Roman Republic and Empire Timeline 509 BC- 27 BC- Roman Republic 27 BC- 476 AD- Roman Empire (West) 330 AD- 1453 AD- Roman Empire (East)

Size of the Empire

Rome was located on the Italian peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea The Geography of Rome Rome was located on the Italian peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea The Romans were influenced by the Greeks and a neighboring tribe called the Etruscans

Roman society was divided into three major groups Ancient Roman Society Roman society was divided into three major groups At the top were the nobles (called patricians); they controlled most of the land and held key military and government positions

Ancient Roman Society Patricians made up 5% of all Roman citizens Roman society was divided into three major groups Patricians made up 5% of all Roman citizens

Ancient Roman Society Most Roman people were commoners (called plebeians); they were farmers, shopkeepers, or peasants

Ancient Roman Society Plebeians paid the majority of taxes collected in the Roman Republic; they made up 95% of Roman citizens

Ancient Roman Society At the bottom of society were slaves and residents of the Roman Republic who were not Roman

The Government of Ancient Rome When Rome was first founded, it was ruled by kings; but in 509 BC, the Romans created a republic

The most important feature of the republic was the Senate, whose 300 members were elected by citizens to make laws and taxes

The United States also has a republican government, very similar to the one of Ancient Rome

The Government of Ancient Rome In 451 BCE, government officials wrote down Rome’s laws onto the Twelve Tables, which were hung in the forum for all citizens to see The Twelve Tables were based on the idea that all citizens of Rome had a right to the protection of the law

The Roman soldiers were divided into groups of 5000 men called legions The Roman Military Rome had the largest army in the Mediterranean at the time; it was also highly organized The Roman soldiers were divided into groups of 5000 men called legions The Roman Army In addition to their government, the Romans placed great value on their military. All citizens who owned land were required to serve in the army. Seekers of certain public offices had to perform ten years of military service. Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions. The Roman legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry). A group of soldiers on horseback (cavalry) supported each legion. Legions were divided into smaller groups of 80 men, each of which was called a century. The military organization and fighting skill of the Roman army were key factors in Rome’s rise to greatness.

THE PUNIC WARS The Romans went to war with a neighboring kingdom, Carthage (based in northern Africa)

THE PUNIC WARS The Carthaginians engaged the Romans in three long wars over the course of about a hundred years

THE PUNIC WARS With Carthage’s defeat, the Romans were then the most dominant power in the Mediterranean, carving out an enormous empire

Julius Caesar partnered with two other Roman politicians to take control of Rome (they formed a triumvirate) Julius was extremely popular with the Roman people, due to his great military victories

Fearing that he was becoming too powerful, members of the Roman Senate conspired to assassinate Caesar

Caesar was cornered and stabbed to death in the Roman Senate building, which began the end of the Roman Republic

FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO ROMAN EMPIRE Julius Caesar’s death changed Rome; the people no longer trusted the Senate to rule the Roman Republic

FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO ROMAN EMPIRE Octavian exacted revenge on the Senators who assassinated Julius Octavian became ruler of Rome, renaming himself Augustus Caesar “Augustus” means “exalted one”; Julius Caesar’s last name became the title for “emperor”

FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO ROMAN EMPIRE Augustus did away with the Senators’ power, ending the representative government of Rome and becoming Rome’s first emperor The Senate still met, but the emperor had all of the real power

THE PAX ROMANA Pax Romana Augustus’ 41 year reign marked the beginning of a 207-year era of peace, wealth, and expansion called “Pax Romana” (the “Roman Peace”) from 27 BCE to 180 CE The Empire was over 3 million square miles in size and contained about 80 million people Pax Romana

Roman aqueducts brought water to cities Pax Romana became the “golden age” of Rome as emperors like Augustus built well-paved roads and a modern infrastructure; they had a merit-based bureaucracy to rule the empire During the Pax Romana, emperors continued to expand Roman aqueducts brought water to cities

Emperors built arenas and used chariot races, gladiator events, and theater to entertain the Roman people The Roman Coliseum

ROMAN EMPERORS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY Rome would have a wide range of different emperors over the years

Despite having some bad emperors mixed in with the great ones, the Roman Empire grew in size, power, and glory

CONCLUSIONS Rome expanded from a city, to a republic, to an empire The era of the Roman Republic introduced representative democracy The era of the Roman Empire led to the Pax Romana and the “golden age” of Roman innovation and culture

Closure Activity Would you rather live during the Roman Republic or the Empire? Provide at least 3 reasons why