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Pax Romana – Roman Peace Imagine you are Julius Caesar, a great military general and the new emperor of the Roman Empire. You control an empire of 50 million people. Your territories stretch across Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia. Now you must run this empire, maintain peace, and make sure you remain in power. What should you do? Read the following suggestions given to you by your advisors. Decide whether you agree or disagree with the suggestions. Hail Caesar! Agree Disagree Suggestion Citizenship You should grant citizenship to all conquered people. This will give them equal rights as Romans, keep them happy, and prevent rebellions. Slavery You should make all conquered people into slaves. They will be able to work for you building roads, homes, or other things you need. The best part is – they’re free! Land You should take land from owners and control it yourself. Any money earned from crops should be taxed and given to you. You decide how to use the tax money. Laws All territories must change their laws and obey Roman laws instead. This prevents rebellion and makes sure the people are loyal to Rome. Courts Every court case must be decided in Rome because Rome is the capital city of the entire empire. Religion Everyone must change their religion to Christianity because the emperor is Christian. Those refusing to become Christian must be executed. Public Projects If a town wants to build new roads or buildings, they must raise money and pay for it themselves. Entertainment Parades, gladiator tournaments, and carnivals are only for the wealthy social classes to attend. Wealthy Romans do not want to socialize with the poor. Art & Literature All art and literature should be about the emperor and about Rome’s greatness. Artists and writers should not create anything else. Pax Romana – Roman Peace How did Rome maintain a peaceful empire? After Julius Caesar took power over the Roman Empire, there was a time of peace called Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. This was an amazing 200 years for Rome considering the large population of 50 million people, the numerous languages spoken in the empire, and the different religions practiced across Asia, Europe, and North Africa. There were several reasons Caesar and other emperors maintained this time of peace. Laws Even before Rome became a large empire, it had laws called the Twelve Tablets. The Twelve Tablets listed the rights of Roman citizens and were posted in the Roman Forum for everyone to see and understand. Later, all conquered territories became subject to Roman law. Roman laws were strict and physical punishment was common. However, Romans attempted to make their laws fair and just. All citizens, both rich and poor, followed the same laws. Any Roman could accuse another of a crime and go to court where a jury, or group, of citizens decided the outcome. Though people were supposed to be equal under the law, the poor were often treated harshly compared to the wealthy. Even so, many of today’s governments, including the United States, are based on Roman laws and legal procedures. Citizenship Emperors granted citizenship to most free individuals in its conquered territories. As citizens, the people had the same rights, obeyed Roman law, and owed allegiance, or loyalty, to the emperor of Rome. Those who were not Roman citizens were considered barbarians, or foreigners, and were considered inferior to citizens. Last in the social class were slaves who were often enemy soldiers captured in battle or debtors who owed money. Keeping peace and order across the Roman Empire remained expensive and challenging. Wealth Conquering a vast area of land in Europe, Asia, and North Africa increased Rome’s ability to trade. Rome introduced a single form of currency, or money, to make trade easier and faster. Trade made the empire wealthy but the emperor also collected taxes from its people. This helped fund the Roman army which was a huge expense. The Roman army was the strongest of its time and soldiers were stationed across the empire to maintain order and ensure loyalty to the emperor. Religion People practiced various religions across the Roman Empire. Christianity was popular in Italy while Judaism was popular in Eastern Europe. Others worshipped different local gods and many of the Romans adopted Greek gods as their own. In time, even the emperor was worshipped as a god. Roman leaders tolerated, or accepted, different religious beliefs as long as people remained loyal to the emperor. Public Works Projects “All roads lead to Rome.” This popular saying comes from the amazing Roman achievements in building hundreds of miles of roads, bridges, canals, aqueducts, and much more. Caesar and other emperors invested large amounts of money and energy into public works projects. Improvements in these projects made it faster and easier to travel, trade, and communicate. In addition, temples, libraries and other important buildings were restored for the public. And Rome had its first force of police and firefighters. As the emperor Augustus said, “I found Rome brick and left it marble.” Entertainment One of Caesar’s goals was to keep poor Roman citizens happy enough to prevent rebellion. One way he accomplished this was through gladiator tournaments, carnivals, chariot races, and parades. These were all intended to entertain the people. All citizens, whether poor or rich, attended these festivals, and these also made Caesar more popular among the people. One famous location for these tournaments was the Coliseum in Rome. PAX ROMANA DIRECTIONS: Read the handout and describe what Romans did in their Empire. Then explain how it helped maintain peace. Topic Laws 2 Key Facts: What did the Romans do? Describe. How were conquered territories treated? (use reading) - How did this help maintain peace in the empire? (THINK!…not in the reading) - Citizenship - - Wealth - - Religion - - Religion - - Public Works Projects - - Entertainment - -