1. Ancient Rome & the Rise of Christianity (509 BC – 476 AD)
Chapter 6: pages

2. Parallel Events (Greece vs. Rome)
Ancient Greek Events
BC: Persian Wars
460 BC: Golden Age of Pericles in Athens
431 BC: Peloponnesian Wars
399 BC: Socrates put to death
331 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Persian Empire: Hellenistic Age
133 BC: end of Greek dominance in Med. world
Ancient Rome Events
509 BC: Rome sets up a Republic
450 BC: 12 Tables of Law
396 BC: Etruscan civilization in decline
270 BC: Rome controls most of Italian peninsula
BC: Punic Wars vs. Carthage
133 BC: Roman power extends from Spain to Egypt

3. Section 1: The Roman World Takes Shape
Geography and People of Italy
Rome began as a small city-state (Palatine hill) located in the center of the Italian peninsula
Apennine mountains run the length of Italy
Less rugged than Greek mountains
Italy much easier to unify --- no isolated city-states
Most Romans settled in the west
Fertile plains in the north below the Alps

4. Early Roman People
Latins: early ancestors of the Romans & descendants of Aeneas, the hero who fled Troy after the Trojan War
Herders and farmers: settled along the Tiber River along the 7 hills
Etruscans: dominant group who ruled central and northern Italy – economy based on agriculture, trade and piracy
Came from Asia Minor (Lydia according to Herodotus) due to a famine on NE Greek island of Lemnos
Called themselves Tyrrhenians in honor of their king Tyrrhenus
Romans borrowed Etruscan alphabet (borrowed from the Phoenicians), arch and worshipped similar gods/goddesses

7. Etruscan Origins
1828 AD: a plowman and his oxen crashed through a buried stone roof of a tomb
Knowledge of the Etruscan way of life comes from their death
Kept the ashes of their dead in urns & also began to bury corpses in underground chambers
Loved games: chariot races, wrestling, boxing, discus, dice, handball, marbles & knucklebones (used sheep and goat vertebrae)

8. Other Early Inhabitants
Greeks: settled in southern Italy/Sicily in 750 BC
Phoenicians: came from Eastern Mediterranean city of Tyre (modern day Lebanon) and settled in southern Italy, Sicily and Carthage
great trading & naval power
The Phoenicians often traded by means of a galley, a man-powered sailing vessel. They were the first civilization to create the bireme.
The Purple People!
Greek word for Phoenician (phoinikes) = color purple or crimson (red-purple), through its close association with the famous dye Tyrian purple, used in the textile industry.
Tyrian Purple
Purpura dye in Mexico!

9. Spiny Dye-Murex – species of sea snail
“The Tyrian hue ... is considered of the best quality when it has exactly the color of clotted blood, and is of a blackish hue to the sight, but of a shining appearance when held up to the light; hence it is that we find Homer speaking of "purple blood." Pliny

11. The Roman Republic Latins drove out Etruscan rulers around 509/510 BC
Set up a Republic: Govt. of the people
Senate (Latin Senex = elder, old man): most powerful governing body made up of 300 patricians; served for life
Patricians: landholding upper class
Senate members varied from 100 – 300 – 900 – 600 throughout Rome’s history

12. Roman Senate continued!
2 consuls elected from the patrician class (Comitia centuriata) led the Senate.
Consuls job was to consult with the Senate, supervise business of the govt. and command the armies
Consuls served 1 year term/43 yrs. old/could serve 2 terms but not back-to-back/could veto each other
In times of war/crisis: Consuls appointed a dictator to rule for 6 months; many were military commanders
Dictator: ruler with complete control over the government

13. Plebeians Demand Equality
Plebeians: Commoners such as farmers, merchants, artisans, traders; made up majority of the population
Made efforts to gain power
456 BC: 3 patricians sent to Athens to study the laws of Solon
450 BC: 12 Tables of Law (Appius Claudius) set up in the Forum --- made it possible for plebeians to appeal decision of a judge
12 Tables of Law
Later gained right to elect tribunes (10): Roman plebeian officials who protected the interests of the plebeians
Tribunes could veto (block) laws that weren’t in the interest of the common people. They could veto the consuls! They could not veto military decisions! An assault on a tribune was a capital offense!

14. Roman Society Family: basic unit of society - patriarchal
Male head of household (usually father) had absolute power
Enforced discipline
Demanded respect
Women: played larger role than most Greek women
Could run businesses, attend baths, theater and public entertainment – supported arts and public festivals (similar to the rights of Spartan women!)
Most worked at home, however!

15. Education Girls and boys learned to read and write
Wealthy Romans hired private tutors (from Greece) to supervise education of children
Rhetoric was important subject for boys who wanted to pursue political success

16. Religion Gods/goddesses resembled Greek and Etruscan deities
Statues and temples built throughout Rome
Festivals honored the deities

17. Expansion in Italy Roman legion: military unit of 5,000-6,000 men
Centuries = men; 2 centuries = 1 maniple; 3 maniples = 1 cohort; 10 cohorts (5,000-6,000 men) cavalry = 1 LEGION
Romans built upon the Greek phalanx & made it more flexible.
Citizen-soldiers fought without pay at first
Values of loyalty, courage & respect for authority = strong soldiers
Later years --- soldiers were paid a stipend in salt (from Latin phrase salarium argentum = salt money) ---where we get the word salary
270 BC: Rome controlled most of Italian peninsula

18. Rome & Provinces
Loyalty of conquered territories (in Italy) occurred because of the following:
Enemies treated with some justice --- could keep most customs, monetary system, govt., etc.
Also: partial and/or full citizenship awarded
Conquered territories (outside Italy) owed:
Tribute/Payment (3 prizes of war): Grain, slaves, treasure
Had to acknowledge Roman leadership
Had to supply soldiers for the Roman armies

19. Roman Roads
Roman armies built a network of roads to link distant territories to Rome.
Trade and travel increased but was slow and difficult (word travel related to travail or “torture”)