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ROME. Where in the world is Rome?. The Mythical Founding of Rome: Romulus & Remus.
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The Mythical Founding of Rome:Romulus & Remus • Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. They were abandoned by their parents as babies and put into a basket that was then placed into the River Tiber. The basket ran aground and the twins were discovered by a female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time before they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the twins.
When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a city where the wolf had found them. The brothers quarrelled over where the site should be and Remus was killed by his brother. This left Romulus the sole founder of the new city and he gave his name to it– Rome. The date given for the founding of Rome is 753 BC.
How Rome was formed • The city of Rome grew out of a number of settlements that existed around seven hills that were near the River Tiber. The settlements were near the river for the obvious reasons of a water supply. The Tiber was also narrow enough at this point to be bridged. However, the area also suffered because of the nearness of the river. Each settlement was separated from the other by marshland.
Each individual settlement was vulnerable to attack as a single settlement. By joining together they were stronger. To join together, the marshland had to be drained. This was something that took years to do. The legend of Romulus and Remus gives the impression that Rome was created very quickly; the truth was very different.
Early Romans were successful farmers and traders and they became rich and successful. Therefore, Rome from its early days was a rich city. This eventually created jealousy and brought the city of Rome into conflict with surrounding areas.
For this reason, the leaders of Rome invested in an army. This skilled force both protected the city and expanded its power. By 300 BC, the Romans controlled most of the Italian peninsula. • Can you remember what a peninsula is? (Greece)
The Roman Army • The Roman Army was extremely important in explaining the success of the Romans and the expansion of the Roman Empire. The Roman Army, at the peak of its power, conquered what we now call England/Wales, Spain, France, most of Germany, the northern coast of Africa, the Middle East and Greece.
The Roman Army is recognised by historians as an extremely effective fighting machine. The lowest level of soldier in the Roman Army was the legionnaire. Between 5000 and 6000 legionaries made up a legion that was commanded by a legatus. A whole legion could be punished for failing to fight well in battle - even if the Romans did win the battle itself! Training was brutal and tough but it paid huge dividends for the Romans.
A 'tortoise‘- when the soldiers lifted the shields flat above their heads so that they effectively interlocked and protected them from anything thrown at them from on high.
A legionnaire went into battle equipped with three main weapons: • A Pilum Similar to a javelin. It could do serious damage as the thinner top section would crumple into you on impact and removing it would be very painful. The wooden stock of the pilum was also re-useable as the Romans only had to add another spear head to it.
The Gladius • The gladius was the main weapon for the Roman soldier when he got into close quarter fighting. This was a sword which was kept razor sharp. Anyone on the receiving end of a blow from a gladius would suffer severe injuries.
A Pugio • The Pugio was a small dagger used in combat if all else had been lost.
Roman Republic • Before the Roman Republic there were Roman monarchs. However, the romans overthrew the last remaining monarch in 509 BCE, establishing a REPUBLIC. In a Republic, there is an elected council voted on by Roman citizens.
Social Structure • Early Rome was divided into two groups or orders – The patricians and the plebeians. • Patricians- Wealthy landowners who became Rome’s ruling class. • Plebeians- Less wealthy landowners, farmers, artisans, and merchants. • Men in both orders were citizens who paid taxes, owed military service, and could vote. • Only patricians could be elected to office.
War and Conquest • At the beginning of the Republic, Rome was engaged in almost continuous warfare. However, due to their enormous strength, they were consistently victorious in battle, even over the Greeks who lived in the southern part of Italy
Forming a Roman Military Confederation eventually allowed for Rome to take over all of Italy because it allowed some peoples of Italy to have full Roman citizenship, while most of the remaining communities were made allies. The people of Italy were allowed to run their own affairs but were required to provide soldiers for Rome. • The Romans made it very clear that loyal allies could improve their status at becoming a Roman citizen.
The Privilege of being a Roman • The right to vote in the Roman assemblies • The right to stand for civil or public office • The right to make legal contracts and to hold property as a Roman citizen • The right to have a lawful marriage with a Roman citizen • The right to preserve one's level of citizenship upon relocation to a polis
The right of immunity from some taxes and other legal obligations • The right to sue in the courts and the right to be sued. • The right to have a legal trial (to appear before a proper court and to defend oneself). • The right to appeal from the decisions of magistrates and to appeal the lower court decisions. • A Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped, nor could he receive the death penalty, unless he was found guilty of treason. • If accused of treason, a Roman citizen had the right to be tried in Rome, and even if sentenced to death, no Roman citizen could be sentenced to die on the cross.
