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