Ancient Rome Rome’s Beginnings Key Terms: republic: a form of government in which rulers are elected by citizens legion: Roman army unit of 6,000 men each
In this section, you will learn how Rome grew from a small city to an economic and military power. There is a famous saying, “Rome was not built in a day.” Many different groups of people contributed to Rome’s success.
The Origins of Rome Geography played an important role in the rise of Roman civilization. Italy is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. It is shaped like a boot. The heel points toward Greece, the toe points toward the island of Sicily. The Alps run across the top of Italy and separate it from the rest of Europe. The Apennine Mountains run from north to south. The Apennine Mountains could be crossed easily. This helped people in early Italy trade ideas and goods with each other. Italy has a mild climate and rich soil. Many of its lower mountains have flat tops that make good farms. Historians do not know much about the first people in Italy. People in Europe crossed the Alps between 1500 B.C. and 1000 B.C. T hese people included the Latins (also called Romans). The Romans built the city of Rome.
Where Was Rome Located? Rome was built on the Tiber River. The river could be used for fresh water and transportation. And because it was built on a spot that could be crossed easily, Rome became a trading center. In addition, Rome was built 15 miles up the river from the Mediterranean Sea. That way, pirates could not attack the city. To protect it further, the Romans built Rome on seven hills.
How Did Rome Begin? Historians think that the Romans tended herds and grew crops on Rome’s hills. Then around 800 B.C. to 700 B.C., they realized that they would be safer if they lived together. Their community grew into Rome.
Early Influences After 800 B.C., the Greeks and the Etruscans came to Italy. The Greeks built many colonies in Italy between 750 B.C. and 550 B.C. T hey taught the Romans to grow olives and grapes, and to use the Greek alphabet. Romans also copied Greek sculpture, literature, and other art forms. The Etruscans were from Etruria, which was north of Rome. The Etruscans were skilled metalworkers, who became rich from mining and trade. At the time, Rome was a village with straw huts. But that changed after 650 B.C. w hen the Etruscans conquered Rome and enslaved its people. They had the enslaved people build buildings, temples, streets, and public squares. The Etruscans introduced togas and short cloaks. A toga is like a sheet wrapped around your body, with one end thrown over your shoulder. Most importantly, the Etruscans showed the Romans how an army could work. Later the Romans copied the Etruscan army and conquered lands to build an empire.
The Birth of a Republic The Romans created a republic and conquered Italy. By treating people fairly, they built Rome from a small city into a great power. The Etruscans ruled Rome for more than 100 years. The ruling family was named the Tarquins. Under them, Rome grew very rich and strong. But they were very cruel. So in 509 B.C., the Romans rebelled and set up a republic. A republic is a form of government in which leaders are elected. Rome was still a small city when it became a republic. It had enemies all around it. Over the next 200 years, Rome fought war after war. In 338 B.C., the Romans beat nearby Latin cities. In 284 B.C., the Romans beat the Etruscan cities. By 267 B.C., the Romans had taken over the Greek colonies in Italy. By 267 B.C., the Romans ruled almost all of Italy.
Why Was Rome So Strong? The Romans were great soldiers. At the beginning of the republic, every male citizen who owned land had to join the army. Men who ran away, or deserted, were killed. This turned Romans into fighters who did not give up easily. Roman soldiers did not just fight. They thought of better ways to organize their army. For example, at first the Romans marched next to each other with shields together to block enemy arrows and spears. But this way of fighting was slow. Then the generals divided their armies into smaller groups, called legions. Each legion had about 6,000 men broken into groups of 60 or 120 men. These small groups could move quickly. Roman soldiers were called legionaries. They had a short sword called a gladius and a spear called a pilum. Each group also had a standard. A standard was a tall pole with a symbol on top (sometimes an eagle or other animals). The person who carried the standard was called the standard bearer. The standard bearer would hold up the standard so the group stayed together during battle. Shrewd Rulers Roman soldiers were practical problemsolvers. And Roman leaders were also smart planners. After conquering a new territory, the Romans would build military forts, barracks, supply and storage areas. Military towns were formed everywhere they conquered. Then they built roads to connect these towns. The roads helped their armies travel quickly across Italy. The Romans started the Roman Confederation. This meant that some of the people Rome conquered could become full citizens. They could vote and be in the government. They were also treated the same as other citizens by the law. The Romans made other people allies. Allies could run their own towns, but they had to pay taxes to Rome. Allies also had to fight in Rome’s armies. The Romans let the allies know that if the allies were loyal, they might become citizens. The Romans treated the people they conquered well. They did that because people who are treated well do not rebel. If an area did rebel, Rome squashed it. As a result, the Roman Republic grew stronger.
