ROMANIZATION

The image above is a Triumphal Arch.

In Ancient Rome these arches were built to honour great leaders or military victories.

The image above is the Arch of Constantine built in 315 AD.

Many of these structures were temporary last from a few days to a few years.

However, we have record of 36 permanent arches that were built during the Roman republic.

Today only 5 Roman arches remain. Throughout history many leaders

and nations have adopted the arch as a symbol of honour and power.

Today some of the most famous triumphal arches are located outside the boundaries of the former Roman empire.

For example: Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Arch of Triumph in Korea.

Canada has several smaller arches. Ex: National War memorial

Origins of Rome Historians know that Rome grew out

of a small farming village in the 10th century BC (1000 BC).

However, the exact dates and timeline for the development of Rome is unknown.

Many historians use 509 BC as the start of the Roman empire ( Monarchy is overthrown, republic starts).

There is evidence to suggest another date for the founding of Rome.

According to legend Rome was founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were descendants of a Trojan prince.

The date derived from some ancient sources is April 21, 753 BC.

It is said that the brothers (twins) were abandoned near the Tiber river and raised by a she-wolf.

As adults the brothers founded Rome in the same spot as they were found by the she-wolf.

How did the Roman Empire Develop?

The Roman empire started and developed slowly.

The Romans built their empire by slowly annexing (taking over) new territories.

The Romans followed the same type of expansion as the Persians.

However, their political system resembled that of the Greeks.

Previously to 509 BC Rome was nothing more than a city state.

It is believed that early in Rome’s history (before 509 BC) this area was inhabited by the Etruscans.

The Etruscans lived in Rome for a very long time roughly around 1200 BC.

Along with the Etruscans the Italian peninsula was shared by the Latins, Samnites and those from Campania.

Until 509 BC there was limited contact between these groups (War).

In 509 BC the Romans (a sub-group of the Latins) took over the city of Rome and forced out the Etruscans.

Once the city has been taken over the Romans started to expand its territory.

According to Roman law, war was only justified as defence.

This means that Roman armies would attack and conquer territory as a form of preventative measures.

Therefore, as Rome expanded it needed to attack and conquer more territory in order to protect their empire.

Rome conquered territory in order to prevent attacks against their empire

Rome and Carthage

Once Rome had conquered all of the Italian peninsula they began expanding outward.

One of the first foreign opponents that Rome had to face was Carthage.

Carthage was a powerful city located in Northern Africa.

Today Carthage would be located in Tunisia.

Originally Rome and Carthage fought over control of Mediterranean trade routes.

Rome and Carthage fought three wars called the Punic Wars.

The First war started in 264 BC. The third and final war ended in 146 BC.

In 146 Carthage surrendered fully As result Rome destroyed the city of

Carthage and took over the surrounding territories.

Hannibal Hannibal was the leader of Carthage

during the Second Punic War. The war lasted for 218 BC to 203 BC. Hannibal was actually the most

successful of all Carthaginian leaders. Hannibal was a brilliant military

leader and tactician. He had a strategy that used very

quick movement from place to place.

Hannibal was famous for his use of war elephants.

Hannibal landed in Gaul (France) and marched through the Alps.

This journey cost Hannibal many of his troops. Many died from lack of food and the cold.

Hannibal marched all the way to Rome defeating many of Rome’s armies along the way.

Hannibal was finally defeated at the Battle of Zama (203 BC)

The Romans were a naval superpower at the time.

The Carthaginians lost many ships to the Roman Navy.

By 146 BC Carthage had fallen and Rome expanded it’s empire.

However, Hannibal showed the Roman leaders major flaws in Rome’s defences and military mobilization.

Rome also acquired the understanding and use of war elephants.

How did Rome become a vast Empire?

Rome had a very powerful and well-organized army.

Rome was able to use this army to keep control over the territories that it had conquered.

Rome’s institution, government, and laws were constantly changing in order to meet the new needs of the state.

State: country or government of a country

The Roman Army Over the span of only a few

centuries Rome had taken control of the entire Mediterranean area.

Many of the enemies that Rome faced were very strong.

Rome lost many battles during its history however, they ultimately won wars due to their persistence and organization

With every war that Rome had fought their army grew and became stronger.

This is because many enemies pledged their allegiances to Rome and joined the army.

Furthermore, Rome borrowed military tactics and weapons from their enemies.

For example: War elephants from the Carthaginians, short swords from the Spanish tribes.

Julius Caesar Caesar started his public career as a

senator. It was during this time that he

accumulated religious, political, and military powers.

Caesar was an extremely successful general and added much territory to Rome’s empire.

One of Caesar’s most famous military campaigns was the Gallic Wars.

From 58 to 51 BC the Romans were at war with the Gauls (modern day France). Rome was victorious

After these wars Caesar gained more power.

He became Rome’s first “Emperor” and was assassinated shortly after.

His adopted son Augustus took over as emperor.

Rise of the Roman Empire Rome was led by kings until about

509 BC. Eventually these kings were

overthrown and a new system of government was put into place.

The new system was called the Republic.

Magistrates and senators were elected by the citizens of Rome, to hold very high offices and powers.

The republic lasted for approximately 450 years.

The republic was the pride of the ancient world.

The Romans prided themselves on the fact that their empire was ruled by the people.

For nearly 450 years the republic was able to prevent any one person from gaining too much power.

