Chapter 6Section 1 Notes

Horatius---legendary Roman hero who supposedly single-handedly saved Rome from the invading Etruscan army

This legend helps us understand the virtues that the Romans admired

Courage, loyalty, and devotion to duty were the pillars on which the Romans would build a mighty empire

Geography and Peoples of Italy

Rome began as a small city-state in Italy that ended up ruling the entire Mediterranean world

The Italian peninsula is shaped like a boot!!! It juts into the Mediterranean Sea

The peninsula is centrally located in the Mediterranean and the city of Rome is in the center of Italy

This location helped the Romans expand first in Italy and then later into the lands around the Mediterranean

Geography and Peoples of Italy

Map of Italy

Because of its geography, Italy was much easier to unite than Greece

Unlike Greece, Italy is not broken up into small, isolated valleys

The Apennine Mountains are less rugged than the mountains of Greece

Italy has broad, fertile plains both in the north and under the shadow of the Alps and these plains helped to support a growing population

Geography and Peoples of Italy

Physical Map of Italy

The ancestors of the Romans, the Latins, migrated into Italy by about 800BC and settled along the Tiber River in small villages scattered over low-lying hills where they farmed and herded

These villages would in time grow into Rome, the city of seven hills

Geography and Peoples of Italy

The Romans shared the peninsula with Greek colonists and the Etruscans, who for a time ruled central Italy including Rome

The Romans learned a lot from the Etruscans They adapted the Etruscan alphabet Romans learned to use the arch in building

and adapted Etruscan engineering techniques to drain the marshy lands along the Tiber River

Etruscan gods and goddesses merged with Roman deities

Geography and Peoples of Italy

Tiber River

The Romans drove out their Etruscan ruler in 509BC; this date is considered to be the founding of the Roman state

The Romans set up a new government in which some officials were chosen by the people

Republic---”thing of the people” Romans thought that a republic form of

government would keep any individual from gaining too much power

The Roman Republic

In the early republic, the most powerful governing body was the senate---they made laws and served for life

Each of the 300 senate members were patricians

Patrician---member of the landholding upper class

The Roman Republic

Two consuls were elected every year by the senate

Their job was to supervise the business of government and command the armies; they were also expected to consult with the senate

They were only allowed to serve one term By limiting their time in office and making

the consuls responsible to the senate, Rome had a system of checks on the power of government

The Roman Republic

In the event of war, the senate chose a dictator, a ruler who had complete control over the government

Each Roman dictator was only allowed to rule for a period of six months

The model dictator was Cincinnatus Cincinnatus organized an army, led the

Romans to victory against the enemy, attended victory celebrations, and returned to his farmlands---all within 16 days!!!

The Roman Republic

Cincinnatus

At first, all government officials were patricians (landholding upper class)

Plebeians (farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders i.e. the bulk of the population) had little influence

The Laws of the 12 Tables helped the plebeians know what Roman laws were and they could now appeal judgments from patrician judges against them

The Roman Republic

In time, the plebeians gained the right to elect their own officials, called tribunes, to protect their interests

The tribunes could veto those laws that they felt were harmful to the plebeians

Plebeians eventually forced the senate to chose plebeians as consuls, appoint plebeians to high offices, and finally open up the senate itself to plebeians

The Roman Republic

Although the senate still dominated the Roman government, the common people gained access to power and won safeguards for their rights without having to resort to war or revolution

Connection to our history---more than 2,000 years later the framers of the U.S. Constitution would adapt such Roman ideas as the senate, the veto, and checks on political power

The Roman Republic

The basic unit of Roman society was the family

The father had absolute power of a household according to Roman law

He enforced strict discipline and demanded total respect for his authority

His wife was subject to his authority and was not allowed to administer her own affairs

Roman Society

Roman women played a larger role in society than Greek women did

Women ran businesses such as small shops or even major shipyards

Most women, though, worked at home raising their families, spinning, or weaving

Roman Society

Both girls and boys learned to read and write (including the lower classes)

By the late republic, wealthy Romans were hiring private tutors, often Greeks, to supervise the education of their children

Rhetoric was an important subject for boys who wanted to pursue political careers

Roman Society

Roman gods and goddesses resembled those of the Etruscans and Greeks

Jupiter---main Roman god ruled over all other gods (Zeus)

Juno---wife of Jupiter who protected marriage (Hera)

Neptune---god of the sea (Poseidon) Mars---god of war

Religion

Jupiter (Main Roman god)

Juno (Wife of Jupiter) protector of marriage

Neptune (god of the sea)

Mars (god of war)

The Roman calendar was full of feasts and other celebrations to honor the gods and ensure divine favor for the city

As loyal citizens, Romans joined in these festivals, which helped to inspire a sense of community

Dozens of temples with statues of the gods were located throughout Rome for Romans to worship and ask for divine assistance

Religion

Roman armies first conquered the Etruscans and then the Greek city-states in the south

By about 270 BC, Rome controlled most of the Italian peninsula

Rome’s success was due to skillful diplomacy and to its loyal, well-trained army

The basic military unit was the legion, made up of about 5,000 men

Expansion in Italy

Roman Legion

Roman armies consisted of citizen-soldiers who fought without pay and supplied their own weapons (like in Greece)

Roman citizens made good soldiers because they were brought up to value loyalty, courage, and respect for authority

To ensure success, Roman commanders mixed rewards with harsh punishments

Soldiers who showed courage in battle won praise and gifts---if a unit fled from battle, 1 out of every 10 men from the disgraced unit was put to death!!!

Expansion in Italy

Rome generally treated its defeated enemies with justice

Conquered peoples had to acknowledge Roman leadership, pay taxes, and supply soldiers for the Roman army

In return, Rome let them keep their own customs, money, and local government

Expansion in Italy

Rome gave the highly prized right of full citizenship to a few privileged groups among the conquered peoples

Others became partial citizens, who were allowed to marry Romans and carry out trade in Rome

Most conquered lands remained loyal to Rome even in bad times because of these policies

Expansion in Italy

To protect its conquests, Rome posted soldiers throughout the land

It also built a network of all-weather military roads to link distant territories to Rome

As trade and travel increased, local peoples incorporated Latin into their languages and adopted many Roman customs and beliefs (assimilation)

Italy began to slowly united under Roman rule

Expansion in Italy