 Rome: Located in the center of the Italian peninsula  Helped Romans expand in Italy and beyond  Romans settled along the Tiber River

 Patricians- Powerful governing body; landholding upper class.  Plebeians- Common people; began to gain some political power. Tribunes were their elected officials who protected them in government.  By 270 BCE, Rome controlled most of Italy.

 Punic Wars- Wars with Carthage  Hannibal, a general from Carthage, led his army into Italy and defeated the Romans  Gracchus Brothers- Attempted to reform Rome; angered the senate  violent death.  Following their death, Rome plunged into a series of civil wars.

 Military commander- Completed the conquest of Gaul, in present-day France  “Veni, Vidi, Vici”- I came, I saw, I conquered  Forced the senate to make him dictator  Institutes reforms to solve Rome’s problems  Stabbed to death by his enemies

 Comes to power following Caesar’s death  Received the title “Augustus” or Exalted One  Under Augustus, 500-year-old Republic came to an end and the Roman Empire emerged.  First ruler of the Roman Empire

 “Roman Peace”  Began with Augustus and ended with Marcus Aurelius  Roman Rule: Peace, order, unity, prosperity  Trade flowed freely  Ideas and knowledge were transferred  Gladiator contests became popular- gladiators were slaves trained to fight to the death

 Romans borrowed heavily from Greek culture after they conquered Greece  Roman generals carried achievements of Rome to conquered lands  Blending of Greek, Hellenistic and Roman Civilizations

 Art:  Mosaic- Picture made from chips of broken stone or glass  Technology:  Engineering  Aqueducts- Bridge-like, stone structures that brought water from the hills into Roman citie

 An accused person was presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.  The accused was permitted to face the accuser and offer a defense.  Guilt had to be established through evidence.  Judges were expected to interpret the laws and make fair decisions.

 Rome tolerated varied religious traditions  As long as citizens showed loyalty by honoring Roman gods  Most people were polytheistic, so would worship Roman gods as well as their own  Jews- Devoted to monotheism so they were excused from worshiping Roman gods.

Jesus’ teachings quickly spread with the help of his apostles. Paul spread Christianity beyond the Jewish world, to non-Jews. People began to believe Jesus was the messiah, or messenger sent from God to save the Jews

Central to Jesus’ teachings were the ideas of mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and charity. Roman authorities viewed Jesus as a dangerous rebel, and he was sentenced to crucifixion. His followers believed he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Many Christians chose to die for their beliefs, and became martyrs.

 Two Reformers slowed the decline and tried to restore order to the Roman Empire: 1. Diocletian– divided the empire into two administrative units in A.D. 284 (an eastern half and western half); also tried to slow inflation by fixing prices for goods. 2. Constantine– issued the Edict of Milan (religious toleration); moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium, and renamed it Constantinople.