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ROME
Pax Romana, LIFE, RISE OF
CHRISTIANITY, FALL OF THE EMPIRE
Pax Romana Emperors
• Romans never developed a rule for selecting
emperors – many named their successors.
• Army sometimes refused to accept them.
– Some brutal, disliked
– Many assassinated
– Some good
• Period of 100 years (Five Good Emperors)
–Hadrian – built Hadrian’s Wall fortifying the
frontier.
Hadrian's Wall
was a defensive
fortification in
Roman Britain.
Begun in 122
AD, during the
rule of emperor
Hadrian, it was
the first of two
fortifications
built across
Great Britain
Problems of Expansion
• Huge area to control
• Senate gained power – nearly complete
control over army and foreign policy.
• Stopped offering citizenship to new areas,
became subjects.
• New class of business people (equites) gained
wealth and influence due to trade
throughout the empire.
Problems
• Violence began to replace respect for the law
as the primary tool of politics.
– The Gracchi (two brothers who were
elected as tribunes) were both murdered
because of policies to help common people
– land reform, selling cheap grain.
1
Roman Society
FAMILY
The family was the basic unit of
Roman society.
Male was head of household and
had absolute authority.
EDUCATION
WOMEN
Women gained greater freedom and
influence over the centuries.
Some women ran businesses. Most
worked at home, raising families.
RELIGION
Both girls and boys learned to read
and write.
Gods and goddesses resembled those
of Greeks and Etruscans.
Education was highly valued.
Religious festivals inspired sense of
community.
Romans built many temples for
worship.
3
Roman Advances in Art and Science
Technology
Science
Built roads, bridges, and harbors
throughout empire
Romans left scientific research to
the Greeks.
Ptolemy proposed that Earth was
the center of the universe. (sun and
planets revolve around earth)
Built many aqueducts
Art
Architecture
Sculptors stressed realism.
Emphasized grandeur
Artists depicted life scenes in
frescoes and mosaics.
Improved column and arch
Developed rounded dome
3
Roman Law
During the Roman empire, these principles of law
fostered unity and stability:
•
•
•
•
An accused person was presumed to be innocent until proven
guilty.
The accused was permitted to face the accuser and offer a
defense.
Guilt had to be established through evidence.
Judges were expected to interpret the laws and make fair
decisions.
Centuries later, these principles would become the basis for legal
systems in Europe and the Americas.
Roman Mythology
Religion for the Romans was a lot like it was for the Greeks. Religion was a part of their every day life.
Roman Name
Mars
Jupiter
Juno
Venus
Minerva
Mercury
Pluto
Neptune
Vulcan
Function
God of War
Chief god/King
Queen of gods
Love and Beauty
Wisdom
Messenger
Underworld
Sea
Blacksmith, god of fire
Greek Name
Ares
Zeus
Hera
Aphrodite
Athena
Hermes
Hades
Poseidon
Hephaestus
The Romans believed that they would become closer to their gods through the
practice of rituals and sacrifices.
The Romans viewed their gods and goddess much like the Greeks had done. Gods
and goddesses were a part of their everyday life. They had human characteristics.
The Romans felt that the gods and goddesses needed to be kept happy so that they
would have a prosperous life.
The Romans were fairly tolerant of other religions so far as they were not interfering
with Roman religion.
4
Religious Diversity in the Early Empire
As long as people honored Roman gods and acknowledged the
divine spirit of the emperor, they were allowed to worship
other gods as they pleased.
After the Romans conquered Judea, they excused the
monotheistic Jews from worshiping the Roman gods.
Rome mistrusted Christians because they refused to make
sacrifices to the emperor or honor the Roman gods.
Roman officials persecuted the Christians. Many Christians
became martyrs, people who suffer or die for their beliefs.
4
The Teachings of Jesus
Some of Jesus’ teachings were rooted in Judaism:
Belief in one God
Ten Commandments
Mercy and sympathy for the poor and helpless
Obedience to the laws of Moses
Jesus also preached new beliefs:
1)
Called himself the Son of God
2)
Proclaimed that he brought salvation and eternal
life to anyone who would believe in him
3)
Jesus also emphasized God’s love and taught the
need for justice, morality, and service to others.
4
Spread of Christianity
Jesus’s disciples believed God’s
final judgment was coming soon.
Set out to spread the message.
Worked mainly in Jewish
communities of Palestine.
Spread slowly.
Appeal increased as life in the
empire became more difficult.
Promised hope and freedom from
the penalties of sin and death.
Social
•Growing divisions
between rich and poor
•Loss of values
•Loss of patriotism
Economic
•High taxes
•High inflation
•Lossof war loot
•Decline of manufacturing
•Decline of agriculture
Causes of the Fall of the
Western Roman Empire”
Military
•German invasions
•High cost of defense
•Dependence on German troops
•Loss of soldiers’ loyalty to Rome
•Military interference with government
Political
•Ineffective city-state system
•Division of empire
•Growing power of Eastern Empire
•Corruption and unstable leadership
•Burden of public service
There was no one thing which led to the fall of the Roman Empire
It included all of the following:
Economy: Devaluation of Roman currency from inflation and high military
costs
Military: Breakdown in military discipline from the hiring of mercenaries.
Moral Decay: People lost faith in the Roman government
Political Problems: The Government became corrupt
Invasion: Barbarian invasions
Some people also believe it may have been lead poisoning from lead pipes, it
may have been a lack of technology due to slavery, the new religion of
Christianity may have caused people to turn from the government . . . The
causes were many.