Aeneas
- The Romans believed they could trace their history to a great Tojan leader named _____________.
- The Aeneid, an epic poem written by Virgil, Greeks destroyed Troy, formed an alliance with the Latins.
- He became the ruler after marrying the daughter of
checks and balance
Methods to balance power
- They keep one part of the government from becoming stronger or more influential than others
Civic Duty
- the participation of the people
a) Citizens attended assembly meetings
b) They also voted
c) Wealthy and powerful citizens held public office.
consuls
The two most powerful magistrates in Rome
- two of the most powerful officials
dictators
Rulers with almost absolute power
- They would say in power only six months
- One of Rome's famous dictators was Cincinnatus
- He quickly defeated his enemies, and returned to farming long before his six months term was up.
Forum
Rome's public meeting place.
Geograhy of Rome
- mostly covered in hills
- Italians built their cities on hills for defense.
- mountains were volcanic
- eruptions could devastate Roman towns
- Rome lies on the Tiber Rivers
- a mild climate that led to a plentiful food supply
Latin
the Romans' language
legions
groups of up to 6,000 soldiers
- One reason for Roman success against invaders was the organization of the army into _____________.
- were flexible
- The Romans army could fight as one large group off several smaller ones.
magistrates
officials
- consuls led the government and army, judged court cases
- served for one year
- had power over all citizens, including other officials
- first part of the government
Patrician
nobles
- wealthy, powerful citizens
- small minority of the population
- once controlled all aspects of government
- after 218 BC, not allowed to participate in trade of commerce
plebeians
common people
- peasants, crafts people, traders, other workers
- majority of the population
- gained right to participate in government
- only Romans who could be traders, so many became wealthy
Punic Wars
a series of wars against Carthage,a city in Northern Africa
- 3 wars
1?? Rome first beat Carthage in Sicily, when Carthage invaded
2?? Hannibal tried to attack Rome itself itself but was defeated. (Battle of Zama Scipio Aficanco)
3?? Rome invaded Carthage
republic
where people elect leaders to govern them
Roman Republic
- The Romans created a republic in 509 BC in which elected officials ran the city
- They protected against anyone staying in power for too long by limiting terms to one years
Roman Senate
was a council of wealthy and powerful Romans that advised the city leaders.
- advised the consuls
- served for life
- gained control of financial affairs
- second part of the government
Rome's Early Kings
- seven kings, some of whom were Etruscans.
- The Etruscans made contributions such as huge temples and Rome's first sewer.
- learned the alphabet and numbers, Etruscans.
- The last Roman King was said to have been a cruel man, who had many people killed,
Romulus and Remus
- Son of Rhea Silvia (mom), Mars (dad)
- Lupa (wolf) cared them
- One killed another
- Named Rome
- According to legend, the founders of Rome were orphaned twin bothers raised by wolves
- Romulus killed Remus
- Romulus then built the city and named it Rom
Veto
prohibit
As a result of the Punic Wars
- During the Punic Wars, Rome took control of Sicily, Corsica, Spain, North Africa, Gaul and Greece.
?? adopted ideas about literature, art philosophy, religion, and education from the Greeks. ??
Assemblies and Tribunes
- this part of the government projected the common people and had two branches
- first branch
a) was made up both plebeians and patricians. Their primary job was to elect the magistrates.
- second branch
a) made up of tribunes who had the right to veto
b)
Gaius Marius
- He encouraged poor people to join the army in order to make up for the shortage of troops.
- The loyalty of his army gave him great political power.
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
- He sought his army's support the same way Marius had.
- The two leaders started a civil war in which Sulla defeated Marius and ??became dictator for life??
Spartacus
- Thousands of slaves led by Spartacus rose up and demanded freedom.
- Eventually ________________ was killed in battle, and the revolt fell apart
- 6,000 rebellious slaves were killed as an example to others who thought about rebelling.
Tiberius and Gaius Graeches
- tribunes
- tried to create farms for poor Romans to them happy and prevent rebellious.
- two separate event, wealthy citizens opposed this idea and started riots, killing Tiberius and Gaius
?? From that point on people saw violence as a political weapon
Roman Crises
As the Romans' territory grew, problem arose in the republic
- rich citizens were getting richer
- poor getting more poor ??
centuries
- each legion was divided into ________________, or groups of 100 soldiers
Latifundias
- wealthy farmers built large farmers run by slaves in the countryside
Roman Growth
- Roman territory grew as a result of outside threats
- Established a well organized Military
Roman Trade
- farmers could not grow enough to food to support the population
- as a result, merchants brought goods to Rome and increased trade.
The Twelve Tables
Romeos first law code was written and displayed in the Forum, Rome's public meeting place.