753 BC 507 BC 7 Kings of Rome (Romulus to Several Tyrants)

Name:______Date:______

• 753 BC – 507 BC – 7 Kings of Rome (Romulus to several tyrants)
• 507 BC – 31 BC – RomanRepublic
  Representative gov’t, heavily class-based:
  -Senate – elite aristocracy made decisions
  -Assembly – all male citizens had a voice
  -Civic offices – consul, tribune, praetors, etc.
• 450 BC – Twelve Tables established
  (concession to plebeians, offering a clarification of laws/policies of Rome)
• Rome grants citizenship to conquered peoples
• 264 BC – 202 BC – Punic Wars
  -Victory over Carthage nets Spain, Sicily, etc.
• 200 BC – 146 BC – Victory over Hellenistic kingdoms adds Middle East & Egypt lands
• 59 BC – 51 BC – Caesar conquers Gaul
• System of provincial governorships imposed on outlying territories (inadequate due to 1 yr terms, senators’ political aspirations, & greed)
• 88 BC – 31 BC – Roman Civil Wars
  -Aspiring military dictators vie for control
  (Ex: Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, Mark Antony, Octavian) Octavian ushers in a new era….
• 31 BC – 330 AD – Roman Principate
  Empire ruled by dictator (emperor), though aspects of Republic maintained (Senate, etc)
• Octavian (Augustus) rules for 45 years
  -Reforms gov’t under his absolute authority, though rules by example w/ morality & honor
  -Provides equites (upwardly mobile middle-class) w/ civil service/admin. positions

• Pax Romana – (Roman peace)
  Refers to the general safety/stability granted empire’s citizens by Roman military might
• Latin language – fosters Romance languages of Europe
• Greco-Roman achievements signify Roman studying of, imitating of, and improving upon Greek accomplishments of the past

• Belief in numina – invisible deities of nature, hearth, food, & fertility
• Belief in gods
  (notable similarities to Greek gods)
• Priests offered sacrifices to gods in exchange for favor/support of Roman state
• Jesus – Jew from Galilee (Israel) who defied status quo of mainstream Judaism that endured harsh Roman rule. Jewish authorities feared such an upstart & turned him over to local Roman leader Pontius Pilate, who had him executed.
  -Some frustrated w/ Roman rule & the seeming compliance of Jewish leaders denote him as possible Messiah (chosen one) to bring back the good ol’ days & kick out Romans
• 45 AD – 58 AD – Paul of Tarsus spreads ideals of Jesus to Jews & Gentiles of Greek-speaking Eastern Empire
  -Sect of Christianity (Christos = Greek for cross, symbol of Jesus’ public demise) grows slowly but surely
  -Disenfranchised of empire (women, urban poor, slaves, etc) possess spiritual hunger; are heavily attracted to promise of Heaven, ideals/morals professed by Jesus
• Hierarchy of priests/bishops develops
• Polytheistic Roman officials endorse violent persecution & suppression of growing Christian minorities to no avail; movement spreads

• Experts in engineering:
  -Roads
  -Walls
  -Forts
  -Bridges
  -Aqueducts (water transport)
• Developments in architecture:
  -Domes (building roof feature)
  -Arches (building support)
• Concrete – durable building material

• Rome’s central location in Italy allowed for unification there, then later of all Mediterranean region
• ApenninesMtns. run north-south, while AlpsMtns. shield the north
• Land rich in resources
• Rivers navigable, mountains passable
• Mild climate leads to year-round crops
• 80% of empire’s 50-50 million subjects lived rurally, though gov’t admin. & economic wealth centered in cities & towns
• Rome = population 1 million people

• Early Romans based status, wealth, & privilege on land ownership & independent farming
• Latifundias – large estate farms
  -Established by unscrupulous wealthy prospectors, who bought/stole land from peasants away serving in army
  -Many switched from growing of grain to more lucrative herding/olive oil/wine
  -Led to huge rise in urban poor, grain shortage, need for imports, peasant unrest
• Manufacturing of glass, metalwork, pottery often exported for luxury goods from corners of empire
• Upper & Middle-class thrives on land/sea trade

• Patricians – aristocracy
• Plebeians – lower classes
  -Conflict of the Orders – term given the frequent disagreement between the 2 social classes
• Basic unit in life was family
  -Several generations & slaves
  -Head of household = all authority
• Patrons vs. Clients – accounted for all business, social, cultural activity
• Institutionalized inequality
• Roman women lacked political rights, but exercised economic freedom & received protection from family
• Evidence of women’s influence in art, poetry, & as advisors to their sons/husbands

• Emperors following Augustus all technically receive affirmation of Senate, though possess absolute authority & control of army
• Later emperors would “adopt” a son, any man of noble deeds to succeed them
• 212 AD – Caracalla extends citizenship to all free adult males in empire
• 235 AD – 284 AD – 3rd Century Crisis
  -20 emperors claim title for short periods of time, killed by own men or ousted by rivals
  -Germanic invaders attack frontier, spurring trend of towns/cities constructing city walls
  -Treasury drained to ensure loyalty of army
  -Coins devalued of their precious metals
  -Trade/industry hurt
• 284 AD – 305 AD – Diocletian saves empire
  -Reforms help revive/transform Roman state
  -Sets max prices for goods to curb inflation
  -Froze workers & their sons into professions for life to maintain stable, trained workforce
  -Black market emerges in response, and many lose loyalty to a gov’t interfering in their lives
• 306 AD – 337 AD – Constantinetakes over
  -Passes Edict of Milan – guaranteeing freedom of worship to all throughout empire
  (he converted & openly supported Christianity)
  -Moves empire’s capital from Rome to Byzantium, renamed Constantinople
• 527 AD – 565 AD – Justinianrestores glory
  -Reconquers lost territory in N. Africa/Italy
  -Establishes Justinian Code of Laws
  (reflecting 1,000 yrs of Roman laws/ethics)
• 395 AD – Split into Western / Eastern empires
• 410 AD – Rome sacked by Visigoths
• 476 AD – Last emperor in Rome
• 530 AD – Rome’s political power gone, as empire fractures into Germanic kingdoms, and economic & social order disintegrate into chaos
  (Patriarch of Rome, eventually called Pope, still retains role as religious authority in Rome)

• 306 AD – 337 AD Constantineassumes throne
  -Passes Edict of Milan – guaranteeing freedom of worship to all throughout empire
• 325 AD – Nicene Creed established in meeting of Christian Church leaders
  -Sets up uniform religious practices all over
  -Establishes church hierarchy:
  Patriarch  Bishops  Priests
• 392 AD – Theodosius bans all pagan ceremonies; thus old gods no longer accepted

• All landowning males expected to provide military service & supply shield, armor, spear, & sword
• Patricians lived in elegant hilltop villas
• Urban poor crowded into smelly slums of tenements amidst disease & fire risks
• Romanization – spread of Latin language & culture throughout empire