White Plains Public Schools / Overview



From Republic to Empire: The Romans

E. Napp

Objective: To identify and explain factors leading to the rise of the Roman Empire

Do Now: Multiple-choice questions from previous lessons

|1. Which ancient civilization is associated with the Twelve Tables, an|4. • Roman women could own property. |

|extensive road system, and the poets Horace and Virgil? |• Roman women could make wills leaving their property to whomever they|

|(1) Babylonian |chose. |

|(2) Greek |A valid conclusion drawn from these facts is that Roman women |

|(3) Phoenician |(1) had the right to vote |

|(4) Roman |(2) enjoyed some legal rights |

| |(3) were equal to men |

|2. One contribution of ancient Roman culture was the development of |(4) could hold political offices |

|(1) the concept of zero | |

|(2) the process of making silk |5. How did the geography of the Italian peninsula influence the |

|(3) a republican form of government |development of the Roman Empire? |

|(4) the printing press |(1) The unnavigable rivers in the northern part of the peninsula |

| |protected the Romans from their neighbors. |

|3. A geographic similarity between Italy and India is that both of |(2) The harsh climate prevented agricultural production on the Italian|

|these countries are located |peninsula. |

|(1) on peninsulas |(3) The lengthy, rugged seacoast encouraged frequent invasions of the |

|(2) on archipelagos |Italian peninsula. |

|(3) between two oceans |(4) The location of the peninsula contributed to Roman control of the |

|(4) south of the equator |Mediterranean region. |

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Cornell Notes Outline: The Roman Empire (Add Key Words and Summaries)

|The Key Words: |The Notes: |

| |Conquest and Empire |

| |By 270 B.C.E., Rome had conquered Italy |

| |Punic Wars |

| |Three wars against Carthage, North Africa (264 B.C.E.) |

| |To control Sicily and Mediterranean |

| |Rome destroyed Carthage |

| |Killed many, sold others into slavery |

| |Conquered Carthage, Macedonia, Greece, and other parts of Asia Minor. |

| | |

| |Problems for the Republic |

| |Rome’s expansion created new problems |

| |Widening gap between rich and poor |

| |Corruption in government |

| |Rise of powerful generals |

| |Julius Caesar |

| |1. Murdered |

| | |

| |The End of the Republic |

| |Augustus Caesar became the first emperor in 27 B.C. |

| |Absolute power |

| |End of republic |

| |Beginning of Pax Romana or a time of peace in the Roman Empire |

| |Emperors reigned until the fall |

|The Summaries: | |

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While some Roman emperors improved the empire, some Roman emperors harmed it. Unfortunately, emperors served for life. The only way to remove a corrupt or bad emperor was to murder him. Between A.D. 180 and 284, 25 out of 29 Roman emperors were murdered. Caligula became emperor in 37 A.D. (C.E.) He was insane. Some individuals reported that he made his favorite horse a senator and demanded that people call him a god. Eventually, his own guards killed him. Nero was one of Rome’s worst emperors. He thought of himself as an artist and sang and played the lyre. When he played, people were forced to listen. In 64 A.D., a fire lasting nine days destroyed half of Rome. Some people said that Nero started the fire. They even said that he played his lyre while Rome burned! Finally, Nero was forced to take his own life. Hadrian ruled from 117 – 138 A.D. He passed laws that protected women, children, and slaves. He even built a wall across England. This wall defended Roman territory in the south of England from the enemy in the north. Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161 A.D. He lived a simple life and liked books and ideas. He even took direct command of the Roman army to protect the empire from barbarians, or Germanic invaders of the Western Roman Empire. Aurelius was able to make a temporary peace with the Germanic invaders. Constantine was an important Roman emperor. He converted to Christianity approximately three hundred years after the Romans crucified Jesus. Constantine’s conversion led to the protection and tolerance of Christians in the empire.

Write one fact about each of the following Roman emperors:

Caligula: _____________________________________________________

Nero: _______________________________________________________

Trajan: _______________________________________________________

Hadrian: ______________________________________________________

Marcus Aurelius: _______________________________________________

Constantine: ___________________________________________________

Create a list of problems Rome experienced as it became an empire:

1. _______________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________________

Why?

|Do Empires Rise? |Do Empires Fall? |

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Matching Exercise:

| |______ He was an important Roman emperor. He converted to |

|A. Pax Romana |Christianity. |

| |______ Citizens elect representatives. It lasted in Rome from |

|B. Barbarian |509 to 27 B.C. |

| |______ It was the written law of Rome. It included concepts |

|C. Constantine |like innocent until proven guilty. |

| |______ It was a golden age in the Roman Empire. It was a time of|

|D. Republic |peace, prosperity, and achievements. |

| |______ It marks the fall of Rome. High taxes, invasions, and |

|E. Twelve Tables |corrupt rulers were factors. |

| |______ They were the wealthy landowners of Rome. They served in |

|F. Code of Justinian |the Senate. |

| |_______ It was an ethnocentric term. It referred to a person |

|G. Punic Wars |outside of the Roman Empire (member of a Germanic tribe). |

| |_______ These wars between Rome and Carthage led to Rome’s rise |

|H. 476 A.D. |to power as an empire builder. |

| |_______ They were the working people of the Roman Empire. They |

|I. Patricians |wanted political rights. |

| |_______ After the fall of Rome, a Byzantine emperor collected and|

|J. Plebeians |organized all Roman laws into a code. |

The Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. There were many reasons for the fall of Rome including Barbarian invasions. Rome was under continual attack by fierce tribes from Northern Europe and Central Asia, such as the Goths and Huns. The Romans considered these tribes barbarians or culturally inferior peoples. Eventually, these tribes successfully invaded Rome. In addition, the Roman government depended on the abilities of the emperors, but many later emperors were corrupt and ineffective leaders. Also the costs of defending and administering the empire led to high taxes. Inflation and unemployment led to economic difficulties. Finally, later Roman armies relied on paid soldiers. These soldiers were often recruited from non-Roman peoples, who were less loyal than Roman citizens.

Summary: ____________________________________________________________________

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What continents did the Romans conquer land on?

________________________________________________________

What sea united the Roman conquered lands? ________________________________________________________

List one advantage of conquering a vast empire:

____________________________

List one disadvantage of conquering a vast empire:

____________________________

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