Roman Empire Section 1

Origin of Rome  Rome was founded by Latin people from a place called Latium  Rome is in the Middle of the modern country, Italy.  also known as the midpoint of the Mediterranean Sea  Rome is based on the Tiber River west of the Apennine Mountains

Early Republic  Around 500 B.C., Romans overthrew the Etruscan King who ruled over Rome  Etruscans are people who derive from an area in Italy known as Etruria

Continued……….  Republic- government where people have the right to select their own leaders  Two groups struggled for power in the New Republic: 1. Patricians- aristocratic landowners who held most of the power 2. Plebeians- artisans (common farmers) and merchants who made up most of the population

Assignment  Why did the Etruscans pick the Tiber River to use as a settlement for what is known as Rome?  Why was the Mediterranean Sea significant to Rome?

Continued……..  Patricians started with all of the power but over time the Plebeians gained the right to form their own assembly  Plebeian elected representatives were known as Tribunes

Assignment  Why were the Patricians upset that the Romans changed to a Republic?  List some advantages to having a Republic as their form of government.

Vocabulary  Republic – form of government where power is in the hands of the citizens  Patricians – wealthy aristocratic landowners who had most of the power  Plebeians – common people who made up majority of the population  Consuls – two people that commanded the army and directed the government  Senate – 300 members from the upperclass, had a great influence over foreign policies  Dictator – leader who had absolute power  Legions – large military units  Hannibal – great military leader looking to avenge Carthage’s defeat

Assignment – Draw the Map in your notes

Roman Government  The basis of Roman law was the Twelve Tables  all free citizens were protected by law.  Dictator- his power was absolute but limited to only six month terms  A dictator was usually elected only in a state of a military crisis

Assignment  How does someone become a Roman citizen?  Do you think it is a good idea to appoint a dictator during times of a crisis? Why or why not?

3 parts of the Roman Government 1.Consuls- officials that are elected each year 2.Senate- consists of 300 members chosen from the upper-class and they could pass laws 3.Assemblies- members from different parts of society that could also make laws

Citizenship/Military  Any citizen who owned property had to serve in the Roman military  The Roman Military was split into groups known as LEGIONS.  Each Legion consisted of 5,000 armed foot soldiers.

War and Conquest  For the first 200 years Rome was in continuous warfare  They conquered Latium first and then got rid of the Greeks in the southern part of Italy.  As people were conquered by the Romans, they either became allies or even gained Roman citizenship.  Either way, these people had to provide soldiers to the Roman military

Pamphlet 1.Cover 2.Government 3.Military 4.Economy 5.Treatment of people 6.Way of life 7.Map of Empire 8.Slogan for the Empire

Assignment  Compare and contrast:  Democracy in the United States  Republic of the Roman Empire DemocracyRepublic

Spread of the Roman Empire  Within 150 years Rome conquered almost all of Italy.  The growth of the empire sparked the need for heavy trade  This made Carthage, a powerful trade country, upset with the Romans

Continued………..  From 264 B.C. to 146 B.C., Rome and Carthage fought in three wars known as the Punic Wars  1 st Punic War – Rome gained control of Sicily  2 nd Punic War – Hannibal invaded Northern Italy and failed to take Rome  3 rd Punic War – Rome finished off Carthage and made Carthage a Roman province.