world history chapter 7 early beginnings unknown how rome started legend holds that mars (the god...
TRANSCRIPT
ROME
World HistoryChapter 7
Early Beginnings
Unknown how Rome started
Legend holds that Mars (the god of war) and Silvia (a priestess) had two children:
Remus & Romulus: brothers raised by a wolf mom
Romulus kills brother and becomes first king
Geography of Italy
Location makes it vulnerable to invasion
Made unity possible No mountains allowed
travel inland (no good ports) so they traded inland
Farmers raised veggies, olives, grapes
Had marshes in their few rivers – malaria-carrying mosquitoes
Early history
1000 B.C. Latins entered the peninsula and settled on the Tiber River
Their villages formed Rome
Late 600’s B.C. Etruscans captured Latium Plains including Rome
Mixture of people became known as Romans
Etruscans
Etruscans had influence in Roman culture
Had written language using Greek alphabet for letters
Made fine clothing, jewelry, metal pottery
Had paved roads, drained marshes, built sewers
Greeks also settled in Rome to influence culture
Rome’s location
Many city-states in Italy but Rome had advantages:1. On Tiber River
(easy navigation)2. 15 miles inland
(away from invaders)
3. Inland trade hub
SEE VIDEO called Rome (3 Mins)
Roman Government
509 B.C. Rome sets up a republic (where voters elect their own leaders)
At first, only adult males could vote
Centum = One hundred Assemblies could
declare war; they elected 3 kinds of magistrates (public officials) that oversaw daily affairs of the gov’t
Roman Government Part Two
3 types of magistrates:1. Consuls – elected for one
year terms that were army commanders who ran the gov’t
Each could veto (or refuse to approve) acts of the others
Became known as a check and balance system to prevent one part from being too strong
2. Praetors – military commanders and judges
3. Censors – tax collectors
Roman Government Part Three
Assembly of Tribes – citizens grouped into 35 tribes that elected 10 officials called tribunes
Tribunes could veto senate bills and actions of public officials
The senate included 300 men – they controlled public funds, foreign policy, acted as a court
In emergency could name a dictator
Roman Government – Part Four Patricians – powerful
aristocrats that gained control of the gov’t
Plebeians – all other citizens (discriminated against); they couldn’t hold office
Plebeians lead strikes and gained rights (laws were written down) and gained power
Wealthy nobles – only ones who could afford to run for office; voted on officials and laws; dominated Republic
Roman Expansion
All adult males served in the army
Legionaries – excellently trained soldiers
When Romans conquered:1. They allowed citizenship of
its conquered2. Used treatise and
agreements3. No slaves were taken4. They spread Latin language,
law, and culture
Roman Family
Top values: religion, morals, education, family
Large families Pater familias – fathers in
the family that had absolute authority and taught religion
Greek gods became Roman gods
Family religion became state religion (built temples and ceremonies)
Punic Wars
Rome vs. Carthage (264-146 B.C.)
118 year long war Reasons for war: envy,
jealousy, and fear of each other
Carthage lost and were forced to pay indemnities (money for the damages it caused)
This pissed off Carthage and they wanted revenge so…
The 2nd Punic War Began in 218 B.C. Hannibal (Carthaginian
military leader) put together a crazy big army (50 war elephants) but lost a lot of them due to the snow and cold
Even so, he beat the Roman army for 15 years but could not capture Roman cities (due to walls)
Rome then decided to attack Carthage in Africa and Hannibal returned to be defeated by a Roman general named Scipio
Carthage had to pay for stuff again and never again was a threat but…
The 3rd Punic War Senate declared war on
Carthage again just because
Many Roman veterans hated Carthage
Carthage was destroyed and salt poured over the land
Modern things we learned from the Punic Wars:1. Make countries pay that lose2. Use bad excuses to declare war3. Listen to emotion rather than
brain
Problems with Roman Expansion Nobles got too powerful All people that got
conquered weren’t given citizenship but were taxed heavily
Tax collectors (proconsul) kept a lot of the money they collected
The Publicans (people that worked for the censors) kept money also
Changes in Agriculture
Latifundia – large Roman estates that were rented out by the gov’t
Rome depended on provinces for grain
Only the wealthy owned farms – became very expensive
Changes in Commerce
Trade increased within the Roman Empire
Equites – a trader class of Roman business people who had great wealth but very little political power
Social Change
Poor farmers in the city meant people began to judge others on how much money they made
Slaves led miserable lives and often revolted
Death by crucifixion
From a Republic to an Empire 2 brothers: Tiberius
and Gaius Gracchus tried to reform Roman gov’t
One was beaten to death; the other imprisoned for using public funds to buy grain for the poor
Turning point: when law and order turned into violence
Continued…
Gaius Marius gained popularity for defeating German invaders and giving his soldiers money and loot in return
Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Marius were enemies in a civil war in which Sulla won and executed thousands of citizens in 82 B.C.
