Post on 18-Dec-2015
Ancient Rome
World Studies
What is the Relative Location of the city of Rome?
• Central Italy• On peninsula in
middle of Mediterranean Sea
• Upon the Tiber River- good transportation, protection
Origins of Rome• Founded 753 BC
by Romulus and Remus on Palatine Hill
• Romulus kills Remus and names the city after himself
• Etruscans to the N. and Greeks S.
Government
• 509 B.C. –Last King
• Republic – a government of elected representatives
• Patricians – landowners
• Plebeians – merchants, farmers, traders.
Government
• Two consuls, elected for 1 year
• Senate- 300 members chosen from Patricians (aristocracy), served for life
• Centuriate/Tribal assemblies- plebians, members for life
• Tribunes- elected by plebeians, protects their rights from patricians
• Dictator- could be appointed in emergencies, absolute power for 6 months
Military
• Legion- unit of 5,000• 265 B.C. controlled
Italy• Empire expanded.• How?
• Strong, disciplined army
• Treated enemy well.• Collected taxes.• Respected some local
customs.
Battle Formations
Battle Formations
Battle Formations
• Tortoise
Punic Wars• Wars with the
Phoenician colony of Carthage
• 1st, 264-241 BC for control of Sicily, W. Mediterranean
• 2nd, 218 BC
Punic Wars• Hannibal led
troops across Europe and over the Alps to Italy
• Roman general Scipio (Africanus) attacked Carthage, forced Hannibal to return
• Defeated 202 BC.
Punic Wars
• Third War 149-146 BC, Romans lay siege to Carthage, 50,000 people sold into slavery
Republic to Empire
• 1st triumvirate- Julius Caesar- w/ Crassus and Pompey, 60 BC
• Caesar conquered all of Gaul w/ troops from landless poor- loyal to Caesar, not Rome
• Turned his army on Rome, Pompey fled, 1st dictator for life, 44 BC
Roman Empire
• Caesar murdered in Senate 3/15, 44 BC “Ides of March”
• 2nd triumvirate- Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire
Roman Empire
• Antony fell in love w/ Cleopatra, Ocatvian defeated them both- suicide
• 31 BC- Caesar Augustus
Pax Romana
• Means “Roman Peace”
• 27 BC to 180 AD
Fall of Rome
• Inflation, food shortages, end of expansion weakens empire
• Diocletian- divided the empire into Greek speaking east and Latin west
• Constantine reunited the empire, ended persecution of Christians, moved capital to Byzantium (Constantinople)
Fall of Rome
• Germanic invasions weakened the Empire• Attila the Hun rampaged through Roman
lands• 476- West fell to Vandals• Eastern half lasts until 1453, defeated by
Ottoman Turks• Greco-Roman culture- mix of Greek,
Roman, Hellenistic influence
Famous Roman stuff• Virgil- wrote the Aeneid, modeled after
Homer’s work
• Aqueducts- built using arches, they brought fresh water to large cities
• Space between chariot wheels- train tracks
• Latin becomes basis for Spanish, French, Romanian, Portuguese, Italian
• Colusseum- stadium where gladiators fought