Download Unit 5 - Pleasantville High School

Unit 5: Ancient Rome
Part III: The Rise of Christianity,
the Decline and Fall of Rome,
and Rome’s Legacy
Quick Class Discussion:
What was religion like in Rome?
Religion in the Roman Empire
Religion
in Rome was
polytheistic
& based upon
the Greek gods
Romans
worshipped the
gods without a
great deal of
emotion.
Quick Class Discussion:
How do you think the Romans treated
people they conquered who had
different religions?
Emperors
were mostly
of other
religions,
Religion
in thetolerant
Roman
Empire
but expected everyone who lived in the empire
to respect the Roman gods as a sign of loyalty
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Brief Review: Ancient Hebrews
Lived in Fertile Crescent
Monotheistic – 10 commandments
Torah as Holy Book
Migrated from Ur to Canaan (Palestine)
Famine forces Hebrews to go to Egypt
Eventually become slaves
Moses leads Hebrews to escape slavery (The Exodus)
Took 40 years – finally get back to Canaan
Kingdom of Israel – 1000B.C.
David is King – united tribes into 1 nation
Solomon- built capital at Jerusalem
But heavy taxation on people – revolt follows
Kingdom split into 2 – Israel (North) & Judah (South)
Babylonians conquer and force Jews into exile.
Eventually, Cyrus (Persian leader) allows Jews to return to homeland.
In 63
B.C., thein
Romans
conquered
the
Religion
the Roman
Empire
Hebrew kingdom of Judea & allowed
“Romanized Jews” (who showed respect
& obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea
But, the Hebrews were
monotheistic & many refused to
pay respect to the Roman gods
Hebrews
began
to resist
ReligionMany
in the
Roman
Empire
Roman rule and their King Herod.
Two groups of Jews –
1) Zealots- get rid of Romans
2) Believed God would send a
Messiah (savior) who would
soon appear and restore the
kingdom to the Jews
•Romans crush revolt in 66A.D., capture Jerusalem
and destroy Temple. Wailing Wall (Western Wall)
is all that remains)
•Judaism survives in scattered communities
throughout the empire.
•Diaspora 132 AD – Dispersal of the Jews
Quick Class Discussion:
What happened in Judea during the Roman Empire?
Birth of Jesus & Beginning of Christianity
•Sometime between 6 & 4
B.C. in Judea (Bethlehem),
a Jew named Jesus was
born; Many considered
Jesus to be the Messiah
•Raised in Nazareth in
Palestine/ trained as a
carpenter.
•At the age of 30, Jesus began preaching a unique
version of Judaism that became known as
Christianity.
The Teaching of Jesus
■ Jesus did good works, performed miracles, &
delivered his religious teachings
– Jesus preached a religion based on the
Jewish belief in one god (monotheism)
– He based much of his good works on the
Ten Commandments
– Jesus taught that he was God’s son &
that God would rid the world of evil
– Jesus promoted a personal relationship
with God.
– He taught of God’s love, mercy and
forgiveness towards others, & eternal life
in heaven for those who repent their sins
Quick Class
Discussion:
What kind of
person would
Christianity
appeal to?
Jesus & the Disciples
Jesus’ message of eternal life Jesus’ followers
in heaven appealed to many were known as
people, especially the poor the 12 disciples
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Chief Jewish priests in
Judea did not accept the
idea that Jesus was the
Messiah & accused him of
blasphemy (contempt for
God)
Roman leaders feared
Jesus’ growing popularity
In 29 A.D., Jesus was
arrested for defying
Roman authority & was
crucified under Governor
Pontius Pilate
Spread of Christianity:
•According to the Gospels, three days
later Jesus rose from the dead and
began preaching again
•Finally, it was said he was ascended
into heaven.
Quick Class Discussion:
What role did the apostle Paul play in Christianity?
The Spread of Christianity
The Apostles, especially
Paul, molded Jesus’
teachings into a new
religion called
Christianity based upon
the idea that Jesus was
God’s son & that he
died for man’s sins
The Apostles taught
that Jews & Gentiles
were welcome as
Christians
After Jesus’ death, Paul helped spread Jesus
teachings throughout the Roman Empire
Paul used epistles or letters to interpret
Jesus’ ideas to others. Paul (real name Saul)
travels throughout empire during Pax
Romana.
Christianity spread quickly due to roads,
numerous trade routes, & common
language throughout the Roman Empire
Quick Class Discussion:
How did the Romans treat Hebrews & Christians?
Persecution of Jews & Christians
■ Spread of Judaism & Christianity were seen as
problems for the Roman emperors:
– Jews & Christians refused to worship the
Roman gods or recognize the emperor as
more important than God
– Many Christians & Jews were persecuted by
Romans; Many were crucified, exiled, or
executed during gladiator events
– Christians who died became martyrs (people
who sacrifice their lives for their beliefs)
which helped spread the faith
Why did Christianity Become a World Religion?
1) Embraced all people.
2) Gave hope to the powerless
3) Appealed to those who were
repelled by extravagance or
imperial Rome.
4) Offered a personal relationship
with God.
5) Promised eternal life after death
Quick Class Discussion:
How was the early Christian Church
organized?
Organization of the Early Christian
Church
■ Christians organized the faith:
–A hierarchy of leadership
was created in which local
priests were supervised by
regional bishops; The head
of the church was the Pope
who operated from Rome
–Teachings were collected
into the Bible, the official
source of religious truth
for Christianity
Christianity Becomes Recognized
■ Christianity spread throughout Roman
Empire & gained popularity
–In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity & issued
the Edict of Milan which gave freedoms
& equality to Christians and ends their
persecution
–In 380 A.D., Emperor Theodosius
made Christianity the official religion
of the Roman Empire
Reading: St. Augustine’s City of God
■ Bishop of Hippo (North African province of the
Roman empire)
■ 396AD – writes City of God – chief defense of
Christianity – not to be blamed for eventual
collapse of the Roman Empire.
