The Roman Empire
I.
Geography of Italy and Rome
A. The “Boot” of Italy sticks out into the Mediterranean Sea
B. Rugged mountains cover northern peninsula
C. Good farmland = more people
D. Rome is located along the Tiber River and on seven hills = good transportation and defense.
II.
Rome’s Beginnings
A. No
one knows for sure – many different legends:
B. Legend of Romulus and Remus
C. Iliad of Aeneid – people fleeing
from Troy
settled the area
D. Although no one knows for sure, around
700 B.C., people of the area banded together in the city of Rome
III.
Influences on Roman Civilization
A. Greeks
–Grow
olives and grapes
–Alphabet
–Architecture
–Literature
–Sculpture
B.
Etruscans
–Streets
and buildings
–Dress
(togas and cloaks)
–Strong
Army
IV.
Rome becomes a republic
A. Republic
– A form of government in which the leader is not a king or queen but someone put in office by citizens through voting
B. Romans overthrew the Etruscans to establish a republic
C. Over the next 200 years, Rome grew to control almost all of Italy
V. How was Rome able to conquer all of Italy?
A. Excellent soldiers
B. Better Techniques for fighting
C. Permanent military settlements
D. Built roads = better movement of troops
E. Roman Confederation = full citizenship to their allies
F. Swift use force to put down revolts
VI. Roman Government
A. Two consuls were elected each year to head the government and army
B. Each consul could veto the other and only served for one year = check of power
C. The Senate proposed laws, held debates, approved programs and gave advice to consuls
VII. Dictatorship
A dictator could be elected and could
control the Roman government in a time of crisis. However, they could only serve
for a time of six months.
VIII. Roman People
A. Divided into two classes – patricians
and plebeians. Both groups were citizens, could vote and had to serve in the
army and pay taxes.
B. Plebeians could not hold political office and therefore were treated poorly = less rights
IX. Roman Law
A. Twelve Tables established the principal that all free citizens had the right to be treated equally under the
law.
B. Innocent until proven guilty
C. United States borrowed this
concept and applied it to our legal system
X.
Rich vs. Poor
A.
Small farmers couldn’t compete with wealthy Romans who owned latifundias
B.
Farmers lost their land and could not find work due to cheap labor of slaves therefore became soldiers
C.
Government didn’t help because many were wealthy and owned latifundias themselves
D.
Army’s involvement = rise of dictators
XI.
Julius Caesar
A.
Military hero of the Roman Republic
B.
Loved by common people due to reforms
C.
Had himself declared “Dictator for Life”
D.
Senators killed Caesar because they feared that he was growing too powerful.
(This
occurs on the Ides of March - March 15,
44 B.C.)
XII.
Augustus (Octavian)
A.
Gained power after years of warfare between himself and Antony
B.
Ended the Roman
Republic –
Senate names him imperator (commander in chief) = emperor
C.
Began Pax Romana – 200 years of peace
D.
Great achievements – government, tax system, aqueducts, feeding the poor, games
XII. Emperors after Augustus
A. Augustus followed by Tiberius,
Caligula, Claudius and Nero
B. Good – Tiberius and
Claudius
C. Bad – Caligula and Nero
D. After these 4 emperors, the
Roman Empire continued to have
“Good Emperors” for nearly 200 years = time of great accomplishments!
XIV. Roman Accomplishments
A. Roads connected the empire
B. Baths gave clean environment
and enjoyment
C. Aqueducts provided water
D. Sewage system eliminated waste
D. Amphitheatre and Colosseum
provided entertainment
E. Roman coins = common currency
= good trade = good economy
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
180
C.E. – 476 C.E.
XV.
Political and Social Problems
A.
Large amount of land to control
B.
Poor leadership - officials taking bribes
C. Talented
people not serving in the government
D.
People not paying taxes
E.
Large number of slaves
XVI.
Economic and Military Problems
A.
Soldiers consume crops and destroy fields
B.
Plague kills many people
C.
Inflation (rapidly increasing prices)
D.
Army members no longer loyal to Roman government
E.
Invasions from tribes on the borders shrinks the empire
XVII.
Emperor Constantine
A.
Former General who believed he saw a vision of the cross before a battle which helped him win.
B.
Became a believer in the new Christian faith = allowed and supported Christianity.
C.
Christians no longer prosecuted = allowed
the faith to grow and spread
D.
Supported the split of West and East – founded the new capital in the East called Constantinople
XVIII.
Legacy of Rome
A.
Roman law = equality for all and innocent until guilty
B.
Latin language found in medicine, plants and animals
C.
Architecture – found in USA
D.
Christianity as a world religion
