Chapter

2
The Expansion and Fall of Rome

The Origins of Rome

From 700 B.C. to 500 B.C.,
three groups lived on the
Italian peninsula the LaCns,
Greeks, and Etruscans.
The rst Roman seHlements
were built in the hills along
the Tiber River.
The Tiber River enabled
Romans to trade throughout
Italy and the Mediterranean
Sea.

Romulus and Remus Timeline

Things To Do in Rome
Coliseum
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
Roman Forum

Castel SantAngelo
VaCcan (St. Peters Basilica/SisCne
Chapel)

A Kingdom Emerges
During the 8th century B.C.
(800-701B.C.) Rome became
a kingdom ruled by Etruscan
kings.
The last Etruscan king to rule
Rome was Tarquin the Proud.
Tarquin was a harsh ruler,
and in 510 B.C. Romans
overthrew the rule of kings.
The Romans established a
form of government known
as republic.

The Roman Republic

In a republic, all freeborn males could vote to
select their leaders.

In the Roman Republic,
there were 2
government leaders
known as consuls.
In the Roman Republic,
the Senate passed laws
and checked the powers
of the consuls.

Decline of the Republic

In the Punic Wars, the Romans
defeated a powerful North African
civilizaCon known as Carthage.
In a civil war, dierent groups
fought each other for control of
Rome.
In 45 B.C. a powerful Roman
general named Julius Caesar ended
the Roman civil war, and declared
himself dictator for life.
In 44 B.C., Caesar was killed by his
poliCcal opponents in the Senate.
WATCH The AssassinaCon of Julius
Caesar

Rome Becomes an Empire

Aaer the death of Caesar, a bloody power
struggle followed.

Caesars adopted son Octavian gains control
of Rome, and takes the Ctle Augustus or
divine one.
Rome experienced a long period of peace
and prosperity known as Pax Romana, or
Roman Peace.
When Augustus died in 14 A.D. the Roman
Empire built 50,000 miles of roads and had a
populaCon of approximately 60 million
people
The Roman populaCon included Celts,
Germans, North Africans, Greeks, Syrians,
Jews, and EgypCans.
WATCH The Roman Empire History Channel

Knew It
1)

Learned It
1)

2)

2)

3)

3)

Internal Weaknesses Threaten Rome

Heavy taxaCon
Los elevados impuestos
Lack of educaCon
Falta de educacin
DistribuCon of news
Distribucin de noCcias
Decline in agriculture
Declive de la agricultura
Growth of slavery
El crecimiento de la esclavitud
Military disloyalty
Deslealtad militar
Public corrupCon
La corrupcin pblica

The Rise of Chris@anity

ChrisCanity is a religion based on
the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus was born in the Roman
province of Judea.
Jesus was a member of a group
called the Jews, and pracCced a
religion known as Judaism.
Roman ocials imprisoned and
killed many early ChrisCans.
WATCH Passion of the Christ movie
trailer

Rome Divides into East and

West

In 284 A.D., DiocleCan (dy-uh-kleeshuhn) became emperor of Rome.

DiocleCan divided the Roman Empire

into east and west.

ConstanCne became emperor aaer

DiocleCan.

In 313 A.D., ConstanCne declared an end

to all aHacks on ChrisCans and allowed
ChrisCans to worship freely.

In 330 A.D., ConstanCne moved the

capital from Rome to ByzanCum and
renamed it ConstanCnople (modern-day
Istanbul).

Fall of the Roman Empire

During the late 300s, the

Germanic, Hun, and Slavs people
invaded Roman Empire.

In 476, Germanic tribes

conquered Rome. Most
historians marks this date as the
fall of the Western Roman
Empire.

In 486, Clovis, the leader of a

Germanic group known as the
Franks, conquered the remaining
Roman lands.

WATCH Rise and Fall of an Empire

Jus@nian Builds a New

Empire
Western Rome fell to invaders,
but Eastern Rome survived and
became known as the Byzan@ne
Empire.
When Jus@nian I was emperor
(527-565), the ByzanCne Empire
expanded and recaptured some of
the land Rome lost.
Jus@nian Code were laws that
regulated much of the ByzanCne
Empire for 900 years.
WATCH Rick Steves Hagia Sophia

Disagreements Split
Chris@anity
The ByzanCne Empire was inuenced
by ideas and goods from both Asia
and Europe.
Aaer Emperor ConstanCne, many
Romans converted to ChrisCanity.
The leader of ChrisCans in Rome was
the pope.
The leader of an empire was the
emperor.
Popes and emperors had
disagreements that led to schism, or
ocial split, of the ChrisCan religion
(Roman Catholic and Orthodox).

Venn Diagram on Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

Roman Catholic
Services are in LaCn or
local languages.
The pope has authority
over all other bishops.
The pope claims authority
over all kings and
emperors.
Priests may not marry.

Eastern Orthodox
Services are in Greek or
local languages.
Bishops work together as
a group to make church
decisions.
The emperor claims
authority over all religious
leaders.
Priests may be married.

Similari@es
Both faiths are based on
gospels of Jesus and the
Bible.
Use sacraments such as
bapCsm.
Religious leaders are
priests and bishops.
Try to convert people to
ChrisCanity.

Venn Diagram on the Rich and Poor in Roman Empire

The Legacy of Rome

Read The Legacy of Rome on page 31
in the workbook and watch Rome
VacaCon Travel Guide. Write 1-2
sentences of notes for each category.

Art

Philosophy

Language

Architecture and Engineering

Religion

Law and Government