The+Rise+of+Christianity+and+Rome

= The Rise of Christianity and Rome =

By: Da'Shaun Jefferies

__Welcome to my Wiki__
Welcome to my wiki page, I hope you find it very informational and helpful. In my wiki you will learn about The Land and People of Italy, The Roman Expansion, Roman Arts and Literature, The Rise of Christianity, and The Fall of Rome.

__**The Land and People of Italy**__
Italy is just one big peninsula. Italy is very mountainous, but the mountains are not high enough to isolate the communities from each other. It also has enough farmland to sustain a large group of people. Now let's focus in on Rome. Rome is about 18 miles inland, which is about the perfect spot to be in, because it is far enough from the Tyrrhenian Sea that it is safe from pirates, but close enough to the sea for trade. It is near the Tiber River, on a hilltop, which would mean that is it was easy to defend. The Romans were influenced by the indigenous Italians. Some things that they adopted form them were their literature, olives, grapes, architecture, and their alphabet.

In 650 B.C. the Etruscan people took over Rome and turned it into a city. The Etruscan influenced the Romans as well and the Romans adopted their clothing and their army. Later the Romans over threw the Etruscan king and the southern Greeks. Then they formed the Roman Republic where only some citizens had the right to vote. They also created the Roman Confederation where some people were given full Roman citizenship.

The Roman Republic was divided into 2 groups: the Patricians and the Plebeians. The Patricians were wealthy landowners, while the Plebeians were the small farmers, craftspeople, or merchants. The Roman Confederation was also split into 2 groups called the Consuls and the Praetors. The Consuls ran the government and the army; 2 of them were chosen every year. The Praetors were the people who were in charge of the laws. The Senators were a select group of Patricians who advise the government officials, and they have to enforce the laws.

Then there became a problem between the Plebeians and the Patricians. The Plebeians wanted to be treated equally with the Patricians. Eventually the Plebeians gained the right to pass laws. Their first code of laws was called the 12 Tables. Gradually the Romans established standards of justice that applied to all people.

__**Roman Expansion**__
In the Roman Expansion, there were three Punic Wars between 2 rivals in the Mediterranean World; they were Rome and Carthage. The First Punic War was battle over the control over Sicily. The Romans sent their force to Sicily and kicked the Carthage people's butts, and Sicily became the first Roman province. Surely, this was not the last that they saw of each other.

During the First Punic War a young boy, named Hannibal, had to watch this traumatic event happen to his people. He swore that when he got old enough he would strike back at the Romans. Hannibal was raised to be general and when he became one he struck back just like he said. The Carthage people had expanded their empire to Spain and they thought that they were big and bad, so they invaded Italy. They had took over much of Italy except for the major cities. There little victory was short lived, because Rome invaded Carthage and forced Hannibal to leave.

If you want to learn more about Hannibal click here:[]

In the Third Punic War the Romans wanted to get rid of Carthage once and for all. The Romans came and destroyed the city of Carthage. The Romans sold their inhabitants into slavery and Carthage was now a Roman province.

For more information on the Three Punic Wars click here:[]

Years past and the Roman Republic started to come to an end. The Senate and government officials were being controlled by a small group of wealthy families and the army were recruiting volunteers from the poor and giving them land in exchange. Now the loyalty of the people was toward the generals and not the government. A general named Sulla seized Rome and wiped out all that stood in his way. For the next 50 years there were nothing but civil wars.

After all the civil wars were over three victors arose from the wars. Their names were Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar. These three people formed the First Triumvirate. Later on Crassus died and the Senate wanted Pompey to rule, but Caesar saw different. So, Julius challenged Pompey and Pompey lost and Caesar became a dictator. He tripled the size of the Senate, filled it with supporters. The Senate did not feel too good about that so they killed him. There was another triumvirate and a man named Octavian, who was later given the title Augustus, which means "revered one", arose and changed the Republic to an Empire. He gave some power to the Senate, conquered many lands, created a system of government.

