Ancient Rome

1. Ancient Rome Mrs. Walters 6th Grade Social Studies

2. Geography of Italy • Rome Today • Rome is the capital of the modern day country Italy. • Italy is on the continent of Europe. • Landform • Italy is know as the country shaped like a “boot” • Italy is a peninsula • 3 Seas • Tyrrhenian Sea • Adriatic Sea • Mediterranean Sea

3. Italy

4. 1st Villages on the Peninsula • 1500 – 1000 B.C. • 1st inhabitants settled along the Tiber River. • 800 B.C. • Established small villages on the hills of the Tiber River. • 650 - 600 B.C. • Etruscans took power of the villages and turned the villages into the city of Rome. • Etruscans ruled as all-powerful kings over the people.

5. Before the Republic Rome continued to grow under the Etruscans, until Tarquin the Proud, the seventh and last Roman king, came to power.  He was a cruel ruler who ignored the Senate and terrorized the people of Rome. In 509 B. C., the people rebelled against him and finally sent him into exile. The Roman people decided that they would NEVER be ruled by a king.

6. Romans Form a Republic • 509 B.C. • Etruscans were overthrown. • Romans vowed to establish a government that did not rely on one ruler. • 509 B.C. – 264 B.C. • Rome expanded its territory and found ways to govern. • By 264 B.C. – the Romans gained control of the entire peninsula. • Established a new form of government – a Republic • In a Republic, citizens who have the right to vote select their leaders.

7. Roman Empire – 264 B.C.

8. Roman Empire 146 B.C.

9. Roman Republic • The Roman Consuls • 2 main elected officials called consuls led the Roman Republic. • Consuls are compared to our modern day U.S. President. • The Roman Consuls (cont.) • Responsible for enforcing the Republic’s laws & policies. • held the power to “veto” (“I forbid”) • Veto – the rejection of any planned action by a person in power. • Consuls were elected by the assembly of citizens. • Senate advised the consuls on foreign affairs, laws, finances, etc.

10. Roman Republic • The Roman Senate • The most powerful part of the Roman Republic. • Senate was made of 300 upper class men called patricians. • Patrician – a member of a wealthy family in the Roman Republic. • Plebeians – ordinary citizens in the Rome Republic. • Plebeians could not hold office or become senators. • Members were chosen by the Consuls and served for life. • Senate is compared to our modern day Legislative Branch.

11. Roman Republic Although the citizens elected their own representatives, the Roman Republic was NOT a democracy because not every male citizen had equal power in the government. In Ancient Greece, all male citizens had equal power and opportunity in the government through being elected to the Counsel of 500 or participate in the Assembly.

12. Roman Republic • Assembly • The Assembly was composed of all the plebeiancitizens of Rome, the common man. The Assembly did not have a building. It was the right of the common man to assemble in the Forum and vote. • In the beginning, the Assembly had very limited power. They could vote for or suggest laws, but the Senate could block their decisions. • The Assembly could vote to declare war, but again, the Senate could override them. 

13. Roman Republic • Assembly (cont.) • The Assembly had one power that was very impressive - it was the Assembly who voted each year on which two members of the Senate would serve as Consuls.

14. Roman Republic Social Pyramid

15. Rome Activity • Directions: You are a reporter for a Roman Republic newspaper. Your assignment is to write a story for tomorrow’s edition of the newspaper that tells the history of Rome BEFORE the start of the Roman Republic and describes the new Republic. • You will want to include some dates, key vocabulary terms with a description of the terms, and some student creativity. • Give your newspaper and/or article a title. • The story will be at least 2 paragraphs in length. • (4-6 sentences in each paragraph) • The writing assignment is due tomorrow

16. Plebeians vs. Patricians • As citizens, both patricians and plebeians had the right to vote. • Only patricians had the right to hold any political, military or religious offices.  • Plebeians had fewer rights than the patricians and had to serve in the army and pay taxes to the very people who oppressed them. • All power was in the hands of the patricians • By 494 B.C., the plebeians had suffered long enough. They left  Rome and formed their own assembly, which was known as the Council of Plebeians. They also elected their own leaders, who were called Tribunes. Tribuneswere to protect plebeian rights. • Plebeians demanded that the laws be changed. Rome’s laws had never been written down. The plebeians believed that patrician judges took advantage of this fact to rule unfairly against plebeians.