Roman ExpansionThe Punic Wars • Carthage- Major rival of Rome which had a large commercial empire. They controlled trade in most of the Western Mediterranean • Phoenician colony founded in the 8th century BCE • Punic is Latin for Phoenician
From Republic to Empire • As Rome grew, the aristocracy became more powerful, and the ideals of the Republic changed. By 129 BCE, Rome stood supreme over the Mediterranean Sea, but problems arose in Rome itself. • Greed
Growing Unrest • The Senate and political offices were increasingly controlled by a small circle of wealthy and powerful families. • These small groups of wealthy were able to gradually extend their wealth by acquiring land from farmers who lost their lands. • The rich were getting richer while the poor were growing in numbers • insecurity was taking place in Rome due to political instability.
A new Role for the Army • Farmers were promised land by high level officials for loyalty and military service. These new armies were swearing allegiance to generals, not to Rome. A fracture was forming in the way Rome was being run • Armies were forming, but not all under government control. • The senate was losing control of Rome
Julius CAesar “I came, I saw, I conquered!”
Julius Caesar • Caesar managed to become a General who made a strong name for himself through his successful conquests and political advancements.
Forming an alliance with two other men (Crassus and Pompey), they managed to become very influential because of their military strength, wealth, and political power. This partnership became known as a TRIUMVIRATE (A government ruled by three people under the guidance of the senate).
Crassus was known as the richest man in Rome, Pompey was a military hero, and Julius Caesar was also a military commander and a very ambitious politician. • When Crassus was killed in battle, only two powerful men were left. Fearing Caesar's popularity and bullying tactics, leading senators decided that Pompey should be the sole ruler and instructed Caesar to lay down his command.
Caesar refused to obey the Senate and chose to enter Italy illegally. • Caesar's march on Rome started a civil war between his forces and Pompey’s. • Pompey’s defeat left Caesar in complete control of the Roman government. • He was officially made dictator, or absolute ruler, in 45 BCE
“I came, I saw I conquered!” A 365 day Calendar • Julius Caesar - YouTube Dictator “The Die has been cast!” The month of July
Augustus The first Roman Emperor
As Julius Caesar’s grand nephew, Octavian – who was later called Augustus started life with more advantages than his uncle. Caesar made Octavian his heir, but only 18 at the time of Caesar’s death he lacked political and military experience necessary to be ruler. He spent the next 15 years eliminating his opponents.
The military and political experience he gained helped him to consolidate his power and become the first Roman emperor. • Under his rule he instituted civil service. His political and economic reforms brought peace and stability to the empire. • He made it possible to select his successor from his natural or adoptive family. • Eventually, future emperors grew more powerful and many became more corrupt.
At the beginning of the second century, a series of five so-called good emperors came to power. They were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius (gosh, where did we hear that name before?) The five were responsible For their period of peace and Prosperity, known as PAX ROMANA (Roman Peace)
Hardrian's Wall • The emperor Hadrian had built a wall to protect the northern border of Roman-controlled Britain. This wall is still standing today.
Family Life and Women’s Roles • All Roman upper-class children, boys and girls, were expected to learn to read. The father was the chief figure in providing for the education of his children. He decided to teach his children himself, acquire a teacher for them, or send them to school. • At age 16, childhood ended for Roman males. At a special ceremony, a young Roman exchanged his purple-edged toga for a plain white toga. The toga of manhood.
Women were thought of as being weak, therefore, needed to have male guardians. The dominant male was in charge of taking care of any females in the household. When the dominant male died the responsibility was passed on to either the next male in the family or a relative. • Fathers also arranged the marriage of their daughters. The legal minimum age for marriage was 12, although 14 was a more common age.
Games of Death • Gladiatorial combat began as funerary rites and evolved into spectacles sponsored by the wealthy to gain prestige. The fights were widely popular, and so were taken over by the government and later by the emperor himself. • The Roman view of gladiatorial combat was complex. Men who ran training schools for gladiators were wealthy, but were looked down upon by socially. • Gladiators were admired as kind of heroes, but most of them were slaves, prisoners of war, or criminals.
The Development of Christianity • Christian views on God, human beings, and the world were quite different from those of the Greeks and Romans. For example, Christian beliefs held that one would be taken care of and his or her needs met by seeking righteousness from one God.
In contrast, Romans believed in many gods, even accepting foreign gods and philosophical practices into their culture. The rise of Christianity marked an important break with the dominant values of the Greek and Roman world.
Jesus • Jesus, a Jewish teacher, travelled and preached throughout Judaea and neighboring Galilee. These teachings began a new movement within Judaism. After reports spread that Jesus had overcome death, the movement gained additional support throughout Judaea and Galilee and led to the development of a new faith that became known as Christianity. • Unfortunately, Christianity was not always welcomed in Rome. It was regarded as being harmful to the Roman state, because Christians refused to worship the state gods and emperors.
