Rome and Early Christianity, 750 BC to AD

The Growth of Civilizations 

•1. Classical Greece - 2100 BC – 150 BC 

•2. Rome and Early Christianity – 750 BC – AD 500 

•3. The Americas – 1000 BC – AD 1500 

•4. Empires of China and India – 350 BC – AD 600

Rome and Early Christianity 

•1. The Foundations of Rome 

•2. From Republic to Empire 

•3. Roman Society and Culture 

•4. The Rise of Christianity 

•5. The Fall of Rome 

•The city of Rome was the seat of one of the greatest powers of 

the ancient world 

•1,200 year history 

•Rome went through great changes in government and culture 

•Many changes were caused by the beginning of the spread of one 

of the world’s largest religions - Christianity 

750 BC to AD 500

750 BC- AD 500 

1. The Foundations of Rome 

•Rome is located in Southern Europe. 

•It is in the present day country of Italy. 

•Italy is a peninsula, which means it has water on three 

sides. 

•This allowed the Romans to trade with others in the region.

The Mythical Founding of Rome: 

•Rome has a 

mythical beginning. 

•Twin brothers, 

Romulus and Remus, 

were sons of the 

war god Mars and 

left abandoned as 

babies. 

•A she-wolf fed 

them and kept them 

alive. 

•They grew up, 

fought over who 

would name the city. 

•Romulus killed 

Remus; therefore, 

he called the city 

Rome. 

750 BC- AD 500


Italy in 750 BCE

Influence of the Etruscans 

•They introduced a writing 

and a math system as well as 

government to the Romans. 


Writing 

Religion 

The Arch


2. From Republic to an Empire 

•Around 500 BC, Rome became a republic. 

•A republic is a government where representatives are 

chosen by the people. 

•The people of Rome were represented in the Senate.

The Twelve Tables, 450 BCE 

Providing political and social rights for 

the plebeians. 


•Romans were split into two 

main social classes. 

•The Patricians were the 

landholding upper class. 

•The Plebians were the 

commoners of Rome. 

•The majority of the people 

were Plebians but the 

Patricians had most of the 

power.

Republican Government 

2 Consuls 

(Rulers of Rome) 


Senate 

(Representative body for patricians, land 

holders and the upper class) 

Tribal Assembly 

(Representative body for plebeians, the 

commoners of Rome)

The Roman Forum 


•The Roman Forum was a place where people could express 

their ideas. 

•It was also a place that decrees of the Senate and later the 

Emperor were announced to the people. 

•Twelve Tables are displayed in central square


Carthaginian Empire 

•The Punic Wars 

•Fought between Early Rome and Carthage (N. Africa) 

•Hannibal-perhaps one of the greatest military leaders 

of all time

Hannibal’s Route 


•The Roman, after suffering serious losses, managed to 

defeat Hannibal and the Carthaginian Army


Rome Becomes an Empire 

Reform Leaders 

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus 

• the poor should be given grain and small plots of 

free land. 

Military Reformer 

Gaius Marius 

• recruited an army from the poor 

and homeless. 

• professional standing army.

Civil War & Dictators 

Gnaeus Pompey 

Julius Caesar 


•Civil War brought an end to the republic. Pompey and 

Caesar were successful military leaders who formed the 

First Triumvirate

The First Triumvirate 

Julius Caesar-conquered Gaul, 

modern day France and defeated Pompey 

Marcus Licinius Crassus, 

Gaius Magnus Pompey, 

conquered parts of Asia Minor 


Crossing the Rubicon, 49 BC 

The Die is Cast! 


•Caesar took his army over the 

Rubicon River and marched into 

Rome


Beware the Ides of March! 44 BCE 

•After rising to prominence in a variety of military campaigns, Julius 

Caesar brings his troops to Rome in 49 BC and makes himself a 

dictator. 

•He keeps the Senate around but keeps all real power for himself. 

•In 44 BC, he is murdered in the Senate by people who want to bring 

back the old government-the Republic

The Second Triumvirate 

Octavian Augustus, adopted 

son of Caesar 

Marc Antony,a loyal officer 

Marcus Lepidus, high priest 


Octavian Augustus: 

Rome’s First Emperor 


•After Julius Caesar is 

assassinated, there is a 

civil war fighting for 

control. 

•Caesar’s nephew Octavian 

becomes emperor, and 

changes his name to 

Caesar Augustus.

