The Rise of Ancient Rome

Chapter 8 The Rise of Ancient Rome Section 1 The Roman Republic

Founding of Rome Well Sort Of…. Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. They were abandoned by their parents as babies and put into a basket that was then placed into the River Tiber. The basket ran aground and the twins were discovered by a female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time before they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the twins. When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a city where the wolf had found them. The brothers quarrelled over where the site should be and Remus was killed by his brother. This left Romulus the sole founder of the new city and he gave his name to it – Rome. The date given for the founding of Rome is 753 BC.

Rome’s Geography & Early Settlement Jupiter The Most Powerful God What we learn from the story of Romulus and Remus, whether myth or truth, is that the Romans valued loyalty and justice, highly respected their gods, and severely punished those who broke the law.

Geographical Advantages Rome was built on seven hills which made it a good place to live. The hills made the area easy to defend and it had fertile soil from the Tiber River. Rome is located at the center of a long narrow peninsula we not call Italy. The Dolomite Mountains block Italy from the rest of Europe

The Etruscans About 600B.C. a people called the Etruscans held power in Rome. The Etruscans ruled as kings. Romans did not like being ruled by kings and eventually revolted against the harsh reign of Tarquinius Superbus and drove the Etruscans from power.

A Bit More About The Etruscans Although the Romans defeated the Etruscans, many Etruscan ideas were adopted by the Romans including the toga, some gods and goddesses, and the Greek alphabet.

Romans Form A Republic After removing the last Etruscan king, the Romans vowed to never again be ruled by a king. Over the next several centuries they created a government that better represented the will of its people. They called it a republic, where citizens have the right to vote to select their leaders.

The Roman Senate In the Roman Republic, the most powerful branch was the Senate. The Senate proposed and voted on new laws. It is the basis of our own government. At first only Patricians, or the wealthy of Rome, were allowed to be part of the Senate. Later in the Republic, Plebeians, or ordinary citizens, were able to be part of the Senate.

Roman Consuls Consuls ruled for only one year. Power was equal between the two consuls. Both had to agree before any action could be taken. If one consul, vetoed, or rejected, the matter was dropped. The Consuls, like our president, led the Roman Republic. They were responsible for enforcing the Republic’s Laws and policies. Before 367b.c. Plebeians could not be consuls.

Other Important Officials When the Consuls could not agree, a Roman Dictator was appointed in times of emergency. A dictator was an official who held all the powers of a king, but could only rule for six months. Praetors were, at first, junior consuls, but later acted as judges in civil-law trials. These are trials that deal with money, business, contracts, etc.…

Patricians V. Plebeians As Rome expanded, troubles arose between patricians and plebeians. Patricians thought of themselves as leaders. Plebeians thought the senate was unfair to them. Patricians bought small farms they combined to make huge farms that were worked by slaves. Many plebeian farmers became jobless.

Master’s Of The Mediterranean In time, plebeians refused to fight in the Roman army. The patricians gave in to one of their demands. It was a written code called the Laws of the Twelve Tables. It applied equally to all citizens. Meanwhile, Roman armies invaded lands ruled by Carthage. They destroyed Carthage and conquered Greece by 146 B.C. Then they turned their attention to Gaul, most of which is now France.

Decline of the Republic By 120 B.C., Rome was in trouble. For the next 75 years, generals with private armies fought for power. Rome dissolved into civil war. Rome was about to break up when Julius Caesar arose as a strong leader.

Rise of Julius Caesar By 120 B.C., Rome was in trouble. For the next 75 years, generals with private armies fought for power. Rome was about to break up when Julius Caesar became leader. Caesar was eager for power. He led the army that conquered Gaul. War broke out between Caesar and the senate, and Caesar won and became dictator in 48 B.C.

Death of Caesar In 44B.C. Caesar became dictator for life and reorganized the government. Many senators hated the idea Rome seemed to have a king. On March 15, 44 B.C., Caesar attended a senate meeting. Afterward, he was assassinated by a group of senators

From Republic to Empire Thirteen years of civil war followed the death of Caesar. At the end, Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, took power. The senate gave him the title Augustus , which means “highly respected.” He was the first emperor of Rome. Marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic lasted nearly 500 years.

Let’s Review • What is known about the Etruscans? • What happened between the Patricians and Plebeians? • What happened to Julius Caesar? • Who was Octavian Augustus?

The Rise of Ancient Rome