The Grandeur That Was

Rome

Emblem of Rome: Romolus and

Remus and the wolf
 Geographical Setting
Rome was the capital of the ancient Roman Empire and present day Italy
Site of Rome chosen for its fertile soil and strategic location
Located on Italian peninsula in center of Mediterranean Sea
Built on seven hills on Tiber River
Rome was only a small town on the Tiber River when Athens was at the height of
its glory.
The myth is that twins sons Romulus and Remus of the god Mars founded the city
around 753 B.C.
Italus- Latin word means boot
Legend of the Founding of Rome
• Romolus - founded rome on april 21, 753 B.C
• Remus - killed by his twin brother for
supremacy
• Mars - roman god of war

• Silvia - female descendant of trojan

• Rome - "the city of seven hills"

 From the Etruscans to a
Republic
Etruscans - earliest rulers of rome
Patricians - aristocrats who controlled
senate
Plebeians - "plebs" poor people

Tablet of -"Twelve Tables of Law"

bronze
The Punic Wars with Carthage
• Punic - latin word means puni for
Phoenician
• Hannibal - military genius

• Cato of -a great orator "carthage

rome must be destroyed"
 Transition from Republic
• Aristocratic - compose of rich land
Party owners, merchant, and
politicians
• People's - compose of masses
party
 The Rise of Caesar
• The first -coalition formed of Pompey,
triumvirate Crassus and Julius Caesar

• Cleopatra - "Serpent of the Nile"

• extra day
-"Leap Year"
every fourth
year

• Ides of
-tragic assassination of Julius
March Caesar
 End of Roman Republic
• Cicero - famous orator, took
charge of the republic
• Second -Mark Anthony, Lepidus,
Triumvirate and Octavian

• octavia - wife of Mark Anthony

• octavian - brother of octavia

Emergence of the Roman Empire
• octavian - master of the Roman World
• empire - replaced the republic
• augustus - new name of octavian
• virgil, livy, - writers who helped the
and emperor to fan the flame of
horace roman patriotism
 Four Good Emperor
• Pax - most secure and prosperous
year
Romana
• Trajan -military commander born in spain

• hadrian - roman architecture reached its

peak

• Antonious -firm and kind rule, "pius"

• Marcus
- also a writer and philosopher
Aurelius
 Period of Rome's Grandeur
• Grandeur - during the period of four
good emperor
• economic -produced more crops,sheep
prosperity and catles, industries and
trade boomed

• government -directed by honest officials

• social life -full bloom, arts and literature,

roads, basilicas, temples...
 The Decline of the Roman
Empire
• Marcus -his death, marked the
Aurelius beginning of Rome's decline
-lack of able and dedicated
• Government emperor
• Economic -destroyed free farming by heavy
taxation and decrease on
retrogession population
• Roman -fought for plunder, not patriotic duty
military
-demoralizing spirit of the times and
• Cultural lack of incentives for cultural
stagnation growth
• Roman -luxuries, immorality, gluttony,
character drunkenness etc. that destroyed
the virtues and spiritual strength of
 Fall of Rome
• Barracks -25 emperors who are
Emperor soldiers

• Diocletian -the last great roman

emperor
• Constantine -founder of the Byzantine
Empire
 Results of Rome's Downfall
• Dark Age - the lights of it culture
flickered low

• New -emerged France, Spain,

Western England, Italy, and
nations Germany

• Christian -the church taking the place

Church of the fallen Roman
Empire
 Roman Civilization
Home life Religion
*simple *greek paganism+ancestral
*luxury religion= ares-mars
Roman Clothing and Meals *Christianity
*tunic (inside garment) Latin Literature
*toga (outside garment) *"The Golden Age of Roman
Literature"
Recreation and Amusement
*Virgil "Aenid" "Georgics"
*literary contest in poetry
*circuses
History
*gladiator combat *Julius Caesar-
"Commentaries on the
Education Galic Wars"
*latin gramar, reading, writing, history, *Sallust- "Conspiracy of
arithmetic, twelve tables-17 Catiline" and "Jaguarthine
*reading, writing, cooking, music, War"
sewing and weaving-16
 Roman Civilization
Oratory Engineering
*Cicero the "Prince of Roman *Appian Way
Orator" *Aqueducts
good prose writer, statesman, *Forum
and humanist Sciences
Philosopy *Pliny the Elder "Natural History"
*Seneca- "On the Brevity of Life" *Clinics, Hospitals
*Marcus Aurelius- "Meditations" *Galen 150 books on medicine
Architecture and Art *Celsus "On Medicine"
*grand, colossal,and functional Roman Law and Government
*Pantheon *Twelve Tables
*Colosseum *Five Centuries
*Triumphal Arches *"Colonialism" "Imperialism"
*Basilica *Roman Republic
 Rome's Contribution To
Civilization
• Roman Law -the basis of the legal system of modern nation
• The Latin Language -influenced French, Spanish, Italian,
Portugues, English and others
• Latin Literature -writings of Julius Caesar,Cicero, Tacitus, Livy,
Virgil, and others
• The colosseum, Pantheon, Aqueducts, Baths,
Roads -marvels of architectural art and engineering Science
• The Republican form of government -the citizens vote
for their representatives to governing bodies