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The Founding of Rome

About the year 753 B.C. a little town called Rome sprang up on the Tiber River in
Italy.In time, it would grow to become the center of the largest empire of ancient
times.
The earliest inhabitants of Rome were the They were a simple, industrious
Latins.
people who built a society based chiefly on farming and cattle raising. Sometime in
the early' 7th century however, invaders from Asia Minor seized control of Rome
B.c.,

and held it for about one hundred years. These invaders were the Etruscans, who had
settled in northern Italy. Then, in the year 509 a.c., the Latins overthrew a particularly

harsh Etruscan king and established a republic.

A republic is a form of government in which citizens elect representatives to govern
them. In Rome, the people elected two consuls to head the government. These
consuls were similar to modern presidents or prime ministers in their duties.
Like Athens, Rome was not a complete democracy. Real power lay in the hands of
the patricians, or wealthy landowners. The plebeians, the lower class, at first had few
rights. They were not represented in the Senate, which made the laws and ruled the
country. In time, however, the plebeians won the right to elect their own
representatives, called tribunes. Eventually, the distinction between patrician and
plebeian disappeared.
As Rome grew stronger, conquered neighboring cities and made itself master
it of
Italy. Then it embarked upon a period of conquest that first brought control of it

Carthage, a powerful city in north Africa, and then later the lands of the entire
Mediterranean world. Soon the Romans found that a republican form of government
was inadequate for controlling such a vast area with so many people. In 45 B.c., Julius
Caesar ended the republic and became dictator. A short time later, the Roman Empire
was born when Octavian, Caesar's grandnephew, was crowned emperor.

Determine whether the statements below are true or false. Write T or F in each blank.
F The city of Rome was founded by the Etruscans.
2.
F The Latins were a seafaring people who depended on trade for a living.

3. T Two consuls headed the government of republican Rome.

4.
T The plebeians were the Roman upper class.

5. T Tribunes were representatives of the plebeians.

6.
F Julius Caesar was the first emperor of the Roman Empire.

7. Why do you think the Romans elected two consuls instead of just one?
In order to check on the power of any individual citizen in accordance with the republican the
powers of the former kings of Rome.

8. The members freshmen classes at America's military academies are called

of
plebes. Why do you think this is so?
because they are underprivileged commoners of ancient rome

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The Roman Empire

A number of mighty empires rose and fell during ancient times. Two of these were
the Persian Empire and the empire of Alexander the Great. However, the greatest
empire by far was that of the Romans. It included not only the lands that touched the
Mediterranean Sea, but also all of western Europe, parts of central Europe, and the
British Isles. The Roman Empire began in 27 B.C. with the crowning of Octavian as
Caesar Augustus. It ended in 476 when Rome fell to invading Germanic tribes.
For over two hundred years, the Roman Empire was ruled by the emperor in
Rome. However, in time, the difficulties of governing such a vast realm proved too
much for one person. In the year 284, Emperor Diocletian appointed a co-emperor,
Maximian, to share the responsibilities and burdens of the empire. For the next
hundred years, one emperor ruled from Rome white another ruled from Constantinople
(now the city of Istanbul in Turkey). In 395, because of religious and other differences,
the empire officially split into two parts: the Western Roman Empire, centered at
Rome, and the Eastern Roman Empire, centered at Constantinople. The Eastern
Roman Empire, which was also called the Byzantine Empire, outlasted the Western
Empire by almost one thousand years.

The map below shows the Roman Empire at its greatest size. IJse your textbook or
another reference book and label each of the locations below.
Spain Gaul Mediterranean Sea
Rome Greece Black Sea
Carthage Asia Minor AdriaticSea
Britain Egypt

britian

Gaul
black sea

rome greece
0 Asia
spain

mediterranean SEa
adriatic sea

Carthage
Egypt

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Life in Rome
Life changed as Rome grew an empire. The
into
introduction of many slaves from conquered territories
resulted in mass unemployment, even in rural areas.
Many farmers sold their land and moved to the cities,
where they lived by means of support from government
doles, which was money given out to provide for the poor
and unemployed.
To keep so many idle and dissatisfied people occupied, the Roman government
staged free games and other forms of entertainment. Huge amphitheaters, like the
Colosseum in Rome, offered, among other things, gladiator fights and contests
between men and ferocious animals. Usually, the gladiators were criminals, prisoners
of war, or slaves who were required to fight one another to the death. Sometimes the
floor of the Colosseum was flooded with watert and savage mock naval battles were

fought.
Rome's masses could also go to the Circus Maximus. This huge building housed a
large oval racetrack where chariot races were held. Many Romans bet money on their
favorite charioteers, and skilled charioteers were viewed as heroes.
Another popular form of recreation for the Romans was visiting the public baths.
The baths were fed constantly with water that flowed from the mountains through large
aqueducts. For a small fee, citizens could spend a day at one of the baths. There
they could bathe, work out in a gymnasium, or simply sit and visit with friends.
Roman industriousness, which had led to remarkable achievements in such areas
as law, language, and architecture, had greatly declined. This and many other
problems contributed to the eventual fall of the Roman Empire.

1. The Romans started the first dole, or welfare, system in history. At regular
government officials gave small sums of money and food to the
intervals,
unemployed masses in the cities. What brought about the need for this system?

the tribune Gaius made a law that the government has to supply its citizens with cheaply priced grains.”

2. How were the pastimes in ancient Rome similar to those people enjoy today?
How were they different?

One similarity between pastimes in ancient Rome and modern-day activities is the enjoyment of
sports. In ancient Rome, various sports were practiced, including chariot racing, gladiatorial combat,
and athletics such as running, wrestling, and boxing.

