Ancient Rome I

Cornell Notes
Directions: Scroll through this
PowerPoint to take Cornell Notes on
your own paper. Dont forget to
complete the summary and add two
questions of your own! Remember,
you only have to write what is in red
and yellow text can be written in your
own words!

The Roman
Empire

2,500 Miles

3,500 miles

Rome

1. Location & Geography

a. Close to the Mediterranean
Sea and trade routes.
b. Rome (the city) is next to the
Tiber River, which increased
trade and provided protection.
The Empire is somewhat larger
than the U.S. with the city of
Rome in the middle.

Location & Geography

c. Mild climate, good farmland.
Built the city on seven hilltops that could
defended.
Farmed at the base of hills; lived on
hilltops.

2. Economics
a. Most people in Rome were
farmers.

The staple crops were

various grains, olives, and
grapes. Olive oil and wine
were among the most
important products.

Economics: The Provinces

Lands Rome took over were
called provinces.
The empire got many products
from these provinces in
addition to taking slaves.
b. Provinces provided Rome
with gold and other resources
that made the empire rich.

3. Government:

a. Republic vs. Empire

VOCABULARY GLOSSARY
Republic a government based on
public consent (voting usually).

Empire An area ruled by a single

leader who has total power.
Hmm which
of these would
the USA be?

Voting in the Republic

Citizens of Rome met in the
Assembly and voted for representatives.
Women and slaves were not allowed in
the Assembly and could not vote.

Republic to Empire
i. Rome began as a republic, a
nation ruled with consent of the
people.
ii. Later it became an empire, a
nation ruled by one person.

Why would they change from

the people ruling to one person
ruling?

Government:

b. Caesar Takes Control of Rome

i. The Roman Republic ended when Julius
Caesar came to power by defeating his
rival, Pompey.
ii. Caesar was appointed dictator for life, but
he was assassinated in 44 B.C. (So he
only ruled for about 5 years.)
iii. His nephew Augustus became the first
Roman emperor.

The Roman Military

The Roman Military

c. Rome had the strongest military in the world
for hundreds of years.
Very well trained
The Roman Empire
grew by conquering
neighboring lands.

4. Society and Culture

Social Structure
The emperor was the leader.
Senators helped him make
decisions.
Citizens had many rights and
privileges.
Non-citizens, including conquered
peoples and slaves, were
generally not treated very well.

A. Social Classes
People were divided into different classes:
patricians, plebeians, and slaves.

i. Patricians
wealthy citizens of Rome
Lived in grand houses
and had slaves to do
their work for them.
Adult males were
citizens, so they could
vote in the Assembly.

ii. Plebeians
Plebeians were not
wealthy, but they were
citizens of Rome.

iii. The Conquered People

Conquered lands became
provinces of the Roman Empire.
Now these lands were under
Roman power, and many
conquered people became
slaves.
Men were required to serve in
the Roman Army.

Barbarians
Romans called people who didnt speak
Latin barbarians.
As the army took over new lands, these
barbarians became part of the Empire
and also became part of the Roman
Army.
However, many of them became very
angry over time.

iv. Slaves
Slaves had no money,
no rights, no freedom
and were not citizens of
Rome, so they couldnt
vote!
Slaves were often trained
as gladiators and forced
to fight to the death.