(Draft) Ancient Roman Geography
Greek civilization declined, Roman civilization emerged in the Italian Peninsula
Roman civilization preserved Greek culture and became one of the greatest civilizations in history
Geography of Italy helped the Romans:
Mountains not as steep as in Greece
More favorable for travel and trade
More cultivable land
Access to Mediterranean Sea and Tiber River for trade and transportation.
Ancient rome
Ancient rome had 3 ancient communities that were established in their land which were the Etruscans, Greeks, Latins
The latins were considered the first romans because they were the first to build on one of rome's seven hills which is called the palatine hill
The greeks later arrived and started communities in the south of italy and sicily
And then the etruscans migrated to greece and they settled at the northern part of italy and later attacked the latins in latium
Etruscan Rule
The latium communities were under the etruscans for over a century and the Tarquin Family the most powerful etruscan clan rome became one of the richest cities on the the italian peninsula
The forum was established by the etruscans it was the center of political, social, and commercial life for the romans
The Republic Of Rome
Roman society divided into two classes: patricians (nobles and land owners) and plebeians (common laborers, farmers, and traders)
Both patricians and plebeians had the right to vote, pay taxes and serve in the army
At first, plebeians did not have the right to serve in the government
Only males who reached a certain age and freemen were considered citizens
Government structure:
transitioned from monarchy led by a king to republic headed by two consuls.
Consuls were the leaders in charge of governing all aspects of Roman society
They had limited powers and served for one year, with a ten year restriction on serving another term
A consul had the power to veto the decisions of his co-consul
Consuls were elected by the Senate, a group of 300 patrician leaders who served for life and were responsible for creating laws
In times of crisis and war, the Senate appointed a dictator who had absolute power and controlled the army, but served for only six months.
Roman Army
All Roman citizens who owned land were obligated to serve in the army
The army was divided into large groups called legions, each consisting of 6000 legionaries or soldiers.
These legions were further divided into smaller units called centuries, made up of 60 to 120 legionaries
Because of their limited rights in government, plebeians protested in 494 B.C.E. by refusing to pay taxes and join the army and threatening to leave Rome and build an independent city.
To address their concerns, an assembly made up of ten members called tribunes was formed, with the power to make laws for the plebeians. Over time, they also gained the power to make laws for the Republic.
In 451 B.C.E., plebeians achieved victory with the creation of the Twelve Tables, laws listed in 12 tablets that were posted in the Forum. These laws ended arbitrary interpretation of laws and promoted the rights of plebeians in areas such as marriage, slavery, and punishment.
Expansion of Rome
Under the Republic, Romans gradually conquered neighboring territories.
In 265 B.C.E., Romans successfully conquered the entire Italian Peninsula, except for Po Valley.
The Romans aimed to be the most powerful in the Mediterranean and sought control over maritime trade in the region.
To achieve this, they targeted Sicily as an important step in their imperialistic aims, but faced strong competition from the Carthaginian Empire.
Enrichment: "Veto" means "I forbid."
The conflict between Rome and Carthage for control of Sicily and the west Mediterranean led to the First Punic War in 264 B.C.E.
The war lasted for 23 years and in 241 B.C.E. Rome defeated Carthage and took Sicily as the Republic's first province outside of the peninsula.
Carthage (present-day Tunisia) was a colony of Phoenicia around 800 B.C.E. and developed a strong empire in the Mediterranean region.
In 219 B.C.E., Carthaginian general Hannibal led an army to attack Rome in an attempt to avenge the defeat of Carthage from Rome.
The Carthaginians achieved their greatest triumph in Cannae in 216 B.C.E.
Scipio, a Roman general and consul, defeated Hannibal and ended the Second Punic War in 202 B.C.E.
The Romans burned Carthage and sold its 5000 inhabitants to slavery, turning it into a Roman province in the Third Punic War in 143 B.C.E.
At peak of its power, around 70 B.C.E., the Republic extended its influence by conquering Macedonia, Greece, and Pergamum in Anatolia, and referred to the Mediterranean Sea as "our sea".
Decline of the Republic
As Roman territory expanded, so did problems that threatened the stability of the Republic.
Gap between the rich and poor grew wider, with the poor comprising a quarter of the population due to corruption in government.
Huge landholdings (latifundia) of rich landowners expanded through confiscation of conquered lands and farms left by soldiers at war. Many prisoners of war became slaves on these lands.
Many soldiers and farmers lost their farms, houses, and livelihoods, leading to tension between the rich and poor in Roman society.
The Reformists
Two tribunes, the Gracchus brothers (Tiberius and Gaius), attempted to solve the problem of poverty.
Tiberius proposed reducing the size of latifundias and distributing excess lands to the poor, while Gaius supported returning lands to peasants and lowering the price of grain.
The reformists were not successful and both met violent deaths; Tiberius in 133 B.C.E. and Gaius in 121 B.C.E.
The fall of the Republic
Rome was plagued by civil wars.
Generals gained power by promising land and money to soldiers.
Two prominent generals were Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla.
Their armies engaged in war from 88 to 82 B.C.E. which ended in Sulla's victory.
Sulla declared himself dictator afterwards.
The First Triumvirate
Civil wars continue to plague the Republic due to power struggles.
Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus formed a temporary alliance known as the first triumvirate.
