Originally created by Ms. Susan M.

Pojer Horace Greeley HS

Chappaqua, NY

Geography of the Romans

Romes central location contributed to its success in unifying

Italy and then all the lands ringing the Mediterranean Sea
which it called the Middle of the Earth.
Italy was a crossroads within the Mediterranean and Rome was
a crossroads within Italy.
The Tiber River on one side and a double ring of seven hills on
the other afforded natural protection to the site.
The Apennine Range runs along its length like a spine,
separating the eastern and western coastal plains.
The mild Mediterranean climate affords a long growing season
and conditions suitable for a variety of crops and the
conditions for sustaining large populations.
The mountainous regions were abundant in timber and iron
and other metal were found in the northwest region of Etruria.

The Geography of
Rome

The Mythical Founding

of Rome:
Romulus & Remus

From Kingdom to Republic

Modern scholars do not support the myths of Romulus and
Remus but it appears bands of Indo-European migrants
crossed the Alps and settled throughout the Italian
Peninsula.
Like their distant cousins in India, Greece, and northern
Europe, these migrants blended with the Neolithic
inhabitants of the region, adopted agriculture, and
established tribal federations. Bronze metallurgy appeared
around 1800 B.C.E. and iron around 900 B.C.E.
The first major group of Italy were the Etruscans. Coming
from Anatolia, they settled from the Po River in the north to
modern-day Naples in the south.
The Etruscans deeply influenced the early development of
Rome. Several of the first Roman kings were Etruscan and
ruled through the seventh and sixth century B.C.E.

Influence of the
Etruscans
Writing
Religion
The Arch

Apennine Peninsula in
753 BCE

Formation of an Empire
About 509 B.C.E., Romans drove out the Etruscan
kings and declared Rome a republic, a government in
which power resides in a body of citizens and consists
of representatives elected by them.
The Roman Republic which lasted from 507 to 31
B.C.E. was not a democracy. Sovereign power
resided in assemblies and while all male citizens were
eligible to attend, the votes of the wealthy classes
counted for more than the votes of poor citizens.
In Rome, as in classical China and Greece, patterns of
land distribution caused serious political and social
tensions. Conquered lands fell into the hands of
wealthy elites who organized large plantations known
as latifundia.

The Roman Republic

The real center of power was the Roman Senate. Technically
an advisory council, first to kings and later to Republican
officials, the Senate increasingly made policy and governed.
Senators nominated their sons for public offices and filled
Senate vacancies from the ranks of former officials.
The Senate whose members served for life brought together
the states wealth, influence, and political and military
experience.
The inequities in roman society led to periodic unrest and
conflict between the elite (patricians) and the majority of the
population (plebeians).
It became apparent in time the republic which was
constructed for small city-states was not suitable for a large
and growing republic.

Expansion of the Empire

As it expanded, Rome often offered its opponents a
choice between alliance and conquest. If they
accepted Roman rule, they would receive Roman
citizenship and protection.
Rome fought protracted and bloody wars against the
Carthaginians (Hannibal) called the Punic Wars. The
Carthaginians were the heirs of the Phoenicians which
controlled much of the southern and eastern
Mediterranean.
During the early first century B.C.E., Rome fell into civil
war as individuals fought for land and power in the
new lands of the Romans. While there were attempts
to reform the empire under Tiberius in 132 B.C.E. and
Gaius in 121 B.C.E., they were both assassinated and
the die had been caste for a move away from the
Republican ideals and a move toward a centralized
imperial form of government.

Carthaginian
Empire

Hannibals Route

First Triumvirate
Julius Caesar

Pompey
Crassus (Licinius)

Imperial Rome Emerges

In addition to the Carthagians, the Romans also fought with the

Gauls (Celts) from Modern-day France.
Under Julius Caesar, Rome expanded its empire across the
Mediterranean and the continent of Europe.
The conquest of Gaul helped to create a political crisis. As a result
of his military victories, Caesar had become very popular in Rome.
As tensions arose in early 49 B.C.E., Caesar had turned his armies
toward Rome.
By early 46 B.C.E., he had made himself master of the Roman
state and named himself dictator-an office he claimed for life
rather than the usual six-month term.
Caesars policies pointed the way toward a centralized, imperial
form of government for Rome and its possessions but Caesars
rule had alienated many members of the Roman elite and he was
assassinated in 44 B.C.E. which led to continued civil conflict until
the acceptance of Octavian, Caesars nephew and adopted son.

Beware the Ides of

March!
44 BCE

Octavian Augustus:
Romes First
Emperor

Pax Romana

Octavian known now as Augustus, a term with strong religious

connotations suggesting the divine nature of its holder, would rule
virtually unopposed and fashioned an imperial government that
guided Roman affairs for the next three centuries.
During the two centuries following Augustuss rule, Roman armies
conquered much of the Mediterranean. The empire had expanded
to include not only the lands of Italy, Greece, Syria, Gaul, and most
of the Iberian Peninsula, but it would go onto conquer lands as far
as Britain, most of northern Africa, SW Asia, and Anatolia.
Roman Expansion had especially dramatic effects on European
lands embraced by the Empire. Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, and
Mesopotamia had long been sites of complex city-based societies
but Gaul, Germany, Britain, and Spain were not.
When Roman soldiers, diplomats, governors, and merchants arrived,
they stimulated the development of local economies and states.