The Roman Republic Key Terms patrician: wealthy landowner and member of the ruling class in ancient Rome plebeian: member of the common people in ancient Rome consul: top government official veto: to reject another’s decision praetor: type of judge who interpreted the law dictator: someone who has complete control of the government Drawing From Experience Our government is divided into three different parts: Congress, Supreme Court, and the President. Rome’s government was similar to what America has today. In the previous section, you learned how Rome grew from a small city to an economic and military power. In this section, you will learn how Rome became more democratic and how it took over the Mediterranean Sea region. Rome’s Government Rome’s republic grew more democratic over time. Rome’s republic was shaped by a struggle between wealthy landowners and regular citizens as it gradually expanded the right to vote. There were two main social classes in early Rome: patricians and plebeians. Patricians were wealthy landowners. They were nobles who held government offices. However, most people were plebeians (shopkeepers, artisans, and small farmers). Patricians and plebeians could not marry each other. All patrician and plebeian men were citizens and had the right to vote. They both had to pay taxes and join the army. But, only patricians could be in the government. How Did Rome’s Government Work? The top government posts were the consuls, who served for one year. Two consuls were chosen every year. One consul headed the army. The other ran the rest of the government. If one consul made a bad decision, the other could veto it. This means they could reject each other’s decisions. The government of the Roman Republic also included praetors, or judges, tax collectors, and builders.
Rome had two major lawmaking groups. They were the Senate and the Assembly of Centuries. The 300 Senators served for life. At first, they only advised the consuls. By the 200s B.C., they passed laws and set building programs. The Assembly of Centuries elected the consuls and praetors. Plebeians Against Patricians At first, only patrician men could be Senators, Assembly Members, or Consuls. But the plebeians fought in the army and paid taxes, just like the patricians. They wanted equal rights. So, in 494 B.C., the plebeians went on strike. They would not join the army. Many left Rome, and set up their own republic. This scared the patricians. So, the patricians agreed to start making changes to give the plebeians more equality. In 474 B.C. , the plebeians set up the Council of Plebs and elected tribunes. The tribunes told the government what the plebeians thought about issues. Later, the tribunes could veto government decisions. By 455 B.C. patricians and plebeians could marry each other, and in the 300s B.C., plebeian men could become consuls. In 287 B.C., the Council of Plebs could pass laws. However, a few wealthy families still held most of the power. Who Was Cincinnatus? The Roman Republic included dictators. Today, a dictator is a cruel ruler who controls everything. In early Rome, the dictators were elected by the Senate when there was an emergency. As soon as the emergency ended, the dictator quit. About 460 B.C., the Roman army was attacked. The Senators elected a farmer named Cincinnatus to be dictator. Cincinnatus gathered an army to help Rome. The Roman army led by Cincinnatus defeated the enemy quickly. Afterward, he went back home to his farm. Roman Law The U.S. legal system copied a lot of Rome’s laws and government system. At first, Rome’s laws were not written down. Plebeians thought that the judges agreed with the rich people too often. The plebeians demanded that the laws be written down. That way everyone would know them and citizens could make sure the judges followed the laws. In 451 B.C., the first code of laws was written down. It was carved on bronze tablets. The bronze tablets were put in the Forum. The Forum was Rome’s big marketplace. The laws were called the Twelve Tables. They set up the idea that all citizens should be treated equally by the law. All future Roman laws were based on the Twelve Tables.
The Twelve Tables were only for Roman citizens. That made problems when Rome began taking over other nations. The Romans saw that they also needed laws to protect people who were not citizens. They made a new set of laws called the Law of Nations. It listed ideas of justice. These ideas of justice were for everyone. We still use some of these ideas today. For example, the Law of Nations said that people are seen as innocent until they are proven guilty. The Law of Nations said that judges had to study evidence before making decisions. The Romans’ main idea was that the law should treat everyone equally. This is called “the rule of law.” In early Rome, this was a very new idea. Many rich people did not like it. They were used to having special privileges. In fact, many rich people were not used to obeying the law at all. The rule of law made the rich respect the rights of the poor. The rule of law is the basis for our legal system today.