The Roman Empire- Ancient Days

Etruscans Rule Rome

605 BCE

The early development of Rome was mostly influenced by the Etruscans. They were located north of Rome in Etruria. The Etruscans moved into north-central Italy and took control of Rome and most of Latium. They launched a building program that turned Rome from a village to a city. Two of the last three kings in Rome were Etruscans. The Romans adopted the organization of the Etruscan army and their dress. The Etruscans introduced the Greek alphabet to Rome.

Rome Becomes a Republic

509 BCE

Early Rome was under the control of kings until the Romans overthrew the Etruscan king and established a republic. The wealthy class were the ones who ruled the Roman Republic. They were Patricians and the lower class were called Plebians. The Patricians held government positions, but Plebians had no say in the government. The Twelve Tables, which is a set of laws, became a large part of the Roman Republic.

The 1st Punic War

264 BCE

(264-261 BC) Rome's first war with Carthage is known as the 1st Punic War. Both Rome and Carthage had a desire to hold Messana, so they went to war. The Romans realized they couldn't win without a naval fleet, so they created one. After a long struggle, a Roman fleet defeated the Carthaginian navy off Sicily's coast. After Carthage gave up all rights to Sicily and paid a fine, Sicily became the first Roman province.

The 2nd Punic War

218 BCE

(218-201 BC) The Punic Wars continued into 218 BC. Hannibal decided to bring his army over to Rome to fight. The Romans met them full on, which was a huge mistake. At Cannae, the Romans lost a ton of men but refused to back down. The Romans slowly came back and when they did, they decided to invade Carthage instead of fight Hannibal. The Romans defeated them. Hannibal's losses ended Carthage's empire in the Mediterranean, so Carthage lost Spain.

The 3rd Punic War

149 BCE

(149-146 BC) Fifty years after the 2nd Punic War, Rome fought its final battle with Carthage called the 3rd Punic War. This war was definitely the most controversial of the three wars. Many Romans wanted Carthage completely destroyed and in 146 BC, it was. For ten days, Roman soldiers burned the city. Fifty thousand of their people were sold into slavery and Carthage became a Roman province called Africa.

Slave Revolt led by Spartacus

71 BCE

Spartacus was in gladiator school and he escaped along with seventy other gladiators and soon they were all joined by slaves. They all joined together to revolt against the Roman Empire at Mt. Vesuvius. Rome didn't think anything of this revolt. Rome didn't send their first line troops. Spartacus went through Rome's first four front lines. The slave revolt kept going after towns till finally the army was defeated near the headwaters of Silver River. During the battle their leader Spartacus died.

The Frist Triumvirate

60 BCE

The First Triumvirate was an alliance with Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey. This triumvirate lasted for 8 years. They each owned a piece of land. Crassus died in battle and Caesar went after Pompey's land breaking their agreement. Pompey and Caesar went to battle and Caesar won. Pompey left Rome and went to Egypt and at Egypt he was killed. Years later in 44 B.C. Caesar was murdered and that was the last of the First Triumvirate.
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The Second Triumvirate

43 BCE

The Second Triumvirate was a political alliance between Octavian (Augustus), Antony, and Lepidus. They had near absolute power over Rome. Each ruler was only aloud to rule for 5 years at at time. If their people were unhappy at the end of the term they could get rid of the whole triumvirate. Augustus planned to overthrow Antony but instead he battled Cleopatra and Lepidus.

The Age of Augustus

31 BCE

Augustus was the first Roman Emperor. He almost doubled the size of the Roman Empire. Augustus spent much time consolidating power in the provinces and instituting a system of censused and taxation that integrated the empires furthest reaches. He grew the Roman network of roads, founded the Praetorian Guard and the Roman postal service. Augustus also remade Rome with both grand and political gestures. For example, fire and police departments.

The Gospels Begin to be Written

40

There is four Gospels. The four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospels are not biographies, they are stories told in such a way as to evoke a certain image of Jesus for a certain audience. We need to think of the Gospels as a preaching but also as a story being told. The gospels mean good news. The reason the Gospels mean good news is because in each of them they bring 'good news'.

Nero Becomes Emperor

54

Nero became emperor in 54 AD. He ordered that public games be held every 5 years and participated in these games as a chariot racer. In 64, a fire started near Circus Maximus. It spread fast, and within 9 days, destroyed 3 of the 14 districts and damaged another 7. Nero blamed Christians and put many to death, though some believe he was responsible. In the final years of his reign, he was failing his duties. In 68 AD, Nero committed suicide after hearing plans of his execution.

The Colosseum Opens

80

Emperor Vespian commissioned the construction of the colosseum in 72 AD. After 10 years, his son Titus opened it in 80 AD. It held over 50, 000 spectators, and held events such as gladiator combat and wild animal fights. Gladiators were usually slaves, convicted criminals, or prisoners of war. These fights were usually held from dusk to dawn and were usually “to the death”. It is recorded that over 9,000 beasts were killed during the 100 days of games when it first opened.

Constantine (First Christian Emperor)

313

Constantine was the first Christian emperor in Rome. He converted to Christianity after receiving a “vision” the night before a battle. In this dream, he saw a Chi Ro, a symbol of Christ. He believed it was a “divine sign” and ordered all the soldiers to paint one on their shields. They won the battle, and Constantine credited the victory to the Christian God. He then went on to ascribe all of his success to his conversion.

The Empire Falls

476

Before it fell, Rome was having serious economic and political trouble: inflation was high, it was being lead by “political amateurs”, and the military was corrupt. As a result, Germanic barbarians were hired as soldiers. Rome fell quickly when Germanic barbarian tribes attacked. Romulus was the last Roman emperor. The Roman empire stood for 1,000 years.