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

2. Size of the Empire

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12. 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

13. 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.

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

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

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

18. 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

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

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

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

22. 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”

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

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

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

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

29. 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

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