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Roman Contributions
The Romans were more imitators than originators of new ideas. They admired and
adapted much o! Greek culture. They even worshiped the Greek gods, but changed
their names. For example, Zeus became Jupiter, and Athena became Minerva.
Wherever the Romans went, they transmitted Greek civilization to other peoples.
The Romans themselves built imposing buildings, aqueducts, and roads. Several
outstanding Roman writers such as Cicero, Horace, Virgil, Livy, and Piutarch wrote
great works. However, the Romans' greatest contributions were in law and language.
In the field of law, the Romans gave the world the Justinian Code, which later
became the model for the legal systems of Europe. The Code even influenced the
laws of England and America. The Justinian Code emphasized several important
points. One was that all persons are equal under the law. Another was that a person
is innocent until proven guilty.
became the basis for what are called the Romance
Latin, the language of Rome,
(after Roman) languages. The Romance languages are Spanish, French, Italian,
Portuguese, and Romanian. Many of the words in the English language are also
derived from Latin.

Read each sentence and identify the word that would fill each blank. Write the words,
one letter per space, to complete the puzzle below about the Romans.

The Romans' name for the Greek god Zeus was jupiter
I,

2. The Justinian code influenced the legal systems of modern Europe.

3. The romance languages are derived from Latin.
4. The Romans were more imitators than originators.
5. innocent until proven guilty.#

6. spanish is one of the Romance languages.

j u p i t e

2. c o d e
e
3. r o a n c
i m t o r s
4. i t
n o c e n t
5. i
p a n i s h

7. In what ways were the legal systems of England and America influenced by
Roman law?

in their Latinate
justinian code

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire's period of greatness lasted about two hundred years. It began
with the reign of Caesar Augustus in 27 B.C. and ended with the death of Marcus
Aurelius in A.D. 180. After the year 180, the empire began to decline.
Many factors led to the fall of Rome. As the empire expanded and acquired more
territory, taxes were increased to administer the government and to support the army.
In time, higher taxes wiped out the middle class, and trade and business suffered. At
the same time, an influx of slaves into the empire caused widespread unemployment.
This in turn helped lead to a number of social problems, such as crime, moral decay,
and a lack of interest in government. While the poor grew poorerÄhe rich indulged
themselves in idleness and pleasure. Few people in Rome seemed to realize, or care,
that the empire was crumbling around them.
Beginning about the year 200, the orderly succession to the throne that had
characterized the empire throughout its history ended. Rival factions of the army
fought civil wars and installed their own candidates as emperor. During one fifty-year
period, twenty-six different emperors ruled from Rome. Of this number, twenty-five
were murdered. Such instability in government weakened Rome and made it
vulnerable to attacks from Germanic tribes to the north.
As Rome grew weaker, its army also declined. Citizens ignored their duties and
refused to enlist in the army, forcing officials to recruit barbarians who had settled
within the empire. The overall effect was that the army became undisciplined and
ineffective.
All of these factors contributed to the takeover of the Roman Empire in the west by
the Germanic Visigoth tribe in the year 476.

1. There were many economic, political, social, and military reasons for the fall of
Rome. ListAsthese reasons on the lines below.
the empire expanded and acquired more territory, taxes were increased to administer
economic: the government and to support the army.
In time, higher taxes wiped out the middle class, and trade and business suffered

political: During one fifty-year period, twenty-six different emperors ruled from Rome. Of this number, twenty-five
were murdered. Such instability in government weakened Rome
social: influx of slaves into the empire caused widespread unemployment.
This in turn helped lead to a number of social problems, such as crime, moral decay,
and a lack of interest in government
military:
As Rome grew weaker, its army also declined. Citizens ignored their duties and
refused to enlist in the army
2. What lessons might nations today learn from the fall of Rome?
Learned that we should make taxes higher than what people can pay
we shouldnt give too many people the role emperor

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The Indus Valley Civilization

At about the time that early civilizations were flourishing in Egypt and Mesopotamia,
others were beginning to develop in India and China. In India, an early civilization

sprang up in the valley of the Indus River.

For centuries, little was known about the first inhabitants of the Indus Valley. Then,
in1920, archaeologists unearthed the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
They were surprised to find streets that intersected perfectly and houses that had
bathrooms with drainage systems. They also discovered large granaries, with their
walls closed in, that seemed to indicate that the residents used grain as money. The
two cities were very similar, although they were located roughly a thousand miles
apart.
The people of the Indus Valley were farmers, herders, and traders. They grew and
traded such major crops as wheat and barley. Countless clay toys that were
unearthed seemed to indicate that the making of toys was an important industry.
Evidence points to the theory that the people of the Indus Valley traded with the
peoples of the Fertile Crescent.
No one really knows what happened to the Indus Valley civilization. The people
may have moved elsewhere after centuries of flooding caused their cities to disappear
under a sea of mud. Another possibility is that they were conquered by Indo-Aryans
from Persia, who moved into the area about 1500 B.C.

Fill in the blanks to complete the following statements about the Indus Valley
civilization.

1. Early civilization in India began in the valley of the River.

2. Two ancient Indian cities discovered in 1920 were and

3. The inhabitants of those two cities may have used for money.

4. The Indus Valley civilization may have been overrun in 1500 B.C. by a people
known as the

5. The Indo-Aryans who moved into India about 1500 B.c€ introduced the caste
system, a social structure that, although officially outlawed in India in 1950, still
exists in many ways today. How does a caste differ from a class? Look up both
words in a dictionary and compare them on the lines below.

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