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The Romans Create an Empire. The early Romans established a republic which grew powerful and spread its influence. The Beginnings of Rome. Roman Legend: Rome was established in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin brothers raised by a wolf.
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The Romans Create an Empire The early Romans established a republic which grew powerful and spread its influence
The Beginnings of Rome • Roman Legend: Rome was established in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin brothers raised by a wolf. • They chose the spot where they were abandoned by their mother to build a city.
The Ancient City • The real reason Rome developed at this site was because of its strategic location on the Tiber River and its fertile soil. • It was centrally located between the alps in the north and the southern peninsula.
Earliest Settlers • 1000 – 500 B.C. Three groups inhabited the peninsula: Latins, Greeks, and Etruscans. • Latins were shepherds and farmers and lived in a regions they called Latium. They were the original builders of Rome which was a grouping of huts on seven hills.
Greeks • The Greeks established trade colonies mostly on the southern coasts of the peninsula and in Sicily. • This contact with the Greeks influenced the cultural development of Rome.
Etruscans • The Etruscans lived in the area to the north of Rome. • They were skilled in metalwork and engineering. • They claimed the fertile area where Rome was built Rome and they wanted to control Latins.
A Blending of Cultures • The Roman adopted many cultural practices from both the Greeks and Etruscans. • From the Etruscans the Romans borrowed they tradition of military organization and the love of blood sport. • From the Greeks, the Romans borrowed the gods but renamed them with Latin names. • Zeus = Jupiter • Hera = Jumo
The Early Republic • Around 600 B.C. Etruscan kings began to build temples and major earthworks projects in Rome. • The last king that exerted unwelcomed control over the Latins was Tarquin the Proud. The Romans drove him from power in 509 B.C. and declared their independence from all future kings.
The Republic is Born • In 509 B.C. The wealthy landowners and aristocrats of Rome took an oath that they would never be ruled by a king. Anyone who attempted to seize power would be killed. (This drama later plays out with the assassination of Julius Caesar) • They established a new government that gave power to the citizens to freely selected their leaders through voting (a Greek influence).
Patricians and Plebeians • Voting rights were granted only to free-born male Roman citizens. • In Rome two major groups struggled for political equity- the Patricians and the Plebeians. • Patricians= aristocratic landowners • Plebeians= everyone else
Social Discord • The Patricians set up a legislative body to establish law called the Senate. In the beginning, the plebeians were not allowed to participate in senatorial debates or vote on senatorial issues. • Over time, through a series of critical military boycotts, the plebeians were allowed to form their own legislative assembly, the tributaria, and elect their own representatives called tribunes.
The Twelve Tables • An important victory for the plebeians was the creation of the Twelve Tables or a written code of laws. • When the laws were unwritten, they were often at a disadvantage as patrician officials could interpret laws and offenses any way they wanted. • The Twelve Tables were codified in 451 B.C. and became the basis for Roman law.
Government Under the Republic • Executive Branch: 2 Consuls- the head of the Roman government- they shared power and served for a year, they were not allowed to serve again for another 10 years.
Legislative Branch • Legislative Branch: 300 members selected from the aristocracy. They held their position for life. • They dealt with foreign affairs, financial policies and as advisors for the consuls • The Centuriate assembly selected consuls and made laws. • The Tribal assemblies elected tribunes and made local laws.
Judicial Branch • Judicial Branch: • Praetor (mayor or governor) • eight judges chosen to serve for only one year by the Centuriate Assembly, two judges were to oversee civil and criminal courts the others were sent out to the roman provinces
Dictator • In times of crisis, the Roman Senate appointed a single person with absolute power to deal decisively with the crisis. The term of a dictator was one year, or end of the crisis which ever came first.
The Roman Army • All landowning citizens were required to serve in the army. • In order to later serve in public office, a soldier had to serve a minimum of 10 years. • The Roman legion was made up of 5,000 foot soldiers, a small group of cavalry supported each legion. Each legion was divided into groups of 80 men called a century.
Rome Falls 390 B.C. • By the 4th Century B.C., Rome slowly gained control of Central Italy , however in 390 B.C., Gauls, Celtic people who came in from the north, sacked Rome. The Romans paid them to leave and after a bout six months, the Gauls left and Rome quickly recovered.
Rome Spreads its Power • After its stunning defeat, Rome re-thinks it relationship with its conquered peoples and changes the policy toward its territories. • The conquered people closest to Rome were offered full citizenship in exchange for an oath of loyalty. • All other conquered people were considered allies and Rome took no direct control over these areas as long as they provided soldiers for the Roman army and paid their taxes. They were not allowed to make treaties with any other state.
Rome’s Commercial Networks • Rome began to dominate trade throughout the Mediterranean. The Romans traded a variety of goods such as wine, olive oil, raw materials and manufactured goods. • The growing trade put the Romans into direct competition with the North African city of Carthage ( a Phoenician colony). • A series of wars were fought between Carthage and Rome for control of the Mediterranean. These wars were called the Punic Wars. Rome• Carthage
The Punic Wars • In 264 B.C., Rome and Carthage went to war. Between 264 and 146 B.C., three wars were fought . • The first war 264-241 B.C., was for control of the Island of Sicily. Rome won.
2nd Punic War • The second war began in 218 B.C., Carthage wanted to avenge their prior defeat and win back control of Sicily and control of the western Mediterranean. • This war was led by Hannibal, the son of the general who had been defeated earlier. • Hannibal grew up hating the Romans and promised revenge at his father’s death bed.
Hannibal and His Elephants • Hannibal assembled nearly 60,000 men and 60 elephants with the intent of capturing Rome. • Instead of attacking from the south (the closest route) he planned a surprise attack from the north that meant going across north Africa, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, through Spain and France over the Alps into Italy.
Hannibal Marches on Rome • The attack from the north and the presence of elephants, never seen before by Romans, unsteadied the Romans. • Hannibal won a great victory against the Roman army in 216 B.C., at Cannae. • The Romans and their allies were able hold off Hannibal but he steadily marched toward the city.
Scipio Africanus • A general in the Roman army devised a plan to force Hannibal to retreat. Instead of engaging Hannibal’s army in Italy, he took his men to lay siege to Carthage. • Hannibal left Italy to defend his native city. • In 202 B.C., on the coast of northern Africa, Hannibal’s army was defeated in an ambush attack at Zama.
Third Punic War • The Third Punic War 149 -146 B.C., Carthage was no longer a real threat to Roman dominance of the Mediterranean but the hatred between the two cities still remained. • A politician named Cato called for the total destruction of Carthage so that it would never again rise up against Rome. • In a three year war, Carthage was reduced to rubble, its inhabitants were sold into slavery and salt was spread over its land to poison the soil.
Rome Controls the Mediterranean • After stunning victories against Carthage in the Punic Wars, Rome gained dominance over the western Mediterranean. • The Romans went on to conquer the eastern region of the Mediterranean by taking control of Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Anatolia (Turkey). By 70 B.C., Rome controlled all lands that bordered the Mediterranean Sea.
