Roman History

Roman civilizations

753 BCE

Roman civilization developed on a giant peninsula. It was founded by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. The twin brothers had a disagreement about the site location of the city which ended in Romulus killing Remus. Rome was named after Romulus. Romulus was the first ever king of Rome until 715 B.C.E.

Roman Monarchy

Period: 753 BCE to 509 BCE

Numa Pompilius

715 BCE

Numa was the second king of Rome from 715-673 B.C.E. His time as ruler was peaceful due to his adviser, the nymph, and prophetess Egeria. He was responsible for many of Rome's most important religious and political establishments.

Tullius Hostilius

673 BCE

Tullius Hostilius was the third king of Rome and his reign lasted 673-642 B.C.E. Tullius is seen as legendary with help from past ruler Romulus. Both supposedly carried on war with the same neighboring cities, increased the number of Roman citizens by 2, organized the army, and disappeared by storm from the earth. Tullius also incorporated a city that he destroyed indirectly during his reign into the Roman state.

Ancus Marcius

642 BCE

Ancus was the fourth king of Rome from 642-617 B.C.E. He helped increase the city's power by expanding the city further, building the first bridge across the Tiber River, and finding Ostia, which would soon serve as a seaport for Rome, at the mouth of the river.

Tarquinius Priscus

617 BCE

The fifth king of Rome, Tarquinius', reign lasted from 617-579 B.C.E. During his rule he continued to conquest, built the first sewer, laid out the Circus Maximus, and began to construct a great temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.

Etruscans

600 BCE

Rome's early history is a combination of the Etruscans, Latins, and Greeks. Before Rome was established the Etruscans were already settled in the northern Italian Peninsula. The Etruscans interacted with less advanced Italians and traded with Greeks which allowed them to gain an alphabet. The Etruscans were responsible for building with stone, mining metals which they would turn to tools and weapons, the roads and temples, and military tactics. (in 600 B.C.E. Rome became a province of Etruria.)

Servius Tullius

579 BCE

The sixth king, Servius, ruled over Rome from 579-535 B.C.E. He made his own type of social stratification by putting people into the categories of tribes and classes. It is said the he made the city larger by building a wall around it that surrounded all the seven hills of Rome. He also continued and finished the great temple, started by Tarquinius Priscus, that was dedicated to Jupiter on Capitoline Hill.

Roman Census

578 BCE

The Roman census was established by the sixth king of rome, Servius Tullius. The census was the count of the population of Rome and helped decide whether citizens had voting rights and how many soldiers each part of Rome had to give up to the Roman army. The census proved important as even after the end of the monarchy, the census continued on, but was now the consuls responsibility until 443 BCE and then tribunes. To avoid plebeians gaining control of the census, the patricians elected censors.

Tarquinius Superbus a.k.a. Tarquin the Proud

535 BCE

From 535-509 B.C.E, Tarquin the Proud, a tyrant, ruled over Rome with an iron fist. He was the seventh and last king of Rome. It is said that his rule being cruel justified the termination of Rome's monarchy.

Becoming a Republic

509 BCE

After the patricians overthrew the last monarch, Tarquin the Proud, they created a government of elected officials also know as a republic. Their type of government was representative.

End of Roman Monarchy

509 BCE

The Romans revolted against the Etruscans and their king, Tarquin, the last monarch and established a system of government called the Republic by the Senate and the Assembly.

Roman Republic

Period: 509 BCE to 27

Accomplishments of the early Romans

508 BCE

The early Romans learned how to drain swamps ,giving them large amounts of fertile land, and found sources of drinking water and metal ores that were close by. The location of Rome was great for trade because of it being 15 miles up the Tiber River from the Tyrrhenian Sea and far enough away from the ocean to be easily defended from attackers that travel by sea. Rome soon became the focal point of interaction with other establishments in Italy.

Laws of the Twelve Tables

450 BCE

The Laws of the Twelve Tables was displayed to the public as a response from the government to the strikes from the plebeians and their leadership. There was an issue between the privileged and common folk to protect the legal, social, and civil rights. The laws dealt with almost every part of life and provided a check on the injustices of the judiciary system.

the Assembly of Tribes and the Assembly of Centuries

287 BCE

Although most Romans were plebeians, they were not considered full citizens. They demanded changes in the political system to allow them to have a say in government. They won this right and were given their own assemblies where they could pass laws and select magistrates.

Roman expansion

275 BCE

Rome encouraged other city-states to rebel against the Etruscans after overthrowing its own king, Tarquin the Proud. Once the city-states became free of the Etruscan rule, Rome conquered them. By 275 B.C.E., Rome became in control over all of the Italian Peninsula.

