Timeline of Ancient Rome

Geographic Factors to the Rise of Rome

Rome is the story of growth, expansion and influence of a small settlement in Tiber River Valley = Seven Hills of Palatine (city where Rome was founded)

Link between Europe and Africa: Italian Peninsula is central in Mediterranean world (halfway between east and west)

Seclusion: rugged mountains separate northern Italy from the rest of Europe which provide good protection but made communication difficult

Agricultural Climate: mild climate, fertile land, river beds, volcanic soil, mountain deposits

Rivers: Po and Tiger allowed for transport and created borders from other peoples

Seven Hills of Palatine

Etruscans First inhabitants of Northern

Italy c. 750 BCE

Conquered Rome around 600 BCE

Skilled artisans, farmers and accomplished traders

In Rome, the Etruscans dug an enormous ditch (Great Sewer) to create a drained area named the Forum

contributed to the rise of Rome and culture

Roman Forum (then and now)

It became the heart of Rome where people met to talk, trade, govern and worship

The Roman Forum was the political and economic centre of Rome during the Republic.

• According to legend, the city of Rome began in 753 BCE and Romulus was the first of seven Etruscan Kings. •Romulus was believed to be a great warrior king and started Rome’s first army and government

Etruscan Monarchy

First Etruscan King was Romulus

Etruscans expanded power and took control over Romans

Last Etruscan King was Tarquin the Proud= expelled by a popular rebellion in 509 BCE due to a scandal and his terrorizing reign

Romans did not want to be ruled by kings anymore

Paved way for Rome to create a democratic republic

Etruscan influence on Romans: alphabet, arch, numerals, blood sports, politics (purple robes) and symbol of fasces

Roman Republic

(509 BCE)

In a republic, citizens elect leaders to run their government.

Roman Republic= Res Publica (public matter)

SPQR = Senatus Populusque Romanus or the Senate and the People of Rome

Resulted from discontent of tyrannical Etruscan monarchy

A combination of aristocracy, oligarchy and democracy

Senate and the People of Rome

Patricians

Senatorial aristocracy

Landowning aristocracy

From Latin word ‘patres’ which means father

Plebeians

People

Landless poor

From Latin word ‘plebs’ which means common people

The internal history of the Roman Republic consisted of constant tension and feuds between the patricians and the plebeians

Roles in Roman Republic

Magistrates: most powerful magistrates were the two consuls, or Chief Magistrates of State; both had the power to veto (Latin for “I forbid”) each other in important decisions (elected by patricians)

Assemblies (Comitia): four assemblies (organized by wealth / classes) of male citizens elected officials as magistrates annually to pass and enforce laws

Senate: council of men who controlled Rome (state budget and foreign affairs); controlled most land and chosen for life

Plebian Tribal Council & Tribunes: membership restricted to non-senatorial males; 2 plebeian tribunes elected and could veto decisions made by consuls; eventually increased to 10 tribunes; the establishment of Tribunes became powerful interpreters of the peoples’ wishes

Expansion & Trade Goal to expand land, resources and trade:

LAND: Republic needed land to reward its armies. Romans believed that land was the only important form of wealth, and farming and soldiering were the honourable occupations

RESOURCES: Sicily (grain); Spain (cooking oil); other cities in east (wine, produce, leather and woolen goods)

CONFLICTS: Expansion in south led to clashes with the trading peoples called the Carthaginians (North Africa)

TRADE: Increase in military activity meant an increase in the trade in weapons

COLONIES: settled and run by full Roman citizens who remained loyal (ie. discharged soldiers) and colonies were linked by roads and a unified currency

WEALTH: accumulative wealth gained from collecting taxes and importing goods which paid for massive building projects and paid soldiers

Roman Law: The Twelve Tables Rome was among few societies that

developed laws that were codified (written down) and fully analyzed by jurists

pressure by the ordinary people to break the monopolization of the law by the patricians and upper class

Twelve Tables: written 450 BCE in Latin

Most laws related to civil matters

Formed basic legal procedures and appropriate punishments

But Roman law still distinguished between rich and poor, freemen and slaves

Daily Life in the Republic Very religious and superstitious tendencies

Lavish dinner parties

All actions (political and military) were made with omens of nature which would signal approval from the gods

inheritance of property was very important

practice of adoption of males (ie. Caesar adopted Octavian, the son of his niece)

arranged marriages (girls around age of 15)

Patriarchal society

Education: read and write Latin and Greek

Boys studied art of rhetoric; girls taught to sing dance, spin, weave

Latin Romans spoke Latin,

which spread throughout the Mediterranean (only Greek survived)

For next thousand years, Latin was the language of Roman government, legal system and became the international language of the Christian church, education and scholarship

Latin still to this day has a strong presence in language of medicine and law

Examples of Latin

Veni, vidi, vici

“I came, I saw, I conquered”

Alter ego

“another I”

Bona fide

“in good faith”

Et cetera

“and other”

Exit or exenut

“He / she / they go out”

Habeas corpus

“you must have the fact / body of the crime”

Via

“by way of”

