Ancient Rome: Geography, Religion, and Republic

• The Roman Empire was located in the heart of Italy.
• Geographic features such as the Italian Alps and surrounding waters, provided protection for Rome.
• The Tyrrhenian Sea and Adriatic Sea are bodies of water that surrounded Rome.

Religion of Ancient Rome

• Roman religion was based on belief in many gods, and is called polytheistic.
• Romans borrowed ideas about their myths and gods from Greece.
• Roman mythology influenced explanations of natural phenomena, art, Roman senate and much more.
• Five Roman gods/goddesses include: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Juno.

Early Roman Republic

• The three social classes in Rome were:
  • Patricians: The most powerful, owned land, and made up 4% of the population.
  • Plebeians: The majority of people (66%), had the right to vote.
  • Slaves: Made up 30% of the population, not based on race
• A republic involves citizens voting for a representative to vote for other representatives.
• In the Roman Republic, citizenship was granted to free individuals born in Rome.
• Roman law was codified and displayed in the Forum, in the Law of the Twelve Tables -The forum was a central public space where the senate had meetings and courts were held.
• Romans gradually convinced conquered peoples that they would have a bit of Roman citizenship and allowed them to participate in lawmaking and governance.

The Punic Wars

• Rome fought Carthage in the Punic Wars.
• Winning the Punic Wars gave Rome control of the Western Mediterranean Sea.
• Hannibal invaded the Italian peninsula during the Punic Wars.
• Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal.
• The results of the Punic Wars include:
  • Control over Sicily.
  • Control over Carthage.
  • The destruction of Carthage.
  • Salting Carthage's land to prevent plant growth.

The Fall of the Roman Republic

• A triumvirate was a connection between the most powerful men in Rome.
  • The first triumvirate in Rome included Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey.
• Four factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Republic are:
  • Economic instability
  • Widespread political corruption
  • Rise of powerful military leaders (e.g., Julius Caesar)
  • Social inequality
• Julius Caesar overthrew Rome and replaced it with a dictatorship.

Imperial Rome

• After Caesar’s death, Octavian defeated Marc Antony, ending the civil war.
  • This brought Rome transitioning from a Republic to an empire.
• The primary weakness in the Roman Imperial system was difficulty in managing a vast territory with a complex political structure.
• The Roman emperor's power was based on control over the Roman army.

The Pax Romana

• The Pax Romana is defined as a period of 200 years where Rome experienced peace leading to growth in art, culture and more.
• At its height, the Roman Empire held territories from Spain, North Africa, Mesopotamia, Europe and parts of the Middle East.
• Augustus (formerly Octavian) was the first emperor in Ancient Rome.

Christianity

• The New Testament in the Bible contained the teachings of Jesus.
• Early councils in the early Christian church made attempts of church leaders to come to agreements on orthodoxy
• Early Christians who spread their faith were called brethren, disciples or saints.
• Christians in the Roman Empire were generally persecuted for their beliefs, facing sporadic but sometimes intense periods of official oppression, including imprisonment, torture, and execution
• In the late Roman Empire, the Christian Church played a role in providing social services, education, and a sense of unity, while also shaping political power dynamics and contributing to the decline of traditional Roman religious practices.

Roman Culture

• The Roman Forum was a large market and meeting place in Rome.
• Romans held gladiator games in the Colosseum.
• Romans responded to issues of public health with public baths, medical hospitals, and water supply areas.
• Prominent principles for Western civilization that originated in Roman law include all citizens are equal before the law.
• Romans developed the use arches and vaults in architecture and engineering.
• Latin became the basis for Romance languages.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

• Causes for the decline of the Roman Empire include:
• economic instability
• political corruption
• military weakness
• an empire that was too big
• invasions
• internal power struggles
• The emperor Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople.
• Groups that invaded Rome, leading to its fall, include:
  • Visigoths
  • Vandals
  • Goths
  • Ostrogoths
  • Huns
  • Angles, Saxons
  • Franks