ROMAN ROMAN EMPIREEMPIRE

POLITICSPOLITICS

In the Beginning…

• Ancient Rome begin as a group of villages along the Tiber River in what is now Italy.

• Around 750 B.C. these villages united to form the city of Rome.

Roman Government

MONARCHY 753-509 B.C.

KING

REPUBLIC509-27 B.C.

DEMOCRACY

EMPIRE27 B.C.-476 A.D. EMPEROR

3 Branches of Government3 Branches of Government

EXECUTIVE●2 leaders of the executive branch

● consuls- elected for one year by the upper class.

● DUTIES● Supervised the Senate Supervised the Senate ● ordered the Roman army during warsordered the Roman army during wars

●Other members of the executive branch

● tax collectors, mayors, city police, and other people in positions of power in cities.

3 Branches of Government3 Branches of GovernmentLEGISLATIVE●SenateSenate

● most powerful part of the most powerful part of the legislative branch legislative branch

● group of about 300 male group of about 300 male citizens citizens

● WHAT DID THEY DO? WHAT DID THEY DO? ● They could tell the consuls They could tell the consuls

how much money they how much money they could spend and on what. could spend and on what.

● HOW DID THEY GET THE HOW DID THEY GET THE JOB?JOB?● electedelected

3 Branches of Government3 Branches of Government

JUDICIAL●had six judges

● elected every two years. ● decided punishments for

criminals● job was similar to the job

that judges have today in the India.

Patricians & Plebeians

• In the beginning most of the people elected to the Senate were patricians.

• Patricians controlled the law since they were the only citizens allowed to be judges.

• Plebeians had the right to vote, but could not hold public office until 287 B.C, when they gained equality with patricians.

ROMAN SENATEROMAN SENATE

Formation of Roman Republic

• For more than 200 years, kings ruled Rome.

• In 509 B.C. Rome became a republic.

• The Roman Senate was an assembly of elected representatives. It was the single most powerful ruling body of the Roman Republic.

Roman Expansion

• Under the leadership of ambitious generals, Rome’s highly trained soldiers took over most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean.

• The ancient Romans called the Mediterranean mare nostrum, meaning “our sea”.

Rome 117 A.D.

The End of the Roman Republic

• A successful Roman general and famous speaker, Julius Caesar, was a governor of the territory of Gaul and managed to take control of many nearby territories.

• Fearing him the Roman Senate ordered him to resign…but he had other ideas.

• Caesar fought for control and won, becoming the dictator of the Roman world, ending the Roman Republic.

The Roman Empire

• Less than a year after gaining power a group of angered Senators stabbed Caesar to death on the floor of the Roman Senate. (March 15, 44 B.C.)

• This caused a civil war that lasted several years.

• In 27 B.C., Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian was named the first emperor of Rome.

The Roman Empire

• An empire is a nation or group

of territories ruled by a single powerful leader, or emperor.

• Emperor Octavian took the name Augustus.• Augustus ruled the Roman Empire for more

than 40 years, known as the Augustan Age.

The Augustan Age

• During the rule of Augustus the Roman empire continued to expand.

• Augustus kept soldiers along all the borders to keep peace in the Roman world.

• During this time trade increased with olive oil, wine, pottery, marble, and grain being shipped all across the Mediterranean. This was also a time of great Roman literature.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

• First a monarchy, then a republic, then an empire – all roads led to Rome for over 1200 years.

• Rome had some wonderful emperors. Rome also suffered from a series of bad, corrupt and just plain crazy emperors.  

The Fall of the Roman Empire• The empire was too large

to govern effectively. • The army was not what it

used to be. There was corruption in the military - dishonest generals and non-Roman soldiers.

• Civil wars broke out between different political groups.

• Emperors were often selected by violence, or by birth, so the head of government was not always a capable leader.

• The increased use of slaves put many Romans out of work

• The rich became lazy and showed little interest in trying to solve Rome problems.

• The poor were overtaxed and overworked. They were very unhappy.

• Prices increased, trade decreased.

• The population was shrinking due to starvation and disease. That made it difficult to manage farms and government effectively.

• The eastern half of the Roman Empire received a new name – the Byzantine Empire. It lasted for another 1000 years!

19

FamilyWomenClientshipSlaveryCity livingReligionGladiatorial Games

Roman Family

• The Roman family was male-dominated; it was headed by the paterfamilias, the dominate male (usually the eldest male).

• Paterfamilias dominated entire household, including wives, children, and slaves.

• Romans raised children in the home• Slaves that were educated (and usually) Greek were hired to teach children

in the home– Roman boys learned reading, writing, moral principles, family values, law, and

rhetoric, in addition to having physical training to prepare them to be soldiers

– Roman girls were taught to read and run their household accounts

– Boys “graduated” at the age of 16, when they were considered adults and could begin wearing the toga

Roman Family: Attitudes toward Women

• Paterfamilias arranged marriages for daughters– Marriage legal at 12 for girls and 14 for boys, though

marrying this young was unusual

• Roman women often had male guardians out in public• Roman marriages were meant to be for life, but

divorce was permitted• Women could own, sell, and inherit property• Women were not supposed to participate in politics

and could not hold any political office

Roman Family: Changing Roles• By second century CE, the paterfamilias

no longer had absolute authority over children– Could no longer sell children into slavery– Could not have children

put to death

• Women were no longer required to have guardians.

