GEOGRAPHY

Punic Wars

• The first Punic War was fought on Sicily.

• The third and final war was the time when Rome’s hatred towards Carthage exploded and Rome destroyed it forever.

• The Roman empire gained as much land to the North as Gaul, to the South as Carthage, to the East as Syria and to the West as Spain.

The Military Expansion of Ancient Rome

• Rome’s borders were always expanding because of its massive military.

• When Rome started out it was a small city, however, when Rome collapsed it was because of it’s massive empire.

• Although Rome had many emperors, they continued to expand over time.

The Location of Ancient Rome

Rome originated on seven hills, near the Tiber River.

• Rome is located on the Italian Peninsula .

• Rome reached to the Alps in ancient times.

Ancient Roman Trade

• In Rome the citizens could trade within the city, neighboring towns, or even cities across vast bodies of water.

• If trade traveled far enough it was transported by animal or vessel.

• In Rome you could trade numerous items as long as both parties agreed that it was a fair trade.

Religion

Roman Beliefs

• The Romans believed in several Gods and Goddesses for many different reasons.

• The most powerful God of all was Zeus.

• The Romans would pray and give gifts or sacrifice before an important event.

• The Romans had a God or Goddess for virtually every aspect of their life. Time, War, Love, Death, Sea, etc.

Etruscan Mysticism

• The Etruscans believed that the Gods gave them signs in nature.

• They tried to interpret lightning before going into battle and studied flight patterns of birds to try to predict a good harvest.

• The Etruscan diviners used the stars to plan the layouts of cities and homes.

Judaism

• Judaism is the religion of the Jews and is one of the oldest religions.

• Judaism was founded in Jerusalem around the time of the Roman Empire and is still being practiced today.

• Judaism and Christianity share some of the same beliefs.

Christianity

• The Christians were led by Jesus and they were hated by the Romans.

• If found practicing Christianity, they would be crucified or feed to the lions.

• The bible indicates that Jesus was killed and resurrected three days later.

• Christians only believe in one God and also that Jesus was the son of God.

Achievements

Architecture

• The Romans got the idea of the “arch” from the Etruscans.

• The Romans received their great building skills from Greek influence.

• The Romans built many beautiful, and massive monuments.

Military Organization

• The Roman Army was the first army to organize a legion.

• A Legion was the basic unit in the Roman Army.

• It consisted of about 5,000 men and could include many different military positions.

Aqueduct

• The ancient Romans built many aqueducts to transport water to cities.

• The length, height, and size would often be different. For example, large cities required massive aqueducts, while smaller cities and populations only required smaller ones.

• There were aqueducts throughout the empire.

Pax Romana

• These words in Latin mean Roman Peace.

• The Roman peace lasted for 207 years and was created by Emperor Augustus.

• During this time there was very little military or expansion.

Politics

Emperor Augustus

• Augustus was born Gaius Augustus around 63 B.C.E.

• His uncle was Julius Caesar, which had the greatest influence on his life.

• After Caesar was murdered, Rome fell into civil war, which lasted for thirteen years. Augustus merged as the Ruler.

• He referred to call himself as “First Citizen” instead of King.

Julius Caesar

• Julius Caesar lived from about 100 B.C. till 44 B.C. and was a Roman military and political leader.

• He was a key factor in the transition from the Roman Republic to a dictatorship.

• Julius was murdered on the Ides of March or as we know it March 15th.

The Roman Republic

• The Republic was a Republican form of government in Ancient Rome.

• The Republic lasted for over 450 years until it was destroyed through a series of civil wars.

• The form of government that followed was Emperors.

Political Violence

• The Roman Senate was full of violence. Ex.: (when disagreements between members of the Senate murder often followed.)

• When a Senator was insulted he could tell his body guard to kill the insulter.

• An example was when Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times causing his death within the Senate.

Economy

Inflation

• The Romans suffered severely from inflation after the rule of Marcus Aurelius.

• After the Romans stopped moving their borders the flow of gold into Rome stopped.

• When the coins were made with less gold, they became worth less than before.

Growing Gap Between the Rich and Poor

• The percent difference between the rich and poor in Ancient Rome was 10% to 90%.

• While Rome was expanding the gap kept increasing.

• If someone lost their wealth, they would be sold into slavery.

Unemployment

• During the latter part of the Roman Empire farming was done by slaves on large estates.

• Many farmers couldn’t compete with the rich and eventually went looking for other jobs.

• At one point there were thousands of poor people searching for food and jobs.

Stable Roman Currency

• There were gold, silver, bronze, and copper coins in the Empire.

• They were also excepted as payments in Greece.

• The most common coins were the gold and bronze coins.

Social Structure

Patricians

• The word “patrician” means a group of rich families.

• They were considered themselves the best and rulers of Rome.

• Originally only patricians were Senate members.

Plebeians

• The plebeians were considered to be the working class of ancient Rome.

• Their apartments were usually 3 to 4 stories high, and were hot, smelly, and had no bathrooms.

• Plebeian children often did not attend school instead they followed their parents career.

The role of women

• Women wore long togas made of silk in the summer and wool in the winter.

• Also, they always wore make up, jewelry, and fixed their hair.

• The women were expected to stay home and do work around the house, and watch the children.

The role of men

• If you were a Senate member you would wear a toga with a gold or purple stripe.

• All men had their hair cut and arms shaved.

• If you were rich you had a great life, however if you were poor you struggled.

What I think was the most important idea of Ancient Rome.• The most important idea about Ancient

Rome I think is the unemployment. I think this because it was one of the main reasons of Rome's downfall and also it sent thousands of people to the streets.