The Roman Empire

Romulus and Remus

The Seven Hills of Rome

Early Roman History  Rome began about 800 BCE and they were ruled by a Monarchy  Due to corruption of the king, the people overthrew their monarchy and set up a  REPUBLIC in 509 BCE  In a republic, people choose representatives to vote in government for them

Cincinnatus, BCE

Public Service is a duty  He became a Roman Consul  The legend of Cincinnatus is that he was a good and trustworthy person  His country needed him and he left his chosen profession to serve his country

 There are two classes of people in Rome  Patricians who are wealthy land owning nobles or aristocrats  Patricians sit in the Senate and make all the laws  There are three hundred Senators  They hold their positions for life and the position is usually inherited  The Senate also elects two Consuls each year

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears (I lost mine) :}

 Consuls led the army in war, appointed government officials and acted as administrators  In times of crisis, the Senate would elect a dictator for usually six months  The plebeians were the rest of the population  They could be anyone from a slave to a wealthy merchant

 Plebeians composed the assembly.  They could sit in the assembly and listen to the Senate debate laws  But they had no power over them. They could not vote  But they could speak out at the debates  As time evolved, Plebeians won more rights

The Twelve Tables, 448 BCE

 The Twelve Tables is the first Roman Constitution, or laws codified  They were posted in the Roman Forum for all to see  It established the concept that citizens had rights  Roman Tribune: This is a new position in government.  Tribunes advocated for the Plebeians and could veto (forbid) laws to be passed

The Punic Wars

 This sea is not big enough for both of us!!  First Punic War, BCE  This war began over trade and control of the Island of Sicily  Rome won the war and seized Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica

SECOND PUNIC WAR, BCE

Oh, please what was this guy thinking??

 Hannibal vowed to avenge the loss of the First Punic war  He left from Spain with hundreds of elephants to attack Rome from the north  He needs therapy, lots of therapy  Oh, he won every battle during the war except the last battle and then lost the war  Hannibal is often considered one of the greatest generals ever

THIRD PUNIC WAR, 149 to 146 BCE  What the Roman Motto for this war??  Carthage must be destroyed!!!  And it was!! :]  With the Destruction of Carthage, Rome had no competitor  Rome would now expand without interruption for the next 400 years

The end of Carthage

The Gracchi Brothers  Tiberius Gracchus was a Roman Tribune and wanted to help the poor of Rome  In 133 BCE, he introduced a law seeking land reform  Rome had expanded over the centuries, but the poor did not get the land  His law would restrict land ownership at 300 acres of land  People who owned more than 300 acres had to give up their land to the poor

 He also wanted to resettle many of the Roman poor on land taken in war  Tiberius was killed in a bloody riot in Rome after he introduced his law  His brother, Gaius Gracchus, went even further with his reforms  He introduced laws that would expand voting rights to all males on the Italian peninsula

 He wanted Rome to create new infrastructure jobs and give then to the poor  He wanted the government to sell grain to the poor at reduced prices  He also wanted land taken in war to be shared with the poor and he wanted land reform in general  What happened, you wonder?  They killed him too. :]