Sulla ruled until 79 B.C.
The 1st Triumvirate & Rise of Caesar The nephew of Marius
(Julius Caesar) gained popularity and made Sulla retire
Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus then joined forces to form the First Triumvirate in 60 B.C.
Caesar made himself Proconsul of Gaul (France)
Pompey became jealous and Caesar attacked Rome and crossed at the Rubicon River
Caesar continued… Pompey fled and
Caesar secured Italy, Spain, and Egypt
He put Cleopatra on the throne of Egypt to be a Roman ally
Senate appointed Caesar dictator for life
Granted citizenship, gave land to vets, reduced size of Senate
Cassius and Brutus stabbed Caesar to death in the Senate
The 2nd Triumvirate
Octavian (grand nephew of Julius Caesar), Marc Antony (friend of Caesar and a general) and Lepidus (2nd in command) formed the 2nd Triumvirate
Together they beat the armies of Cassius and Brutus
Lepidus retired; Octavian took the west; Antony took the east with Cleopatra
They eventually fought over total control and Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner
Augustus Caesar After the war, the
Senate declared Octavian as Augustus (means “sacred”)
Became first Roman Emperor
The emperors that followed became known as the Julian Emperors
Julian Emperors
Tiberius – good ruler Caligula – brutal; insane Claudius – good; intelligent;
wife killed him Nero – cruel; idiot;
committed suicide Nerva – good emperor Trajan – conquered more
territory Hadrian – promoted art Antonius Pius – nothing Marcus Aurelius – well
educated; fought off invaders from the north and east
Pax Romana
Pax Romana – (means “Roman peace”) the time beginning with Augustus and ending with Marcus Aurelius
During this time:1. Gov’t ruled 100 million
people2. Law and order was
maintained3. Emporer made all
decisions & appointed officials
Pax Romana continued…
4. Constructed new cities in Spain and Gaul
5. Built public baths and aqueducts (bridge-like structures that carried water from the mountains)
6. Paved streets and built sewer systems
7. Code of 12 tables (law books) was created
Early Christianity
Jesus of Nazareth (born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth) claimed to be the Son of God
Romans feared he would cause a Jewish uprising
The local governor (Pontius Pilate) reluctantly ordered his crucifixion (even though he feared a Jewish uprising from his death) in the city of Jerusalem
Christianity Spread
Many of Jesus’ teachings are found in the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John
After Jesus’ death, Saul (aka Paul) helped spread the word of Christianity
Roman emperors required that THEY be worshipped, not a god; Christianity became outlawed
Jews resisted, refused, some revolted and died and became martyrs (a person put to death for a belief)
Christianity Spread Further
In 200 A.D., a civil war broke out and many converted
There were too many followers so Christianity became un-outlawed
Constantine – the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity
Theodosius – his successor that banned Pagan worship
Bishops of Rome, Alexandria became known as patriarchs
Over time the patriarchs became known as the Pope
Beginning of the end…
Marcus Aurelius did not pick a great successor
He appointed his spoiled son named Commodus
Commodus was harsh to farmers and city workers
Diocletian and Constantine helped to slow the fall by reorganizing and appointing a co-emperor named Maximian
That led to a civil war
Fall of Rome continued…
Constantine became emperor in 306 A.D. until 324 A.D.
Created a new capital called Byzantium
Corruption in the gov’t followed his death
Invaders Visigoths & Ostrogoths (from Germany) were constant
Final Straws
Visigoths finally conquered Rome in 410 A.D.
Vandals attacked everything in the western reaches
Attila the Hun attacked Gaul which was the final straw in breaking the empire up
The invaders couldn’t rule an empire which led to anarchy
Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, and Ostrogoths destroyed schools, churches, stopped trade, & laws were abandoned
Poor leadership, political weakness, economic decline, and social decay led to the end
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