Rome

The Founding of Rome

  • Founded by 2 brothers, Romulus & Remus who were left in the woods to die.

  • They were raised by a she-wolf.

  • Romulus killed Remus and became the first king of Rome.

Rome as a Kingdom

  • Rome was built on the 7 hills near River Tiber in Central Italy by the Latins in 509 BC.

  • It was ruled by a king at first (monarchy), but the last king (the Etruscan king) was overthrown, ending the Kingdom of Rome.

  • It expanded and mixed with neighboring peoples like the Etruscans. Romans leant the ancient Greek civilization from the Etruscans and developed the ancient Roman civilization.

Rome as a Republic (100 yrs)

  • The Romans elected representatives to run the government.

Politics

  • The Roman Republic was first ruled by 2 consuls (to prevent tyranny when there is only 1 person in charge). They were advised by Senators.

    • Term of office: 1 year

    • Membership: Patricians, chosen & nominated from the Senate (See below)

  • The Senate was formed by 300 patricians (nobles) & 2 tribunes (See below)

    • They were responsible for legal and foreign affairs

    • Senators were elected for life

  • Later on, the plebeians (commoners) fought for participation and succeeded in holding 2 spots in the Senate as representatives of the commoners. They were called the 2 tribunes.

  • Later on, an Assembly made of plebeians was added.

    • They elected the 2 consuls and tribunes

    • They could participate in legislation and vote on suggested laws by government officials

  • In such ways, the Roman Republic became a government run by 2 houses under bicameralism.

Structure of the Roman society

  1. Patricians (Nobles)

    • Members of the old, rich & important Roman families

  2. Plebeians

    • Common people like traders & farmers

  3. Slaves

    • Captured people from war.

How did the Roman Republic end?

  • It ended after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

  • Julius Caesar

    • He was born in a patrician family and became an army general.

    • He then won a civil war against Pompey the Great and was the wealthiest and most powerful dictator of Rome.

    • His initiatives (eg. Distributing land to the poor) had made him popular with the public, and he even promoted from consul to dictator perpetuo (ie. Dictator for a lifetime, granting him emergency war powers)

    • His assassins, the liberators, were uneasy about his assumption of monarchical power and feared he aimed to end the republic. They worried Caesar would establish a hereditary monarchy against the ideals of the Roman Republic.

    • On March 15 (The Ides of March), the liberators, led by the senator Cassius and Brutus (who had been saved by Caesar personally in the civil war), stabbed Caesar 23 times at a Senate meeting.

    • After his death, the liberators were exiled by the plebeians (who thought Caesar was a good leader) and Rome fell into a panic. Brutus suicided.

  • After a couple of civil wars, the result was opposite of what the liberators had tried so hard to stop — The end of the Republic and the concentration of power under the office of Emperor.

What happened after Julius’ death?

  • The Roman provinces were divided.

    • Octavian ruled Italy & western provinces

    • Mark Anthony ruled Egypt & eastern provinces

  • In 31BC, Octavian & Mark fought to lead Rome.

  • In 27BC, Octavian won. Mark committed suicide. He became Augustus (majesty) Caesar, the first king of Rome, marking the start of the Roman Empire.

Rome as an Empire

Roman Peace

  • Augustus Caesar ruled Rome for more than 40 years. He made the Empire rich and strong.

  • The 1st and 2nd centuries were the golden age of the Roman Empire. It was known as “Roman Peace” (Pax Romana)

Development of the fall of the Roman Empire

  • Later on, the Roman Empire started to decline.

  • Emperor Constantine tried to save the empire by carrying out reforms and moving the capital to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople (”The city of Constantine”)

  • Rome split into two — the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire in AD 395

  • The Western Roman Empire ended in AD 476, whilst the Eastern Roman Empire ended in AD 1453.

Fall of the Roman Empire

  • Internal Corruption

    • Corruption

      • As the Empire grew, it became hard for the government to control.

      • Weak and incapable emperors and corrupt officials, whose positions of power were largely purchased or obtained through violence, had little desire to govern, leaving Rome in financial ruin and civil war.

      • Commoners died to starvation and disease. They lost hope in their government.

    • Tax

      • Corrupt officials levied devastating taxes on the Roman people.

      • Inflation soared and the tax burden became heavy.

  • Political division

    • Rome was divided into the Western and Eastern empires in the 4th century.

    • The Western Empire struggled to survive as the Eastern Empire was both economically and militarily stronger.

  • Invasions

    • German tribes kept invading the Western Empire, and taxes were raised once again to finance war. The patricians tried to pay less than the plebeians.

    • Spending on war dried up, weakening economy.

    • The Western Empire ended in AD 476 due to one last German invasion.

    • The Eastern Empire eventually ended to the Turks in AD 1476, and Rome officially fell.

Aftermath

Achievements of Ancient Rome

  • Roman Calendar

    • Our modern calendar is based on the Julian Calendar, which was planned by Julius Caesar.

    • July and August were named after Julius and Augustus Caesar respectively.

  • The Romance Languages

    • Modern languages like French, Spanish, Italian etc. are based on Latin.

    • The English alphabet was also developed from the Roman (Greek) alphabet.

  • The spread of Christianity

    • Emperor Constantine converted the entire Empire into Christian. He encouraged its growth throughout the whole Roman Empire, covering most parts of Europe.

    • Christianity became a norm religion.

  • Structures

    • Roman Roads — for transporting soldiers and supplies to the battlefields.

      • The roads were wide & straight. They weren’t easily flooded, as well as long lasting and durable. It had a sloping surface and drainage ditches on the two sides.

      • They used it for trade and for transporting soldiers and supplies all over the empire.

    • An amphitheater — for gladiator fights

      • Slaves, war criminals & Christians became gladiator

    • Roman baths — for Romans to enjoy themselves

    • Circuses — for chariot races

    • Aqueducts — for transporting water to the city

    • The Pantheon — for worshipping their gods

  • Architecture

    • Greco-Roman/Classical style

    • Characteristics

      • High columns

      • Dome

      • Pediment

      • Arches

    • Examples

      • Former French Mission Building

      • Court of Final Appeal

  • Roman numerals

    • Examples

      • Clocks & watches

      • Page numbers

      • Volume numbers

      • Titles of Kings and Popes

  • Law and Government

    • The laws of many modern countries are based on Roman laws

    • The Twelve Tables (450 BC) was the first codification of laws in Rome and were placed in the Roman Forum

    • The Romans believed that there should be clear laws everyone knew and obeyed to keep order.

    • The nature of Roman laws was just and fair.

    • Modern government systems are based on the structure of the Roman Republic too. For example, the UK Parliament & the US Congress (Upper & Lower House)