2. In the Beginning…
• Ancient Rome begin as
a group of villages along
the Tiber River in what
is now Italy.
• Around 750 B.C. these
villages united to form
the city of Rome.
3. Legendary Rome
• Aeneas and Trojan Refugees settle in Italy (Vergil’s
Aeneid; wholly fictional)
• Romulus founds Rome 753 BCE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jToagTve4hs
– Another legend
– Romulus probably named for Rome
– “Rome” may come from a word for “river”
• Seven Kings
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s84oIcf3pXA
• Tarquinius Superbus deposed
• Republic founded 509 BCE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8oKg6LiMA8
5. Patricians & Plebeians
• In the beginning most of the
people elected to the
Senate were patricians.
• Patricians controlled the law
since they were the only
citizens allowed to be
judges.
• Plebeians had the right to
vote, but could not hold
public office until 287 B.C,
when they gained equality
with patricians.
• https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=WloGfLtQCKI&sp
freload=1
6. Formation of Roman Republic
• For more than 200 years, kings ruled Rome.
• In 509 B.C. Rome became a republic.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXNiow1YguY
• The Roman Senate was an assembly of elected
representatives. It was the single most powerful ruling body
of the Roman Republic.
• As the roman republic developed the plebeians demanded
fair laws from the patricians these became known as the 12
tables
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clmPMqeQs_I
7. Roman Hero Lucius (Titus) Cincinnatus
• n 458 BCE (according to tradition),
Cincinnatus, who had been consul in 460
BCE, was plowing his fields when messengers
arrived to tell him he had been named dictator
to defend the city against the Aequi and the
Volscians. He took up the supreme command,
defeated Rome's enemies, freed the beseiged
consul Minucius, and returned to his farm, all
within 16 days. Further, he refused the honors
that came with his military victories. Legend
says he was named dictator a second time in
439 BCE, but there is no foundation for this
story.
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71eY67Ht4
Lo
8. Roman Expansion
• Under the leadership of ambitious generals, Rome’s highly trained soldiers took over most of
the land surrounding the Mediterranean.
• The ancient Romans called the Mediterranean mare nostrum, meaning “our sea”.
• War With Carthage
• 264-241 BCE: Rome wins control of Sicily
• 238 BCE Rome takes advantage of revolt in Carthage to seize Sardinia
• 218-201 BCE: Hannibal invades Italy, but Carthage loses Spain and N. Africa to Rome the
battle of Cannae was decisive
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQNCGqfjaBc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_7dtbp-0nQ
• 149-146 BCE: Alarmed by Carthage’s recovery, Rome launches a final war to destroy
Carthage the battle of Zama finally destroyed Carthage
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trvNo79PsRI
• Claim:
11. The End of the Roman Republic
What were the primary causes of the fall of the republic?
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus try but fail to implement social reforms (land
reform)130-122 BCE
• Social War 91–88 BCE: Rest of Italy tries to secede from Rome
• Civil War 87-81 BCE, followed by purge by Lucius Sulla
• Catilina 63-62 BCE: Failed coup
• First Triumvirate 60-53 BCE: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus
• A successful Roman general and famous speaker, Julius Caesar, was a governor of
the territory of Gaul and managed to take control of many nearby territories.
• Fearing him the Roman Senate ordered him to resign…but he had other ideas.
• Caesar fought for control and won, becoming the dictator of the Roman world,
ending the Roman Republic.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSRVbOsYOvk&list=PLNlC1h2HIG_gIDgvOjYlx
UGxN2ONDcw0S
12. Julius Caesar Achievements assignation and the formation
of imperial Rome
• Born 100 BCE
• Consul 60 BCE
• First Triumvirate 60-53 BCE: Caesar,
Pompey, Crassus
• Conquest of Gaul 58-49 BCE
• Attempted invasion of Britain 55 BCE
• 50 BCE: Caesar-Pompey alliance breaks
up
• 50-45 BCE: Civil War; Caesar wins
• 44 BCE: Assassinated
• Less than a year after gaining power a group
of angered Senators stabbed Caesar to death
on the floor of the Roman Senate. (March 15,
44 B.C.)
• This caused a civil war that lasted several
years.
