2.
Horatius---legendary Roman hero who
supposedly single-handedly saved Rome
from the invading Etruscan army
This legend helps us understand the virtues
that the Romans admired
Courage, loyalty, and devotion to duty were
the pillars on which the Romans would build
a mighty empire
3.
Rome began as a small city-state in Italy that
ended up ruling the entire Mediterranean
world
The Italian peninsula is shaped like a boot!!! It
juts into the Mediterranean Sea
The peninsula is centrally located in the
Mediterranean and the city of Rome is in the
center of Italy
This location helped the Romans expand first
in Italy and then later into the lands around
the Mediterranean
4.
5.
Because of its geography, Italy was much
easier to unite than Greece
Unlike Greece, Italy is not broken up into
small, isolated valleys
The Apennine Mountains are less rugged than
the mountains of Greece
Italy has broad, fertile plains both in the
north and under the shadow of the Alps and
these plains helped to support a growing
population
6.
7.
The ancestors of the Romans, the Latins,
migrated into Italy by about 800BC and
settled along the Tiber River in small villages
scattered over low-lying hills where they
farmed and herded
These villages would in time grow into Rome,
the city of seven hills
8.
The Romans shared the peninsula with Greek
colonists and the Etruscans, who for a time
ruled central Italy including Rome
The Romans learned a lot from the Etruscans
They adapted the Etruscan alphabet
Romans learned to use the arch in building
and adapted Etruscan engineering techniques
to drain the marshy lands along the Tiber
River
Etruscan gods and goddesses merged with
Roman deities
9.
10.
The Romans drove out their Etruscan ruler in
509BC; this date is considered to be the
founding of the Roman state
The Romans set up a new government in
which some officials were chosen by the
people
Republic---”thing of the people”
Romans thought that a republic form of
government would keep any individual from
gaining too much power
11.
In the early republic, the most powerful
governing body was the senate---they made
laws and served for life
Each of the 300 senate members were
patricians
Patrician---member of the landholding upper
class
12.
Two consuls were elected every year by the
senate
Their job was to supervise the business of
government and command the armies; they
were also expected to consult with the senate
They were only allowed to serve one term
By limiting their time in office and making the
consuls responsible to the senate, Rome had
a system of checks on the power of
government
13.
In the event of war, the senate chose a
dictator, a ruler who had complete control
over the government
Each Roman dictator was only allowed to rule
for a period of six months
The model dictator was Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus organized an army, led the
Romans to victory against the
enemy, attended victory celebrations, and
returned to his farmlands---all within 16
days!!!
14.
15.
At first, all government officials were
patricians (landholding upper class)
Plebeians (farmers, merchants, artisans, and
traders i.e. the bulk of the population) had
little influence
The Laws of the 12 Tables helped the
plebeians know what Roman laws were and
they could now appeal judgments from
patrician judges against them
16.
In time, the plebeians gained the right to
elect their own officials, called tribunes, to
protect their interests
The tribunes could veto those laws that they
felt were harmful to the plebeians
Plebeians eventually forced the senate to
chose plebeians as consuls, appoint
plebeians to high offices, and finally open up
the senate itself to plebeians
17.
Although the senate still dominated the
Roman government, the common people
gained access to power and won safeguards
for their rights without having to resort to
war or revolution
Connection to our history---more than 2,000
years later the framers of the U.S.
Constitution would adapt such Roman ideas
as the senate, the veto, and checks on
political power
18.
The basic unit of Roman society was the
family
The father had absolute power of a
household according to Roman law
He enforced strict discipline and demanded
total respect for his authority
His wife was subject to his authority and was
not allowed to administer her own affairs
19.
Roman women played a larger role in society
than Greek women did
Women ran businesses such as small shops
or even major shipyards
Most women, though, worked at home raising
their families, spinning, or weaving
20.
Both girls and boys learned to read and write
(including the lower classes)
By the late republic, wealthy Romans were
hiring private tutors, often Greeks, to
supervise the education of their children
Rhetoric was an important subject for boys
who wanted to pursue political careers
21.
Roman gods and goddesses resembled those
of the Etruscans and Greeks
Jupiter---main Roman god ruled over all
other gods (Zeus)
Juno---wife of Jupiter who protected
marriage (Hera)
Neptune---god of the sea (Poseidon)
Mars---god of war
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
The Roman calendar was full of feasts and
other celebrations to honor the gods and
ensure divine favor for the city
As loyal citizens, Romans joined in these
festivals, which helped to inspire a sense of
community
Dozens of temples with statues of the gods
were located throughout Rome for Romans to
worship and ask for divine assistance
27.
Roman armies first conquered the Etruscans
and then the Greek city-states in the south
By about 270 BC, Rome controlled most of
the Italian peninsula
Rome’s success was due to skillful diplomacy
and to its loyal, well-trained army
The basic military unit was the legion, made
up of about 5,000 men
28.
29.
Roman armies consisted of citizen-soldiers who
fought without pay and supplied their own
weapons (like in Greece)
Roman citizens made good soldiers because they
were brought up to value loyalty, courage, and
respect for authority
To ensure success, Roman commanders mixed
rewards with harsh punishments
Soldiers who showed courage in battle won
praise and gifts---if a unit fled from battle, 1 out
of every 10 men from the disgraced unit was put
to death!!!
30.
Rome generally treated its defeated enemies
with justice
Conquered peoples had to acknowledge
Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply
soldiers for the Roman army
In return, Rome let them keep their own
customs, money, and local government
31.
Rome gave the highly prized right of full
citizenship to a few privileged groups among
the conquered peoples
Others became partial citizens, who were
allowed to marry Romans and carry out trade
in Rome
Most conquered lands remained loyal to
Rome even in bad times because of these
policies
32.
To protect its conquests, Rome posted
soldiers throughout the land
It also built a network of all-weather military
roads to link distant territories to Rome
As trade and travel increased, local peoples
incorporated Latin into their languages and
adopted many Roman customs and beliefs
(assimilation)
Italy began to slowly united under Roman rule
