian’s
wall
 Palestine- Masada- rebellion and
magnificent cities like Baalbek
 Africa- riches of Egypt and the granary of
the Empire
16
Why a Roman “Fall”
 Instability
caused by no real plan of
succession
 Trouble on the borders
 Morally bankrupt?
 Division of Empire- Diocletian
 Later Constantine- new capitolConstantinople17
Christianity and Rome
 Helped
Christianity spread- communication
 Appeal- unrest, questioning of polytheism
– explained spiritual aspects, Christ’s teachings
– emphasis of eternal life
– community exclusive (mystery religion)
 Persecution-
under Nero, blamed for fire
– mostly tolerant, Christians refused to worship
state
 Effect-
spread slowly- letters formed NT
18
The Barbarians at the Gates
 Pressure
from Germanic tribes looking for
safety
 Huns pressured the Visogoths-410- ran into
the empire
 Vandals- 455- sacked Rome
 Series of invasions- physical damage, but
also intellectual
– established German kingdoms in Westilliterate,look at art
19