Unit 3 Notes: Rome Flashcards
Romulus and Remus
Legend
Twins, born of a she-wolf.
Created Rome
Romulus killed Remus.
Believe they are part God/divine.
Born of Aeneas (God of War)
Etruscans
From first civilization in Italy.
Similar culture to egyptians.
Focussed on death and afterlife
Developed structured monarchy.
Had 12 city-states that were independent but worked together.
War-like people
Ruled over Latins
7 legendary Kings
Roman society emerged between 753-509 BCE
Romulus - Mythical God of Rome. Started Senate and Assembly.
Tarquinius Superbus - Last legendary King. Harsh ruler.
Oppressed his people
His rule lead to the overthrow of the monarchy and Rome became a Republic.
Laws of the twelve tables
Roman republic Constitution.
Governing documents
The republic in Crisis
Massive wealth inequality - power falls into the hands of few people
Gracchus brothers - Patricians. Part of the tribunal assembly. Wanted to help the plebians own land. Assembly assassinates both brothers for trying to bring equality between social classes.
Marius
General
known for defeating forces coming into the north.
given control over roman forces in Asia.
Sets up election to win control over Asain troops.
Marius is forced to retreat and gets sick and dies while fighting Sulla
Sulla
General
Known for conquests to get more land.
Brought back people that were exiled.
Divided military loyalties - People start being loyal to a leader and not the state. Won’t give power to Marius, so he attacks Rome.
Kills all of Marius’ soldiers. Becomes lifelong leader
2 classes
Patricians = wealthy landowners
Plebians = working class. poor commoners
Senate
former magistrates were chosen by the people.
top 2% income earners.
controlled taxation.
directed foreign affairs
veto power over the assembly
most powerful governing group
Centuriate Assembly
Made of soldiers
votes on bills presented to them
Tribunal assembly
Assembly for plebians.
voted on rights and laws for plebians.
gained more power and were eventually able to vote on patrician laws too.
Rome Conquers Italy
265 BCE
Three Categories of people :
Citizens: all rights
latins: all rights but couldn’t vote
allies: (any conquered peopl) couldn’t vote and didn’t have same rights as citizens.
Consul
Head of the government
Two of them
One year terms
Had veto power
Became members of senate or military generals after their Consul term
Family Life
Paterfamilias: The father was in charge of the family.
Women in charge of caring for children
Fathers would be killed by sons so they could be in control.
Cult of the Dead
Like ‘The Day of the Dead’
Celebrated their dead family members
Slaves
Did most of the work in Rome.
Did work so upper class could participate in politics
Social Life
Baths: Wealthy men would go to the communal baths to talk politics and make business deals.
Bread and Circuses
To keep people happy keep them fed and entertained
Roman entertainment
Gladiator games
Rich and famous fighters were managed by ‘lanistas’
Collesseum
Where gladiator games took place along with other entertainment
Urban problems
fires, sanitation, crime increases when they expand too fast.
Start building with stone to prevent fire destroying Rome.
Religion
Religious blending occurs.
Isis, Apollo, Mithras become prominent Gods
Military service
offered as a path to citizenship
Aqueducts
Moved water throughout the city
Concrete
Invented concrete to start building with.
started building arches
Literature
Virgil - Big writer and and philosopher of the time
1st Triumvirate
59 BCE
Pact between Caesar, Crassus and Pompey to protect each other
2nd Triumvirate
‘The Lex Titia’
The formal document to divide the empire between three men - Marc Antony, Octavian, Lepidus
Crassus
Very wealthy
Bought people’s land after it burned down
killed by parthians
Pompey
Consul of Spain
well connected
friends with egyptians and Cleopatria
Married Caesar’s daughter
decapitated by Tallame
Julius Caesar
Killed Democracy
Made himself dictator for life
A populist
extends citizenship beyond Rome. To Latins and Italians
Launches public service projects
Creates a lot of Jobs
Helped with land reform
Loved by the people
diminishes Senate’s power.
2nd war of the Republic
Crossing the Rubicon-
Caesar doesn’t go back to Rome when told to by the Republic.
