Rome Outline Essential World History

During the Classical Age of Greece, Latins (or Romans) were starting to build power and will
eventually establish an Empire in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

The City of Rome

According to legend, Romulus and Remus were sons of Mars (God of War) and built the city.
They built the city because they saw 7 Ravens y 7 times around 7 hills over what was then
Rome. Romulus killed Remus, and thats why the city is named Rome

Early Rome

Rome started around 1000 and 800 B.C. around the Tiber river because of its warm
climate, fertile land, and the river itself.
The Etruscans, located just north of Rome, highly inuenced the Romans.
We cannot decipher Etruscan language for documentation, but we know that
they were like the Greeks in ways.
Etruscans conquered Rome.
They built roads, a sewage system, and public buildings.
They taught the Romans Greek ideas, such as how to use an alphabet.
Rome grew large and wealthy.

Roman Law

Divided into two classes: Patricians and Plebeians

Patricians held lots of land and were typically wealthy
Plebeians were ordinary citizens, the working class
Tensions between the two classes grew as Rome became wealthier
Expansion in Italy
Rome fought a series of wars successfully due to its well-trained and disciplined sol-
diers.
This brought other Latins, Samnites, Etruscians, and Greeks under Roman control
The Geography of the Italian Peninsula
The Roman Republic

616 - 509 BC Etruscan Kings ruled Rome

After Romans won their freedom from the Etruscan People - no more kings
Created Republic
Aspects of government
At rst, only patricians could hold public ofce
287 BC - plebeians won equal rights as citizens
Assembly of Tribes & Assembly of Centuries; voted on issues/passed laws
Consuls - highest ofcials
Elected 2 each year, enforced the laws, and ensured that the city was properly
administered
Commanded army at time of war
Magistrates (General Term)
Assisted consuls
Quaestors
counting number of people in the city, property tax
Aediles
Mayors - keep order, took care of public buildings
Praetors
Judges - presided over law cases
Dictators
In times of emergencies, Rome needed a leader of all of government
Could serve no more than 6 months, and was elected by the consul
Government had to listen to the dictator regardless
Senate
Had most power
Had life terms
300 Senators
At rst, only Patricians, then Plebeians could hold ofce
Proposed laws, handled foreign affairs, and controlled public nance
Tribunes
 Plebeians in the Assembly of Tribes elected ten men to be able to veto decisions
of the Consul and the Senate
Romes government was their biggest talent, and serves the basis for many modern
governments Including the US.
The Decline of the Roman Republic
The Roman Republic functioned effectively for 500 years, however, tensions rose be-
tween the Plebeians and the Patricians as the Republic grew larger and more wealthy
Wealthy Patricians bought Plebeian farm lands and Plebeians became unemployed in
large numbers
Unemployment led to violence

Roman Law

Romes legal code is another contribution to the world

Romans insisted that all people be treated equally under law
To make sure everyone knew the law, they had all the laws transcribed onto 12 Tablets
(or Tables)
Children had to memorize the tables in school
The Romans eventually had to incorporate non-Romans into their legal system as the Em-
pire grew
Romans began to keep record of their legal decisions and used them in future legal cases,
making Roman law international
Roman ideas about law are still used today in the Mediterranean European countries and
in Latin America
In the United States, we still hold the following principles of Roman Law:
All citizens are equal under Law
A person is believed Innocent until proven Guilty
A person has a right to know who is accusing them of wrongdoing
A person should not be punished for what they think

Expansion of Rome

As conicts between neighbors became frequent, the Romans became skilled soldiers
All male citizens between the age of 17 and 46 could be enlisted into the army
As conquering became more important to Romes survival, military leaders became more
involved in Roman public affairs
 Between 343 and 290 B.C., Rome conquered most of Italy
Roman ofcials, supported by Roman military leaders called Legions, held control of
the conquered territories
Rome connected these now conquered territories by creating roads between them
The Roman Navy, created to protect new territories, became a powerful force of
theMediterranean

Punic Wars (264 -146 B.C.)

Punic = Phoenician

Romes biggest enemy was Carthage, a Phonetician colony which controlled

theMediterranean before the Romans had a navy
First Punic War
Rome imposed a heavy indemnity on Carthage, to compensate Rome for their losses.
Rome also forced Carthage to give up all claims to Sicily.
Rome won an easy income and a new province.
Second Punic War
Lead by Hannibal, Carthaginian
Invaded Italy, damaged the Roman army but then retreated
Third Punic War
Destruction of Carthaginian forces, invaded Italy
Rome now controls (what is now), Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica + Coast of North
Africa

Other Wars

64 BC - Rome conquered almost all land around Mediterranean sea

Pompey: in charge of the conquering and reorganization of Eastern Mediterraneanlands
Most powerful general ( 78 - 48 BC )
50s BC - Romans decided to to bring Italy under their ruling
58-51 BC - Julius Caesar invaded Gaul (present-day France)
Extended Romes ruling into Western Europe
The Decline of the Roman Republic

