Chapter 5 Sec 1 – the Roman World

8/10/2019 Chapter 5 Sec 1 – the Roman World

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Rome began as a small city in Italy andbecame a ruler of the Mediterranean

world and beyond



I. Roman Civilization Arises in Italy – Italianpeninsula is centrally located in the MediterraneanSea, and the city of Rome sits toward the center ofItaly. This benefitted the Romans as they expanded.

A. Unifying the Lands of Italy – Because of itsgeography, Italy was much easier to unify than Greece

1. Italy not broken into small, isolated valleys likeGreece

2. The Apennine Mountains that run down thelength of Italian peninsula are less rugged thanmountains in Greece

3. Italy has broad, fertile plains in the north and the

west that supported growing populations



B. Early Peoples Settle Italy – By about 800BC, theancestors of the Romans, the Latins, migrated intoItaly

1. Latins settled along the Tiber River in smallvillages scattered over seven low-lying hills

a. There, they herded and farmed and theirvillages grew into Rome, the city on seven hills

2. Legend has it that twin brothers, Romulus andRemus who were said to have been the sons of aLatin woman and the war god Mars founded thecity of Rome



3. Romans shared Italian peninsula with otherpeoples such as the Greek colonists whose city-states dotted southern Italy and the Etruscans,who lived mostly north of Rome

a. Romans learned much from the Etruscansand adapted the alphabet that the Etruscans hadearlier acquired from the Greeks

b. They also learned to use the arch in

construction and adapted Etruscan engineeringtechniques to drain the marshy lands along theTiber River.

c. Romans also adapted Etruscan gods and

goddesses and merged them with Roman deities



II. The Romans Establish a Republic – TheRomans drove out their Etruscan ruler in 509BC

Romans established a form of government called aRepublic (“that which belongs to the people”). Inthis form of government, the people chose some ofthe government officials

The Romans thought that this form of governmentwould prevent any individual from gaining too

much power A. Structuring the Republic – In the early

republic, the senate made the laws and controlledthe government



1. Its 300 members were all patricians or membersof the land-holding upper class

2. Each year, the senators nominated two

consuls from the patrician class whose job was tosupervise the business of government andcommand the armies

a. consuls could serve only one term and were

expected to approve each other’s decisions b. By limiting their time in office and making

them responsible for each other, Rome had asystem of checks on the power of government



3. In the event of war, the senate might choosea dictator, or ruler who has complete control

over the government a. Each Roman dictator was granted power

to rule for six months and then he had to giveup power

B. Plebeians Fight for Their Rights – At first,all government officials were patricians

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1. Plebeians - the farmers, merchants, and artisanswho made up most of the populations and had thelegal rights of citizenship but little influence

a. Plebeian demands for power shaped politics

in the early republic b. In time, plebeians gained the right to elect

their own officials called tribunes to protect theirinterests

1. The tribune could veto or block laws thatthey felt were harmful to plebeians

c. Little by little, plebeians forced the senate tochoose plebeians as consuls and to admit plebeiansas members of the senate itself

1. These changes made Rome’s governmentmore democratic





d. Another breakthrough for the plebeians came in450BC, when the government oversaw theinscription of the laws of Rome on 12 tables, whichwere set up in the Forum, Rome’s marketplace

1. Plebeians had protested that citizens could notknow that the laws were because they were notwritten

2. The Laws of the Twelve Tables made it possiblefor the first time for plebeians to appeal a

judgment handed down by a patrician judge



C. Romans Leave a Lasting Legacy – Althoughthe senate still dominated the government, the

common people had gained access to powerand won safeguards for their rights withouthaving to resort to war or revolution

1. More than 2,000 years later, the framers of

the United States Constitution would adaptsuch Roman ideas as the senate, the veto, andchecks on political power



III Ch i i R S i Th f il



III. Characterizing Roman Society – The family wasthe basic unit of Roman society. Under Roman law, themale head of the household had absolute power in thefamily. His wife was subject to his authority and was

not allowed to administer to her own affairs. The idealRoman woman was loving, dutiful, dignified, andstrong

A. The Role of Women Changes Over Time – Romanwomen played a larger role in society than in Greece

1. Women could own property and in later Romantimes women from all classes ran a variety ofbusinesses

a. those who made their fortunes earned respect by

supporting the arts or paying for public festivals b. Most women worked at home raising their

families, spinning, and weaving



2. Over the centuries, Roman women gained morefreedom and influence

a. Patrician women went to the public baths, dined

out, and attended the theater or other forms of publicentertainment with their husbands

B. Romans Educate Most Children – Girls and boys fromthe upper and lower classes learned to read and write

1. By the later years of the republic, many wealthyRomans hired private tutors (often Greeks) to educatetheir children

a. children memorized major events in Romanhistory and boys who wanted to pursue political

careers studied rhetoric

B R M h l & R li i Th R b li d



B. Roman Mythology & Religion – The Romans believedin numerous gods and goddesses, many of whom theyadapted from Greek mythology

1. Like the Greek god Zeus, the Roman god Jupiterruled over the sky and other gods

a. According to Roman myth, his wife Juno protectedmarriage

2. Romans also prayed to Neptune, god of the sea, who

was similar to the Greek god Poseidon 3. On the battlefield, they turned to Mars, the god of

war

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4. The Roman calendar was full of feasts and othercelebrations to honor the gods and goddesses andto ensure divine favor for the city

5. As loyal citizens, most Romans joined in thesefestivals which inspired a sense of community

6. throughout Rome, dozens of temples housedstatues of the gods

a. in front of these temples, Romans took partin ritual activities such as worshipping the godsand asking for divine assistance

IV Th R R bli G A R ’



IV. The Roman Republic Grows – As Rome’spolitical social systems evolved at home, its armiesexpanded Roman power across Italy. Romanarmies first conquered the Etruscans and then the

Greek city-states A. Citizen-Soldiers Make Up the Roman Army – Rome’s success was due to skillful diplomacy andto its loyal, well-trained army

1. The basic military unit was the legion, each

of which included about 5,000 men 2. As in Greece, Roman armies consisted of

citizen-soldiers who originally fought withoutbeing paid and had to supply their own weapons

a. Eventually they received a small stipendbut their main compensation was always a share ofthe spoils of victory

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3. Roman citizens often made good soldiersbecause they were brought up to value loyalty,courage, and respect for authority

4. To ensure success, Roman commandersmixed rewards with harsh punishment

a. Young soldiers who showed courage inaction won praise and gifts

b. If a unit fled from battle, one out ofevery ten men from the disgraced unit was putto death

B R i J t ith C d L d R



B. Rome is Just with Conquered Lands – Romegenerally treated its defeated enemies with justice

1. Conquered peoples had to acknowledgeRoman leadership, pay taxes, and supply soldiersfor the Roman army

a. In return, Rome let them keep their owncustoms, money, and local government

2. To a few privileged groups, Rome gave the

highly prized right of full citizenship 3. Others became partial citizens who were

allowed to marry Romans and carry on trade inRome

a. As a result of these policies, mostconquered lands remained loyal to Roman rule

C M i t i i th St t T t t it



C. Maintaining the State – To protect itsconquests, Rome posted soldiers throughoutthe land

1. It also built a network of all-weathermilitary roads to link distant territories toRome

2. As trade and travel increased, local

peoples incorporated Latin into their languagesand adopted many Roman customs and beliefs

a. Slowly, Italy began to unite underRoman rule

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Chapter 5 Sec 1 – the Roman World