The Roman Republic: Origin and Early Years

The Roman Republic

• Began in 509 B.C.E. with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings, the Tarquins, by Lucius Junius Brutus and his allies.
• Governmental system with a sharp division between the patricians (aristocratic class based on lineage) and the plebeians (citizens who were not born into the patrician class).
• Only patricians could be magistrates initially, but plebeians used the power of secession to improve their standing and created the Twelve Tables, a legal code that applied to both classes equally.
• Eventually, all distinctions between the classes were dissolved.

The Government of the Roman Republic

• Comprised of the magistrates, the Senate, and the Assemblies.
• The most significant magistrates were the two consuls, who presided over the Senate, led armies, and could veto proposals.
• Other magistrate positions included the praetors, aediles, and quaestors, with the censors being a special role for ex-consuls.
• A dictator could be granted full power over the state for brief periods of emergency.

Julius Caesar

• One of Rome's most famous rulers, credited with countless achievements.
• Overcame his family's lack of wealth and embarked on a prosperous political career.
• Became a consul, a powerful general, and eventually Dictator of Rome.
• Instrumental in reforming the Senate and passing new laws that extended citizenship to people conquered by the Roman Republic.
• Significantly expanded the territory controlled by the Republic.

Augustus

• Led Rome away from the crumbling Roman Republic and established the Roman Empire when the senate named him the first Emperor in 27 BCE.
• Adopted son of Julius Caesar, allowing him to claim divine lineage through his 'father' because Caesar claimed to be a descendant of the goddess Venus.
• Brought stability and reason to the Empire that had suffered nearly a century of civil wars.
• Established the highest-ranking non-imperial class called the equestrians.
• Reformed laws to include social and political changes for women and for slaves.

The Roman Empire

• One of the most powerful and influential states in European history.
• Began to decline with the Crisis of the Third Century.
• Period started with emperor Severus Alexander's assassination before he was able to designate an heir.
• Caused extensive political instability as several civil wars and succession crises gripped the Empire for much of the third century.
• The Crisis of the Third Century also struggled with economic and social crises, especially with the Plague of Cyprian.

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

• Lasted from 27 BC until 476 AD when the city of Rome was finally overrun by a Germanic warlord named Odoacer.
• Internal corruption, successive invasions by Germanic tribes, and the division of the Roman Empire by the emperor Diocletian contributed to its decline.
• The moving of the capital to Constantinople by the emperor Constantine also played a role.

Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• A rich Roman's day was spent being catered to, while a poor Roman's day was spent trying to curry favor with their patrons and indulging in entertainment provided by the State.
• The patron-client relationship was the primary way interactions between the classes occurred.

Roman Art and Architecture

• Employed marble, bronze, concrete, and other building materials.
• Concrete was a Roman invention that allowed for more elaborate buildings.
• Roman art made use of paint, sculpture, mosaics, arches, and reliefs.
• Reliefs gave a more three-dimensional appearance.

Roman Inventions

• Aqueducts, roads, concrete buildings, medical tools for the battlefield, and the Julian Calendar.
• Aqueducts brought fresh water from the mountains to areas without water.
• Roman concrete was a useful building material due to its strength, low cost, and ability to be poured into any shape.

Latin Language and Law

• The basis of the Roman language and law was the Latin language.
• Latin was the first shared language across Europe, used for all important documents and speeches.
• Roman law was centered around the rights of the people, specifically the official members of Rome called citizens.
• Elected officials represented the will of the people in a representative system called a republic.

Judaism

• One of the world's oldest religions, with origins as early as the 2nd millennium BCE.
• Judaism became a religion while the early tribal people called the Israelites escaped from Egyptian slavery and eventually reached the Promised Land.
• The Tanakh (Jewish sacred text) outlines the history of the Jewish people and the laws that impacted their culture.
• One important law is observing Shabbat, the day of rest.

Key Figures in Judaism

• Abraham, the "father of Judaism," with whom God made a covenant to give the land of Canaan to his descendants.
• Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and received the mitzvot (commandments) from God.
• David, who united the people of Israel and established a strong kingdom.
• Yohanan ben Zaccai, who kept Judaism alive even as its followers spread across the world.

Judaism and Its Roots

• Primarily characterized by its monotheism, or belief in one deity, Yahweh.
• Judaism has its roots in the belief that Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham.
• The Israelites escaped Egyptian slavery with the guidance of Moses, who received the mitzvot from Yahweh.
• The mitzvot included kashrut (food laws), the Ten Commandments, and many other laws.