Growth changed Rome

The wealthy just became wealthier (More land & power)
Increase in trade
Equestrians: New middle-class businesspeople, they became more successful & demanded
more privileges from the govt

Revolt of the plebeians

Plebeians didnt benet from the growth in wealth
As slave labor grew, less jobs for plebeians
Latifundia: large estates owned by patricians & worked by slaves
Only way plebeians farms could survive
Not enough $ for taxes
Plebeians moved to the city and became part of anunemployment mob, living on
handouts of grain
Public games (chariot races, armed combat, ghting to the death) all happened
to keep them from rioting
Plebeians had nothing left but their votes, but were often sold to politicians
Led to prolong Civil Wars, Romans fought Romans
Most famous: Marius (pro-plebeian general) & Sulla (senatorial leader), began
in 88 BC, thousands were killed before Sulla temporarily restored the power
and made himself Dictator
Rise of Dictators
Romans wanted peace more than a representative govt, so Dictators began to take
over
6 month period was no longer observed
Most famous Dictator was Julius Caesar

Rise and Fall of Julius Caesar

Achieved power in 60 BC by joining forces Marcus Licinius Crassus (richest man) + Gaius
Magnus Pompey (the most powerful general)
Used Crassuss + Pompeys power + plebeians votes to gain control
He didnt think the Roman Republic could hold up the empire
 First Triumvirate - Crassus, Pompey, & Caesar ruled the Roman world and ended civil
wars
Ruled from 60-53 BC

Consolidating power
Crassus died in 53 BC, so Caesar fought Pompey for control
Civl wars began again
Caesar marched to Italy, Pompey went to Greece to organize his eastern Mediter-
ranean forces
Caesar defeated Pompeys army in Italy, Greece - Pompey ed to Egypt (He was
killed)
Caesar went on to defeat Pompeiian forces in Spain + North Africa
46 BC - Caesar is the main ruler of the Roman Empire
Made the govt and army more efcent
Senate was increased to represent more
Citizenship was expanded
Improved taxes
Made a more accurate calendar
More jobs created

Envy of Caesar
He had all the power, but no title
Rome would accept a dictator, not a King
He made many enemies, in 44 BC a group led by Marcus Brutus murdered
Caesar
People were so anger, the murders had to ee
Control fell to Mark Antony (Caesars friend)
Antony marched on Brutus for revenge in a new civil war
Octavian (adopted son of Julius Caesar) joined forces with Marc Antony
Together they defeated the forces of the murderers who killed Caesar and their
supporters
They ruled Rome together until another civil war broke out over Antonys relation-
ship with Cleopatra Queen of Egypt
ACTIUM - 31 B.C.
Sea Battle site in which Octavian defeated Cleopatra and Antonys forces
 Octavian and Cleopatra committed suicide to avoid capture
Octavian (soon to be called Augustus)took full control of the Roman govern-
ment as Romes rst emperor

Pax Romania
Under Augustus, the Empire entered 200 years of peace, security and accomplishments called
Pax Romania