Vice versa

“the other way around”

Art and

Architecture Art was influenced by

Etruscans and even more by the Greeks (sculptures, paintings) with expansion and conquests (ie. Corinth)

Greek architecture (columns) was fused into Roman culture

Romans alone gave the world CONCRETE

PUNIC WARS: MILITARY SCENARIO

Punic Wars: Three Punic Wars

(Rome vs. Carthage)

1st Punic War

264 BCE- 241 BCE

Rome vs. Sicily, Syracuse and Carthage

Rome wins and adds Sicily and Syracuse to its empire and destroys Carthage

2nd Punic War 218 BCE – 202 BCE Hannibal takes ambitious journey

from Spain with 36 000 troops and 37 elephants over Alps; conquers most of Italian Peninsula with remaining 26 000 troops and 1 elephant

Four great battles with heavy Roman losses (ie. at Cannae, over 50 000 out of 86 000 Roman soldiers were annihilated in one day

14 years later, the final Battle at Zama (202 BCE), Roman general Scipio pushes Hannibal out of Italy and Carthagians were forced to pay reparations to Rome, dismantle navy and forfeit commercial empire

3rd Punic War

149 BCE – 146 BCE

50 years after Hannibal’s defeat, Carthage was ready for more and insulted a Roman delegation

Rome invades Carthage and burns it to the ground, steals its many wealthy and luxurious objects

Roman Legions

Used fighting methods of Greeks (phalanx) but developed own methods in LEGIONS

Legions divided into ‘maniples’ (cohorts) which moved in lines effectively in hilly terrain

LEGION: basic unit was 80 men (6 = a cohort) and 10 cohorts made up a full legion of 4800 men

Rome Legions

at War

War was a major part of life in the first 300 years of the Republic

Men carried a 25 kg pack on his back Legion standard, silver eagle was considered

sacred and was always kept near the commanding general

Failure to perform duties or cowardice were corrected by stoning or even execution of 1 every 10 men

Policy of “divide and conquer” To move armies around so quickly, Romans

built roads, bridges, aqueducts Built war machines (catapult which could

hurl a 27 pg boulder 500m and battering ram which took 1000 men to mobilize it for action)

All roads lead to

Rome

First paved road called via Appia (Appian Way) over 310 000 km of road built

Roman Victories During 400 years between

expulsion of Etruscans to end of Roman Republic:

Complete unification of entire Italian Peninsula by 27- BCE

Rome defeats Carthage, giving Rome control of North Africa and Carthage’s provinces in Spain

Macedonia and Greece are conquered and become Roman provinces

Pergamum (present day eastern Turkey) became province of Asia Minor, the first Roman possession in Asia

Southern Gaul (south France) conquered by Romans

The Greek World After Alexander the Great

dies in 323 BCE, there is a fight over his empire – causes instability

While visiting Corinth some important Roman delegates were insulted

Rome attacked and destroyed Corinth, stealing its treasure and riches

Marks the beginning of decadence and a love of luxury for the Romans

Discontent with

Roman Republic 1. Widening gap between patricians

and plebeians 2. Issue of Roman citizenship in colonies 3. Wealth from wars and expansion made leaders (governors and generals)

greedy and dishonest, and it also caused the poor people to want more rights 4. Several consuls were assassinated as others tried to take position by force 5. Increasing slave rebellions against severe treatment

Solutions continuous attempts to control tensions and help poor (Gracchus brothers) Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus= sought land reforms, proposed free grain and

more citizen rights… but both were killed

Reasons for Fall of Republic state’s inability to bridge the gap between rich and poor Lack of effective control of Rome’s new found wealth & commercialism social uprisings of non-Roman Italians over Roman citizenship Military reforms of standing army and legions increased power and influence of

Roman Generals (ie. Julius Caesar)

The First Triumvirate

In 60 BCE, three Roman Generals: Pompey, Crassus and Caesar formed the First Triumvirate: Rule of Three Men

Plan was to usurp the Roman Republic, backed with the power of their armies

Crassus was killed in battle, and then Caesar set out to defeat Pompey (which he did)

Rome torn by civil war. In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar, appointed dictator for 10 years (by Sentate) and then himself extended it for life; as well appointed himself Pontifex Maximus (Chief Priest)

44BCE- March 15th, the Ides of March, Caesar was assassinated by self proclaimed “defenders of liberty”

The Birth of the Roman Empire

After Caesar’s assassination= civil war ensued Second Triumvirate: Octavian, Marc Antony and

Lepidus in 43 BCE and divided the Republic between them (sealed with a marriage between Octavian’s sister and Marc Antony)

Lepidus was pushed from power Marc Antony met and married Cleopatra in 36

BCE, but Octavian defeated Antony’s armies and Anthony and Cleopatra committed suicide

Octavian was left as master of Roman world 27 BCE- End of Roman Republic

Timeline of Ancient Rome

Founding of Rome: 753 BCE (Romulus)

Etruscan Monarchy: 753 BCE-509 BCE

Roman Republic: 509 BCE – 27 BCE

Roman Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE