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Wednesday, October 10

Posted by 5thKendra on October 10, 2012 at 9:26am

Attila the Hun

One paragraph on basic info about him, state if you would rather have Attila or Alexander the Great as your leader.

Here are the notes from today...

Rome

Geography

  • Built on 7 rolling hills around the Tiber River, near the center of the Italian Peninsula.
  • It is the midway point between the Alps and Italy’s southern tip

First Romans

  • From 1000 to 500 BC, three groups inhabited the region and fought for control of it
  • Latins, Greeks, and Etruscans
  • The Latins, built the original settlement of Rome. It was a cluster of wooden huts on top of one of the seven hills

Greek Influence

  • Between 7500 BC and 600 BC ,the Greeks established colonies along the southern part of Italy and Sicily
  • The cities became very prosperous and commercially active.
  • They brought all of Italy, including Rome, into closer contact with Greek civilization

Etruscans

  • They were native to northern Italy
  • They were skilled metal workers and engineers
  • They were very influenctial in the development of Roman civilization.
  • Romans adopted their alphabet
  • Also they adopted some of their architecture, especially the arch.

Republic

  • Republic-a form of government in which the power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders
  • In Rome, citizenship with voting rights was granted only to free-born adult male landowners

 

 

Patricians and Plebeians

  • In the early republic, different groups of Romans struggled for power.
  • Patricians- The wealthy landowners who held most of the power
    • Inherited their power and social status and claimed that they had the right to rule due to their ancestry
    • Barred the Plebeians from holding high offices in the gov’t
    • Plebeians- the common person, but could still vote. Usually farmers and merchants
      • In time, the leaders of Rome allowed the Plebeians to form their own assembly and elect their own representative to protect their rights from the Patricians

Executive

  • Commands the Army, elected to serve
  • US has one leader (serves 4 years), Rome has two leaders(councils, two years, advised by the Senate)

Legislative

  • US-Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate (100), make laws
  • Rome- Senate: 300 males, the most powerful, high social and economic status, tribal assembly (ordinary citizens, made laws), Centuriate assembly (soldiers, pick councils), all serve for life

Judicial

  • Right to a jury, legal representation
  • Appointed by President
  • Rome had 8 judges who served for 1 year (assigned by Centuriate assembly)
  • Two oversee civil and criminal courts (others govern provinces)

Legal Code

  • US gov- Constitution, supreme law,
  • Rome- Twelve Tables- list of rules that was the Supreme law of the land in Rome

 

Army

  • Took great pride in their military
  • All men who owned land were required to serve in the army
  • Some of the high public office positions required 10 years of military service

Romulus and Remus

  • Twin brothers
  • Founded ancient Rome
  • Were abandoned by mother and were raised by a she-wolf
  • Romulus killed Remus while fighting over what to call the city

Legions

  • Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions
  • Made up of 5,000 foot soldiers
  • Group of cavalry would support each legion
  • Military organization and fighting skill of the Roman army were key factors in Rome’s rise to greatness

Expansion

  • By fourth century BC, the Romans dominated central Italy
  • They had defeated the Etruscans to the north and the Greek city-states to the south

Treatment

  • Latins on the Tiber became full citizens.
  • In territory farther from Rome, the conquered people were citzens as well but didn’t have voting power
  • The remaining people became “allies” of Rome

Punic Wars

  • Series of 3 wars
  • Rome vs. Carthage
  • 1st war was over control of Sicily
  • 2nd war- when Hannibal (incorporated elephant warfare) became general of Carthage and he wanted to avenge first defeat. Hannibal attempted a sneak attack through the alps to attack and capture Rome
  • 3rd War-Scipio attacked Carthage and Hannibal retreated and fought back at native city
  • Rome defeated Carthage in all 3 of the wars. Each war was harder for the Romans to win.
  • War 1-2, Rome was on the defensive, aggressor in the last war
  • Key Players-Hannibal (C)  Scipio (R) Cincinnatus (R)

Lasting Effects

  • Showed the civilizations in the Mediterranean that Rome was a dominant force.
  • By 70 B.B, Rome had conquered a lot of land around the Mediterranean coast.

Roman Republic

  • Shortly after their victories in the Punic Wars, the quick and rapid expansion began to hurt the empire
  • The land was going to large estate and the small farmers were not making any money and were out of jobs.
  • One of the reasons that led to a civil war

Julius Caesar

  • Debate info
  • Another civil war broke out because of Caesar’s death

Avengers of Caesar

  • Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus avenged Caesar and became the 2nd triumvirate.
  • Even jealousy here, Octavian forced Lepidus to retire his power
  • Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra and followed her to Egypt, leaving Octavian to be the sole leader

 

Agustus

  • Term given to Octavian meaning “exalted one”
  • Rome was the peak of its power and at peace throughout Augustus’s Rule and even to 180 A.D.
  • Pax Romana-“Roman Peace”