Slavery was widespread in the ancient world, and it was essential to Roman society. Between

200 BCE and 200 CE, slaves made up as much as a third of the population of Rome.

Slavery

Slavery in Rome

• Romans were dependent on slave labor• Most slaves were foreign prisoners of war• Greek slaves were in demand as tutors, musicians, doctors,

and artists– Greeks would voluntarily sell themselves as slaves in return for family

life, pay, and possibility of Roman citizenship at the end of their service

• Slaves were used to build public roads, aqueducts, and other public projects

• Some slaves were treated humanely, given wages; others were abused, especially those working in mines and large-scale agriculture

• A free Roman who borrowed money and failed to repay it could be sold into slavery, but most slaves were a result of plunder from war and conquest.

• They were important to the Roman economy as a commodity and as a labour supply.

• They were important to the Roman economy as a commodity and as a labour supply.

Carving Carving shows shows tiny tiny slaves, slaves, reflecting reflecting their their position position in in society. society.

Rich vs. Poor

• The wealthy of Rome lived in large houses that were actually villas – a group of buildings.

• The poor lived in apartment buildings called insulae, which reached as many as six stories high.– The buildings were made of concrete and often collapsed, since they

were poorly built

• Fire was a constant threat in the insulae because of cooking fires, candles, torches, and other open flames.

• High rents forced families to live together in one-room insulae. • With no plumbing or central heating, insulae were

uncomfortable and unsanitary

Daily Life in Rome Daily Life in Rome :

Public ProgramsPublic Programs• Roman emperors built temples, marketplaces, baths,

theaters and stadiums that were used by the public.• Emperors also provided food for the city poor; about

200,000 people received free grain• Entertainment was provided on a grand scale: public

officials believed as long as the poor were fed and entertained, they would not revolt against the upper classes– The phrase “bread and circuses” was used to describe this

phenomenon– Stadiums like the Colloseum and the Circus Maximus were

used for gladiator shows, horse and chariot races, and other entertainments

Colosseum

The emperor Titus opened the Coliseum in AD 80 with 100 days of games in which 9,000 animals died.

The Circus Maximus was used mostly for chariot racing. It could seat 250,000 people! There were other circuses in ancient Rome.

Roman ReligionRoman Religion• Roman religion had declined during the late Republic• Augustus brought back traditional festivals and

ceremonies to revive the Roman religion. • The official state religion focused on a umber of gods

(based on Greek gods)• Romans believed that practicing the proper rituals

brought them into a right relationship with the gods• Romans were tolerant of other religions in their

conquered provinces• Eastern religions became popular in Rome after

Hellenistic Greek territories were conquered

Rise of Christianity• In Roman Empire, it was

practiced by more people than any other religion

• Views of God, humans and the world very different than Greco-Roman

• Originally a sect of Judaism• Emperor Constantine 1st

Christian emperor (4th century)• 378 - 395 becomes official

religion of the Roman Empire

Growth of Roman Population in the Late Republic

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

220 BCE 190 BCE 170 BCE 50 BCE 1 BCEPopulation (x 1000)

ECONOMY OF ROMAN EMPIRE

In The Beginning..

• An economic balance was maintained between the wealthy and productive East and the relatively poor and backward West.

• The East was taxed heavily, and the money transferred to the West, which was used to purchase goods from the East.

in around 1 BCE. (million dollar)in around 1 BCE. (million dollar)

TRADETRADETrade was helped by…

• A common currency for all territories of the empire.

• A road network, which offered security and speed.

• Control over the Mediterranean. Most trade was by sea and the Romans made it secure.

Trade• Italy imported grain, meat, raw materials from provinces

• Merchants brought silks, linens, glassware, jewelry, furniture from Asia

• Rome, Alexandria became commercial centers

Trade• Italy imported grain, meat, raw materials from provinces

• Merchants brought silks, linens, glassware, jewelry, furniture from Asia

• Rome, Alexandria became commercial centers

Military and Merchant Routes• Most roads built, maintained for military purposes

• Cheaper to transport grain by ship from one end of Mediterranean to other than to send it overland; most goods went by sea

Military and Merchant Routes• Most roads built, maintained for military purposes

• Cheaper to transport grain by ship from one end of Mediterranean to other than to send it overland; most goods went by sea

Transportation• Commercial activity possible because of empire’s location around

Mediterranean and extensive road network

• Ultimately about 50,000 miles of roads bound empire together

Transportation• Commercial activity possible because of empire’s location around

Mediterranean and extensive road network

• Ultimately about 50,000 miles of roads bound empire together

Opportunities for Trade

After 4 BCE….