ROMAN

REPUBLIC

UNIT 11

ROMAN
EMPIRE
FALL OF
ROMAN
EMPIRE

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, ROME WAS FOUNDED IN 753 BC IN THE CENTRE OF

THE ITALIAN PENINSULA. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED ON THE ITALIAN
PENINSULA DURING THIS PERIOD CAME FROM DIFFERENT ORIGINS

ROMULUS AND
REMUS WERE
THE TWIN SONS
OF THE GOD
MARS AND
ETRUSCAN KING
S DAUGHTER.
THEY WERE
ABANDONED AS
BABIES IN THE
TIBER RIVER,
AND WERE
RAISED BY A
WOLF. LATER,
WHEN THE
TWINS WERE
ADULTS, THEY
DECIDED TO
FOUND A CITY.
BUT THEY HAD A
DISAGREEMENT,
AND ROMULUS
KILLED REMUS.
ROMULUS
CALLED TH NEW

ANCIENT ROME
TIMELINE

THE PATRICIANS
WERE
LANDOWNERS AND
HELD ALL THE
IMPORTANT
POLITICAL
THEPOSITIONS
PLEBEIANS
WERE THE
MAJORITY OF THE
H
POPULATION. THEY
WERE FREE BUT IN
THE EARLY
REPUBLIC THEY DID
NOT HAVE THE
SAME POLITICAL
RIGHTS AS
LIBERT
PATRICIANS
SLAVES HAD NO
I
SLAVES
RIGHTS. FREED
NON
SLAVES, CALLED
CITIZENS
LIBERTI, DID NOT
BECAME CITIZENS

PLEBEI
ANS

PATRICI
ANS

CITIZENS

SENATORS
AND
RULERS OF
THE
GOVERNME
NT

THE MONARCHY
753 BC-509
BC

EARLY ROME WAS A MONARCHY. THERE

WERE FOUR LATIN KINGS, WHO WERE
LATER FOLLOWED BY THREE ETRUSCAN
KINGS. THE KINGS HELD POLITICAL,
MILITARY AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY.
THE ROMANS DEPOSED THE LAST
ETRUSCAN KING IN 509 BC AND
ESTABLISHED A NEW SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT: THE REPUBLIC

ROMAN REPUBLIC
509 BC
27 BC
CENSOR

CONSUL

LED THE ARMY

AND CALLED THE
ASSEMBLY

PRAETOR
SUPERVISED
JUSTICE

CONTROLLED
THE
PROMOTION OF
PATRICIANS TO
STATE

MAGISTRATES

HAD POWER OVER

POLITICS, JUSTICE AND
TAXATION
ELECT
ED

COMITIA

SENATE

THE MOST
IMPORTANT
INSTITUTION IN
THE REPUBLIC. IT
COULD DECLARE
WAR
ENTERED GOVERNMENT

PATRICIANS

ELECTED
MAGISTRATES AND
APPROVED LAWS

FORME
D

TRIBUNE OF
THE
PLEBEIANS

DEFENDED THE
RIGHTS OF THE
PLEBEIANS
PLEBEIANS EXCLUDED FROM THE
SENATE

ROMAN REPUBLIC
509 BC 27
BC

THE EXPANSION OF
ROME

THE ROMAN
EMPIRE

MAP OF THE ROMAN

ROMAN CITIES
ROMAN CITIES WERE CENTRES
OF ROMANISATION. THEY
HELPED TO SPREAD ROMAN
CULTURE THROUGHOUT THE
EMPIRE

CITIES HAD A GRID

SYSTEM, SIMILARA TO
A MILITARY CAMP

THE FORUM WAS THE CENTRAL

SQUARE WHERE THE TWO
STREETS CROSSED.
POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TOOK
PLACE THERE

They had two main

streets: the cardo
(North to South), and
the decumanus (East
to West)