The Greatest Extent

of the Roman Empire
14 CE

Pax Romana: 27 BCE

180 CE

The Roman Forum

Romes Early Road

System

Roman Roads:
The Appian Way

Imperial Roman Road

System

Roman Aqueducts

The Roman
Colosseum

The Colosseum
Interior

Circus Maximus

The Greatest Extent

of the Roman Empire
14 CE

The Empire Stops

Expanding

One noticeable difference during

this time is the building of walls to
keep out the Barbarians of the
Empire.
The most famous was Emperor
Hadrians Wall (117 - 138 C.E.)
which defined the most northern
extent of Roman expansion on
Britain.
As military commanders were
more focused on defensive
strategies than on offensive
strategies, these changes started
to sow seeds for future conflict.

Roman Law
Under conditions of political stability and the Pax Romana,
jurists constructed an elaborate system of law.
Romans began a tradition of written law about 450 B.C.E.,
when they created the Twelve Tables.
As armies spread Roman influence, jurists worked to
construct a rational body of law that would apply to all
peoples under Roman rule.
They established the principle that defendants were innocent
under proven guilty and they also had the right to challenge
their accusers in a court of law.
Like transportation and communication networks, Roman law
helped to integrate diverse lands that made up the empire
and the principles of Roman law continued to shape
Mediterranean and European society long after the empire
had disappeared.

Roman Society

As Rome expands, it did levy tribute, taxes, rents, and recruited

soldiers from the peoples in conquered. They settled their own
soldiers in captured lands, turning those lands into Roman estates
and enslaving millions of people.
The Supplying of Rome, the construction of cities, and trade
across the Eurasian land mass transformed the Empire
dramatically.
Even though it was law for the peoples of the empire to worship
Roman deities, as conditions worsened and contact with other
areas increased, new religious thoughts would permeate the
empire.
The two groups who were creating the greatest concern for the
Romans were the Jews of Palestine and a Jewish sect, known as
Christians.

The Rise of
Christianity

Third Century
Crisis
235 to 284 C.E.

The Empire in Crisis:

3c

Empire in Crisis

From 235 to 284 C.E., Rome was beset and nearly destroyed when
political, military, and economic problems befell the empire
because of a frequent change of rulers.
Twenty or more men claimed the office of emperor during this
period and most only reigned for a period of months or years.
Diocletian implemented radical reforms that saved the Roman
state by transforming it. One thing he did was to divide the
empire into two: One primarily Latin-speaking and one primarily
Greek-speaking which led to a period of multiple emperors ruling
the West and East Roman Empires.
In addition, the barbarians were also gathering and attacking the
Empires outer flanks (Celts,Goths, Huns, Saxons, Vandals, Franks,
and others).

Diocletian Splits the

Empire in Two: 294
CE

The New Rome

When Diocletian resigned in 305 C.E., the old divisiveness
reemerged as various claimants battled for the throne.
The eventual winner was Constantine who reunited the
entire empire under his sole rule by 324.
In 312, Constantine won a key battle near Rome. He later
claimed he had seen a cross superimposed on the sun
before battle. Believing the Christian God had helped him
achieve victory, he would later legalize Christianity called
the Edict of Milan.
This ended the persecution of Christians in the empire.

Byzantium:
The Eastern Roman
Empire

Constantine: 312 337

Constantinople
In 324, Constantine transferred the imperial city from Rome
to Byzantium, an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus Strait
between the Black and the Mediterranean Seas.
This move reflected and accelerated changes in the
empire. Constantine and his mother, Helena, studded the
city and the Empire with churches and involved himself in
doctrinal disputes over which beliefs constituted heresy.
This discussion will eventually give way to a further break
of the empire and the Christian faith.
However,the heavy involvement with religion of the
emperors in Constantinople did not prevent them from
playing conqueror and lawmaker.

The Spread of
Christianity

The Barbarians
Rome labeled many of its neighbors on its borders
barbarians, including the Celts of central Europe, the
various Germanic groups of northern and eastern
Europe, and the steppe nomads of central Asia.
Many of these groups did not have cities, written
languages, formal governments, established
geographical boundaries, nor codified laws.
The view of the Barbarian peoples as being beneath the
true Roman would shape harsh treatment and sow the
seeds of conflict with the Roman Empires.

Barbarian Invasions:
4c-5c

Rise of the Barbarians

Continuing imperial vitality in the Eastern Empire
contrasted with deepening decline in the Western
Empire, which became a separate entity after 395.
While the Byzantine armies were able to stop the
warring bands north of the Danube River, many of
these groups would move toward the west and create
havoc for the Western empire.
The primary Barbarian groups were the Huns,
Vandals, Goths, Saxons, and Franks.
The Goths, a Germanic People, would go on to sack
Rome in 410. By 530, with the old Roman economy
and urban centers in shambles, the Western Roman
empire would eventually fall to numerous tribes from
across Europe and Asia.

