THE RISE OF ROME

THE BEGINNINGS OF ROME Rome developed along the Tiber river, a strategic location with fertile soil Earliest settlers arrived BCE

LATINS, GREEKS, AND ETRUSCANS WILL ALL INHABIT THE PENINSULA 1000 BCE Latins arrive and build the original settlement of Rome, a cluster of huts on top of one of the seven hills They were the first Romans BCE Greeks established colonies and taught Romans how to grow grapes and olives Etruscans were native to northern Italy and influence Roman civilization with the alphabet, arches, engineering, and metalwork Romans borrow religious ideas from Greeks and Etruscans

THE EARLY REPUBLIC 600 BCE an Etruscan became king Rome grew from villages to a city under the Etruscan kings 509 BCE last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, overthrown by Roman aristocrats, who resented foreign rule Establish a republic, a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote to select their leaders In Rome citizenship with voting rights was granted only to free born male citizens

PATRICIANS AND PLEBIANS Patricians- aristocratic land owners who held most of the power Plebeians- common people- farmers, artisans, merchants who made up most of the population Citizens who could vote but not hold government positions Senate eventually allowed the plebeians to form their own assembly and elect representatives called tribunes

THE TWELVE TABLES 451 BCE officials wrote down Rome’s laws in twelve tablets or tables and hung them in the Forum Became the basis of Roman law Established the idea that all free citizens had the right to protection of the law

THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT By 1 st C BCE Romans claimed they had a balanced government Rome had two consuls in place of a king who directed the army and government but their power was limited Senate was the aristocratic branch of Roman government Had administrative and legislative functions 300 members Lifetime appointment Influenced foreign and domestic policy

Assemblies More democratic side of gov Less power than the senate Later it won the right to make laws Republic could appoint a dictator in times of crisis Lasted only for six months Chosen by consuls and elected by the Senate

THE ROMAN ARMY All citizens who owned land were required to serve in the army Soldiers organized into large units called legions (5,000 soldiers) Legions further divided into centuries, which could act independently Legions supported by cavalry The flexibility and strength of the army led to Rome’s rise to power

ROME CONQUERS ITALY by 4 th C BCE Rome dominated central Italy 390 BCE Gauls, Celtic people living the Po River valley, sacked Rome Romans retaliated and went on to conquer the Etruscans and Greeks so by 265 BCE Rome had control over almost all of Italy Treatment of conquered people varied but was overall lenient, which helped Rome’s growth Latins on the Tiber became full citizens Territories far from Rome were given all rights of citizenship except the right to vote Allies of Rome were left alone as long as they sent troops for the army and did not befriend other states

ROME’S COMMERCIAL NETWORK Rome benefitted from good land and sea trade Traded mostly wine and olive oil for other goods Carthage competed with Rome for control over the Mediterranean (this would eventually lead them into war)

PUNIC WARS 264 Rome and Carthage go to war = Punic Wars 1 st war BCE Carthage defeated and Rome gets Sicily, which was its first overseas province

2 ND PUNIC WAR, BCE Carthaginian general Hannibal wanted to avenge Carthage’s earlier defeat Hannibal invaded northern Italy and inflicted major losses on the Romans Scipio – Roman general to match Hannibal- devised a plan to attack Carthage, which made Hannibal return to Carthage Carthage finally defeated

3 RD PUNIC WAR BCE Romans laid siege to Carthage in revenge for earlier destruction during the 2 nd war 146 Romans lit the city on fire and sold its inhabitants into slavery Carthage was made into the new province of Africa

ROME CONTROLS THE MEDITERRANEAN Victory in the Punic wars led to dominance in the western Mediterranean Rome then took control of Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Anatolia By 70 BCE Rome’s empire stretched from Anatolia to Spain