Greece and Gaul

275 BCE

As Rome continued to stretch its power south, conflicts arose with Greeks over control of Greek colonies. When the Greeks invaded Italy in an attempt to protect the Greek colonies there, they were defeated by the Romans. Then between 215 and 148 B.C.E. in a series of four wars, Rome defeated Macedonia, in northern Greece. The Romans continued to take control of what was left of the empire. In no time to stop, the Romans headed north and west to conquer parts of Gaul.

Carthage and Beyond

264 BCE

In a disagreement over who should control the Mediterranean trade, Rome and a city-state across the Mediterranean on the north coast of Africa, Carthage butted heads. This conflict led to a series of three wars between them called the Punic Wars. These wars lasted between 264 and 146 B.C.E. and ended with the Romans capturing Carthage and doomed them to poverty for the following years. Rome's victory over Carthage gave them control of a large empire, including North Africa, Spain, and Sicily.

Second Punic War

218 BCE

The second Punic War was with the Hannibals in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. The second major war between Carthrage and the Roman Republic.

Sulla Seizes Power

88 BCE

Sulla was the son of a politically unimportant patrician family. In 88 BCE Sulla became one of the two Consuls appointed to the Roman Republic. Was placed in Command of the war against King Mithradates VI of Pontus.

Spartacus Rebellion

73 BCE

As the Romans increased their conquests, the number of slaves available for captivity also increased. As a result a slave named Spartacus led one of the largest slave rebellions in history, the Spartacus Rebellion. The rebellion ended with the death of thousands of slaves.

Caesar Dictator

45 BCE

Julius Caesar one of the most iconic rulers started his reign by helping the poor and reconstructing old buildings. He was a outstanding general and leader and helped Rome move forward.

Caesar Assassinated

44 BCE

Caesar was assassinated on March 15th by a group of conspirators. Although Caesar died he left a great legacy with Rome. He relieved debt and reformed the Senate by increasing its size. He reformed the Roman calendar and reorganized how local government was constructed.

First Roman Emperor

27 BCE

Octavian became the first Roman emperor with the help of a Senate who was happy because the civil war came to an end. Octavian's goals were to promote prosperity, strengthen family values, and keep the peace.

Pax Romana (Roman peacetime)

27 BCE

Octavian reached his goal and his empire spread throughout the Mediterranean. Octavian was named "Augustus Caesar" and the following 200 years of peace and prosperity under imperial rule became known as Pax Romana.

End of the Republic / Start of an Empire

27 BCE

After Caesar's death, there was still competition between the two generals who remained-Octavian and Marc Anthony-which led to the end of the Republic and the start of the Roman Empire. Octavian and Marc Anthony turned on each other and in the end Octavian killed Anthony in the Battle of Actium and named himself the only ruler of Rome.

Roman Empire

Period: 27 BCE to 476

Tiberius Becomes Emperor

14

Stepson of Caesar Augustus becomes emperor at this time.His mother divorced Nero and married Octavian, later known as Augustus, in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian.

Fire In Rome

64

During Neros rule it was a time of chaos because Nero decided to destroy Rome and rebuild it in his own light. In response to the accusations that he was responsible for the fire, Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first persecution against the Christians.

Nero Dies

69

During Nero's reign he killed his mother and pregnant wife, "burned down Rome", created the Domus Aurea and persecuted the Christians, in the end he committed suicide.

Constantine First Christian Emperor

305

As emperor, Constantine enacted many administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to strengthen the empire. The government was restructured and civil and military authority separated. Was The first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity.

Constantine Legalizes Christianity

315

Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan decriminalizing Christian worship. The emperor became a great patron of the Church and set a precedent for the position of the Christian emperor within the Church and the notion of orthodoxy & Christendom

New Capital Of Constantinople

330

Constantine was unsure where to locate his new capital. Old Rome was never considered. He understood the infrastructure of the city was declining.Constantine decided it was best to locate his new city at the site of old Byzantium, claiming it to be a New Rome.

Decline of the Empire

476

One reason for Rome's decline was Rome's expansion.As Rome traded it was introduced to epidemics that killed off 1/4 of the population. Another reason was their environmental problems, such as deforestation and soil erosion.The Empire had a large area to defend and with the Huns moving into Gaul and forcing other groups into the empire, proved too much for Roman soldiers with the groups settling in around Western Europe and North Africa.Odovacer, a Germanic ruler replaced the last Roman emperor.