• In 27 B.C., Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian
was named the first emperor of Rome.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
ieOLO33KFA
• From Caesars death to empire
• Civil War
– Antony against Brutus and Cassius
– Antony and Octavian against Brutus and
Cassius
– Octavian against Antony and Cleopatra
• Octavian declared Emperor 27 BCE as
Caesar Augustus
• Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero
• 69 CE: Year of the Four Emperors
13. The Augustan Age
• CAESAR AUGUSTUS
• Julius Caesar’s 18 year old nephew named Octavian
• Formed a second triumvirate with Mark Antony and
Marcus Lepidus
• They defeated Brutus and Cassius
• Alliance broke apart and Octavian would become
Rome’s first emperor
• He will be given the title “Augustus” or “highest
one”
• During the rule of Augustus the Roman empire
continued to expand.
• Augustus kept soldiers along all the borders to keep
peace in the Roman world.
• During this time architects and engineers built
many new public buildings.
• AUGUSTUS’ REIGN (31 BCE- 14 CE)
• Absolute power in Roman emperor
• Always tried to avoid appearing like he had “too
much power”
• Did not flaunt his authority
• Preferred to be called “princeps” or “first citizen”
• AUGUSTUS’ ACHIEVEMENTS
• Defense: established the Praetorian Guard
(nine cohorts of 500 men who acted bodyguards
for the emperor and his family)
• New administrative system for the large
expanding empire (Senate controlled settled
provinces, Emperor new frontier provinces)
• Continued granting citizenship to people in the
provinces
• Introduced a more uniform tax system to
promote equal and fair treatment of the
provinces
• Established a civil service to enhance the
workings of government
• Encouraged religion, using to encourage the
simple life and to strengthen morality which he
felt was slipping
• Beautified Rome “found it in brick and left it in
marble”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0EmHEd
5Yc
14. THE FIVE GOOD EMPERORS
• After Nero’s death, the Senate
and the army played a more
active role in the selection of
the emperor
• Between 96 CE and 180 CE, the
Romans handled the problem of
succession by having each
emperor select a younger
colleague to train as a
successor.
• Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius
Pius, and Marcus Aurelius
• Resulted in almost a century of
stability
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=LFbXqSoXznU
• The Empire at its
Peak(pax romana)
• Flavian Dynasty
– Vespasian (69–79)
– Titus (79–81)
– Domitian (81–96)
• Five Good Emperors
– Nerva (96-98)
– Trajan (98-117)
– Hadrian (117-138)
– Antoninus Pius (138-161)
– Marcus Aurelius (161-180)
15. NERVA (96 CE – 98 CE) & TRAJAN (98 CE – 117 CE)
• NERVA (96 CE – 98 CE)
• Older, gentler senator
• Elected emperor by the Senate
• Began tradition of the present ruler
finding and adopting the “best
man” and making him successor
• TRAJAN (98 CE – 117 CE)
• First Roman emperor of non-
Italian origin (Spanish)
• Great ruler
• Extended the Empire to its
greatest extent
• Kept the Senate informed
about his campaigns, and
waited for their approval
before signing treaties
• Popular with the public
because he greatly increased
Rome’s wealth through
military conquest
• Also popular because spent
large sums on building
aqueducts, temples and public
baths
• Also very popular with the
army
• Buried under his column in the
Roman Forum
16. HADRIAN (117 CE – 138 CE)
• Brilliant and versatile
• Excellent administator and
brave soldier
• He consolidated the Empire
and built walls in Scotland
and along the Rhine River to
contain the Barbarians
• Gifted architect
• Built the Pantheon
• Constructed the Castel Saint
Angelo, a beautiful fortress
tomb which still stands in
Rome.