The First Roman 

Dynasty 


•The Augustan Age- ruled for 40 years and Rome experienced a peaceful 

era. After his death, Julio-Claudians and Flavians ruled Rome. The Good 

Emperors followed and the empire grew tremendously

3. Roman Society and 

Culture 


•After Augustus, there is a 200 year 

peaceful period called the Pax 

Romana, or Roman Peace.


Rome’s Early Road System 

•Rome was able to expand because of its well trained and 

organized armies. 

•In addition, Rome built roads that connected the Empire 

that allowed troops easy movement.


Imperial Roman Road System

Roman Roads: 

The Appian Way 


Roman Aqueducts 


•The Romans 

built enormous 

aqueducts 

designed to 

bring water into 

the city. 

•They used a 

new 

architectural 

technique called 

the arch. 

•They had a very 

small slant that 

carried water 

downhill for 

miles and miles.

The Roman Colosseum 

•Romans 

enjoyed violent 

entertainment. 

•They watched 

gladiators fight 

to the death in 

many arenas, 

most famously 

the Coliseum. 

•They watched 

chariot races, 

which often 

involved bloody 

crashes. 



The Colosseum Interior

Circus Maxims 

•Ancient Roman Chariot Racing Stadium 


Roman Religion 

•Romans had similar gods to the Greeks, except they 

had different names. For example: Zeus becomes 

Jupiter, Ares becomes Mars. 

•They built enormous temples, like the Pantheon. 



4. The Rise of Christianity 

•Religion based on Jesus of Nazareth, and his earliest 

followers, the teaching of Judaism

Jesus of Nazareth 

•Knowledge comes 

from the first four 

books of the New 

Testament 

The New 

Testament along 

with the Hebrew 

Bible, the Old 

Testament, make 

up the Christian 

Bible. 


• In time, Jesus began to 

preach a message of 

redemption and warning 

of the coming of God’s 

Judgment Day. His 

message alarmed 

authorities, and Jesus 

was arrested, tried, and 

sentenced to death. 

• After he was crucified, 

Jesus rose from the 

dead, spent 40 days 

teaching, and ascended 

into heaven. 

• Followers named him the 

Messiah, Jesus Christ 

Jesus Christ 


The Spread of Christianity 

•Apostles- 12 Disciples that Jesus chose to spread 

Christianity throughout the world 


Diocletian Splits the 


Empire in Two: 294 CE 

•Economic Problems- Inflation, rising prices, and higher 

taxes to pay for the vast empire 

•Diocletian –absolute ruler – himself above his subjects


Constantine: 312 - 337 

•Diocletian abdicated 

his thrown and threw 

Rome into civil war 

once again 

•Constantine, in 312, 

proclaimed new 

emperor •A new Capital-Constantinople – 

Christian capital; later renamed 

Istanbul

Constantinople: “The 2nd Constantinople: “The 2nd Rome” (Founded in 330) 


Byzantium: 


The Eastern Roman Empire 

•The later period of the Eastern Roman Empire became 

Byzantine Empire-after fall of Western Roman Empire to 

German tribes

The Byzantine Empire 


During the Reign of Justinian

The Byzantine Emperor 

Justinian 



The Empire in Crisis: 3c

Barbarian Invasions: 4c-5c 

•452 Fierce Army The Huns and Attila 


Attila the Hun: 


“The Scourge of God” 

•The inability of the Roman Army to stop the Huns was 

one reason for the demise of the empire

The Legacy of Rome 

•Around 180 AD, 

problems arose in 

the empire and the 

Empire begins to 

decline. 

•In 476 AD, Rome 

is sacked and the 

Empire is officially 

dead. 


Republic Government 

Roman Law 

Latin Language 

Roman Catholic Church 

City Planning 

Romanesque 

Architectural Style 

Roman Engineering 

• Aqueducts 

• Sewage systems 

• Dams 

• Cement 

• Arch

The Greatest Extent of the Roman 

Empire – 14 CE 


•Government was corrupt. 

•government had huge building projects-cost lots of money. 

•Tribes invaded from the North. 

•Poverty and unemployment were very high. 

•Moral values declined.


The Discovery of Pompeii 

•In 1748, one of the greatest archeological discoveries of all 

times occurred. 

•The Roman city of Pompeii had been destroyed by the eruption 

of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, preserving the town forever.

Rome and Early Christianity, 750 BC to AD

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