1. Ancient Rome
“War trumpets rang over the
cheers of the people of Rome
who were viewing the triumphal
grand parade. On this day in 146
BC, the Romans were celebrating The Roman Coliseum
their conquest of the last of the
three Greek city-states.
Ironically, however, over the next
several centuries Greek culture
would come to form the base of
Roman culture and society.”
3. The Roman
Forum, Rome
Italy
How did the small city of Rome become the center of a
vast, diverse empire that spanned the Mediterranean
world?
What were Rome’s lasting legacies to Europe,
Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world?
4. The Roman Republic
► A narrow, boot-shaped
peninsula, it extends from
Europe toward the shore of
Africa.
► Between 2000-1000BC waves
of Indo-Europeans arrived and
overwhelmed the Neolithics
► Between 800-700 BC the Latins
agreed to join and form one
community, Rome.
► 620 BC Etruscans ruled Rome,
The Tarquins created the Forum
and other temples.
► 509 BC Romans drove the
Tarquins out.
► Patricians declared Rome a
Republic.
6. Etruscan Rules
► Skillful artisans
► Used slaves
► Slaves revolt
► Latins appeared
► 620 BC Etruscans gained control of
Rome
► The Tarquins, an Etruscan family, taught
the Latins to build, religion.
► 534 BC Tarquin the Proud became the
first Roman king. Cruel. He was drove
out
7. Roman Government
► Patricians and plebeians
had rights: vote, pay taxes
and serving in the military.
► Patricians organized
Rome’s government into
executive and legislative
branches.
► Executive branch: 2
consuls and a dictator
► Legislative branch:
Assembly of Centuries and The doors of the Senate House
the Senate
► Plebeians protested
because of their lack of
power and got the twelve
tables
8. Religion
► Romans were influenced
by Greek culture and
borrowed their deities:
• Aphrodite (G) Venus
• Ares (G) Mars
• Zeus (G) Jupiter
Families private workshiped
their ancestral spirits and
Vesta, goddess of the Venus Roman statue at
hearth. the British Museum
9. Family
► The family was the basic ► Parents used to teach
unit of Roman society. children reading, writing
• Father was absolute head and moral standards
of the household
• Controlled property,
education and could sell
family members or even
kill them
• Women had few legal
rights but they had more
freedom than Greek
women
10. Expansion and Crisis
► Roman Legionaries were well trained and
if deserted were punished by death
► Economic and social problems brought
down the Roman Republic
► Its forces were fighting the Punic wars in
the west and other fights in the east.
► Provinces complained of corrupt Roman
officials
► By 100 BC slaves formed about 30 % of
Rome’s people. This labor replaced paid
labor.
► Landless and poor people look for “bread
and circuses”
► Danger of revolts (73 to 71 BC, Spartacus
led an army of 70,000 slaves to win Roman legionaries
freedom
11. Reformers and Generals
* 133 BC Tiberius Gracchus
proposed limiting the size
of the latifundia but the
Senate opposed him
► Ten years later his brother
Gaius Gracchus proposed
the same
► 107 BC the General
Marius became consul and
professionalized the army Tiberius Gracchus
► From 88 to 82 BC military
political leaders fought
each other to control
Rome
12. Julius Caesar
► From an aristocratic family,
became one of Rome’s greatest
generals and political leaders.
► Some of his military victories
were:
• Conquered the Celts
• Fought Germanic tribes
• Crossed the Rubicon
• 45BC took the government:
• Carried out social reforms to
benefit the poor
• A new calendar based on
Alexandria’s one (365 days in a
year and 1 more year every 4)
• Death on March 15, 44 BC
13. End of the Republic
► After Julius Caesar’s
death, his 18 year old
grandnephew Octavian
joined with Marc
Antony and Marcus
Lepidus.
► Octavian forced
Lepidus to retired and
after Marc Antony’s
death became the ruler Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
of Rome.
14. The Roman Empire
► THE FIRST EMPERORS
• Augustus Caesar
In the 40 years of his reign (27-14
Caligula at Louvre BC) he became a great
promoter of the arts.
• The Julio-Claudian
Emperors
1. Augustus’s adopted son
Tiberius
2. Tiberius’ grandnephew
Caligula (mentally disturbed)
3. Caligula’s uncle, Claudius
4. Nero, Claudiu’s stepson, cruel
and probably insane (he killed
his mother, wife and senators)
Nero
15. The Good Emperors
► For 28 years after Nero’s
death, Rome was ruled by
several emperors that
were backed by the army.
► In 96 AD Nerva became
the first of the so-called
good emperors:
2. Trajan
3. Hadrian
Marcus Aurelius
4. Antoninus Pius
5. Marcus Aurelius
16. The Pax Romana
► From about 31 BC to
180 AD the Roman
world enjoyed the
Roman Peace.
► ECONOMY:
Artisans made pottery,
woven clothes, blown
glass and jewelry.
They were good traders Roman urn
with India and China
17. Roman Education, Architecture and
Arts
► They erected many impressive buildings during this period: The Circus
Maximus, Colosseum, rebuilt the Pantheon, roads and aqueducts
► The Romans studied geometry, astronomy, philosophy and oratory.
Lower classes: reading, writing and arithmetic
► The language was Latin and they published beautiful written speeches:
Cicero, Ovid, Horace, Virgil, Livy and Tacitus
18. The Rise of Christianity
► Christianity started as a sect in
Rome.
► Meanwhile the Jews were
fighting to regain their freedom
from 6 to 132 AD.
► A few decades before the
Jewish revolts a Jew named
Jesus grew up in Nazareth
► In about 33 AD the Roman
governor Pontius Pilate arrested
Jesus as a political rebel, he
ordered that he be crucified, a
common punishment for Roman
criminals.
► Jews and non-Jews who
accepted Jesus as a messiah
were called Christians Robert Powell as Jesus
19. Roma Decline
► Political Instability
• Emperor Commodus
(Marcus Aurelius’s son)
• From 192 to 284 AD army
legions installed 28
emperors.
• Army was fighting each
other
• Due to political instability
economical problems
appeared. Emperor Marcus Aurelius Commodus
Antoninus