• THE PANTHEON
17. ANTONIUS (138 CE – 161 CE)
• Just and honest
• Empire reached its peak
under his guidance
• Ruled during years of
tranquility
• His death is associate by
many with the end of
the Pax Romana
• MARCUS AURELIUS
(161CE–180 CE)
• Ruled during times of
trouble during which
barbarians rose in many
areas
• Plague also killed ¼ of
the people in the
Republic during his
reign
• Stoic
18. The Greatest Extent of the Roman Empire – 14
CE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GylVIyK6voU
19. COMMODUS (180 CE – 192 CE)
• Son of Marcus Aurelius
• Unfit, broke the tradition
of “best man”
• Fought in the gladitorial
contests
• Poor ruler cruel
• Strangled to death in his
bath
• LATE EMPIRE
• For the next 300 years,
we will witness the
decline of the Empire
• After Commodus, the
throne was up for auction
• 192 – 193 several men
tried to gain power by
buying loyalty of different
armies
20. MILITARY ANARCHY (265 – 284)
• 1OO claimants to the throne
• 26 took the title for an average of 2 years
• All of them violent end
• Valerian captured by the Persians and stuffed as a trophy
• Plagues and constant wars
• Taxes skyrocketed
• Citizens tried to give up citizenship
• Back to barter economy because of inflation
21. DIOCLETIAN ( 284 – 305)
& CONSTANTINE
• Restored some semblance of order
• Only emperor to retire (Yugoslavia)
• Persecuted Christians
• Nephew of Diocletian
• Ruled with 4 others from 305 – 324
• Ruled alone from 324 – 337
• 312 had a religious vision, seeing a cross and so
became a Christian
• Passed the Edict of Milan in 313 which granted
religious toleration
• As Western Empire collapsed, moved to
Constantinople and made it the capital city
• The Empire permanently is divided into East and
West. One emperor ruling in Ravenna and the
other in Constantinople in 395.
• Christianity becomes the state religion.
• Other pagan and religious festivals are banned.
• Constantinople was named for emperor
Constantine.
• Constantine was important because he
legalized Christianity in the empire.
• Under Constantine’s rule, Christianity spread
greatly.
• He moved the capital of the empire from Rome
to Constantinople.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5najM_iln
o
22. Persecution of Christians
• Rome was generally
tolerant of other religions
– Tended to incorporate other
religions
– Tolerated Jews, who
refused assimilation
• Roman religion was
utilitarian
– Means of maintaining unity
and order (pietas)
– Securing favor for Rome
• Christianity threatened
both aims
– Blamed for decline of
Rome
• Other Issues
– Secrecy bred suspicion
– Organized among lower
classes
– Competition with other
sects
– Some early Christians were
extremists
• Freedom of conscience
was not on anyone’s
radar until about 1700
23. The Rise of Christianity
• After the death of
Augustus in 14 A.D. a new
religion begin to spread:
Christianity.
• At first it took hold in the
eastern half of the Roman
Empire.
• By 200 A.D. this religion
had spread throughout
the empire.
• Christians were viewed
with suspicion and
suffered persecution and
many were punished or
killed for their beliefs.
• Things changed when
Constantine became
emperor of Rome in 306
A.D. During his reign
Christianity became the
official religion of the
Roman Empire.
26. Roman Science and Technology
Little theoretical
science or innovation
(Lucretius-atoms)
Encyclopedists (Pliny)
Architectural virtuosity
City planning--water,
lead pipes, sewage, fire
protection
Bridges and aqueducts
Law and administration
Concrete (if a society
can only introduce one
invention, it could do no
better than this.)
Codex form of books
Water mills (late in
Empire)
27. Near Collapse 235-284
• 20-25 emperors and many
claimants
• Internal dissension weakens
frontiers
• Dacia (modern Romania) lost
• Empire fractures into three
parts 258-275
• Economic stagnation and
hyperinflation
• Two tough general-emperors,
Claudius Gothicus and
Aurelian, stabilized Empire
• Diocletian (284-305) created
autocracy, reformed military,
bought another two centuries
for the Empire
• Final Decline
• Constantine the Great (306-
337)
– Legalized Christianity 313
• Theodosius I (379-395)
– The last ruler of the whole
empire
– Made Christianity official 391
– Empire divided East-West 395
• Eastern Invasions
• Romulus Augustulus deposed
476
• Eastern half endures as
Byzantine Empire to 1453
28. The Fall of the Roman Empire
• The empire was too large to
govern effectively.
• The army was not what it used to
be. There was corruption in the
military - dishonest generals and
non-Roman soldiers.
• Civil wars broke out between
different political groups.
• Emperors were often selected by
violence, or by birth, so the head
of government was not always a
capable leader.
• The increased use of slaves put
many Romans out of work
• The rich became lazy and showed
little interest in trying to solve Rome
problems.
• The poor were overtaxed and
overworked. They were very
unhappy.
• Prices increased, trade decreased.
• The population was shrinking due to
starvation and disease. That made it
difficult to manage farms and
government effectively.
