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Pax Romana
Focus Question: What kind of ruler was Augustus?
Pax Romana
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Under Augustus, life through the Roman
empire underwent great changes; most
important, his rule began the Pax
Romana
During this period of peace, Augustus
ordered the building of new roads,
buildings and water systems; he also
worked to create a single system of
government and money throughout the
empire.
“All Roads Lead
to Rome”
The Roman empire at its peak was
crisscrossed by more than 50,000
miles of roads. Those roads
helped to make communication,
trade, and travel throughout the
empire possible.
Running an Empire
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From Spain to Sparta, Alexandria to Jerusalem, people felt the pull of Rome
through its laws; laws were upheld by governors who also acted as judges
Taxes paid by craft workers and merchants helped to pay for the upkeep of the
empire
Travel and
Trade
One sign of the strength of the
Roman government was safe
travel.
Vast Projects
The sheer size of the Roman
empire united some of the world’s
most skilled craft workers and
engineers. They built beautiful - as
well as useful- structures that
reflected the empire's great
wealth and power.
The Decline of
the Roman
Empire
During the Pax Romana from 27
B.C.E. to C.E. 180, the Roman
empire was by no means the only
power in its area of the world.
The Empire Under Attack
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Despite its name, the Pax Romana was not a completely peaceful time in Rome’s
history; revolts and border wars flared up often
The northern invaders were German speaking peoples; they were attacking a
Roman empire that had become too big to control
The Empire is Divided
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In C.E. 284 an emperor named
Diocletian came to power; he realized
that the empire was simply too big to
be ruled by one man, so he divided it
into two main parts
Assistants took charge of affairs in the
western empire and Diocletian
became head of the eastern empire a region including the wealthy cities
of Egypt, Greece, and Palestine
A Capital in the
East
In 306 Constantine became
emperor; he reunited the Roman
empire under his rule. However,
he too focused on the eastern half
of the empire. He based the
empire in a new city,
Constantinople.
End of the
Roman Empire
Meanwhile the western empire
continued to weaken. Northern
peoples settles into more parts of
the empire. In 410 their soldiers
took Rome itself. In 476, Rome’s
last emperor was removed from
the throne.
The Eastern Empire Lives On
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After the fall of the western Roman empire, the eastern half lived on for another
1,000 years; it became known as the Byzantine empire
Greek culture had a large role in Byzantine life
Even though there were differences, Byzantine civilization preserved the strong
traditions of the Roman empire