Today's Class

In today's class, we took a pop quiz on Rome.  The pop quiz was on the Power Point.  After the quiz, Mr. Schick graded them and showed us our grades.  After that, we worked on our project.  This was a very good class because we were able to get farther in our project on Rome.

Today's Class

Today, we had a very interesting class.  We started to go over more and review our Power Point.  But the interesting thing was, we had students teaching it.  We had students teach the Power Point who thought they could or it was easy.  It definitely was not easy for students to do other than just read the screen.  Our teacher acted as a student and did what students do during the presentation.  So, we had a very fun, yet interesting class today.

Today's Class

In today's class, we continued watching the video on Tiberius from last Wednesday.  This video helped me learn much more about Tiberius and all he tried to do for his people.  Tiberius tried to give Roman people a fair living chance and give back their land.  The only problem he had was Octavius, his childhood friend, vetoed his law for people's vote.  The Senate and Octavius started to the spread rumors about Tiberius wanting to become king, so then he was overpowered and killed.  Tiberius was just thrown into the Tiber River without a proper funeral.

Today's Class

In today's class, we had the chance to work on our projects.  We were allowed to get together in our groups and start on our project.  The only exception to leave the class was if you were going to work on pottery.  So, this class gave us a chance to work on our projects.

Today's Class

In today's class, we kept taking some notes on Rome.  We did not have as many notes to take as the past few classes.

Economic Change, Social Upheaval

• Slaves poured into Italy (50,000 Carthaginians, 150,000 Greek POWs, etc.)
• By the end of the second century BCE there were over a million slaves in Italy
• The big farms became massive estates called latifundia 

Today's Class

Gov't: Ancient Roman/US

• Originally, the US modeled their new government on the model used by the ancient Romans
• Not the exact same
• Both have 3 branches
• Executive
• Legislative
• Judicial
• Both have a legal code

3 Branches (1) - Rome/US

Rome

• Executive
• Two consuls
• One year terms
• Each has veto power
• Controls the military
• Could appoint a dictator in a crisis for a six-month term

US

• Executive
• President (and VP)
• Four year terms
• Can veto proposed laws
• Commander-in-chief

3 Branches (2) - Rome/US

Rome

• Legislative
• Senate - 300 members - aristocrats - members for life
• Assembly - members for life

US

• Legislative
• Senate - 100 senators (two from each state) - six-year terms
• House of Representatives - 435 members - two-year terms

3 Branches (3) - Rome/US

Rome

• Judicial
• Praetors
• Chosen by the Centuriate Assembly
• One-year terms

US

• Judicial
• Supreme Court
• Nine members
• Appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate
• Lifetime terms

Legal Code- Rome/US

Rome

• Twelve Tables
• Publicly displayed
• Gave rights to plebeians, not just aristocrats
• Only protected free-born made citizens (not women)

US

• Bill of Rights
• First Ten Amendments to the Constitution  

Today's Class

Rule of kings is replaced by rule of two consuls ("gotta be better than one").

• Consuls are elected officials
• Term of office: one year
• Almost always aristocrats (patricians)
• Patricians traced descent from a famous ancestor or pater ("father")
• Duties: dealing justice, making law, commanding the army
• One consul could veto the other (reducing the power of the individual)

• Fifth century BCE - patrician dominance of the government was challenged by the plebs ("people")
• Plebs were 98% of the population
• How did the patricians dominate?
• Plebs had to serve in the army, but could not hold office
• Plebs were threatened with debt slavery
• Plebs had no legal rights

• Plebs were victims of discriminatory decisions in judicial trials
• Rome had no actual laws, just unwritten customs
• Patricians could interpret these to their own advantage

So, plebs refused to serve in the military until...

• Laws were written out (The Law of the Twelve Tables)
• These laws (on tablets) were posted in public (in 450 BCE)
• Tribunes ("tribal leaders") were elected

SPQR- Senatus Populusque Romanum

• Designates any decree or decision made by "the Roman Senate and people"

Res Publica - The People's Affairs

Brand new Republic, ready to run

• Democracy- the people's assembly and the tribunes
• Aristocracy- the Senate, approximately 300 members
• Plus monarchy- the consuls
• Not a tyranny.

Roman Legion

• 5000 soldiers
• The Roman army's elite heavy infantry
• Recruited exclusively from Roman citizens
• Group of eighty is a century
• On horseback is the calvary
• Shield, sword, dagger, and armor and tunic

Punic Wars

• The Punic Wars (264-164 BCE)
• Rome vs. Carthage
• Three Wars

Two Empires Fighting for Control

• First Punic War (264-241 BCE)
• Naval battles for control of the strategically located island of Sicily
• Rome wins this one

The (Carthaginian) Empire Strikes Back

• Second Punic War (218-201 BCE)
• 29-year-old Carthaginian general Hannibal almost does the impossible taking Rome

The Final Punic War

• The Third and Final Punic War (149-146 BCE)
• Rome wanted to finally remove the threat of Carthage
• Scipio, Tiberius Graachus, and others mercilessly attacked the city
• Carthage was burned for 17 days; the city's walls and buildings were destroyed
• When the war ended, the last 50,000 people in the city were sold into slavery
• The rest of Carthage's territories were annexed, and made into the Roman province of Africa

Marcus Portius Cato the Elder was a politician who ended every speech by saying, "Pelud Carthage est," which means "Carthage must be destroyed."  He sure got his wish.