What's so "ancient" about Rome?

Rome was one of the most powerful empires in ancient times. It started as a small community in Italy that was based on agriculture. This civilization was started around the 10th century. Ancient Rome contributed to many great advances like war, technology, law, architecture, and religion. Its innovation will continue to affect the modern world to this day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome).

The story of Rome begins when twin brothers named Romulus and Remus are born. Their mother is Rhea Silvia and their father is the God Mars. The twins are the descendents of the ancient Trojan worrier named Aeneas. The king believed that the twins would one day take his thrown so he had them drowned. The twins were then saved by a mother wolf (picture #1 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:She-wolf_suckles_Romulus_and_Remus.jpg). The brothers were raised until they could return and take back the thrown. They founded a new city, Rome, and then Romulus killed Remus over who would rule the new city. The city grew with an increase of trade in the area (http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/legend_of_rome.htm).

In about 504 B.C. the Roman Republic was founded (see picture #2 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Empire_Map.png). After its founding the struggle of the orders began. It occurred when the Plebeians who are the commoners and Patricians who are the aristocrats have a political struggle in the Roman Republic. The commoners wanted to have an equal amount of power as the upper class. In 494 B.C. the commoners got what they wanted. They were given one seat in the senate called the Plebeian Tribune. The commoner in this seat was elected by the other Plebeians and was given the power to veto. Over time this resulted in more Plebeians receiving seats in the senate. The Patricians now had to make laws that the Plebeians would like or they wouldn’t get passed. The Plebeians gained more power and were not only those who fallowed the laws. Now they helped to create fairer laws for everyone. This uprising would lead to the modern democratic systems still in place today (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_the_Orders).

The Roman Republican political and legal systems are still present in modern democracies today after being founded in 509 B.C. The Romans made many major advances in law. The roman government was a based on a system of checks and balances. Also it employed separation of powers. This new system depended on the structure of society not laws to maintain peace and order. The roman republic had its own constitution. This was a set of guidelines and was not official. It was mostly unwritten but it was still known by all. The roman republic also had a powerful senate. The senate’s duty was to oversee foreign policy and to take care of civil administration in the city. The roman republic also had a legislative assembly. This was made of us two groups of civilians. It was the people who had the main power. These elements listed are the basis for most of the modern democracies that function today (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic#The_Senate).

The Romans were also advanced in there combat formations. During a time when the main combat formations used hoplite tactics the Romans used a variety of soldiers. The roman legions were broken down into about 5 parts, each of which had a different type of weapon. This was much more maneuverable then the old formations used by the earlier civilizations. The Romans had cavalry, light infantry and heavy infantry. Also the Romans made technology similar to what we have today. They had roads, baths, aqueducts for supplying water, and theater. Also they build building that had domes and arches and after the collapse of the roman civilization much of this technology disappeared. Many of the roman building and monuments are still standing today (http://www.crystalinks.com/rome.html).

Ancient Rome was a large and powerful empire. Its influence has reached thought the ages and effect us to this day. Rome was changed the world of politics and law. They created a strong system of checks and balances and their own constitution hundreds of years before the United States did. They also created aqueducts and successfully constructed domes for their buildings. The roman civilization is not as ancient as we all thought. They were far ahead of their time and constantly teach us more about how to create a successful modern civilization.

Sources:

Ancient Rome. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome.

Ancient Rome. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. http://www.crystalinks.com/rome.html.

Conflict of the Orders. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_the_Orders.

The Romans. Web. 4 Mar. 2010.
http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/legend_of_rome.htm.

Roman Republic. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic#The_Senate

Picture sources:

Roman Empire Map.png. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Empire_Map.png.

She-wolf Suckles Romulus and Remus.jpg. Web. 4 Mar. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:She-wolf_suckles_Romulus_and_Remus.jpg.

Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy

Herodotus was a Greek historian who lived from 484 B.C. to 425 B.C. He is known in the West as the “father of History”. He was the first historian that would test the accuracy of his collected information and then put it in a narrative. He is famous for writing “the Histories” which is an account of the Persian Wars. Although not all of his information was completely correct he did collect all of it from taking with other people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus).

Thucydides was a Greek historian who lived from 460 B.C. to 395 B.C. He wrote the “History of the Peloponnesian War”. He used cause and effect to explain this history so he gained the name “father of scientific history". He is also the creator of a school that studies political realism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides).

Livy was a Roman historian who lived from 59 B.C. to 17 A.D. He wrote "Chapters from the Foundation of the City" which is a large collection of the history of Rome. It goes from the founding of Rome and legend like Romulus and Remiss to the present time when Livy was alive(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livy).

Sources:

Herodotus. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus.

Livy. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livy.

Thucydides. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides.

Picture sources:

AGMA Hérodote.jpg. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AGMA_H%C3%A9rodote.jpg.

Thucydides-bust-cutout ROM.jpg. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thucydides-bust-cutout_ROM.jpg.

Titus Livius.jpg. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titus_Livius.jpg.