Years after Augustus died, The 5 Good Emperors came to power. They were known for their tolerance of other religions, social and building programs. These guys expanded the empire and during their rule was called the Pax Ramana, which was a time of peace and prosperity. There was a high level of trade, farming was the chief occupation, but there was a large gap between the rich and the poor, which meant that there were many unemployed. The poor had to depend on the kings handout of grain.

There's more information on the 5 Good Emperors right here:[]

**__Roman Art and Literature__**
Roman Arts and Literature was influenced by the Etruscan art and the Greeks, because of their realism that they had put into their art work. Romans were the first people to use concrete on a large scale. They built 50,000 miles of roads, bridges, and " The great and highly advanced Roman waterway system known as the Aqueducts, are among the greatest achievements in the ancient world. The running water, indoor plumbing and sewer system carrying away disease from the population within the Empire wasn't surpassed in capability until very modern times. The Aqueducts, being the most visible and glorious piece of the ancient water system, stand as a testament to Roman engineering. Some of these ancient structures are still in use today in various capacities". says []

__**The Rise of Christianity**__
Christianity all started out with a man named Jesus. He traveled and preached across the Mediterranean World. He won followers across the Roman Empire. He taught virtues like charity, humility, and love towards others. Some saw Jesus as a rebel, so they captured him. They whipped him and crowned his head with thorns. They killed him in a way called crucifixion, because he was not a citizen of their community. His followers claimed that he rose from the dead. His leaders and apostles spread Jesus's word by word of mouth, at first, then it got written as gospels. In results of Jesus's efforts, Christians refused to worship the emperor as God, the Roman Empire persecuted the Christians, and the churches became more organized.

If you want to know what the crucifixion was like just click this video **VERY GRAPHIC!!!!!**

media type="youtube" key="jXBQNFwJ8wo" height="344" width="425" align="center"

** __The Fall of Rome__ **
The Roman Empire had split into 2 groups called: The Western Roman Empire and The Eastern Roman Empire. The Western Empire got invaded by Germanic tribes and Visigoths. Vandals, from North Africa invaded Italy. The Eastern Empire, which eventually changed into the Byzantine Empire, it prospered!!

Some people believe that the reason for the fall of Rome were:
 * 1) Christianity weakened emperor/ empire
 * 2) Lead poisoning (from aqueducts)
 * 3) Plague
 * 4) No technological advancements, because of slavery
 * 5) No working political system

**__Byzantine Empire Video__**
media type="custom" key="5009997" width="320" height="320" align="center"

media type="custom" key="5010385" align="center"

**Works Cited**

 * Jona Lendering. [|:http://www.livius.org/ha-hd/hannibal/hannibal.html]. Hannibal. Jona Lendering. Accessed Dec. 7, 2009
 * [|:http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/rome_five_good_emperors.htm]. Antiquities of Rome/ Five Good Emperors. Accessed Dec. 9, 2009
 * Rickard J. []. First Punic War. Accessed Dec. 8 2009
 * Spielvogel Ph.D, Jackson. __Glencoe World History North Carolina Edition.__ McGraw-Hill Companies. Copyright 2008. Dec. 7, through Dec. 10, 2009
 * []. Roman Aqueducts. The UNRV Team. Accessed Dec. 8, 2009

Picture Sources
 * 1) http://www.orthocuban.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/greek_alphabet.gif
 * 2) http://www.globalfirepower.com/imgs/maps/italy.jpg
 * 3) http://www.militarygenius.com/strategy_tactics_geniuses/pictures_pics/hannibal_barca_carthage_second_punic_war.jpg
 * 4) http://www.decor-medley.com/image-files/toga-party-decorations-octavian-augustus-statue.jpg
 * 5) http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/images/acqu.jpg
 * 6) http://static-wear.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/172027__passion_l.jpg

Video Sources
 * 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXBQNFwJ8wo&feature=player_embedded
 * 2) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8660677296696390218&ei=GmclS7r2E4TYrgK1_qSUBA&q=the+byzantine+empire&hl=en#

Music Source
 * 1) http://www.mp3-codes.com/play/254982/My_Life_Be_Like_Remix_-_Grits