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Chapter 6 Ancient Rome and Early
Christianity
Section 4 and 5
Section 4 The Decline of the Roman
Empire
  Rome declines after the rule of Marcus Aurelius. The rulers
that followed were brutal and incompetent.
  Raids from hostile tribes and pirates on the Mediterranean
caused a disruption of trade
  Fewer land were left to conquer so there was a resource and
god and silver drain
Section 4 The Decline of the Roman
Empire
  To pay of debts Rome raised taxes, and they started minting coins
that contained less and less silver, which created inflation.
  Agriculture production decreased. Overworked soil lost fertility.
Wars destroyed land. Higher taxes caused poor farmers to leave
their farms.
  Military troubles: Germanic tribes repeatedly overwhelmed the
Roman legions, at the same time Persia threatened in Syria and
Anatolia. Soldiers were loyal to commanders not to Rome
because they were mercenaries who were paid to fight
  Citizens became indifferent and a loss of patriotism because of the
decline of the economy, military and social conditions.
Section 4: The Decline of the Roman
Empire
  Diocletian takes steps to restore order and reform the empire
  He doubled the size of the Roman army
  Fixed prices to control inflation
  Claimed to be a descent from Roman gods
  Divided the Roman Empire into the Eastern and Western
Constantine reforms empire
  Extended the reforms started by Diocletian
  Restored the concept of single ruler
  Moved capital of Rome to Byzantium
Causes of the Final Collapse of
Western Roman Empire
  Worsening internal conditions
  Invasions by German tribes and Huns
  Separation of Western Empire from wealthier Eastern Empire
  Continued recruitment of non-Roman mercenaries help
cause a decline in patriotism and loyalty among soldiers.
They were loyal to their commander not the empire.
  The Huns united under Attila and terrorized and plundered
both parts of the empire
Attila the Hun
Section 5: Rome and the Roots of
Western Civilization
  The mixing of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture
produces Greco Roman Culture
  Sculpture:
  Greek Contributions: provided model for fine art of sculpture
  Rome Contributions: developed base relief, used mosaic tiles,
created realistic portraits in stone, painted frescoes
Philosophy:
Greek Contributions: founded schools such as Stoicism
Rome Contributions: applied teachings of Greek philosophers to
administration of the empire
Base Relief
Mosaic tiles
Frescoes
Cultural Elements
  Literature
  Greek contributions: provided forms and models for literature
such as the epics of Homer.
  Roman contributions: wrote epics, witty poetry and prose,
history was important
Roman Achievements
  Language: introduced and spread Latin, Latin became the
language of learning long after Rome fell
  Architecture: Introduced arch, dome and concrete, built
Coliseum and other massive structures
  Engineering: built bridges, aqueducts and roads
Language
Architecture
 
Arch
Aqueducts and Bridges
Road system(85,000 miles)
Virgil
  Poet that wrote the Aeneas an epic describing the history of
the legendary Aeneas (mythical hero of Rome and Troy,
helped protect Troy, only second in ability to his cousin
Hector)
Tacitus
  Roman historian recognized for his accurate presentation of
the facts