Roma

1. Roma

2. SPQR • After the people of Rome had chased away the last of the Etruscan kings, the people declared Rome to be a republic. • What is a republic? • A republic is a government run by elected officials. The new government of the Roman Republic ordered the letters SPQR to be chiseled on   public buildings, armor, coins, and even park benches. The letters SPQR were chiseled on anything that belonged to the state. Under the Republic, the state was composed of the Senate and the People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood for - ‘Senatus Populus Que Romanus’ - the Senate and the People of Rome. It was a publicity campaign, and it worked! 

3. The Early Republic • Patricians: the aristocratic landowners who held most of the power. • Plebeians: the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population. • The patricians inherited their power and social status. They claimed that their ancestry gave them the authority to make laws for Rome and its people. • The plebeians were citizens of Rome with the right to vote. They, however, were barred by law from holding most important government positions. • The Senate allowed them to form their own assembly and elect representative called tribunes. • Tribunes protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials.

4. The Early Republic • An important victory for the plebeians was to force the creation of a written law. • With laws unwritten, patrician officials often interpreted the law to suit themselves. • In 451 BCE, a group of ten officials began writing down Rome’s law . The laws were written on twelve stone tablets. • The Twelve Tables • Were a list of rules that were the basis of Roman legal system. • It established the idea that all free citizens, patricians and plebeians, had a right to the protection of the law.

6. The Roman Army • The army was organized into legions. Each legion has 5000 men. Each legion has its own leader, its own banner, and its own number. Each also had its own nickname. • A legionary's uniform included a rectangular shield, a short sword, a dagger, a metal jacket, a belt, a helmet, a kilt, a shirt, and hobnailed sandals. • Each legionary served for 25 years. If they lived through their service, they could retire. They were given land and a pension so that they live comfortably.  • The legion was very organized, and very successful. When the legion marched into a new region, some people gave up with a fight. The legion's fighting power was that famous!

7. The Punic Wars • A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage that led to the undisputed dominance of Rome in the western Mediterranean. • In the first Punic War (264–241 bce), Rome secured Sicily from Carthage and established itself as a naval power; in the second (218–201 bce), the defeat of Hannibal (largely through the generalship of Fabius Cunctator and Scipio Africanus) put an end to Carthage's position as a Mediterranean power; the third (149–146 bce) ended in the total destruction of the city of Carthage.

8. Julius Caesar • Roman general and statesman. He established the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus in 60 and became consul in 59. Between 58 and 51 he fought the Gallic Wars, invaded Britain 55–54, and acquired immense power. After civil war with Pompey, which ended in Pompey's defeat at Pharsalus in 48, Caesar became dictator of the Roman Empire. He was murdered on the Ides (15th) of March in a conspiracy led by Brutus and Cassius.

9. The Republic Fails • Rome needed tax money. The government needed to pay the legions, and build roads, sewers, aqueducts, and arenas. They needed to pay for the welfare program put in place to help feed the growing number of poor in Rome. • Under the Republic, elected officials used their positions to get rich. To get elected, some people were buying votes. The poor were quite happy to sell their votes to the highest bidder. Under this system, many people were elected to office who were poor governors. Graft and corruption were rampant. Rome suffered from this. Rome had bad government.  • Under the Republic, Rome did not have a police force. Rome's streets were not safe for citizens after dark. Crime was everywhere. Wealthy Romans hired guards to protect themselves and their families. Some build private armies. During elections especially, these private armies often clashed and fought in the streets. The government recognized this problem, but they could not put a police force in place because they did not have enough money to pay them.