Roman Life

  • Hannibal crossing the Alps
    • One of the greatest military achievements of ancient warfare
    • 2nd Punic War-one of the major achievements
    • Took 16 days to cross
    • Many of their elephants did not survive the journey
    • Why?
      • He thought that is would give him a better chance against the Romans if he came down with all of his war elephants
      • The wars were fought over pure hatred by one side against the other
      • Roman Trade
        • Very vital to Roman Empire
        • Most common: beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, marble, olive oil, perfumes, purple dye, silk, silver, spices, timber, tin and wine
        • Main trading partners: Spain, France, the Middle East, and North Africa
        • Made trade very simple by only using 1 form of currency
        • Used the Tiber River, Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea for a trading route.
        • Manufacturing of goods increased in the empire’s cities, and many opportunities for commerce existed. Rome became one of the empire’s greatest commercial centers
        • Two-way trade routes extended to other commercial centers in lands as far away as Egypt, Germany, and China
        • The empire’s location around the Mediterranean Sea helped make all the commercial activity possible.
      • Roman Agriculture
        • Used crop rotation
        • Sometimes had to import food because of mountains
        • After conquering Egypt, able to import lots of wheat
        • Most of crops raised on large estates called latifundias
        • Cicero considered farming the best of all Roman occupations
        • The main crop was wheat, and bread was present during almost every meal
        • The majority of work done on the farm was by slaves and servants
        • Created the main source of income for  Romans
        • Certain types of food were given out to the public for free (corn, wheat)
        • Since Roman Empire stretched through a lot of land, there were different climates to allow a mixture of crops produced
        • Romans had 4 systems of farm management- work done by owner and family, tenant farming, and share cropping forced labor (slaves), and other arrangements in which farmer lents farm out
      • Slavery
        • Depended on slaves
        • Most were foreigners and did not depend on race
        • Some Romans would sell children into slavery
        • When freed, they could work the same jobs as the Plebeians
        • Debt slavery was common, where a person could work off a debt by becoming a slave for a certain period of time, depending on the debt
        • Some slaves were forced to become gladiators
        • Saturnalia- A Christmas for the slaves in which the slaves and masters switched places
        • Could be highly educated and skilled, worked as teachers an physicians
        • Slaves tasks include working on farms- produced the food and materials the cities depended on
        • Businesses-managed shops for store owners, in charge of shop keeping, lending of money and selling of merchandise
        • Public Buildings- worked on aqueduct systems, built roads and bridges and arenas
      • Gladiator
        • The gladiator games were fought between and armed man and a criminal, wild animal, or another soldier.
        • Fought in the Coliseum in front of large audiences
        • Many of the people who fought the criminals and wild animals risked their social standing and their lives for the glory
        • Had costumes and scenery which had to be set up as well
        • Thumbs up means save the gladiator that’s down
        • Thumbs down means let him die
        • Order of events
          • Animal hunts- they had a scene and the Emperor would use a bow from his box seat and shoot them
          • The Bestarii-These were gladiators trained to fight tigers and lions
          • Criminals were sentenced to fight wild beasts at the games but without any skills, weapons or armor
      • Emperors
        • Tiberius- adopted son of Agustus-22 years and 6 months- possibly assassinated by Caligula. He was a cruel tyrant who put men to death upon mere suspicion
        • Caligula-great nephew of Tiberius-3 years and 10 months-assassinated in conspiracy involving senators and Praetorian guards
          • Insane and once threatened to have his horse made consul, and at another time raised a great army, and marched it hundreds of miles and commanded the soldiers to gather the shells on the beach and carry them back home
  • Claudius I-nephew of Tiberius and Uncle of Caligula- 13 years and 9 months- probably poisoned by his wife Agrippina
    • Weak and foolish, allowed the cruelest acts to be committed in his name, then forgot them, invited the persons to dinner whom he had just put to death
  • Nero-13 years and 8 months-stepson of Claudius
    • Monster of vanity and cruelty; was suspected of setting fire to the city and allowing more than two-thirds of it to burn up, in order that he might rebuild it finer than it had been before

Christianity

  • Background info
    • Religion has always played a large role in Roman society
    • However, the polytheistic system was very impersonal
    • As the empire grew, so did the new religion called Christianity
    • Jesus of Nazareth
      • Viewed as the Messiah or savior by Christians
      • Born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea
      • Baptized by John the Baptist
      • Took up carpentry
      • At age 30, he then took up ministry
      • For the next 3 years, he preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly performed miracles
      • History
        • Historical records of the time mention very little about Jesus
        • Main source of info about his main teachings are the Gospels
        • These gospels were written by his disciples or pupils, called apostles
  • Death
    • Growing in popularity and this concerned Roman and Jewish leaders
    • A governor of Rome named Pontius Pilate accused Jesus of defying the authority of Rome
    • He then was crucified on a wooden cross
    • Spreading Christianity
      • After Jesus’s death, the followers of Jesus continued to spread his ideas
      • Despite the large amount of political and religious opposition, the new religion of Christianity began to spread
      • Paul
        • A man who really influenced the spreading of Christianity
        • Was once a Jew, and against Christianity
        • He was able to do many of his speeches, and travel throughout the Roman Empire because it was during Pax Romana
      • Charts
        • Christian
          • Belief that Jesus is the Messiah
          • Acceptance of Gentiles and Jews alike
  • Jewish
    • Belief that Jews are the chosen people
    • Adherence to Jewish law
  • Both
    • Belief in on God
    • Belief in the Ten Commandments

 

 

  • Organization Chart
    • Pope
      • Bishops
        • Priests
          • People
      • Persecution of Christians
        • The main reason was that they refused to worship Roman gods
        • As Pax Romana began to crumble, persecution of the Christians increased
        • Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals in the circus arenas
        • Other Christians and even some non-Christians regarded persecuted Christians as martyrs
        • Martyrs-people willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief of cause
      • Popularity
        • Became a world religion for multiple reasons:
          • Embraced all people
          • Gave hope to the powerless
          • Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome
          • Offered personal relationship with a loving God
          • Promised eternal life after death
      • Constantine accepting Christianity
        • Constantine was fighting over the leadership of Rome
        • He then prayed to the Christian God, and saw a cross
        • He then ordered the artisans to paint the Christian symbol of the cross on the shields
        • He was successful in battle so he began to accept Christianity

 

 

 

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