Western Civilization

Matteo Scotto 5/29 Slides 43 - 52 After Caesar’s death Julius Caesar’s 18-year-old grand-nephew and adopted son, Octavian, takes over He’s joined by Mark Antony, an experienced general, and Lepidus, a powerful politician The three ruled as the Second Triumvirate for 10 years The alliance ended Octavian forced Lepidus to retire Mark Antony became Octavian’s rival Mark Antony partnered up with Cleopatra of Egypt (militarily, personally, politically and economically) Octavian defeats them at the Battle of Actium in 31 B. C. Octavian became the unchallenged ruler of Rome He was given the name of Augustus or “Exalted one” and The title of Imperator (Supreme military commander), a term from which we get the word “emperor” Rome was now an empire, not a republic Augustus ruled for 40 years as emperor (27 BC to AD 14) He began a stable era of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) Pax Romana was 207 year-long (27 BC to AD 180) The accomplishments Roman Empire expanded furthe...

Matteo Scotto 5/27   I’ll be taking my test from 8:55 - 9:45 am on June 2. Notes on slides 32 - 42 Plebeian were kept happy and kept from revolting with two things (according to poet Juvenal) Bread (free grain form the state) Entertainment (Circus Maximus, Colosseum) Military change  Tiberius Gracchus (even though unsuccessful) recruiting plebeians while    promising land upon conquers Soldiers were loyal to their leader and not to Rome or the Republic  Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) Successful general conquered huge territory of Gaul  Made common people happy Formed the First Triumvirate (“rule of three men”)  Joined by the popular general of Pompey (who conquered Syria and Palestine) And the wealthiest man in Rome Crassus Soldiers gave him devotion He crossed the Rubicon river in Italy (the point of no return) Served as consul (one year) Appointed himself governor of Gaul Pompey became his political rival Caesar’s armies defeated...

Matteo Scotto 5/20 I find the creation of the Roman Empire very interesting.  I’m going to talk about how it “transformed government, society, economy and culture.”

Matteo Scotto 5/18 The Empire (pp. 160-165) Rome’s expanding saw many problems.   Rich landowners lived on immense estates where they had slaves (peoples captured during the various wars) to work the land.  Small farmers, once soldiers, found it difficult to compete with these large estates.  They sold or lost their land to wealthy landowners. They (one fourth of the Roman society) became poorer or jobless.   Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus , two brothers, attempted to help the poor by limiting the size of the estates and giving land to the poor.  The brothers made enemies and were seen as a threat.   They saw violent death which was followed by a period of civil war.  Julius Caesar , a military leader,  joined forces with Crassus and Pompey.  He was elected consul in 59B.C.  The three dominated Rome as a triumvirate, a group of three rulers. After Caesar conquered Gaul, he defied the senate’s orders and became Pompey’s politi...

Matteo Scotto May 14 The Roman Legion was made up of 5000 soldiers (exclusively Roman citizens) in infantry and cavalry. The three Punic Wars (264 - 146 BCE) were fought between Rome and Carthage.  The First Punic War (264 - 241 BCE) saw a series of naval battles for the control of Sicily with the Roman victory. The Second Punic War (218 - 201 BCE) started with the Carthaginian general Hannibal attacking Rome from North after crossing Spain and the Alps.  Rome was once again, able to keep the enemy out and win the war. The Third Punic War ((149 - 146 BCE) when the city of Carthage burned down and destroyed.  50,000 people left were sold as slaves and Carthage was added to the provinces of the Roman Empire. By the end of the second century there were over a million slaves in Italy (50,000 Carthaginians, 150,000 Greek POW, etc.).   This contributed to the economic and social changes.  The small farmers after fighting battles, couldn’t pay their debts.  T...

Matteo Scotto May 12 The fifth king’s widow named Servius Tullias king.  His daughter Tullia killed her husband and her sister to be with her brother in-law Tarquin. Tullia helped Tarquin take over the throne by having her father S.T. killed.  Years later, Tarquin’s son Sextus forced himself on a matron, Lucretia who in turn commited suicide.  This had the whole family expelled from Rome.  After witnessing this horrible family’s behavior, the people made sure not to be governed by kings for many centuries to come.   The king was replaced by two consuls.  The consuls with one year term were aristocrats (patricians).  With this dominance, the plebs (98% of the population) had to serve in the army and with no say in ruling.  Since there were no written laws, the patricians were using the system to their own advantage.   The plebs refused to serve in the army until they had some legal rights.  The Law of the Twelve Tables were finally p...

Matteo Scotto 5/8 Who settled Rome The Etruscans - metalworkers, artists and architects who came from the north-central part of the peninsula. Greeks - with colonies around Mediterranean Sea, influenced the Romans with religious beliefs, alphabet, art and military techniques and weapons. Latins - who were the first, were descendants of Indo-Europeans.  They settled on the banks of the Tiber River allowing a port for commerce (not for war). Myths - Virgil’s Aeneid telling the epic of refugees of the fallen Troy migrating to Rome. They were according to the story, the Romans’ ancestors.     Remus and Romulus, the twin brothers who founded Rome. Achievements The development of one of the world’s first sewer systems built in the valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills where the Forum was built.  The Cloaca Maxima, the largest ancient drain, built by Lucius Tarquinias Superbus (the seventh and last king of ancient Rome before the...

Matteo Scotto 5/6/20 My first thought while listening to this was "How much effort did he put into this?", then I thought "was this even worth it?". But I came to the realization that this might be the exact change of pace that everyone needs right now. Good on you Mr. Schick!

Matteo Scotto 5/4 Law & Order in Ancient Rome In the early days, there were no written rules.  Communities were organized with laws according to Family, Neighbors, Priests, and finally, Patricians who presented the laws to the king's courts. With the end of monarchy, the Plebeians protested and demanded more power in the making of laws. After leaving Rome and refusing to take part in the army, they were finally allowed to form the Tribune of the Plebs.  They proposed, discussed, and voted the laws. They demanded the laws to be written down.  Thus the Twelve Tables were written with general laws.  Initially carved on wood and later on bronze, they were displayed to the public for everyone to memorize.  The continued conflicts between Plebeians and Patricians for the land and wealth distribution resulted in many violent disputes and the end of the republic.  In 31 BC, Augustus restored the republic system by running as the Princeps.  He resto...

Matteo Scotto 5/1 The Pantheon is the most well-prepared monument of Ancient Rome the temple, completed around 126 AD - 128 AD  during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, was dedicated to all Gods.  Its design has influenced countless buildings throughout history, across Europe and throughout the Americas.  Today, the Pantheon continues to function as a church, as well as a major tourist destination.