When a senator or magistrate was given a high ranking office it was customary for them to return power to the Republic.

Most high ranking offices had a term of 1 to 2 years.

Military offices were less defined. Usually power was given back at the end of a conflict.

If power was not returned people were put in jail or exiled.

Some like Caesar were assassinated.

Roman Government During the Republic

During the Republic, Roman citizens elected magistrates.

There was a citizen assembly but it did not hold any official power.

The lowest office was that of Quaestor. This office was in charge of finance. There were 20 Quaestors.

The next office was the Aediles. There were 4 and were in charge of maintenance.

The next office was that of Praetor, there were 8 and were in charge of justice.

The final office was the most prestigious and most powerful. Which was the office of Consul.

There were 2 Consuls, and were in charge of the military.

All of these offices had a 1 or 2 year term. Once the term was over these magistrates

became senators. There were 300 and were named for life.

Their were in charge of foreign policy (war and trade with other territories)

The Senate also supervised the magistrates.

They made sure that no one person gained too much power .

There were 10 Tribunes. These offices were filled by plebeians only.

There role was to protect the plebeian citizens. They could veto any law of any magistrate if it proved to be unfair.

Veto: means to overrule, final say with any issue.

During the Empire the Emperor was the head of the government and army.

The Emperor appointed senators and governors to manage the empire and apply laws.

Citizens still voted for magistrates. However, the emperor could suggest people he thought could do the job

During the empire citizens could vote on laws proposed by the emperor.

Roman Government During the Empire

The Tribunes lost their veto power. The Emperor held the final say

(veto power) on all matters. Magistrates still kept their offices for

a term of 1-2 years. Basically the Roman emperors kept

the structure of the government, but offices held no official power.

Emperors passed down their power when they died. Usually to their son or adopted son or close male relative.

Rome: The Capital City During the height of the Roman

Empire, Rome was home to about 1 million people.

Many elaborate building were constructed for religious, political, entertainment purposes.

All riches and wealth acquired during war was used to make the city more elaborate and luxurious.

Roman Citizenship All men born in Rome had to

complete military service and pay taxes to be considered Roman citizens.

As the Roman Empire grew citizenship was extended to some of the conquered territories.

To be considered a citizen, candidates had to meet the following criteria.

1. Be Male2. Be an ally and settle in Rome3. Report crimes and provide service

to the city.4. Become Romanized5. Serve in the Army Roman citizens were either patrician

or plebian. Patricians were the nobility who

trace their roots back to the founders of Rome, plebeians were everyone else

Roman Society Roman society was divided into four

groups.1. Roman Citizens: Patricians and

plebeians2. Peregrins: free foreigners who are

not citizens3. Freed Slaves: Slaves given their

freedom by their masters4. Slaves

Roman Law During the Republic only citizens of

the patrician class were able to rule Rome. (During the Empire the emperor ruled.)

To fix this the plebeians gradually obtained new powers and a written code of laws.

The Twelve Tables: This was a code of laws It contained civil and criminal laws This also made all citizens equal.

Perpetual Edict A uniform set of laws that applied

throughout the empire. It was created by Emperor Hadrian The goal was to ensure justice for all.

Ex: It defended slaves against their masters.

Justinian Code Created by Emperor Justinian This is the foundation of all modern law. It created “innocent until proven guilty”

and the idea that one can only be punished for actions not thoughts/opinions

Roman Peace Rome had a major influence over

many territories it had conquered. Rome experienced many periods of

peace. The most notable was the Pax Romana.

This period lasted roughly 200 years from the end of the Gallic wars.

During this time the population and the prosperity of Rome increased significantly

Roman Infrastructure The Pax Romana allowed Rome to

build some of the most notable structures

Roman Roads Due to the size of the empire Rome

had to build roads to ease the transport of goods and soldiers.

Roads were flagstone and were rectilinear in shape (curved)

Many of these roads are still visible

Roman Aqueducts These were used to bring water to

and from different parts of the empire.

Water was used in baths, homes, and for entertainment.

At least twelve major aqueducts supplied the city of Rome.

Many of these aqueducts are still visible.

Per person the citizens of Rome actually received more water than we do today.

Roman Trade Merchants travelled with the armies. This allowed merchants to acquire

new product and use the road system to ship products easily.

All provinces provided Rome with resources.

Most conquered territories paid heavy taxes to upkeep Rome’s large army.

Roman Culture Culture was the responsibility of a

governor. It was his job to ensure Roman culture

(language, food, clothing, etc) was spread throughout the empire.

The official language of the empire was Latin.

Latin was used for all public documents, laws, trade, religious ceremonies.

Many conquered territories adopted Latin as their official language.

Roman Religion Like the ancient Greeks the Romans

were polytheistic. Most of the provinces and

conquered peoples adopted Roman gods into their belief system.

Most of the Roman gods come from Greek mythology.

However, names of the Gods are different

Roman Entertainment Rome’s amphitheaters and circuses

offered a place where emperors and wealthy politicians would hold events.

This was done to win people’s favor so they would vote for them.

The Circus Maximus was very popular. This is where politicians would hold chariot races.

The most famous of all venues was the Coliseum.

The Coliseum was where prisoners were put to death, naval battles, and gladiatorial competitions were held.

Gladiators were usually prisoners or slaves that would fight to the death.

The crowds were able to participate in the outcomes of gladiator fights.

Some games would last several weeks to several months.