University of Algiers 2

Faculty of Foreign Languages

Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM
The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire grew on Italian peninsula starting from the 8th Century and expended to
become one of the largest empire in the ancient world. The Roman Empire shifted from
monarchy to an aristocratic republic and eventually emerged as an empire. The Roman
society was highly developed in military and political skills.

Rome was founded in 753BC by Romulus who became the first king. After his death a series
of kings came to power in a non-hereditary succession. There are seven legendary kings
of Rome: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Lucius
Tarquinius Priscus (Tarquin the Elder), Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus, or
Tarquin the Proud (534-510 B.C.). While they were referred to as ―Rex,‖ or ―King‖ in
Latin, all the kings after Romulus were elected by the senate.

In 509 BC the era of the Roman monarchy ended up with a popular uprising against
Tarquinius Superbus. Hence, Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a word
derived from res publica, or ―property of the people.‖

To understand better how the system functions, we have to look at the social structure
of the Roman society. The natural-born inhabitants were divided into two groups the
Patricians and Plebeians (the common people).Both were considered as citizens and
were required to pay taxes and serve the military ; whereas, women and slaves were
not regarded as non-citizens and did not have the right to vote.

The nobility and wealthy landowners

Patricians upper class

Farmers, artisans, traders,

Plebeians merchants

Women and slaves

Non-Citizens
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM

I) The Political System of the Republic:

In 509BC the Romans established a new form of government that would influence
politics for thousands of years. In this new system of government the citizens choose
representatives to govern on their behalf, a precursor to our modern world.

The Patricians and the Plebeians were completely separated groups and intermarriage
was not allowed and each group has a particular position in the government. A
Patrician could hold the highest position in government known as consul. This
position supervised the working of the government and its officials. Two patrician
men had to rule this council and had the power to veto one another and were limited to
one year term. Some concessions were made in times of crisis and one of the consuls
could be elevated to the position of dictator over the republic. The consuls were
elected from the Senate of 300 Patricians who were the lawmakers of Rome. The
senators, however, were not chosen by the citizens they were chosen by the c onsul and
they were elected for life.

The last government body of the republic is the Assembly. The Assembly allowed
Plebeians or common citizens into its membership. Fortunately, the Assembly had the
right to choose the consuls. The consuls were elected from the Senate but not by the
Senate ( as being already member of the senate) the Assembly had the honour of
choosing the councils. Hence, members of the Senate wishing to win a higher position
needed to win the favour of the Assembly.

The Assembly had also the right to elect Tribune, a position which acted like a
president. The man in this position had the right to intervene on legal matters and veto
legislations (laws) and make proposals for the Senate. For this reason, the Plebeians
started to gain more power in the society. Yet this growing power of the Plebeians
would be blamed for the fall of the Republic. Social class played an important role in
the Republic‘s beginnings

The law of the Twelve Tables:

With respect to the law and citizenship, the Romans took a unique approach to the
lands that they conquered. Rather than rule those people as conquered subjects, the
Romans invited them to become citizens. These people then became a part of Rome,
rather than enemies fighting against it. Naturally, these new citizens received the same
legal rights as everyone else.
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM

The Punic Wars

The early Roman Republic often found itself in a state of constant warfare with its
surrounding neighbors. In one instance, when the Romans were fighting the Carthaginians,
Rome was nearly conquered. The people of Carthage (a city in what is today Tunisia in north
Africa) were a successful trading civilization whose interests began to conflict with those of
the Romans.

The two sides fought three bloody wars, known as the Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E.), over
the control of trade in the western Mediterranean Sea. In the second war, Hannibal, a
Carthaginian general, successfully invaded Italy by leading an army — complete with
elephants — across the Alps. He handed the Roman army a crushing defeat but was unable
to sack the city of Rome itself. After occupying and ravaging Italy for more than a decade,
Hannibal was finally defeated by the Roman general Scipio at the Battle of Zama in 202
B.C.E.

By the Third Punic War, Rome was ready to end the Carthaginian threat for good. After a
successful several-year siege of Carthage, the Romans burned the city to the ground.
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM
Legend has it that the Romans then poured salt into the soil so that nothing would ever grow
there again. Carthage was finally defeated, and the Roman Republic was safe.

How did the word "Punic" become an adjective meaning "relating to the people of
Carthage"?" Punic" is derived from the Latin word Poenicus, meaning "an inhabitant
of Carthage." Carthage was founded by Phoenicians, and Poenicus is the Latin word
for "Phoenician."

At a certain time, the Roman Republic had entered a state of rapid decline. The rich had
become wealthier and more powerful as a result of Rome's many military successes.
Meanwhile, life for the average Roman seemed to be getting worse. Attempts to reform the
situation by two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, were met with opposition that
eventually resulted in their deaths. In addition, slavery was on the rise, and violent slave
revolts were commonplace.
Spartacus: A Rebel Doomed to Fail
Spartacus (109-71 B.C.E.) was a captured soldier who was sold into slavery to be a gladiator.
But he escaped his captors and formed an army of rebel slaves. Against great odds,
Spartacus's slave army defeated two Roman battalions.
Spartacus wanted to leave Italy, but his army and supporters of the slave revolt urged him to
attack Rome. A Roman army led by Crassus finally defeated Spartacus and his men.
Over 5,000 men from Spartacus's army were crucified along Rome's main road, the Appian
Way, as a warning to other slaves not to revolt.
The revolt brought some new reforms for the army. In fact, soldiers were paid with gold and
land; hence, the army started to show more loyalty to the generals than to the Roman
republic itself. It was within this changing atmosphere that military leaders such as Julius
Caesar were able to seize control of and put an end to the Roman Republic.

