Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity

Chapter 5

The Roman World Takes Shape

Section 1

Roman Civilization Arises in Italy

• Italian peninsula is centrally located in the Mediterranean Sea, and the city of Rome sits toward the center of Italy.

Unifying the lands of Italy• Italy was much easier to unify than

Greece:– Not broken up into small, isolated valleys– Apennine mountains are less rugged than the

mountains of Greece– Has broad fertile plains in the north and west.

Early Peoples Settle Italy• By 800 B.C. the Latins migrated to Italy.

• The Latins settled along the Tiber River.

• Etruscans lived north of Rome and ruled much of central Italy

• Romans adopted the Etruscan alphabet, engineering, and gods and goddesses.

The Romans Establish a Republic

• 509 B.C. marks the beginning of the Roman state when the Romans drove out their Etruscan ruler.

• Form of government was called a res publica or “that which belongs to the people”.– People chose some of the officials– Prevent any individual from gaining too much

power.

Structuring the Republic

• Senate was the most powerful governing body.– 300 members were patricians.– Senators served for life.• Senators nominated two consuls from the

patrician class whose job was to supervise the business of government and command the armies.

-Consuls only served one term to limit power.

Structuring the Republic

• In the event of war, the senate might choose a dictator, or ruler who has complete control over a government.– Ruled for 6 months– Organize an army and lead them to victory

just like Cincinnatus

Plebeians fight for their rights• Plebeians= the farmers, merchants,

artisans, and traders who made up the bulk of the population.

• Plebeians elected tribunes to protect their interests.– The tribunes could veto those laws that they

felt were harmful to plebeians– Forced the government to write down the

Roman laws on twelve tablets.

Laws on Twelve Tablets

The role of women changes over time

• Roman women played a larger role in society than did Greek women.– They could own property– Ran businesses– Patrician women went to public events with

their husbands– Some had political influence

*Most women however worked at home, raising families, spinning, and weaving.

Romans Educate Children

• Upper and lower class children learned to read and write

• Children memorized major events and developments in Roman history

• Rhetoric was an important subject for boys who wanted to pursue political careers.

Mars and Jupiter

Citizen-soldiers make up the Roman army

• Loyal and well-trained army.

• Basic military unit was the legion, each of which included 5,000 men.

• Originally men fought without being paid and had to provide their own weapons

• Eventually they received a small stipend but their main compensation was always a share of the spoils of victory.

Roman Legion

Rome is just with conquered lands

• Treated its defeated enemies with justice

• Conquered people had to acknowledge Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply soldiers for the Roman army.

From Republic to EmpireSection 2

Rome grows through conquest

• Rome’s conquest of the Italian peninsula brought it into conflict with Carthage, a city-state on the northern coast of Africa.

Rome fights Carthage in the Punic Wars

• In the first Punic War Rome defeated Carthage and won the islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia.

2nd Punic War• In the 2nd Punic War

Carthage sought revenge.– Carthage General

Hannibal led an army with dozens of war elephants and men

– Was winning battles all across Italy

– Failed to capture Rome itself.

• Romans will eventually defeat Hannibal

3rd Punic War

• Rome completely destroyed Carthage.

• Survivors were killed or sold into slavery.

• The Romans were not masters of the Western Mediterranean.

Ruling the Mediterranean

• Romans were committed to Imperialism= Establishing control over foreign lands and peoples..

• Controlled the Hellenistic rulers who had divided the empire of Alexander the Great.

• Controlled Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Asia Minor

The Impact at Home

• Conquest of trade routes brought riches to Rome.

• Wealthy Romans bought up huge estates called latifundia.– Forced people to work on the latifundia.

• Gap between rich and poor widened and angry mobs began to riot.

Making Attempts at Reform• Two Patrician brothers names Tiberius

and Gaius Gracchus were the first to bring reform.– Tiberius wanted the state to distribute land to

poor farmers– Gaius Gracchus wanted to use public funds to

buy grain to feed the poor

The Roman Republic Declines

• Rome plunged into a series of civil wars

• Slave uprisings

Julius Caesar the Dictator

• In 58 B.C., Caesar set out with his army to make new conquests. After 9 years of fighting, he completed the conquest of Gaul

• Some people in the Senate wanted Caesar to disband his army, but he fought on.

• “I came, I saw, I conquered” he said after announcing one victory.

Julius Caesar

Caesar Makes Reforms

• He launched a program of public works to employ the jobless and gave public land to the poor.

• Granted Roman citizenship to more people

• Introduced a new calendar based on that of the Egyptians.

Caesar Killed, War Follows

• Caesar’s enemies worried that he planned to make himself King of Rome so they planned to kill him.

• In 44 B.C. Caesar arrived in the senate and his enemies stabbed him to death.

• This brought on a new round of Civil Wars.

• Octavian and Mark Anthony joined forces to hunt down the murderers.

The Roman Empire Begins

• The senate gave Octavian the title of Augustus, or Exalted One, and declared him princeps, or first citizen.

• Augustus exercised absolute power and named his successor just as a king would do.

Augustus Builds a Stable Government

• The senate had little power compared to the emperor.

• High level jobs were open to men of talent.• Made the tax system fair by ordering a

census of the empire so their would be records of all who should be taxed.