Commits treason by crossing the Rubicon river.
Destroy’s Pompey’s army and takes his money
Cleopatra
Has affair with Caesar and has his child
Has affair with Mark Antony after Caesar dies
Assassinated March 15, 44 BC.
Octavian (Augustus)
Caesar’s Nephew
Young Politician
Heir to caesar’s wealth
declares war on Cleopatra to get rid of Anotony
first official emperor of Rome
Rise of the Empire
Senate looses power
Pax Romana - Roman peace
Height of Rome
3rd war of the republic
Antony goes to egypt
Battle of Actium - naval battle:
Antony’s army’s destroyed
antony kills himself in egypt
Cleopatra remains pharaoh of Egypt
Marc Antony
Caesar’s best friend
Turns people against Cassius and Brutus
married Octavian’s sister
Had affair with Cleopatra
wanted to take over Egypt
The rise and spread of Christianity
Roman tolerance of all religions, but must worship Roman Gods too.
Judea conquered 63, BC
Orthopraxy - Jews don’t have to worship Roman Gods
The Diaspora
66 AD
The division between the Jews and Romans
Many Jews wanted to revolt
Diaspora - Jewish uprising that Romans ended.
Romans destroy Jewish Temples, wailing walls and attack
Jews scatter across the mediterranean
Judaism is maintained in small communities
Jesus/Messiah
Jesus of Nazareth
carpenter
preached message of salvation
empowered the weak
taught people to have a personal relationship with God.
Birth of Christianity
Roman persecution because:
rejection of Roman Gods
supremacy of God’s law
Christians became scapegoats and martyrs
Paul
Spreads christianity over the world after Christ’s death
Constantine
Wins wars and gives glory to God.
First Christian Emperor
Spreads Christianity
Edict of Milan, 313 AD.
- Grants religious freedom to all
Council of Nicea
325 AD
People come together to agree on what Christian beliefs actually are.
Theodosius
Last Roman Emperor before Rome splits
Spreads Christianity.
Christianity becomes main religion
Diocletian
Split the Roman Empire
Fixed prices to slow inflation
Last persecutor of Christians
Lack of social movement
Wipes out the middle class
Causes class conflict
Abandons the empire when things go wrong.
Constantinople
Created by Constantine
Makes Constantinople the Roman capital
Can’t stop Roman decline
Germanic Invasion
The germanic tribes invade while the Romans are busy fighting off the Huns. They take over and destroy Rome
The Huns
Eastern/Asian group that attacks and conquers lands all through out europe.
first group to fight on horseback
invented long range bows
became an empire
Atilla
Leader of the Huns
dies before his conquest is over
Causes of the fall of Rome
Inflation
Soil erosion
Epidemics
Large amount of people died
from malaria.
Weakened legions - mercenaries
Loss of civic virtue and loyalty
Poor leadership
High crime
Sanitation issues
Fall of Rome
476 AD
Germanian Invasion is a success
Eastern empire (Byzantium) survives until 1300s
External Roman Problems
Piracy
Germanic tribe
Huns invade Rome
Brings new technologies such as
long range bows
The Huns/Attila
The pope makes a peace treaty
with the Huns.
350 AD.
The Huns push everyone in the east, to the west.
1st Punic War
264 BCE
1st of three wars between Rome and Carthage.
Rome wanted to expand into Sicily which was controlled by Carthage.
There was a naval battle where Rome won and Carthage had to pay for war damages
2nd Punic War
218 BCE
Hannibal wanted to go to war with Rome.
Carthage lost the war and ended up losing control of spain and had to pay silver to Rome.
3rd Punic War
Carthage bothered Rome and Rome decided it was best to destroy them
Carthage was destroyed in 149 BCE
Hannibal
Carthaginian general that lead the armies during the punic wars.
Battle of Zama
last battle of the 2nd Punic war
Rome won and severely weakened Carthage
Scipio Africanis
Roman general that lead Rome to victory during the 2nd Punic war
1st war on the Republic
War between Sulla and Marius over the power of Consul
both generals split the citizens loyalty.
Sulla won and made himself dictator