ROMAN CITIES
THERE WERE MANY TYPE OF
BUILDINGS

PUBLIC BUILDINGS
INCLUDED BASILICAS,
WHERE JUSTICE WAS
ADMINISTERED

THERE WERE
TEMPLES TO
GODS AND
GODDESSES

PUBLIC BATHS
WERE ALSO
MEETING
PLACES
THERE WERE
ALSO
BUILDINGS FOR
ENTERTAINMEN
T

GLADIATOR COMBATS
TOOK PLACE IN
AMPHITHEATRES
CHARIOT RACES IN
CIRCUSES
THERE WERE SHOWS IN
THEATRES

BUILDINGS FOR
ENTERTAINMENT

AMPHITHEATRE

CIRCUS

THEATRE

OTHER
BUILDINGS

TEMPLE

ARCH

PRIVATE HOUSES

There were two main

type of private houses

INSULAE
They were shared buildings
with many small apartments.
There were often shops and
workshops on the ground
floor

DOMUS
This type was a house for
a single wealthy family. Its
rooms surrounded an
atrium or indoor courtyard

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
IN MANY WAYS, ROMAN ARCHITECTURE WAS LIKE GREEK
ARCHITECTURE, BUT THERE WERE SOME IMPORTANT
DIFFERENCES
ROMAN ARCHICTECTURE WAS
MONUMENTAL, AND ON A
LARGER SCALE THAN GREEK
ARCHITECTURE
THE ROMANS HAD VERY
PRACTICAL OBJECTIVES.
THEY CARRIED OUT GREAT
GREAT ENGINEERING WORKS
LIKE AQUEDUCTS, ROADS AND
BRIDGES
UNLIKE THE GREEKS, THE
ROMANS USED ARCHES AND
VAULTS
THEY INVENTED NEW ORDERS,
AS WELL AS USING THE GREEK
ORDERS

THEY USED STONE FOR

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS,
AS DID THE GREEKS. ALSO
BRICK AND CEMENT

ROMAN SCULPTURE
MANY WORKS OF ART WERE COPIES OF GREEK ORIGINALS.
THANKS TO THAY WE HAVE THOSE MASTERPIECES
ROMANS CREATED MORE REALISTIC
PORTRAITS THAN THE GREEKS, AND
WERE LESS INTERESTED IN IDEAL
BEAUTY

EQUESTRIAN STATUES WERE USED TO

HONOUR EMPERORS AND GENERALS

THEY ALSO CREATED RELIEFS, WHICH

SHOWED IMPORTANT EVENTS.

TROJANS
COLUMN

ESTATUA
BARBERINI

MARCUS
AURELIUS

PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS

PAINTINGS
DECORATED THE
WALLS OF PALACES
AND THE HOUSES OF
WEALTHY PEOPLE.
MOST OF THE
TECHNIQUE WAS
DONE USING THE
SECCO OR DRY
METHOD, ALTHOUGH
SOME PAINTINGS DID
USE THE FRESCO
METHOD.
THE MAIN
INNOVATION OF
ROMAN PAINTING
COMPARED TO GREEK
ART WAS THE
INTRODUCTION OF IN
THEIR DRAWINGS

MOSSAICS

THEY WERE MADE O

TINY SQUARE PIECES
OF STONE, GLASS OR
TILE. THEY
DECORATED FLOORS
WITH SCENES
SHOWING DAILY LIFE,
WAR OR RELIGION

ROMAN RELIGION

ROMAN RELIGION WAS

POLITHEISTIC. MANY ROMAN
GODS AND GODDESSES WERE
ORIGINALLY GREEK, AND
THE ROMANS WORSHIPPED THE RECEIVED LATIN NAMES
LARES AND PENATES, WHO WERE
HOUSEHOLD GODS. THEY ALSO
BELIEV ED IN THE MANES, WHO
WERE THE SPIRITS OF THEIR
THEY WERE SUPERSTITIOUS AND
ANCESTORS.
CONSULTED THE GODS BEFORE THEY
TOOK IMPORTANT DECISIONS. SOME
EMPERORS WERE CONSIDERED GODS,
ADN TEMPLES WERE BUILT IN THEIR
HONOUR

