Ancient Rome

 

Government and social classes were a very big part of Ancient Rome. Rome had many key people including Julius Caesar, Romulus and Remus, and Augustus. Ancient Rome also had many key events like The Spread of Christianity, The Division of Rome, and The Law of Twelve Tables. Rome began in a very interesting way.

Rome began in 753 B.C. It was discovered Romulus and Remus. Rome gets it’s name from it’s first king, Romulus. Romulus became king after he killed his brother, Remus. Rome began on the central of Italy’s Tiber River as a small town. It became an empire after the rise and fall of Julius Caesar. Rome grew in strength and size and became a trading town. Rome learned it’s religion and literacy from The Greeks. The Etruscans were a model for trade. Rome used and upgraded concepts of other cultures.

One of the important events that occurred during this era was when the Laws of the Twelve Tables were invented. The Laws of the Twelve Tables was a written code that lasted as long as the Rome Empire lasted. These codes were thought of as the beginning of European Laws. The original tablets were destroyed in 390 B.C.

Christianity began in Ancient Rome, but Christians were being hunted as criminals. They didn’t worship the Roman gods and that was against the law. Christians considered themselves equal to other Christians. The number of Christians grew fast. Although most Christians were poor, some were rich. Finally in 313, Emperor Constantine made it legal to be a Christian. After a short while, Christianity was Rome’s main religion.

Rome was to big to rule effectively, it took weeks to get messages from Rome to the outer parts of the empire. Emperor Diocletian decided something needed to be done. He chose to divide Rome into two parts, the Western Empire and the Eastern Empire. The Western Empire was based in Rome and the Eastern Empire was based in Byzantium. He decided there would be one emperor for each Empire and they would work together to fight outside enemies. The Eastern Empire lasted 1,000 years more than the Western Empire.

There were many important people in Ancient Rome including Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was one of the best military leaders. He was General Marius’s nephew. After Marius’s death and Sulla’s rise, his life was in a time of jeopardy. Later on, in the 60s B.C., he became very successful. He became part of the First Triumvirate, along with Pompey the Great and Crassus. The three of them controlled Rome during the 50s B.C., but after Crassus’s death, Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great went to war against each other in 49 B.C. Caesar later became the governor of Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul. Caesar marched against the Germans and drove them out of Gaul. Later on, Caesar conquered Gaul and it became a Roman province. In early 49 B.C. Caesar began Civil War with Pompey the Great. Caesar decided to invade Italy and in less than seventy days, he drove Pompey the Great to Macedonia. Julius Caesar also decided to attack Spain which supported Pompey, and he was victorious. He then sailed to Macedonia, but couldn’t defeat Pompey. He fell back into Greece, then defeated Pompey the Great once and for all. He was then drawn into affair with Cleopatra in Egypt, where he fought two more battles. He was assassinated by political rivals on the Ides of March in 44 B.C.

Other important people in Ancient Rome included Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus were twins. Their father left them in a basket on the Tiber River after he was afraid they were going to overthrow him as king. They were found in a river by a she-wolf. The she-wolf protected them from other wild animals. One day two shepherds came across the twins. One of them took the boys home and raised them. They became natural leaders. One day, Remus was captured and taken to the king where his real identity was discovered. Romulus got some shepherds together and went to rescue his brother. They ended up killing the king. They were offered crowns but they turned them down because they wanted to found their own city. They set off and eventually found where Rome is today. There was only one problem, they wanted the city to be on different hills. They decided to wait for a sign from the gods to tell them where the city should be. Romulus went ahead and built a wall around the hill that he chose. Remus got jealous and started to make fun of the wall. He eventually jumped over the wall to show Romulus just how easy it was to cross. Romulus got angry and killed Remus. Romulus built the empire and named himself king of Rome.

Augustus was another very key person in Ancient Rome. Augustus was born on September 23, 63 B.C. in Rome. He was born under the name of Gaius Octavius Thurinus but was usually called Octavian until his name was later changed. His uncle, Julius Caesar, made him the heir of his fortune. After Caesar died, he gathered military and political support. He was elected consul. He was part of the Second Triumvirate which consisted of Marc Antony, lepidus, and Augustus. After a while, they started battling each other. After Lepidus was defeated, Marc Antony allied himself with Cleopatra. Augustus ended up defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra. He was then the most powerful man in Rome. This is when the Senate gave him the name Augustus and he became the ruler and emperor of Rome. Augustus brought back peace and prosperity. He also rebuilt much of the empire. He built roads, buildings, bridges, and government buildings. Augustus strengthened the army and conquered a lot of land around the Mediterranean Sea and the next 200 years were full of peace.

