Download Pax Romana Second Triumvirate Caesar`s murder did not save the

Pax Romana
Second Triumvirate
Caesar’s murder did not save the Republic. His adopted son and heir, ______________ led alongside his trusted officer and
friend Marc Antony. Together they decided to each rule half of the empire, Octavian in the east and Antony in the west.
When civil war inevitably broke out, Octavian defeated Antony and his ally Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Octavian alone
controlled Rome. The Republic was dead and a new period in Roman history was beginning.
Octavian to Augustus
As sole ruler, Octavian faced the task of restoring order in the empire. When he took power, Octavian had no
intention of establishing a dictatorship, but he had later secretly decided that it would be impossible to return Rome to its
old ____________________ system of government. As Rome’s ruler, Octavian created a new political order. Today it is known as
the empire, but Octavian was careful to avoid the title of _______ or emperor. He continually insisted that his powers were
no greater than those of other ________________ before him and that he worked for the good of the people.
In 27 BC the Senate gave Octavian the title ______________________, “the revered one.” This title, a religious honor, is
the name by which he is still known today. He was also given the right to wear a crown of laurel and oak leaves, very
symbolic of the break away from the republican government.
For more than 40 years, Augustus remained at the head of the state. This very long reign made possible a smooth
transition to the new imperial government. Augustus ___________________ the power to rule Rome between himself and the
Senate. However, most decisions were his.
In foreign affairs Augustus started a vast program to bring peace to the west, particularly to Gaul and Spain. He
also began a series of conquests that expanded the already enormous empire.
In Rome the legacy of The _________________________was even more impressive. Augustus took special care of Rome
itself, creating a police force and fire brigades and stockpiling food and water supplies. He began a vast building project
and presided over moral and religious reforms. The Augustan Age was a great period of _________________ in Latin literature.
This period produced many of the greatest writers of Roman history. Realizing that literature could enhance his fame,
Augustus supported its development.
The Good Emperors
In 96 AD, after the death of Augustus, a new line of emperors established itself on the Roman throne. Called the
_______________, these five rulers governed Rome for nearly 100 years. Almost all of the Good Emperors were from the
provinces rather than Rome. Consequently, they continued opening up Roman society by admitting more people from the
provinces into the Senate.
Pax Romana
The period from the beginning of Augustus’s reign in 27 BC until the death of the last good emperor in AD 180 is
often called the _____________________- the Roman Peace. Several essential traits, such as stable government, a strong legal
system, widespread trade, and most importantly, peace characterized this long era. During the Pax Romana the smooth
working of the government was seldom _____________________ by war or invasion.
The Roman government was the strongest unifying force in the empire. The government maintained order,
enforced the laws, and defended the frontiers. Both in the central administration and the provinces, members of the
aristocracy participated in government, but the emperors made all important decisions.
The empire was divided into provinces ruled by governors, appointed from Rome. Provincial government was
both fairer and more efficient than it had been under the republic because the government in Rome kept a closer check on
governors than before. Roman ___________ also unified the empire. Stability in the Roman legal system was achieved by a
strong code of laws. The laws specified what could or could not be done as well as the punishments for breaking them.
With few exceptions, the laws applied equally to all citizens of the empire, including the _______________________.
Trade and Transportation
The Roman Empire provided many opportunities for trade. From the provinces Italy imported grain, meat, and raw
materials such as wool and hides. From Asia, merchants brought silks, linens, glassware, jewelry, and furniture. Rome
and Alexandria became the empire’s greatest commercial centers.
All of this commercial activity was possible largely because of two factors: location around the Mediterranean and
its extensive ____________ network. There were about 50,000 miles of roads in the Roman Empire.