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

POLITICS

IN THE 3RD CENTURY

AD, THE ROMAN EMPIRE
ENTERED A CRISIS

THE WARS AGAINST THE

GERMANIC PEOPLE INCREASED
THE INFLUENCE OF THE ARMY.
THE EMPEROR BEGAN TO RELY
MORE ON , WHO WER NOT
UNDER HIS CONTROL

ECONOM
Y

THE ROMAN EXPANSION HAD

ENDED, THERE WERE FEWER
SLAVES TO WORK IN MINING
AND AGRICULTURE. THERE
WAS A FALL IN PRODUCTION
AND TRADE

SOCIETY

URBAN LIFE DECLINED. THE

EMPIRE INCREASED TAXES,
AND MANY PEOPLE LEFT THE
CITIES BECAUSE THEY COULD
NOT PAY THEM. THEY WENT TO
WORK ON VILLAS (COUNTRY
HOMES FOR RICH PEOPLE
THAT BECOME FARMS)

CHRISTIANITY
IN THE 1ST CENTURY
AD, THE FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS OF
NAZARETH FOUNDED
CHRISTIANITY
THIS WAS A
MONOTHEISTIC
RELIGION, SO
CHRISTIANS BELIVIED
IN ONLY ONE GOD
ACCORDING TO
CHRISTIANITY,
PEOPLE SHOULD
LOVE EACH OTHER,
AND WOULD
RECEIVE ETERNAL
LIFE IF THEY
FOLLOWED THEIR
RELIGION

DURING THE 3RD CENTURY

AD, CHRISTIANITY SPREAD
THROUGH THE EMPIRE. THE
CHRISTIANS REFUSED TO
WORSHIP THE EMPEROR OR
SERVE IN THE ROMAN ARMY.
THEY WERE PERSECUTED,
AND PRACTISED THEIR
RELIGION IN PRIVATE HOMES,
OR UNDERGROUND
PASSAGEWAYS CALLED
CATACOMBS
IN 313 AD, THE EMPEROR
CONSTANTINE ALLOWED
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. IN
380 AD, THE EMPEROR
THEODOSIUS MADE
CHRISTIANITY THE
OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE
EMPIRE

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS

FROM THE 3RD
CENTURY AD,
THERE WERE
MANY
INVASIONS BY
GERMANIC
PEOPLE

THE WESTERN
ROMAN EMPIRE
ENDEND IN THE
5TH CENTURY
(476 AD WITH
ROMULUS
AUGUSTUS)

THE ROMANS CALLED

THESE PEOPLE
BARBARIANS, OR
FOREIGNERS
THEIR MIGRATIONS WERE
CAUSED BY: THE
PRESSURE
POPULATION
FROM OTHER
GROWHT,
PEOPLE
WHICH MADE
FURTHER EAST,
THEM LOOK
WHICH FORCED
FOR NEW
THEM TO
AREAS TO
MIGRATE
SETTLE
TOWARDS THE
ROME WAS NOW TOO
WEAK
WEST
AND
TO RESIST, SO ROMAN
SOUTH
EMPERORS MADE A SERIES
OF AGREEMENTS WITH
GERMAN CHIEFTAINS. THEY
OFFERED THEM SOME
LANDS

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS

THE BIZANTINE EMPIRE

IN 395 AD THE EMPEROR THEODOSIUS DIVIDED THE ROMAN
EMPIRE BETWEEN HIS TWO SONS. ROME REMAINED THE CAPITAL
THE WESTERN EMPIRE AND CONSTANTINOPLE BECAME
THE OF
EASTERN
CAPITAL OF THE EASTERN EMPIRE
EMPIRE
SURVIVED THE
INVASIONS AND
BECAME KNOWN
AS THE
BYZANTINE
EMPIRE.
BYZANTIUM WAS
THE NAME OF A
GREEK COLONY
WHERE THE
CONSTANTINOP
BYZANTINE
LE WAS CIVILISATION WAS INFLUENCED BY
GREEK
AND ROMAN CULTURE, AND GREEK WAS
FOUNDED
ITS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. UNDER EMPEOR
JUSTINIAN (527-565 AD) BYZANTIUM
RECONQUERED PART OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE