David Wang

ROMAN EMPIRE
Origins
- started in Italy
- Italy and Sicily helped link Europe and N Africa
- Mild Mediterranean climate allowed a long growing season with a large crop variety
- One hill in Rome occupied by 1000BCE
- Agriculture was the main economic activity and was the basis for wealth
Early Leaders
- Heads of wealthy families were members of the senate (council of elders)
- Legend says there were 7 kings between 753BCE-507BCE
- Romulus was the first and said to have been raised by a she wolf
- In 507BCE the senatorial class led a revolt and created a republic
Roman Republic 507BCE-31BCE
- not a democracy
- the wealthy had most of the power
- roman senate had the real power
- every member of the family was under the absolute authority of the oldest living male
Expansion
- began slowly
- picked up and peaked in the 3rd and 2nd century BCE
- key to roman success was willingness to grant privileges of Roman citizenship
- fought 2 major wars against the Carthaginians descendants of the Phoenicians
Military Dictatorship
- Julius Caesar’s grandnephew and heir Octavian eliminated his rivals by 31 BCE and refashioned
the roman government
- New emperors were chose by he armies
- Revenues from provinces were transferred to Rome
- Romanization was the biggest result
- Spread Latin and the roman way of life
Christianity
- present day Israel was placed under Roman rule in 6CE
- lots of tension because the Jews believed in one god
- Jesus was preaching during this time and was put to death by Roman government Pontius Pilate
- Jesus’ Apostles carried on his word
- For the next 2 centuries the Christian population grew even though they were persecuted by the
Romans
- By the late 3rd Century Christianity was a sizable minority
Constantine
- between 235-284CE the Empire was filled with political and military emergencies
- by 324CE Constantine had reunited the entire empire
- During a key battle in 312CE he claimed to see a cross in the sky and converted to Christianity
- Transferred the capital to Byzantium renamed it Constantinople
Technology
- Aqueducts
- Concrete
- Arch – allowed the even distribution of weight
- Army had the best engineers
o Built bridges, siege, and ballistic weapons
o During peace time the soldiers were put to work on construction projects