Rome & the Mediterranean History

Rome & the Mediterranean

• Romans descended from the Latins who occupied the Tiber River Valley
• The Latins borrowed their alphabet, military formations, and architecture from the Etruscans
• The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BCE and ended the Etruscan rule
• Rome’s population consisted of two main classes, the Patricians (Aristocrats who traced their lineage back to the City of Rome) and the Plebians (Everyone else)
• Patricians dominated areas of power, such as the Senate, Military and Economy
• Early Roman imperialism relied on the Punic Wars, to make sure Rome was firmly planted in the Western Mediterranean sea and North Africa
• The Macedonians were defeated in a series of four wars and ended up as a roman province in 146 BCE, a major step towards the Roman Empire.

Roman Civil Wars

• Julius Caesar was a Roman general who survived the internal civil wars, ending them for a period, and becoming popular with his troops
• Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE by Patricians that feared his power and rise to Kingship.
• Octavian a.k.a. Augustus Caesar, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, won a Civil War in 31 BCE and maintained the structure of the Roman Republic but kept power within his own hands.
• The Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, lasted until 181 CE, though the era has been disputed by historians

Roman Citizenship, Law, & Society

• The Roman Empire grew in size and influence throughout the Western Mediterranean Sea and beyond
• Factors that contributed to its demise included (but not limited to): political turmoil, plagues, reliance on imports and cooler climate.

Barbarian Invasions

• Germanic tribes such as the Marcomanni, Alemani, & Goths, lived beyond the Roman Empire's frontiers.
• Around the 300s-400s the Germanic tribes were pushed westward by the rise of the Huns (Under Attila)
• The decline of the Roman Empire led to tribes such as the Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Suebi, Franks, Saxons and many others taking over and establishing new kingdoms in the collapsed Empire
• The Church became the main surviving center of social organization

Clovis & The Franks

• The Franks lived in the Roman Province of Gaul, later known as Francia (modern France)
• Frankish King Clovis converted to Roman Catholicism in 496, which gave him legitimacy alongside military support from the Church
• The History of the Franks, written by St Gregory of Tours, a book that described Clovis as a new Constantine

The Byzantine Empire

• Constantine fought civil wars for control of the Roman Empire (304-324 BCE)
• He attributed his victory at the Milvian Bridge to the Christian God (312 BCE)
• The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire (313)
• Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium (Later Constantinople)
• Constantine was baptized on his Deathbed (337 BCE)

Justinian

• Emperor Justinian ruled from 527-565, reconquering much of the Roman Empire lost in the previous century
• Justinian was considered Autocratic but effective
• He believed the Roman Emperor was the head of the Christian Church (Cesaeropapism)
• He constructed the Hagia Sophia, the largest church of the era
• The Justinian Code was a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire, that formed the basis of law in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Explore the rich history of Rome and the Mediterranean, from its Latin origins to the rise of the Roman Republic. This quiz covers key events, social classes, and military campaigns that shaped Rome's dominance in the region. Test your knowledge on the influential figures and pivotal wars that defined an empire.