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Pax Romana
Madnick/Global History 9
The Basics
Pax Romana
• Latin for “Roman Peace”
• 27 BCE-180 CE
• 200 years of peace and great
achievement in the Roman
Empire
• the Golden Age of Rome
The Background
Julius Caesar
• 59-51 BCE conquered Gaul (France)
• Became a famous military hero in Rome
• 49 BCE “Crossed the Rubicon”
– crossed the Rubicon River with his army &
entered the city of Rome
--fought for 5 years against the rest
of the Roman army
civil war -war between people
in the same country
The Background
Julius Caesar
49 BCE made himself dictator of Rome
dictator- a single ruler with absolute power
By doing this...
Caesar created the Roman Empire
Empire- a collection of regions and people led by a ruler
with absolute power
March 15, 44 BCE—
Killed on the Senate floor by 2 unhappy senators,
Brutus & Cassius
The Background
Caesar’s nephew took over
Augustus Caesar
Won a famous battle--Battle of Actium,31 BCE
-defeated his sworn enemy, Marc Antony
-added Egypt to the Roman Empire
-became very popular in Rome
The Senate made him dictator for 10 years
-Augustus stayed in power for over 40 yrs.
-every leader after Augustus was called an Emperor
Under Augustus, Rome went from Republic to Empire
Pax Romana
The Pax Romana started under Augustus (27 BCE-180 CE)
Augustus….
• brought Roman justice and laws to all provinces
• built a huge army to protect Roman borders from
invasion
• united Roman people under one leader
• Romans could concentrate on art, architecture,
technology, literature, etc
“Augustus found Rome
built of brick, and left it
built of marble.”
Technology
Transportation system connected all parts of the empire
Roman roads & aqueducts
--bridge-like structures that carry water by using gravity
allowed people, armies, and trade caravans to travel
quickly through empire
Architecture
• Rome borrowed Greek columns and building designs
• Added arches and domes to post and beam
architecture
Art
Rome borrowed Greek ideas of beauty and realism
Took realism further by making people look really real,
not just perfect and beautiful
Cultural Diffusion during the Pax Romana
Roman culture spread through the Empire
• Roman laws & justice for all
• Latin language blended with local languages to form:
Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese
• Gladiator sports/coliseums everywhere
• Religion: Roman polytheism; eventfully Christianity