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THE ROMAN EMPIRE
RVCS WORLD HISTORY
SECTION 1
ROMAN RULERS
PAX ROMANA
• Pax Romana—This literally means “Roman Peace”
• Time span: 27 B.C. to about A.D. 180
CAESAR AUGUSTUS
• “Princeps”—Octavian, like a true politician, tried to be a leader of the
people. He took the title, “Princeps,” which meant “first citizen.”
• Caesar Augustus—Octavian also takes on the name, “Caesar Augustus.”
Caesar was Octavian’s family name (great-nephew and adopted son of Julius
Caesar). However, “Augustus” meant majestic, but it also signified “divinity.”
• Caesar’s Reign: 27 B.C. to A.D. 14
• [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaCbHw-ZbZQ
SUCCESSORS TO CAESAR AUGUSTUS
• Tiberius
• Caligula
• Claudius
• Nero
• 3 Brief Rulers (Galba, Vitellius, Otho)
• Vespasian
• Julius Sabinus
• Titus
• Domitian
• Nerva
• Trajan
TIBERIUS (A.D. 14-37)
• Family—Tiberius was the step-son of
Octavian (Caesar Augustus)
• Government—According to Tiberius, ruling
Rome was like “holding a wolf by the ears”
• [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7KqxX
ksWPU
CALIGULA (A.D. 37-41)
•
“Caligula”—This was actually his nickname, meaning “little soldier’s
boot”
•
Reign—He has sometimes been depicted as insane (e.g., talking to the
moon). Whatever the case, he was hated by many people, though he
also executed many Romans as well (so that probably didn’t help the
ol’ reputation).
•
Assassination—Caligula died by assassination (stabbing), led by
members of the Praetorian Guard
•
[video] http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars/videos/caligulacoin-comes-out-of-storage
CALIGULA’S ASSASSINATION
• The situation had escalated when, in 40 AD, Caligula announced to the Senate
that he planned to leave Rome permanently and to move to Alexandria in
Egypt, where he hoped to be worshiped as a living god. The prospect of
Rome losing its emperor and thus its political power was the final straw for
many. Such a move would have left both the Senate and the Praetorian
Guard powerless to stop Caligula. With this in mind Chaerea convinced his
fellow conspirators to put their plot into action quickly…He was stabbed to
death.
CLAUDIUS (A.D. 41-51)
•
Physically Disabled—Claudius lived most of his life with slight
deafness and a limp
•
Rule—Despite not entering politics until late in his life, Claudius was
rather successful as a politician
•
Britain—He was responsible for Rome’s occupation of Britain
•
Death—He was most likely assassinated by his own wife, Agrippina
•
[video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhOMSbn-Hgg
CLAUDIUS’S ASSASSINATION
• Ancient chroniclers say Claudius was killed after ingesting a poisonous mushroom, but they
differ on certain key facts. The historian Cassius Dio claims Agrippina procured the deadly
fungus from a poisoner named Locusta and served it to Claudius during a dinner at the
palace. Tacitus, meanwhile, says the emperor’s food taster delivered the dish, and when it
didn’t immediately work, Claudius’ doctor shoved a poison-dipped feather down his throat to
finish the job. Suetonius mentions both stories as a possibility, but argues the second dose of
poison was mixed with a batch of gruel. Almost all the ancients say Agrippina masterminded
the plot to ensure her son Nero’s ascension to the throne. Still, some modern historians have
since argued that Claudius’ death could have been an accident caused by him unknowingly
eating an Amanita phalloides—a highly toxic strain of mushroom also known as “Death Cap.”
ROMAN EMPIRE UNDER CLAUDIUS
NERO (A.D. 54-68)
•
Roman Fire—In 64 A.D., most of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome,
which many Romans believed Nero himself had started in order to clear land for his
planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea.
•
The Fiddler—While Rome was burning, he is recorded to have played his fiddle
(more specifically, a “stringed instrument”). This has lead to speculation that he was
insane.
•
•
[video] http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/nero/videos/historys-burningquestions-nero
Persecutor—According to multiple sources, Nero dipped Christians in oil, and then set
them on fire to be used for his source of light in his personal garden.
VESPASIAN (A.D. 69-79)
• Flavian Dynasty—After Nero committed suicide, Rome
underwent a brief civil war, the “Year of the Four
Emperors.” The Senate finally declared Vespasian as their
new emperor, which began the “Flavian Dynasty,” a
lineage of emperors that lasted for 27 years.