The Roman Republic

• Began in 509 B.C.E. with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings, the Tarquins, by Lucius Junius Brutus and his allies.
• Governmental system with a sharp division between the patricians (aristocratic class based on lineage) and the plebeians (citizens who were not born into the patrician class).
• Only patricians could be magistrates initially, but plebeians used the power of secession to improve their standing and created the Twelve Tables, a legal code that applied to both classes equally.
• Eventually, all distinctions between the classes were dissolved.

The Government of the Roman Republic

• Comprised of the magistrates, the Senate, and the Assemblies.
• The most significant magistrates were the two consuls, who presided over the Senate, led armies, and could veto proposals.
• Other magistrate positions included the praetors, aediles, and quaestors, with the censors being a special role for ex-consuls.
• A dictator could be granted full power over the state for brief periods of emergency.

Julius Caesar

• One of Rome's most famous rulers, credited with countless achievements.
• Overcame his family's lack of wealth and embarked on a prosperous political career.
• Became a consul, a powerful general, and eventually Dictator of Rome.
• Instrumental in reforming the Senate and passing new laws that extended citizenship to people conquered by the Roman Republic.
• Significantly expanded the territory controlled by the Republic.

Augustus

• Led Rome away from the crumbling Roman Republic and established the Roman Empire when the senate named him the first Emperor in 27 BCE.
• Adopted son of Julius Caesar, allowing him to claim divine lineage through his 'father' because Caesar claimed to be a descendant of the goddess Venus.
• Brought stability and reason to the Empire that had suffered nearly a century of civil wars.
• Established the highest-ranking non-imperial class called the equestrians.
• Reformed laws to include social and political changes for women and for slaves.

The Roman Empire

• One of the most powerful and influential states in European history.
• Began to decline with the Crisis of the Third Century.
• Period started with emperor Severus Alexander's assassination before he was able to designate an heir.
• Caused extensive political instability as several civil wars and succession crises gripped the Empire for much of the third century.
• The Crisis of the Third Century also struggled with economic and social crises, especially with the Plague of Cyprian.

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

• Lasted from 27 BC until 476 AD when the city of Rome was finally overrun by a Germanic warlord named Odoacer.
• Internal corruption, successive invasions by Germanic tribes, and the division of the Roman Empire by the emperor Diocletian contributed to its decline.
• The moving of the capital to Constantinople by the emperor Constantine also played a role.

Daily Life in Ancient Rome

• A rich Roman's day was spent being catered to, while a poor Roman's day was spent trying to curry favor with their patrons and indulging in entertainment provided by the State.
• The patron-client relationship was the primary way interactions between the classes occurred.

Roman Art and Architecture

• Employed marble, bronze, concrete, and other building materials.
• Concrete was a Roman invention that allowed for more elaborate buildings.
• Roman art made use of paint, sculpture, mosaics, arches, and reliefs.
• Reliefs gave a more three-dimensional appearance.

Roman Inventions

• Aqueducts, roads, concrete buildings, medical tools for the battlefield, and the Julian Calendar.
• Aqueducts brought fresh water from the mountains to areas without water.
• Roman concrete was a useful building material due to its strength, low cost, and ability to be poured into any shape.

Latin Language and Law

• The basis of the Roman language and law was the Latin language.
• Latin was the first shared language across Europe, used for all important documents and speeches.
• Roman law was centered around the rights of the people, specifically the official members of Rome called citizens.
• Elected officials represented the will of the people in a representative system called a republic.

Judaism

• One of the world's oldest religions, with origins as early as the 2nd millennium BCE.
• Judaism became a religion while the early tribal people called the Israelites escaped from Egyptian slavery and eventually reached the Promised Land.
• The Tanakh (Jewish sacred text) outlines the history of the Jewish people and the laws that impacted their culture.
• One important law is observing Shabbat, the day of rest.

Key Figures in Judaism

• Abraham, the "father of Judaism," with whom God made a covenant to give the land of Canaan to his descendants.
• Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and received the mitzvot (commandments) from God.
• David, who united the people of Israel and established a strong kingdom.
• Yohanan ben Zaccai, who kept Judaism alive even as its followers spread across the world.

Judaism and Its Roots

• Primarily characterized by its monotheism, or belief in one deity, Yahweh.
• Judaism has its roots in the belief that Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham.
• The Israelites escaped Egyptian slavery with the guidance of Moses, who received the mitzvot from Yahweh.
• The mitzvot included kashrut (food laws), the Ten Commandments, and many other laws.

Learn about the origins of the Roman Republic, its governmental system, and the social classes of patricians and plebeians. Understand how the plebeians used the power of secession to improve their standing.