Social classes were important in Ancient Rome. There were two social classes in Ancient Rome. The Patricians were the wealthy and the ruling class. The Plebeians consisted of everybody else and were known as the “common people”or Plebs. Plebeians fought many of Rome’s battles. In the early years of Rome, you had to be born into the Patrician class because it was prohibited for the two classes to get married. The Patricians responsibilities consisted of making the laws, sharing the responsibilities of being senator, and caring for the land that they owned. One of the Plebeians responsibilities was fighting in the army. Many Plebeians also worked the Patricians land. The Plebeians were farmers, craftsmen, laborers, and soldiers. The Plebeians had hardly any power at all so they fought for their rights and their power mainly through riotings and going on strike. They refused to fight in the army until they gained more power so the Patricians gave them more rights to avoid conflict. They could now marry into the Patrician class and run for office. They could also elect their own government officials. They called these officials tribunes. Although there was a small percentage of Patricians, they always held more power because they were the true descendents of the original people in Rome. The Plebeians and the Patricians hardly ever mixed socially.  The Patricians were most likely resented for their power, and the Plebeians were feared because of their power in numbers.

Ancient Rome started out as a monarchy. Around 509 B.C., the citizens of Rome gained it’s control from the Etruscans and the Roman Republic started. The officials were elected by the citizens of Rome. Elected officials were called magistrates. The people all shared the leadership. The consuls were in the highest position.And the Senate of the Patricians chose them. There were two consuls who ruled the republic. The consul worked closely with the Senate while making decisions. The Senators advised the consuls and were selected for life. The Plebeians had no say in the government at first but they eventually gained power and were able to be one of the consuls. The Plebeian Council was where the common people elected leaders and passed laws. The Tribunes were the representatives of the Plebeians and they could veto laws. Governors were the local rulers and they were in charge of the local army. An Aedile was a city official. A Censor counted citizens and kept track of census. Not all people were treated the same. Women could not hold office and they didn’t have the right to vote. Only men could vote. Consuls, Senators, and Governors came from wealthier families. Plebeians and Patricians were strictly separated and marriage between the two classes was prohibited. The Roman Republic lasted 500 years, until the fall of Rome.

Consul was the most powerful position in the Roman Republic. There were always two consuls elected to keep one from becoming king or queen. Consuls were elected by a popular vote and after they were elected, they served one year terms. They had to wait ten years before they could run for consul again. Consuls decided when to go to war, how much taxes to collect, and what the laws were. Consuls also had control of the army and listened to the advice the senators gave them. Consuls originally came from patricians but were later chosen from patricians and plebeians. After that, it was required for at least one of the consuls to be a plebeians. If a consul died, a Suffect Consul was elected to serve for the rest of the term. At the end of the term, the consuls would take the title Proconsul and would generally serve as provincial governors.

Senators were very important people in the Roman Republic. Senators were not elected, they were appointed by a censor and they couldn’t make laws, only decrees but the decrees were generally obeyed. In the early years of Rome, only wealthy men could be senators. Senators were people who had been a previously elected official. If they lost their wealth, they were expected to resign. Senators passed all the laws and you had to be rich to become one. If you were elected, you remained a senator for life. Although senators did not get paid, it was considered a lifelong goal to become one.

A veto is a right to reject a law or proposal. In Ancient Rome, the emperor could veto any law or motion if they wished to do so. A Consul could veto any law or motion and could veto the other consul. Lastly, a tribune could veto a law or motion if it interfered with the plebeian’s wishes and the will of Rome. If you chose to veto a law or motion, you had to leave a comment on the card of proposal.  A law or motion could not be vetoed just for the fun of it and it can’t be auto passed. Something could only be vetoed if it was unfit for Rome.

Rome ended in 476 A.D. There were many reasons why Rome fell including attacks by Barbarian tribes, it had an aggressive growth so it was difficult to govern, the trade fell, and they were short on food. In 364 A.D., Rome was divided into two. The Western Empire ended in 476 because Romulus Augustulus was deposed. Although Rome took a long period of time to fall, some local Roman societies went down right away.

Rome was a very important civilization in ancient times. There were many key people like Julius Caesar, Romulus and Remus, and Augustus. Main events in Ancient Rome included The Spread of Christianity, The Division of Rome, and The Development of The Law of Twelve Tables. The government and social classes were a very key part in Ancient Rome. These are just a few things that were part of a vital Ancient Civilization.