• Roman Colosseum—He built the Flavian Amphitheatre,
better known today as the Roman Colosseum.
TITUS (A.D. 79-81)
• Lineage—Titus was the son of Vespasian
• Jerusalem—He is perhaps best known for capturing Jerusalem and destroying
the Temple (in A.D. 70 as a military commander). [pictured: the “Arch of Titus”]
• Reception—With the exception of Jews and Christians, Titus was generally
regarded as a good ruler.
• [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7585SotsXkY
DOMITIAN (A.D. 81-96)
•
Emperor—After the death of Titus, his brother (Domitian) came to
power.
•
Senate—Domitian was deeply hated by the Roman Senate, though it
seems that the common people were not so critical.
•
Deity—Domitian insisted on being called, “Master and God.” (so, he
was obviously humble…)
•
Assassination—Domitian, the last of 3 Flavian emperors, was
assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, with his wife included in
planning the murder.
TRAJAN (A.D. 98-117)
•
Success—Officially declared by the Senate as optimus princeps ("the
best ruler"), Trajan was remarkably successful as emperor. Abroad, he
led Rome in impressive military expansions. At home, he oversaw many
new building projects, and even took care of the poor.
•
Medieval Christians—Even Christians from the Middle Ages saw Trajan
as a “virtuous pagan.”
•
[video] http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancientrome/videos/trajan-market
SECTION 2
ROMAN CULTURE
ROMAN WRITERS
•
Cicero—Immensely important for his writings in Latin, which included topics such as rhetoric,
philosophy, and one’s duty to his country (his name actually means “chickpea”)
•
Virgil—He is sometimes called the “Homer of Rome,” and is considered the greatest Roman poet.
His most famous poem is the Aeneid. (The Aeneid was heavily influenced from Homer’s Iliad and the
Odyssey).
•
•
Horace—Another well-known Roman poet, but he especially highlighted the moral decay in Rome.
•
Tacitus—He was Rome’s most famous historian that criticized self-centered emperors and favored a
Republic. His writings even mentioned the crucifixion of Jesus and persecution of Christians.
Ovid—His poetry focused on mythology and love, though they were banned because of their
explicit content. Ovid was even exiled from the city of Rome.
HANGMAN COMPETITION
• Part 1: Guess the Phrase
• Part 2: Guess the Roman Author
• “Fortune favors the brave.” - Virgil
TACITUS (A.D. 56-117) ON JESUS
• “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty
during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius
Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment,
again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in
Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world
find their centre and become popular.” – Annals (Book 15, chapter 44)
POMPEII
• Event—On the afternoon of August 24, A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius violently
erupted. Almost no one from the city survived, and within three days the entire
city was completely buried.
• Excavation—Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748, and excavated since then.
• [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmM2tCcsLEY
• Skip 32:11-34:28
• Resume at 7:25
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• Aqueducts—The Romans built aqueducts, which supplied water to those in
their cities.
• [video] http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/emperoraugustus/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-aqueducts
• Roman Roads—These roads helped connect the Roman Empire. Close to 400
major roads were built, beginning approximately 500 B.C.
THE ROMAN GAMES
• Gladiators—These armed combatants fought other people, and sometimes
wild animals, before a Roman audience.
• The Colosseum—This large structure housed gladiator fights.
• [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpcDAjdXFZI
• Skip 25:46-30:43
ROMAN GODS
• Roman Names Were Applied to Greek Gods:
• Zeus = Jupiter
• Hera = Juno
• Poseidon = Neptune
PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION
• Lucretius—He was a major Roman poet, but best known for his belief in
Epicureanism.
• Seneca—He was the tutor to the emperor Nero and a proponent of Stoicism.
• Marcus Aurelius—He was the “philosopher-king”
JESUS CHRIST & THE ROMAN EMPIRE
•
Synagogues—These were meeting places for Jews that could not worship at the
temple in Jerusalem. (eventually, Jewish Christians went to synagogues to share the
Gospel)
•
Jesus’ Life—He lived during the “Pax Romana,” when Jews possessed authority, but
underneath the ultimate rule of Rome.
•
Crucifixion—Jesus’ crucifixion occurred under the governorship of Pontius Pilate while
Tiberius was emperor in Rome.
•
[video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-EVfxABSoU
NEXT TOPIC: THE EARLY CHURCH
• The Resurrection
• The Apostles & the Spread of the Gospel
• First 4 centuries of Christianity