II) The fall of the Roman Empire:

Rome ruled much of Europe around the Mediterranean for over 1000 years. However, the
inner workings of the Roman Empire began to decline starting around 200 AD. By 400 AD
Rome was struggling under the weight of its giant empire. The city of Rome finally fell in
476 AD.
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM

The Peak of Roman Power

Rome reached its peak of power in the 2nd century around the year 117 AD under the rule of
the great Roman emperor Trajan. Virtually the entire coastline along the Mediterranean Sea
was part of the Roman Empire. This included Spain, Italy, France, southern Britain,
Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and northern Africa.
Gradual Decline
The Fall of Rome didn't happen in a day, it happened over a long period of time. There are a
number of reasons why the empire began to fail. Here are some of the causes of the fall of
the Roman Empire:
 The politicians and rulers of Rome became more and more corrupt.
 Infighting and civil wars within the Empire.
 Attacks from barbarian tribes outside of the empire such as the Visigoths, Huns,
Franks, and Vandals.
 The Roman army was no longer a dominant force.
 The empire became so large it was difficult to govern.

In 285 AD, Emperor Diocletian decided that the Roman Empire was too big to manage. He
divided the Empire into two parts, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman
Empire. Over the next hundred years, Rome would be reunited, split into three parts, and
split in two again. Finally, in 395 AD, the empire was split into two for good. The Western
Empire was ruled by Rome, the Eastern Empire was ruled by Constantinople.
The City of Rome sacked
The city of Rome was thought by many to be unconquerable. However, in 410 AD, a
Germanic barbarian tribe called the Visigoths invaded the city. They looted the treasures,
killed and enslaved many Romans, and destroyed many buildings. This was the first time in
800 years that the city of Rome had been sacked.
In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became
king of Italy and forced the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, to give up his
crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire.
The Dark Ages Begins
With the fall of Rome, many changes occurred throughout Europe. Rome had provided a
strong government, education, and culture. Now much of Europe fell into barbarianism. The
next 500 years would be known as the Dark Ages of Europe.
Interesting Facts about the fall of Rome
 The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire.
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM
 Many poor people were glad to see Rome fall. They were starving to death while
being taxed heavily by Rome.
 Near the end of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome was no longer the capital. The
city of Mediolanum (now Milan) was capital for a while. Later, the capital was moved
to Ravenna.
 Rome was sacked once again in 455 AD by Geiseric, King of the Vandals. The
Vandals were an Eastern Germanic tribe. The term "vandalism" comes from the
Vandals.

III) The Legacy of the Roman Civilisation:

A) The Romans’ Contribution to Thinking

 Newspapers
The first newspaper was created in 59 BC on the orders of Julius Caesar. It was called the
Roman Acta Diruna and shared news and details of upcoming events. The Acta Diruna was
carved on stone or metal and displayed in public places, like the Forum of Rome*. This
contribution to written communication alone changed the world for ever.
 The Roman Alphabet
The Roman alphabet is the most widely used alphabet and writing system in the world today.
This alphabet is the official script of nearly all Western European languages, some Eastern
European languages and also some non-European languages. It has allowed us to
communicate more easily and to standardise language and learning texts.
The alphabet was borrowed from the Greeks by the Etruscans before being developed further
by the Romans. The Romans changed some of the sounds of the letters, omitted and added
various characters. In fact, modern day capital letters differ only very slightly from their
original Roman counterparts. The Roman alphabet is probably the most widely used of the
Roman contributions to the modern world.

B) The Romans’ Contributions to Well-Being

 The Roman Aqueduct
One of the Romans‘ most well-known contributions, and possibly one of the most beneficial
to our well-being, is the aqueduct.
The first Roman aqueduct was constructed in 312 BC by Appius Claudius Caecusand was
called Aqua Appia. In subsequent years, Roman engineers used the same principles to build
many more aqueducts, bringing water into cities and towns. Some of the aqueducts are still
in use today.
University of Algiers 2
Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English
Major: Anglo-Culture
Ms.CHEIKH BAELHADJ RYM
The aqueduct led to the creation of public toilets, baths, a sewage system and the supply of
fresh drinking water. The introduction of thermal heating to the aqueduct system enabled the
further creation of heated baths, central heating and floor heating.

 Mass Entertainment
We are all familiar with forms of mass entertainment in our modern world. Theatres,
cinemas, music concerts and mass-spectator sporting events are all Roman contributions to
the modern world. The Roman government recognised that a large group of poor,
unoccupied people was a threat to their power. They developed mass entertainment as
a means of keeping their citizens busy!
The Colosseum could seat 45,000 spectators, who enjoyed battling gladiators, fights
between men and wild animals and executions of Christians involving lions. It was even
sometimes flooded for theatrical naval battles.
The Circus Maximus could hold 250,000 people and was the scene of many chariot races.
The Campus was an old soldier drill ground in Rome that was converted into a sports
ground. At the Campus, Romans could gather to compete in sports such as running, jumping,
archery, wrestling and boxing.
 The Three Course Meal
In ancient Roman culture, the main meal of the day was known as ‗cena‘. The cena was an
important focus of Roman social and family life – something still enjoyed by many of us
today.
During the period of the Roman Republic, the cena developed first into two courses and
then, later, into three. The first course was known as gustatio, the second as primae mensaie
and the third as secundae mensae. Today, many people still consume their main meal as
three separate courses – a starter, main and dessert.
These examples highlight only a few Roman contributions to the modern world. In fact,
many of our current habits, traditions and systems can be traced back to Roman times. As a
period of history, the Roman times are still highly influential on many aspects of our modern
lives.