WH C2 PO2 1

Vocabulary

• Republic• patrician• plebeian• consul • dictator • tribune • veto• legion

WH C2 PO2 2

Ancient Rome

From Republic To Empire

WH C2 PO2 3

Romulus and Remus

WH C2 PO2 4

Pillars of Roman Culture

• Courage• Loyalty• Devotion to Duty

WH C2 PO2 5

Geography

WH C2 PO2 6

Geography

• Easier to unify• Less rugged

mountains• Broad fertile

plains• Supported a

growing population

WH C2 PO2 7

People

• Latin people settled along the Tiber River

• Villages built on Seven low lying hills

• Became Rome – the City on Seven Hills

• Shared the peninsula with the Etruscans

WH C2 PO2 8

Etruscans

• Adapted their alphabet

• Learned to use the arch and engineering techniques

• Gods/goddesses became Roman ones

WH C2 PO2 9

Roman Republic

• 509 B.C. – Romans drove out Etruscan rulers – marking the founding of the Roman state

• Set up a Republic – ‘thing of the people’– Would keep any one

individual from becoming too powerful

WH C2 PO2 10

Government Takes Shape

• Roman Senate– 300 members were all patricians (wealthy elite)– Serve for life– Made the laws

• Consuls (2) were elected from the Senate to run government and command armies.– Served one year term – Checks and balances

WH C2 PO2 11

Dictators

• In the event of war, Senators chose a dictator– Ruler with complete control over government

• Could rule for six months

WH C2 PO2 12

Plebeians Demand Equality

• Famers, merchants, artisans, traders– Bulk of the population

• Complained about not knowing the laws• Laws of the Twelve Tables– Carved and posted in the Roman Forum

• Made it possible to appeal a judgment handed down by a patrician judge

WH C2 PO2 13

Plebeians Demand Equality

• Gained the right to elect their own officials– Tribunes

• Tribunes could veto laws harmful to plebeians

• Plebeians eventually– Served as consuls– Appointed to other high offices– Opened the Senate to

membership

WH C2 PO2 14

A Lasting Legacy

• Common people gained power and rights!• Framers of the U.S. Constitution would adapt

Roman ideas:– Senate– Veto– Checks and balances

WH C2 PO2 15

Roman Society

• Family – basic unit of society– Father had absolute authority over family– Enforced discipline and demanded respect– Wife was subject to his authority

• Ideal Roman woman was loving, dutiful, dignified and strong.

WH C2 PO2 16

Roman Women

• Played a larger role than Greek women• Ran businesses small and large– Most worked at home –

• Over time gained greater freedom and influence

• Some women had important public roles and exercised political influence.

WH C2 PO2 17

Education

• Everyone learned to read and write– Girls, boys, rich, and

poor• Rich Romans hired

Greek tutors that taught– Memorization of historic

events– Rhetoric

WH C2 PO2 18

Religion

• Roman gods and goddesses resembled those of the Etruscans and Greeks

• Zeus = Jupiter ruled over sky and other gods• Juno = Hera marriage• Neptune = Poseidon god of the sea• Year was filled with different festivals for the

gods– Romans worshipped and asked for divine assistance

WH C2 PO2 19

Expansions in Italy

• By 270 B.C. – Romans controlled entire peninsula

• Etruscans to the north and Greeks to the south were conquered

WH C2 PO2 20

Citizen Soldiers

• Basic military unit was called a legion– 5,000 men

• Legions consisted of citizen-soldiers– Fought without pay and supplied own weapons

• Culture admired loyalty, courage and respect for authority

• Success was insured with rewards and punishment– Desertion meant death

WH C2 PO2 21

Conquered Lands

• Treated defeated people with respect– Acknowledge Roman leadership– Pay taxes– Supply soldiers to Roman army

• Conquered lands– Keep local customs– Money– Local government

WH C2 PO2 22

Conquered Lands

• To some- Rome gave full Roman citizenship• Some got partial citizenship:– Could marry Romans– Trade with Rome

• Generous policies created loyalty to Rome

WH C2 PO2 23

Protection and Unification

• Rome posted soldiers throughout the land

• Built all-weather roads to link territories

• Latin was incorporated into local dialects

• Italy began to unite under Roman rule

WH C2 PO2 24

Questions

• Describe two ways that geography of Italy influenced the rise of Rome.

• What reforms did plebeians win during the early republic?

• What were two reasons for Rome's success in expanding its power across Italy?