Download The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire
-Describe the major achievements of the Romans.
-Explain who Augustus was and his significance in Roman
history.
-Define and explain Pax Romana.
-Explain the importance of good rulers to the growth and
expansion of the Roman empire.
-List examples of Rome’s advanced civilization.
The Pax Romana
• When Rome became an empire, it would be
ruled by emperors or rulers of an empire.
• Rome, by far, was the world’s most powerful
empire.
• Augustus ruled from 27bc to 14ad.
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He bought stability and order to Rome.
He centralized the government.
He improved the economy.
He started Rome’s fire brigade and a police force.
He added new territories to Rome.
A Long Period of Peace
• During Augustus’ rule, Rome experienced a long
period of peace.
• Trade and business grew.
• Life improved for most people.
• This period of peace, known as The Pax
Romana, lasted for about 200 years.
• The Roman army became the world’s most
powerful fighting force.
• Roman soldiers were very well trained
– In addition, to weapons, they carried tools.
– They used tools to build forts, roads, and canals.
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors and the Bad
• Caligula was cruel and mentally unstable.
– He tried to make himself a god and tried to have his
horse made a senator.
– He was assassinated by his bodyguards.
• Claudius returned artwork that had been stolen
by Caligula.
– He granted citizenship to more people in the Empire
and improved Rome’s laws.
• Nero was a bad emperor.
– He poisoned his stepbrother, murdered his wife and
his mother.
– After his death, civil war broke out.
The Five Good Emperors
• After the Civil War, Rome entered a more
stable period.
• The Five Good Emperors brought a long
period of peace and prosperity.
• Perhaps the greatest of these was Marcus
Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius
Government and Law
• The Roman Empire covered a huge area of
many different groups of people.
• It stretched from Britain and Spain in the west
and to Iran in the east.
• People spoke many different languages and
followed many different religions.
• Rome offered citizenship to all of its people.
• Besides their own language, many people also
spoke Latin.
• They traveled on Roman roads, used Roman
measures, obeyed Roman laws, and were
defended by Roman armies.
Roman Laws
• All free people have equal rights before the law.
• A person must be considered innocent until he
or she is proven guilty.
• Accused people should be allowed to face their
accusers and defend themselves.
• Judges must interpret the law and make
decisions fairly.
• People have rights that no government can take
away.
Entertainment
• Rome celebrated many holidays.
• The holidays were marked by plays in theatres
and religious ceremonies.
• Thousands of Romans gathered into sports
arenas to see organized battles.
• The most famous arena is the Colosseum.
– It could seat 500,000 people.
– The most popular events involved gladiators, or
professional fighters who were usually prisoners or
slaves.
– Often the gladiators fought to their death.
The Colosseum
The Gladiators
• The gladiators would enter the arena to the
cheers of the crowd.
• They raided their weapons to salute the
emperor.
• As they fought, spectators cheered the victors
and booed the defeated.
• At the end of a battle, blood covered the arena.
• If a losing gladiator fought bravely, his life would
be spared, if not the crowd would stretch out
their arms and turn their thumbs toward the
gladiator.
– This signaled a death sentence.
Roman Arts
• The Romans took great pride in their skills as builders.
• Sports stadiums today resemble the Collosseum.
• The Romans build elevated or raised aqueducts that
brought fresh water to Roman cities.
• Many cities were discovered during the Roman times.
• Language helped to unite the Romans.
– When they conquered lands, the Romans brought their
language with them.
– Latin is the basis for many European languages such as
French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian.
Roman Aqueducts