1. The Golden Age Empire expanded, more prosperous, started trading with: Han Empire
(China), Parthian Empire (Middle East), and India
a. Greek Inuence
i. Because of the conquest of Greece and the Middle East, Romans were exposed to
Hellenistic lifestyle and they admired the Greeks and began to learn from them
ii. Roman architecture, sculpture, drama, gods,and literature took after the
Greeks and improved
iii. Greek became the language of the educated, not Latin
b. New Construction
i. Romans built: Roads, Dams, Drainage systems, and Aqueducts (carried water to
the cities through pipes)
1. Many of the roads built are still used today
ii. Public Baths were an important part of Roman Life
1. Big buildings with steam rooms, gymnassiums, hot and cold pools, and li-
braries
iii. The Colosseum was an arena which gladiators (public ghters) fought, and
many people attended these events
iv. Circus Maximus was where chariot races were held
v. These public events were used largely to keep the plebeianscontent with the ma-
jor political and wealth inequality
vi. Wherever the Roman army went, new cities were built and Roman architec-
turalstyles spread throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East
2. The Emperors IN ORDER: Augustus-Tiberius-Caligula-Claudius-Nero
a. Bad Emperors
i. Caligula
1. Madman that insisted he was a God
2. Committed many murders and other crimes
 3. Records depict him as a cruel and unpredictable leader.
4. He restored treason trials and put people to death.
5. Cassius Chaerea murdered him in 41 A.D. at the Palatine Games
ii. Nero
1. Murdered his mother and wife
2. Suspected of causing the great re that destroyed half of Rome
3. After the re, he blamed it on the Christians and demanded that they either
be burned alive or sent to the arena to be eaten by wild animals
4. After Roman troops revolted and marched into the city, Nero committed sui-
cide
iii. After Nero, the Julio-Claudian Dynasty ended
1. Many candidates rapidly replaced each other looking to become ruler,
2. Vespasian and his son Titus defeated a Jewish revolt in Palestine and de-
stroyed the city of Jerusalem
3. They then restored much of the nancial stability and the political stability of
the Empire
4. Domitian, the last of the Flavians, struggled with nancial problems and an
uprising in Germany
b. Good Emperors
i. Trajan
1. Expanded Romes borders to the greatest extent
2. Hadrian admired the Greeks and went throughout the Empire to supervise
the strengthening of the frontier defenses and the building of public works
3. To mark the northwestern limit, Hadrian built a wall (which was actually a
complex system of forts, signal towers, outposts, supply bases, and defensive
ditches) in England
4. This marked a switch in Imperial policy as to shift away from expansion and
conquering, and to switch to consolidation and defense
ii. Marcus Aurelius
1. He spent much of his time defending against enemies who attacked Romes
boarders
2. Wrote a famous book titled Meditations
3. In the hope of saving the lives of Roman soldiers, he allowed some German
tribes to settle on Roman land
4. He died during a plague that swept through Rome and killed 1/4 of Romes
population
iii. Commodus (Marcus Aurelius Son)
 1. His rule proved to be disastrous, because he prefered ghting things out in
the Arena to solve many of the problems of the Empire
2. He was strangled to death while taking a bath
c. The End of Pax Romania
i. Problems that weakened the Empire
1. Military leadership now openly took over the government
2. Other civilizations became powerful enough to challenge the Roman Empire
3. Economic and Political problems slowly weakened the Roman Empire
ii. In an attempt to strengthen the empire, Diocletian divided the Empire into two
different parts Eastern and Western
1. Diocletian, who held the most governing power, ruled the Eastern capital of
Asia Minor
2. The Co-Emperor ruled from Milan in Northern Italy to defend the northern
border
3. The city of Rome no longer served as the capital of the Roman Empire
iii. Constantine was named Emperor in 306
1. He moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium which he renamed Con-
stantinople
2. He reunited the empire and ruled alone until his death in 337
iv. After 395, the Empire was permanently divided
1. The Western part became weaker and poorer while the Eastern side grew
stronger and wealthier

Rise of Christianity
30 AD, Roman governor in Palestine ordered the death of a Jewish religious leader named Je-
sus, his followers spread the religion and Christianity grew

The Beginning of Christianity

Not much is known about the early life of Jesus

Born in Bethlehem, Palestine during the rule of Augustus
(Youth:) Was a carpenter, taught Jewish religion
Urged people that God loved everyone, to act with kindness
Golden Rule: Do to others as they would want others to do to them
God will allow them into this kingdom when they die, if they act with kindness
 Jesus choose 12 (apostles, disciples) to travel with him
The Romans started getting nervous, thinking that Jesus & his 12 disciples would revolt
Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Palestine), ordered execution of Jesus (crucic-
tion)

Growth of Christianity

Missionaries: spread the teachings of Jesus

Paul - born a jew/Roman citizen, but traveled to spread the word about Chris-
tianity
Romans were worried because fewer & fewer people were worshipping the Roman Gods
313 AD - Emperor Constantine issued Edict of Milan: made Christianity equal to all other
religions
1st Christian Roman emperor
395 AD - Christianity had become the ofcial state of religion

Fall of Rome
Pax romana ended around AD 190, still lasted another 300 years - but became weaker

The Breakdown of the Roman World

peace depended on Roman legions, professional soldiers defended boarders, main-
tained order, built roads, & collected taxes
less and less wanted to serve
Conscription - forcing men to serve
Non-Romans were also hired to make up for the lack of soldiers
Legions became more German than Roman
Mercenaries - hired soldiers, no loyalty just for $$$
Did not do a good job, weak borders
Generals used them to ght others for control
CIVIL WARS
Militias - small private armies
the Roman Empire was too spread out, and not enough protection - became weaker
and weaker
Economy failed, legions murdered generals & choosebetter rulers, diseases
spread
 Roman $$ became worthless because it was made out of cheap metal, not
gold/silver anymore
The Invaders
3rd-5th Century, German tribes moved into the rich farmlands of the western em-
pire
AD 406 (winter) Rhine River froze, thousands of Germans poured into the empire
410, 455, Rome was attacked and looted
The Huns
Hun invasions in Western Europe in 4th and 5th centuries
King - Attila
They built their own empire in Eastern Europe
Battle of Chalons - AD 451, stopped the Huns with Roman-German forces under Ro-
man general Aetius
Odoacar
After the death of Attila, the Hun Empire broke up
The German tribes regained control of Europe and what was left of the Roman
world
The ofcial end of the Roman Empire when a German general by the name of
Odoacer made the last Roman Emperor give up his throne
Odoacar became the self proclaimed King of Italy
The Classical Age was over for much of Europe
In Hellenistic cities of Asia Minor and the Middle East, the Eastern Roman Empire
continued
This Byzantine empire, as it came to be called, lasted for several centuries
As a result, very different cultures developed in the East and the West after the fall
of Rome