• Set up a postal service• Issued new coins to make trade easier.• Put the jobless to work.

Emperors Vary

• Not all Augustus’s successors were great rulers.

• Hadrian codified Roman law, making it the same for all provinces.

Pax Romana Brings Prosperity• “Roman Peace”…200 year span.

• Roman rule brought peace, order, unity, and stability.

• Roman legions maintained and protected the roads

• Trade flowed freely

The Distraction of Entertainment

• Circus Maximus, Rome’s largest racecourse.

• Gladiator contests– Battled one another

The Roman Achievement

Section 3

Romans Write Literature, History, and Philosophy

• Borrowed many ideas from the Greeks

• Also adopted Hellenistic achievements.

• The blending of Greek, Hellenistic, and roman traditions produced what is known as Greco-Roman civilization.

Poets Write with Respect and humor

• Many Romans spoke Greek and imitated Greek styles in poetry.

• The poet Virgil tried to show that Rome’s past was as heroic as that of Greece.

• Other poets used verse to satire, or make fun of, Roman society.

Historians Tell the Story of Rome

• Livy and Tacitus were best known as Roman historians

• Livy sought to arouse patriotic feeling by recalling Rome’s historic past.

• Tacitus wrote bitterly about Augustus who felt had destroyed Roman liberty.

Creating Expressive Art• Roman artists depicted scenes from

Roman literature and daily life in spended mosaics.

• Mosaics= a picture made from chips of colored stone or glass.

Advancing Architecture

• Immense palaces, temples, and stadiums stood as mighty monuments to Roman power and dignity.

• Improved on existing structural devices such as columns and arches.

• Used concrete to create a round dome as a roof for large projects.

Pantheon

Romans apply Science and Mathematics for practical use

• Romans excelled in engineering– Built roads, bridges, and harbors– Built aqueducts that carried water from the

hills into roman cities

Science and math• Ptolemy proposed his

theory that the Earth was the center of the universe, a mistaken idea!!!

• Applied geography to make maps and medical knowledge to help doctors improve public health

• Collected information into encyclopedias.

New Law Codes Protect the Empire

• The principles of Roman law would become the basis for legal systems throughout the world.

• Developed civil law• Innocent until proven guilty• Without a reasonable doubt or “clearer

than daylight”• Judges interpreted the laws and made fair

judgments

The Rise of ChristianitySection 4

Early Empire includes diverse religions

• Various religious beliefs existed in Rome.

• Jupiter, Mars, Juno, and other traditions remained important.

• Rome tolerated diversity as long as Romans honored Roman gods and acknowledged the divine spirit of the emperor.

Division Arise in Judea

• By 63 B.C. the Romans had conquered Judea• The Romans excused Jews from worshiping

roman gods.• While most Jews were reluctantly willing to live

under Roman rule, other called Zealots were not.

• They called on Jews to revolt against Rome and establish an independent state.

• Some Jews believed that a messiah, or anointed king send by god, would soon appear to lead their people to freedom.

A Jewish Rebellion Defeated

• In A.D. 66, discontent flared into rebellion.

• Roman forces crushed the rebels, captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the Jewish temple.

• Because of this destruction, thousands of Jews decided to leave Judea.

Jesus Proclaims His Teachings• As turmoil engulfed the Jews a new

religion, Christianity, arose around them.

• We know about the life of Jesus through the accounts of four followers:– Matthew– Mark– Luke – John

Jesus Begins Teaching

• Born in 4B.C. in Bethlehem• Jesus grew up in Nazareth and

worshiped God.• At the age of 30 he began

preaching the gospel to villages near the Sea of Galilee.

• He recruited 12 disciples to help him with his mission. Became know as apostles.

Jesus Teaches New Beliefs

• Belief in one God and the 10 commandments.

• Jesus called himself, “the son of God”

• Emphasized gods love and taught the need for justice, morality, and service to others.

Condemned to Death• Some people regarded Jesus as a

dangerous troublemaker.

• Jewish Priests thought he was challenging their leadership.

• Was arrested by the Romans, tried, and condemned to death by crucifixion.

• Jesus had risen from the dead

The Message of Christianity Spreads

• Those Jews that believed Jesus was the messiah would be called Christians.

• Peter and Paul played a huge role in establishing Christianity all across Rome.

Paul Spread Christianity

• Paul had never met Jesus but joined the Christians and decided to spread Jesus’ teachings.

• Paul journeyed around the Mediterranean and set up churches.

Christians Are Oppressed

• Rome’s tolerant attitude toward religion was not extended to Christianity.

• Christians had to meet in secret to avoid persecution.

• Martyrs= people who suffer or die for their beliefs.

Rome Accepts Christianity

• The Roman Emperor Constantine finally ended the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan.

Joining the Church• Had to be baptized, or blessed

with holy water.• Seen as equals and addressed

each other and “brother” and “sister”.

• Each Sunday Christians gathered for ceremony of thanksgiving to God.

Structuring Clergy

• Only men to become members of the Christian clergy.

• Every diocese had its own priest. Over the priest presided a bishop.

• The Bishops of the most important cities gained greater authority and took on the name patriarch.