Caesar appointed governor of Gaul and conquered it, gaining admiration from his army and citizens.
Pompey worried over Caesar's growing influence and urged the Senate to order him to disband his legion and return to Rome, but Caesar refused and led his army across the Rubicon River, starting a new civil war.
Caesar defeated Pompey's armies and was appointed dictator by the Senate in 46 B.C.E. and "dictator in perpetuity" in 44 B.C.E.
Caesar issued reforms such as granting citizenship, creating jobs, establishing colonies, and augmenting soldiers' wages.
Many officials were threatened by Caesar's rising power and conspired to kill him on March 15, 44 B.C.E.
The second Triumvirate
After Caesar's death, Rome was in another civil war and the Republic collapsed.
Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus formed the second triumvirate.
This triumvirate also ended in a power struggle between Octavian and Mark Antony, with Octavian accusing Mark Antony of conspiring with Cleopatra to conquer Rome.
Octavian won against Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C.E.
Octavian returned to Rome and declared himself imperator and Augustus, meaning "the great".
Under his rule from 27 B.C.E. to 14 C.E., he made Rome the most powerful empire in the Mediterranean region.
The Roman Empire
Under Augustus Caesar, Rome achieved peace and prosperity. This period was known as Pax Romana or "Roman Peace" which lasted for 200 years.
Pax Romana - The Pax Romana saw economic prosperity and progressive trade in the empire as well as improvement in the standards of living of the common people.
Other things during the roman empire
Traveling both by land and sea became safe and easy due to the improved systems of transportation and communication in the empire. The swift spread of christianity resulted in this and latin became the language of the empire
Women could own properties and work but were never given the right to vote
The colosseum was built for gladiator fights and the circus maximus for chariot races
The pantheon was built as a temple by harian
The aqueducts were structures for transporting water to the city
The appian way was the main road which connected rome to places in southeast italy
Literature
Cicero: Roman senator, known for writing speeches and books on rhetoric, political and philosophical treatises, important source of information about political state during his period
Ovid: Author of Metamorphoses, a collection of verses based on Greek mythology
Virgil: Author of Aeneid, an epic comparable to the works of Homer
Livy: Wrote the history of Rome, glorifying ancient Romans
Tacitus: Historian, known for criticizing the oppression of Julian emperors.
Beliefs
The Romans believed in gods and goddesses that were similar to the Greeks but had different names
Jupiter is the god of the sky and his wife is Juno
Neptune is the god of the sea, Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, Venus is the goddess of love and Mercury is the god of war
To prevent social unrest, the government organized festivals and amusements to entertain the population
In 160 C.E., there were 130 festivals celebrated each year.
Emperors after Augustus Caesar
From 14 to 68 C.E., the Roman Empire was ruled by four emperors known as the Julian Emperors (Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero) who were abusive and weak leaders.
From 69 to 96 C.E., the Flavian family (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) seized control of the empire and implemented monetary reform and infrastructure projects.
From 96 to 180 C.E., the Five Good Emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius) maintained prosperity and peace in the empire. Nerva introduced hereditary succession and Trajan expanded the empire's borders. Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius were known for their peaceful and just rule.
Pax Romana ended with the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 C.E. and the Roman Empire began to weaken.
Decline and fall of the roman empire
Roman Empire faced decline and fall due to weak and extravagant leaders
Civil wars and attacks by Germanic tribes weakened the empire
Government spending to protect the empire led to spread of poverty and hunger
Brief revival under the rule of Diocletian and Constantine.
Diocletian and constantine
In 284 C.E., Diocletian was appointed emperor.
To improve governance of the empire, Diocletian divided it into two parts: the eastern Roman Empire, which he governed, and the western Roman Empire, which was ruled by his co-emperor, Maximian.
Diocletian implemented reforms to bring back the glory and stability of the empire, including raising the number and wages of legionaries, issuing the Edict of Prices to fix maximum prices, and forbidding citizens from changing professions or leaving their farmlands.
Constantine, who became emperor in 312 C.E., reunited the two empires and continued Diocletian's reforms.
Constantine moved the capital of the eastern Roman Empire to Byzantium (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) in 330 C.E. and renamed it Constantinople in his honor.
Invasion of the barbarians
The Roman Empire completely declined when Germanic tribes attacked from the north in 300 C.E.
The Germanic tribes belonged to different groups but shared the same language.
The Romans referred to them as "barbarians," meaning "uncivilized."
The westward movement of the barbarians was driven by factors such as good climate in the empire, pursuit of wealth, and escape from the cruelty of the Huns.
The Visigoths, under Alaric, attacked Rome in 410 C.E. and established their kingdom in Gaul and Spain. The Ostrogoths headed to Italy in 488 C.E. and built their kingdom under Theodoric the Great.
The Huns, under Attila, attempted to attack Rome in 452 C.E. but failed due to Attila's death. The Vandals went on to conquer Spain and Africa, and under Genseric, invaded Rome in 455 C.E.
Groups of Jutes and Anglo-Saxons also invaded Roman Britain during the fifth century C.E. The Franks built their kingdom in Gaul.
The invasions of these barbarian groups led to the loss of power and influence of the Roman emperors in much of the empire and Rome itself.
The western Roman Empire fell in 476 C.E. when Odoacer, a German warrior, invaded the city and ousted the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus.
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