Ancient Rome

Centrally
located on the
Italian
Peninsula in
the
Mediterranean
Sea
Alps provided
protection

Polytheistic religion
Belief in more than one god
Greek God
Zeus

Meaning
Ruler of the gods

Roman God
Jupiter

Hera

Queen of the gods

Juno

Apollo

God of music, healing,

light, truth

Apollo

Artemis

Goddess of fertility,
nature, moons & women

Diana

Athena

Goddess of wisdom,
learning, trade & war

Minerva

Aphrodite

Goddess of love &

beauty

Venus

Structure of the Roman Republic

Representative Democracy
Patricians

Plebeians
(most of
population)

Slaves
(not based on
race)

Laws of Rome codified as Twelve Tables

Punic Wars | Rome v. Carthage

Scipio v. Hannibal
" Wars driven by

competition
" Romes 3 wars

against Carthage
resulted in both its
dominance of the
western
Mediterranean Sea
and the start of an
empire beyond Italy.

Decline of the Roman Republic

" Spread of slavery in the agricultural

system
" Migration of small, unemployed farmers

into cities
" Inflation and the devaluation of Roman

currency

Origin and Evolution of Imperial Rome

First Triumvirate
(Crassus, Caesar,
Pompey)

Julius Caesar
(seizure of
power,
assassination)

Death of Julius
Caesar causes
civil war in
Rome

Augustus Caesar
(defeat of Marc
Antony, 1st
Roman Emperor)

Failure to
provide for
peaceful
succession of
Emperors

Roman Empire
(unified,
expanded with
imperial
authority and
military might)

Extent of the Roman Empire

Pax Romana
200 years of peace and prosperity

Uniform currency and

safe travel on Roman
roads expanded trade.

Created a civil service

and a uniform rule of
law

Increased emphasis on
family

Development of a NEW
religion | Christianity
Monotheistic

Christianity

Origins

Judaism
Conflicted with Roman polytheism

Beliefs

Monotheism
Jesus | son and incarnation of God
Life After Death
Holy book | New Testament

Spread

Message was popular

Apostles, including Paul, carried it
through the Empire

Early Church of Rome

in the Late Roman Empire
" Emperor Constantine makes

Christianity legal and it later

becomes the state religion.
" The church became an example

of moral authority.
" Loyalty to the church became

more important than loyalty to

the Emperor.

Christian Church,

Rome

Roman Contributions | Architecture

Pantheon
- Large dome
- Built for
Roman Gods

Colosseum
- Ancient
sports arena
for gladiatorial
fighting

Forum
- Served as the
center for
government

Roman Contributions | Technology

Roads

Aqueducts
Transported
fresh water

Arches

Roman Contributions
Science

Ptolemy
Earth-centered Universe

Virgil
Literature The Aeneid
Latin epic
Legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan
who traveled to Italy where he
became the ancestor of the Romans.

Roman Contributions
Romance
Languages
Law

Evolved from Latin

Ex: Spanish, French,
Italian
12 Tables
Innocent until
proven guilty

Why did the Roman Empire decline?

Too large to
defend

Failing
economy

Weakened
military

Moral
decay

Political
problems

Germanic
invasions

Division of the Roman Empire

Rome

Capital moved
to
Constantinople;
Byzantine
Empire
emerges

Western Rome
Falls in 475 AD
to Germanic
Tribes

Constantinople