• The Empire starting shrinking. The
Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals,
Saxons and other barbarian tribes
overran the empire.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
U0Ly96WK0CY&list=PLNlC1h2HIG_gI
DgvOjYlxUGxN2ONDcw0S&index=1
•
29. The Fall of the Roman Empire
• The ancient Romans tried to solve some of their problems by splitting the
Roman Empire in half, hoping that would make the empire easier to
manage.
• Each side had an emperor, but the emperor in charge was the emperor of
the western half, the half that included the city of Rome.
• The Western Roman Empire did not do well. Instead of getting stronger,
they became weaker. By 400 AD, it was pretty much over. The Huns,
Franks, Vandals, Saxons, Visigoths – any of these barbarian tribes might
have been the group that finally brought Rome down.
• They were all attacking various pieces of the Western Roman Empire. In
476 AD, the Visigoths sacked Rome. Europe entered the Dark Ages. The
eastern half of the Roman Empire received a new name – the Byzantine
Empire. The Byzantine Empire did fine. It lasted for another 1000 years!
33. Byzantium
• The eastern part of the Roman Empire became
known as the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium.
34. Roman Citizenship & Law
• Romans had a strong sense
of citizenship.
• Roman citizens were
protected by Rome, but had
a duty to participate in
society and to make it
better.
• The philosophy that
preached good citizenship
was called Stoicism.
• Stoicism stressed the
importance of being a good
citizen.
• 12 tables became the law of
nations as Rome expanded
and expanded citizenship
• Roman Law and Rights
• Roman laws stressed
fairness and common sense.
• There was equal treatment
under the law in Rome and
people were considered
innocent until proved guilty
when accused of a crime.
• We took much of our
system of government from
the Romans.
35. Roman Cities
• The typical Roman city of the
later Republic and empire had a
rectangular plan and resembled a
Roman military camp with two
main streets—the cardo (north-
south) and the decumanus (east-
west)—a grid of smaller streets
dividing the town into blocks, and
a wall circuit with gates.
• Older cities, such as Rome itself,
founded before the adoption of
regularized city planning, could,
however, consist of a maze of
crooked streets. The focal point of
the city was its forum, usually
situated at the center of the city at
the intersection of the cardo and
the decumanus.
• Plan of the City of Rome
• By the time of Augustus, Rome
had grown from a tiny settlement
on the Tiber River to a metropolis
at the center of an expanding
empire. Under the republic Rome
became the political capital of the
Mediterranean and a symbol of
Roman power and wealth.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=13SNzy0rcRQ
36. 12/7/2016 36
An expanding network of
roads helped to link Rome's
distant territories. One of
the most important paved
military roads was the
Appian Way, commissioned
by the Roman official
Appius Claudius Caecus. It
became the major route
from Rome to Greece.
Although these large lava
blocks may not be the
original material, the route
itself has remained
unchanged and in use since
it was first paved more than
2200 years ago.
Appian Way
All Roads Lead to Rome
Why do you think a system of roads was
important to the survival of the Empire?
38. Forums
• The forum, an open area
bordered by colonnades with
shops, functioned as the chief
meeting place of the town. It
was also the site of the city's
primary religious and civic
buildings, among them the
Senate house, records office,
and basilica.
• When archaeologists began
excavating the city of Pompeii,
which had been covered with
ash and mud by the eruption
of Mount Vesuvius in ad 79,
they found the remains of
people, ancient buildings, and
other artifacts preserved amid
the volcanic debris. Among the
structures uncovered was The
Forum of Pompeii, pictured, a
group of temples, courts, and
palaces that served as the
city’s legislative center
12/7/2016 38
39. Basilica
• The basilica was a roofed hall
with a wide central area—the
nave—flanked by side aisles,
and it often had two or more
stories. In Roman times
basilicas were the site of
business transactions and legal
proceedings, but the building
type was adapted in Christian
times as the standard form of
the Western church with an
apse and altar at the end of the
long nave. The first basilicas
were put up in the early 2nd
century b.c. in Rome's own
Forum, but the earliest well-
preserved example of the
basilicas (circa 120 b.c.) is
found at Pompeii.