Notes 3/3/10 west civ proj

Herodotus

• wrote history of Persian wars
• considered father of history
• went out and talked to people

Thucydides

• more of a scholar than Herodotus
• wanted the facts

Livy

• roman historian
• lived during the time of Augustus
• wrote history from Romulus and Remus to present
• book 21 of Livy's history of Rome is the story of Hannibal and the second Punic war

2nd Punic war

(battle of Cannae)

• Hannibal 's father made his pledge to hate the Romans
• Takes his army including war elephants over the Pyrenees and the Alps
• finaly gets to southeast of Rome
• Rome sends 60000 troops to cannae to attack Hannibal
• Roman soldiers out number the Carthaginians
• romans break through and then Hannibal surounds them and send calvelry to the back
• All the romans died and Hannibal is victorious
• largest Roman defeat up to that time
• hannibal fins the battle but he didn't have the fources to seage Rome, the capitol city (piric victory)

(battle of Zama)

• Romans lead by Scipio Africanas
• Romans win a vicory after scaring Carthaginian war elephants
• the elephants ran back into carthaginian
• Hanibal finaly defeated after 16 years of victories against rome
• scipio used hannibal strategies to win

3rd Punic War

• Roman were lead by son of Scippio, Scipio Aemlianus
• takes troops to meet carthaginians at Carthage
• the Romans seage the city and completly destroy it
• Cato the elder ended all his speaches with Carthage must be destroyed
• Scipio has the city covered with salt and all people killed or enslaved

Imagine you are a Roman in the year 264 BCE (the year of the 1st Punic War). What does your future look like? Then, look at the world around you today

In 264 B.C, my future would look poor. Rome and Carthage are locked in a fierce struggle for dominance in the Mediterranean. If Rome loses I could be enslaved and taken from my home. Because of the Plebeian Tribune I don’t have to be upper class to influence the laws in Rome. The balance in the Mediterranean is shifting while the two great powers are fighting. My future is uncertain(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Punic_War).

In the present day politics is very hectic. The government of the United States is trying to implement new healthcare laws and we are in the middle of a financial crisis. Also there is a struggle with the United States overseas. New technologies like computers are constantly advancing the world. The United Sates is the most powerful country currently so my future is very uncertain.

Source:

First Punic War. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Punic_War.

Picture source:

First Punic War 264 BC.png. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:First_Punic_War_264_BC.png.

How was the Struggle of the Orders influential on later Roman politics?

The struggle of the orders was when the Plebeians who are the commoners and Patricians who are the aristocrats have a political struggle in the Roman Republic. The commoners wanted to have an equal amount of power as the upper class. In 494 B.C. the commoners got what they wanted. They were given one seat in the senate called the Plebeian Tribune. The commoner in this seat was elected by the other Plebeians and was given the power to veto. Over time this resulted in more Plebeians receiving seats in the senate. The Patricians now had to make laws that the Plebeians would like or they wouldn’t get passed. The Plebeians gained more power and were not only those who fallowed the laws. Now they helped to create fairer laws for everyone. The Patricians now had less power to force the Plebeians to do what they want.

Source:

Conflict of the Orders. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_the_Orders.

Picture source:

Gaius Gracchus Tribune of the People.jpg. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gaius_Gracchus_Tribune_of_the_People.jpg.

Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.

Hannibal lived from 248 to 183 B.C. Hannibal lived during the time that the Roman Republic was growing as a Mediterranean superpower. Hannibal is most well known from bring an army that had war elephants over the Alps and Pyrenees mountains. After only three years in Italy he had won three major battles. He occupied Italy for 15 years until the Romans forced him back to Carthage. He was later defeated by the Romans in Carthage. Hannibal was defeated by Scipio who studied Hannibal's own war tactics. Hannibal was one of the best generals of ancient times.
I think that in the eyes of the Romans his reputation as a monster was deserved. Hannibal did wage war against the Romans and occupied Italy for 15 years. His victories over the Romans and his occupation of Italy made him very unpopular in Rome and could have branded him a monster.

Source:

Hannibal. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal.

Picture source:

HannibalTheCarthaginian.jpg. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HannibalTheCarthaginian.jpg.

Notes 3/1/10 west civ proj

Roman Empire

Aeneas

• was the last surviving warrior of Troy
• leads his people from Troy through the Mediterranean to Carthage in North Africa
• Dido falls in love with Aeneas.
• He must leave to fufill the will of the Gods and they go to Italy
• Dido commites sucide
• The troagans fight the people Latins in Italy and win
• Greeks have control over most of Italy
• Troagans set up Alba Longa as their main city (the kings rule from here)

Romulus and Remus

• Romulus and Remus were raised by a she wolf
• they declair war on each other
• Romulus wins and founds Rome
• Rome becomes the new capitol
• Etruscan civilization was north of Rome and they rule it for several generations
• Tarquin VI rapes a roman nobles wife
• Lucius Junius Brutus leads romans against the Tarquin kings

Rome

• founding of roman republic 509 B.C.
• the lower class threatens to rebel
• the tribune of the plebs is the one seat created in the senate that is a lower class (he has the right of veto)
• this creates checks and balances
• Roman army takes the land in the rest of italy
• the army set up a governor, a betalian, and a tax colector for the conqered city
• the roman army recruites young men from the vilages (30 years of service and then givenland to retire)
• Epirus was ruled by Pyrrhus (greek king)
• Pyrrhus invades rome in 280 B.C. in southern italy and then up to rome
• He defeates the roman army but loses the war
• Pyrrhus loses to many men to claim the victory
• in 264 B.C. in Sardinia they tell rome that Carthage is attacking them
• Rome startes a war against Carthage has 3 punic wars