Ancient Rome
Location & Geography Close to the Mediterranean Sea Next to the Tiber River, which increased trade and provided protection. Somewhat larger than the U.S. City of Rome was in the center of the empire.
2,500 Miles Rome 3,500 miles
Location & Geography Mild climate, good farmland. Built the city on seven hilltops that could easily be defended. Farmed at the base of hills; lived on hilltops.
Economics Agriculture and trade dominated economy. Olives, grapes, and grains were staple crops. Farmers didn t raise enough grain, so Roman citizens were dependent on trade. Trade routes were established on land and sea.
All Roads Lead to
Economics The Provinces Conquered lands were called provinces. The empire got many products from these provinces in addition to taking slaves. Provinces provided gold and other resources that made the empire rich. Slave labor drove the economy
Government Republic vs. Empire Republic a government based on public consent (voting usually). Empire An area ruled by a single leader who has total power. Hmm which of these would the USA be?
Voting in the Republic Citizens of Rome met in the Assembly and voted for representatives. Women and slaves were not allowed in the Assembly and could not vote.
Republic to Empire Rome began as a republic, a nation ruled by a group of people. Later it became an empire, a nation ruled by one person. Why would they change?
Caesar Takes Control of Rome The Roman Republic really fell when Julius Caesar defeated his rival Pompey. Caesar appointed himself dictator for life, but that life was short. He was assassinated in 44 B.C. His nephew Augustus became the first Roman emperor.
The Roman Military
The Roman Military Strongest military in the world for hundreds of years. Very well trained. Rome grew by conquering its neighbors.
The Conquered People When conquered they became a province of the empire. They now had to do whatever Rome told them and many became slaves. Men were required to leave their homes and serve in the Roman army.
Roman Slavery Slaves were often trained as gladiators and forced to fight to the death. This led to many people in the empire being very angry at Rome.
Barbarians Romans called people who didn t speak Latin barbarians. As the army took over new lands, the barbarians became part of the Empire. They also became part of the army. Many of them became very angry over time.
So, what did the Romans do for the people they conquered?
Helping the Provinces The people of the provinces paid taxes to the empire in return for many things. Protection, aqueducts, roads, etc.
Roads Romans built roads so they could quickly move the army to any part of the empire. They could quickly stop an attack on any part of the empire. Roads also helped make trade easier
Aqueducts Aqueduct man-made structure used to move water into towns. used only the power of gravity. Sometimes they would have to tunnel through mountains.
Social Structure The emperor was the leader. Senators helped him make decisions. Citizens had many rights and privileges. Non-citizens, especially slaves, were generally not treated very well.
Social Classes People were divided into different classes: patricians, plebeians, and slaves.
Wealthy citizens of Rome. Patricians Lived in grand houses and had slaves to do their work for them. As citizens they could vote in the Assembly.
Plebeians Plebeians were not wealthy, but they were citizens of Rome.
Slaves Slaves had no money, no rights, no freedom and were not citizens of Rome. Because they were not citizens of Rome they were not allowed to go to the Assembly to vote.
Roman Religion The Rise of Christianity
Setting the Stage Christians were attacked and blamed for many of the problems in the Roman Empire. Jesus Christ was crucified in the Roman province of Judea in 33 A.D. The Empire was broken up into 4 parts. The leader of one part is a man named Constantine.
Constantine One of the most important emperors in Roman history. He made Christianity legal. He moved the capitol to Constantinople and turned it into a Christian capitol.
Daily Life
Roman Games
Chariot Racing A chariot is a cart pulled by horses. They could go up to 45 miles per hour! The races were very dangerous.
Gladiators Slaves trained to fight to the death. Usually fought other slaves but sometimes fought animals. They could eventually earn their freedom and a few became quite rich.
Imagine This Some rich guy meets you at the front door of your house and announces he paid the bank and now the house is his. He explains that you will follow his rules and pay him rent, but you can stay You walk in the door and see a 60 inch plasma TV in every room all with 200 channels and hooked up to an Xbox 360. How would you feel?
Entertainment All this was free to people who lived in the Empire, not just citizens. The Empire wanted to keep the people distracted. If they were busy having fun they might not notice all the problems!
Roman Architecture The Romans used arches in their buildings and especially in their bridges. Arches are very strong and can hold more weight than rectangles. Many Roman bridges still stand because of the arches.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum Used 30,000 slaves and 500,000 tons of rock. Built, of course, using arches. One of the greatest architectural achievements in history.
Roman Medicine
Contributions and Accomplishments Language Latin is the basis of Spanish, French, Italian and sort of English. Government the U.S. follows the model of the Roman Republic. Religion Christianity was born in the Empire and grew there quickly. Citizenship our ideas of citizens as those who serve their country grew out of Roman ideals.
More Contributions and Advanced Medicine Accomplishments Architecture Aqueducts Roads
The Fall of Rome
What happened? High taxes were needed to pay off enemies. Many former enemies (Barbarians) had come to live inside the Empire. There were simply too many for the Emperor to control.
In the end the Roman Empire divided into two parts. The Eastern part (where Constantinople was) became the Byzantine Empire and lasted another 1,000 years. The Western part (where Rome was) fell apart and would not be reunified for 100s of years.
6. Key People a. Julius Caesar: Took control of the Empire and ended the Roman Republic b. Constantine Legalized Christianity
Big Ideas 1. Many Roman things and ideas are still with us today. 2. Rome covered most of Europe and the Middle East. 3. Rome could not hold the empire together because too many people were unhappy.