• This Roman basilica was begun
by the emperor Maxentius
between 307 and 310 and
completed by Constantine the
Great after 312. Although it
was one of the most
important monuments in
classical antiquity, almost all
that remains of the building
are these three huge, barrel-
vaulted bays12/7/2016 39
40. Roman Temples
• The chief temple of a Roman city,
the capitolium, was generally
located at one end of the forum.
The standard Roman temple was a
blend of Etruscan and Greek
elements; rectangular in plan, it
had a gabled roof, a deep porch
with freestanding columns, and a
frontal staircase giving access to
its high plinth, or platform.
• By the 1st century b.c, the
extensive conquests of the
Romans led them to regard the
Mediterranean as mare nostrum
(our sea). Roman influence went
far beyond politics. Roman art,
architecture, and language were
among the cultural traits that
slowly took hold in many of
Rome's conquered territories.
Ruins of ancient temples in
Baalbek, Lebanon, include the
Temple of Jupiter, built by the
Romans after they took control of
the territory that included what is
now Lebanon in 64 b.c.
12/7/2016 40
41. Pantheon
• Roman temples were erected
not only in the forum, but
throughout the city and in the
countryside as well; many
other types are known. One of
the most influential in later
times was the type used for the
Pantheon (ad 118-28) in Rome,
consisting of a standard gable-
roofed columnar porch with a
domed cylindrical drum
behind it replacing the
traditional rectangular main
room, or cella.
• The Pantheon in Rome is one
of the most famous buildings
in the world. It was
commissioned by Hadrian in
118 and completed in 128. At
one time it had a colonnaded
court leading to the portico.
The dome of the rotunda
behind the portico is 43.2 m
(142 ft) in diameter. The
oculus (a round opening) at
the top is 8.5 m (28 ft) in
diameter and provides the
only source of light for the
interior.
12/7/2016 41
42. 12/7/2016 42
Roman engineers
completed the
Pantheon, a temple to
all the gods, in ad 128.
Its interior was
conceived as a single
immense space
illuminated by a single
round opening, called
an oculus, at the
highest point in the
dome. The interior is
decorated with colored
marble, and lined with
pairs of columns and
carved figures set into
niches in the wall.
43. Roman Theaters
• Roman theaters first
appeared in the late
Republic. They were
semicircular in plan and
consisted of a tall stage
building abutting a
semicircular orchestra and
tiered seating area
(cavea). Unlike Greek
theaters, which were
situated on natural slopes,
Roman theaters were
supported by their own
framework of piers and
vaults and thus could be
constructed in the hearts
of cities.
• The Roman emperor Augustus
founded the city of Aosta during
the 1st century b.c near the
junction of natural transportation
routes from Italy through the
mountains to France and
Switzerland. The city has many
remnants of Roman architecture,
including wall segments from this
theater.
12/7/2016 43
44. Amphitheater
• Amphitheaters (literally, double
theaters) were elliptical in plan
with a central arena, where
gladiatorial and animal combats
took place, and a surrounding
seating area built on the pattern of
Roman theaters. The earliest
known amphitheater (75 bc) is at
Pompeii, and the grandest, Rome's
Colosseum (ad70-80), held
approximately 50,000 spectators,
roughly the capacity of today's
large sports stadiums.
• The Colosseum in Rome (70-
82) is best known for its
multilevel system of vaults
made of concrete. It is called
the Colosseum for a colossal
statue of Nero that once stood
nearby, but its real name is the
Flavian Amphitheater. It was
used for staged battles
between lions and Christians,
among other spectacles, and is
one of the most famous pieces
of architecture in the world.
12/7/2016 44
45. Aqueduct
• Among the other great
public building projects of
the Romans, the most
noteworthy are the network
of bridges and roads that
facilitated travel throughout
the empire, and the
aqueducts that brought
water to the towns from
mountain sources (Pont du
Gard, late 1st century bc or
early 1st century ad, near
Nimes).
• The Roman aqueduct at
Pont du Gard near Nîmes,
France, was built between
the late 1st century bc and
the early 1st century ad.
The Romans built extensive
systems of aqueducts to
carry water to their
residential areas from
distant sources.
12/7/2016 45
46. Summary
• A clear picture of Roman architecture can be
drawn from the impressive remains of ancient
Roman public and private buildings.
• Many of our modern government institutions
are modeled after the Roman system, as is
much of our public architecture.
12/7/2016 46