The Byzantine Empire

During the Reign of
Justinian

Attila the Hun:

The Scourge of
God

Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire originated as the eastern half of the
classical Roman empire, which survived the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire in the fifth century C.E.
In the early days, the Byzantine Empire embraced Greece,
the Balkan region, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and
Northern Africa.
Under Justinian (527-565), armies were sent out to regain
control of lost territories and he would regain some of the
areas and establish a legal code which will influence most
of the modern European systems.
One of the reasons why the Byzantine Empire was able to
survive 1000 years after the fall of Rome may be due to its
administrative system. The ruling classes were never
isolated and alienated as they were in the west.

The Byzantine
Emperor Justinian

Justinians Empire

Constantinople:
(Istanbul Today)

Empress Theodora

Church of Hagia Sophia [Holy

Wisdom]

Interior of the Church of Hagia Sophia

Byzantine & Sassanid Empires,

6c

Romes Last Days

Even though by the end of the 5th century Rome
would cease to be symbol of the capital of the past,
the legacy of Roman rule would live on in the
Byzantine Empire (East Roman) until Muslim invaders
would eventually control the capital of Constantinople
in 1453 and rename it Istanbul.
The Ottomans and many other Islamic groups were
also influenced by the splendor of Justinians Hagya
Sophiaso in many ways Roman Architecture lives
on in the west and the east.

The Legacy of
Rome
Republic Government

Roman Law
Latin Language
Roman Catholic and Easter Orthodox
Churches
City Planning
Romanesque Architectural Style
Cultural Distinctions (Ethnicity)
Roman Engineering
Aqueducts
Sewage systems
Dams
Cement
Arch

Model of Rome

Characteristics
1. During the Republic Temple
Architecture:
K

blended Etruscan, Greek,

Persian, etc. features.

emphasis on the front of the

building.

example: Temple of Fortuna

Virilis.

Temple of Fortuna Virilis

Characteristics
2. CONCRETE:
K created a revolution in

architectural design.

K create larger, heavier buildings.

* example:
- The Sanctuary of
Fortuna Palestrina.

Sanctuary
of Fortuna Palestrina

Model of Roman Forum

Model
of
Trajans
Forum

Characteristics
3.ARCH & VAULT:
K Coliseum
K Race Track Circus Maximus
K Public Baths
K Amphitheaters

Triumphal
Arch of Titus

Arch of Constantine

Barrel or
Tunnel Vault
K Windows can be

placed at any point.

K These vaults require

buttressing to
counter-act the
downward thrust of
weight.

Groin Vault
K Also called a

cross vault.

K Needs less

buttressing.

Multi Groin Vaults

K

A series of groin vaults

can have open lateral
arches that form
Clerestories.

Windows that allow

light into the interior
of churches.

These concrete windows

are fireproof [an
important consideration
since many early
churches burned!]

Early Roman Amphitheater

Seats about 20,000

Roman Theater

Theater of Marcellus

Roman Coliseum

Roman Coliseum

Interior of the Coliseum

Arena is Latin for the sand, coating the floor

that soaks up the blood of the combatants.

Circus Maximus

300,000 seat capacity!

Roman Bath
in England

Characteristics
4. DOME:
K Basilicas

- Large and relatively open

space.
- examples:
Pantheon
early Christian churches

Cylindrical Dome
K With the dome, the

Romans could
surpass earlier
cultures by their
ability to span
space.

K Light enters through

the oculus on top.

The Pantheon Plans

The Pantheon

Pantheons Dome

The Pantheon Interior

The Pantheon Interior

Painting by
Giovanni
Paolo Pannini
(18c)

Innovative Engineering
Techniques
1. Roads macadam
2. Aqueducts
3. Arch Bridge

Via Appia

All roads lead to Rome!

Roman Aqueduct

Aqueduct in Segovia

Roman Arch Bridge

in Spain

Hadrians Wall in Britain

Characteristics
of Roman Sculpture
1. Collectors and copiers of Greek
works [more idealistic].
2. Categories:
K

Portrait sculpture

Statues

Paintings & mosaics

Relief sculptures

3. More realism [show the wrinkles,

the bulges, and ageing!]

Roman Copy of Greek Art

Original created by the Greek sculptor,

Polyclitus, 5c BCE

Republican Couple

Realistic portraits like Hellenistic Greek style.

Portraits of Emperors

Nero
Julius Caesar

Hadrian

Marcus
Aurelius

Mosaics on a
Roman Villa Floor

Roman Citizens

Column
Of
Trajan

Base Relief Legionnaires

on Trajans Column

Roman Sarcophagus

Marble base relief Etruscan influence?

Roman Villa

House in Herculaneum

Frescoes on aVillas
Walls

Roman
Crafts
1c BCE glass bowl

Gold earrings

Ivory Cameo

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The US Capitol Building

Statue of Justice
US Supreme Court
Building

Federal Court
Building in NYC

Metropolitan Museum
of Art

Statue of Liberty