17. Plebeians Gain Rights Finally in 450B.C., the laws were engraved on 12 bronze tablets called the Twelve Tables. The tablets were then displayed in the Forum, so that all citizens could see the rights given to them, though few could actually read them. During the 300’s B.C., the plebeians gained more and more rights.  Plebeians could now become priests in the Roman religion. Debt bondage was outlawed, and eventually plebeians would even become members of the Senate.

18. Plebeians Gain Equal Rights But the plebeians and patricians still held their meetings in different places. The laws passed by the patrician Senate applied to everyone. However, the laws passed by the plebian Assembly applied only to plebeians. The plebeians demanded that the laws passed by their Assembly apply to ALL citizens. Once again, the plebeians forced the issues by leaving  Rome. This time the patricians gave in… in 287 B.C. the patricians agreed to meet the demands of the plebeians.  Plebeians and patricians were finally equal under Roman laws.

19. Roman Republic vs. U.S. Government Like Rome, the United States’ government is a Republic, where citizens vote for other citizens who represent them in the government. The “founding fathers” took several ideas from the Roman Republic and used it as a model in the creation of our modern Republic (see next slides).

20. Roman Republic vs. U.S. Government • Checks & Balances - system to control the power so one branch doesn’t become more powerful than another. This was an important element of the Roman Republic. • The modern US constitution is based on the basic concepts of checks and balances. Whether it be the President, the Congress, or the courts, none can dominate the government. • Veto • The Roman Consuls and Tribunes used veto power. The two Consuls could block a military or civil decision by the other; any Tribune had the power to refuse laws passed by the Roman Senate. • The writers of the Constitution gave the president the right to veto laws although that veto can be overridden by the vote of two-thirds of the House and Senate (Congress).

21. Roman Republic vs. U.S. Government • Voting - The Romans voted to choose their leaders, the way we vote for United States President, Congress, and other government officials today. • In the early stages of the United States government, only certain male property owners had the right to vote. The “founding fathers” followed these rules from Ancient Rome. • Remember in Ancient Rome, only men had the right to vote and only landowners could serve in the Senate.

22. Roman Republic vs. U.S. Government The idea of Bicameralism came from the Romans. Bicameralism means consisting of two legislative chambers – upper and lower Houses. The Upper House in Rome was the Senate and in the U.S. today it is also the Senate. The Lower House in Rome was the Assembly and in the U.S. today it is the House of Representatives.

23. Roman Republic vs. U.S. Government Benjamin Franklin himself, during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, would refer to the nation he was helping create as both a “Republic” and an “Empire.” Video Clip – Roman Republic

24. Lesson Questions Do you think the United States is an Empire? Explain why or why not. Looking back on the units we have studied, what could you compare the “Twelve Tables” to? How do the 2 pieces of world history compare to each other? Describe 3 elements of similarity between the Roman Republic and the U.S. government today.

25. Decline of the Roman Republic • The Rise of Julius Caesar • In 49 B.C., Caesar went to war with the Roman Senate. • Caesar won the war and became dictator (a ruler with total control of the government and the people) of the Roman Republic • In 45 B.C. Caesar became the only consul and ruled himself the dictator for life and reorganized the Roman government. • The Death of Julius Caesar • In 44 B.C., on the Ides of March at a meeting with senators, Caesar was surrounded and stabbed to death. • Caesar was a strong leader, but many Romans felt he had gone too far and too fast gathering his power.

26. Death of Julius Caesar

27. Legacy of Julius Caesar During his lifetime, he achieved just about every important title in the Roman Republic including consul, tribune of the people, high commander of the army, and high priest. He suggested many new laws, most of which were approved by the Senate. He reorganized the army. He improved the way the provinces were governed. The Romans even named a month after him - the month of July is named for Julius Caesar. Video Clip - Rise of the Roman Empire

28. Decline of the Roman Republic • Roman Republic to Roman Empire • Following Caesar’s death, a 13 year long civil war erupted. • Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian gained power. • In 27 B.C., the senate awarded Octavian the title of Augustus which means “highly respected” or “honored” • Octavian was the 1st emperor of Rome. • Marked the beginning of the Roman Empire and the end of the Roman Republic after nearly 500 years. • Roman Empire • For the next 500 years, the great Roman civilization would be ruled, not by the people, but by an all-powerful emperor.