Lee Friedman-Pd. 4

Romulus Establishes Rome

100

According to legend, Romulus and Remus, twin brothers who were raised by a she-wolf, founded Rome in 753 BC. Whether or not the brothers existed, The founders of Rome were members of an Indo-European tribe called the Latins who reached Italy in 1000s. Under the Latins, Rome grew into a bustling city. The city prospered at least partly form its location on the Tiber. This location not only lay across valuable trade routes between northern and southern Italy but also had easy access to the sea.

Unter Etruscan Rule

105

Around 616 BC, Rome came under the rule of the Etruscans of northern Italy. From evidence found at Etruscan cemeteries, scholars belive that they were great metalworkers and jewelrs whose culture had been heavily influenced by Greece. According to historians, the Etruscans ruled Rome until 509 BC, when the Romans revolted and threw out the last king. In place of the monarchy, the Romans established a new type of government, a Republic, in which elected officials governed the state.

Roman Rebulic Begins

110

In the early days of the Republic, the heads of a few aristocratic families, known as patricians, elected offficials from among themselves. The lower class of common people, known as plebeians, always challenged the patricians for power. When invaders threatened Rome in 494 BC, the plebeians seceded. They left Rome and refused to fight until changes were made.

Punic Wars

115

Violence broke out between Rome and Carthage in 264 BC, the beginning of the First Punc War. Because the war was fought mostly at sea, Carthage's powerful navy dominated the fighting early on. Soon, however, the Romans built a vacy of their own and were able to defeat Carthage. Relations between Rome and Carthage were strained after the First Punic War, and violece soon broke out again in 218 BC.

Judaism in the Roman World

120

In 63 BC, Roman forces under Pompey conquered Judea after months of brutal fighting. As the rulers of Judea, the Romans chose a new ruler for the the region and installed him as king. Like other people the Romans conquered, the Jews had to pay tribute to the Romans. Unlike other peoples, however, the Jews were not willing to abandon their religion for the polytheistic religion of the Romans. To avoid trouble, Roman leaders allowed the Jews to practice their religion.

The First Triumvirate

125

Among those who helped bring an end to the republic were Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey, and Licinius Crassus. Caesar and Pompey were both successful military commanders who had added huge amounts of territory to the republic. In the east, Pompey had conquered Syria and part of Asia Minor. In the West, Caesar had added all of Gaul to the republic. Crassus, not as successful a soldier, was one of the wealthiest people in Rome. In 60 BC these men took over the Roman Republic as the First Triumvirate

The Pax Romana

130

The period from the beginning of Augustus's reign in 27 BC until the death of the last of the Good Emperors in AD 180 is often called the Pax Romana. Pax Romana means Roman Peace. Several essential traits, such as stable government, a strong legal system, widespread trade, and peace characterized this long era. During the Pax Romana the smooth working of the imperial government was seldom interrupted by war or invasion.

Reactions to Roman Rule

135

Judaism had many different branches, with varying ideas of whether they should cooperate with the Romans. In time Zealots began to form pockets of armed resistance against the Romans of Judea. In response to a mass uprising in AD 66-70, the Romans sacked Jerusalem and killed thousands of Jews. They also destroyed the Second Temple, leaving part of the western wall intact. After another revolt in the 130s, all Jews were banned from Jerusalem entirely.

Diocletian

140

The first of these emperors was Diocletian, who took power in 284. To slow the empire's decline, Diocletian changed the empire into an absolute monarchy. He placed himself far above his subjects and ruled with no accountability to anyone. As part of his efforts to improve the efficiency of imperial administration, Diocletian divided the empire in two. Ruling the eastern half himself, he appointed a co-emperor to rule the western provinces. Both emperors named assistants called Caesars.

Constantine

145

Contantine, the son of one of the original Caesars, was proclaimed the new emperor by his troops. He continued Diocletian's policies of state control over society. At the same time, he made two decisions that would profoundly affect the direction of the future empire. He supported Christianity and built a new capital in the village of Byzantium. During his rule he brought an end to all persecution on Christianity.