Review: Timeline of the Roman
Republic/Empire
Rome began as a
city-state that was
heavily influenced
by Greek culture
The Roman Republic
By 509 B.C.,
Rome was ruled by
elected Senators
who served in the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic
During the Republic,
Rome expanded by
defeating Carthage
in the Punic Wars &
later under generals
like Julius Caesar
The Roman Republic
But, the Republic
weakened due to
corruption, civil wars,
& the assassination of
Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
The Roman Empire
After Caesar’s death,
Rome became an
empire ruled by the
Emperor Augustus
The Roman Empire
Under Augustus,
Rome entered an era
of peace &
prosperity known as
the Pax Romana
Pax
Romana
The Roman Republic
After 207 years of
prosperity during
the Pax Romana,
the Empire began
to decline & was
conquered in 476 A.D.
Pax
Era of
Romana decline
Quick Class Discussion
■Why did the Roman Empire decline?
–Brainstorm a list of reasons why
the mighty Roman Empire might
have entered an era of decline
The Decline of the Roman Empire
■The fall of the Roman Empire
happened in 3 major stages:
–An era of decline due to internal
problems within Rome
The Romans experienced political problems
The empire was too large for one emperor to control.
Lots of fighting – rival commanders each wanting to
be emperor – no rules for succession
Emperors after
the Pax Romana
were weak
(Marcus Aurelius
– The Last of the
Good Emperors)
Citizens experienced a loss of
confidence, patriotism, & loyalty
to the Roman gov’t
The Romans experienced economic problems
Outside groups
disrupted trade
Rome had a trade imbalance (they
bought more than they produced)
Poor harvests led The gov’t raised taxes & printed
to food shortages new coins which led to inflation
The economic
decline left many
Roman farmers
poor – many left
their land and
seek protection
from wealthy
landowners
The Romans experienced military problems
Germanic tribes outside Rome were gaining
strength
The Roman military was To save money, Romans
growing weak: generals
hired foreign soldiers
were challenging the
but these “mercenaries”
authority of the emperors were not loyal to Rome
Quick Class Discussion
■What would you do to save the
empire?
–Brainstorm a series of reforms that
might save Rome from its decline
The Decline of the Roman Empire
■The fall of the Roman Empire happened
in 3 major stages:
–An era of decline due to internal
problems within Rome
–A brief period of revival due to reforms
by Emperors Diocletian & Constantine
Attempts to Reform the Empire
■ In 284 A.D. Emperor Diocletian came to
power & made a series of reforms that
temporarily halted Rome’s decline
– To fix the military, he doubled
the size of the Roman army
– To fix the economy, he fixed
prices for goods and wages.
Farmers had to remain on land.
Sons had to have same job as their fathers
– To fix the lack of loyalty, he presented himself as
a godlike emperor with elaborate ceremonies
– Viewed Christianity as a threat, and passed
decrees to persecute Christians.
Diocletian’s most important reform was realizing
Rome was too large & dividing the empire into
the Western and Eastern Roman Empires
The
was divided
But,empire
the empire
The East was far wealthier than
between
was also Greek-speaking
divided the West because it had most of
& Latin-speaking
halves
by wealth
the great cities & trade centers
Attempts to Reform the Empire
■ After Diocletian, the
emperor Constantine came
to power & continued to
reform Rome
– To help unify Rome, he
ended persecutions,
promoted religious
toleration &
converted to Christianity
– He moved the official
capital from Rome to a
new city in the East,
Byzantium (Constantinople)
•Constantinople was a major trade center & was
easy to defend; The city was built in the Roman
style but had a strong Greek & Christian influence.
•This move would strengthen the Eastern Roman
Empire at the expense of the west and Rome itself
The Decline of the Roman Empire
■The fall of the Roman Empire
happened in 3 major stages:
–An era of decline due to internal
problems within Rome
–A brief period of revival due to
reforms by Emperors Diocletian &
Constantine
–Continued decline, invasion by
Germanic “barbarians”, & the
conquest of Rome
After Emperors Diocletian & Constantine,
The
Collapse
the Roman
the
Western
Romanof
Empire
continued Empire
to decline
Germanic Tribes in the North: Ostrogoths,
Visigoths, Franks, Angles, Saxons, Burgundians,
Alemanni, and Vandals
Disease, corruption, & declining economy exposed
the West to attack from outside invasions
The
Collapse
ofattacks
the
Roman
410
By 370
AD –A.D.,
Visigoth
“barbarian”
leader Alaric
groups
outside
Rome
434
Rome,
AD –led
Attila
by the
the Huns,
Hun –Empire
began
“Scourge
to attack
of God” –
savage campaign of conquest
The weak Roman army in the West could do little to
stop the invasions; By 476, Germanic barbarians led
by Odoacer conquered Western Rome
The Fall of Rome
The decline
of the
After
the Fall of Rome
Western Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire
led to the Middle Ages
– renamed the
Byzantine Empire
preserved Greek and
Roman works for
another thousand years
Roman Achievements
 The Romans developed innovations that are
still used today because:
– Rome’s location along the Mediterranean
Sea allowed for trade, travel, conquest &
cultural diffusion with other cultures
– The Romans adapted Greek and Hellenistic
ideas (Greco-Roman). The Romans were
pragmatic (practical people) and took these
ideas and made them work.
– The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially
during the Pax Romana, allowed the Romans
to promote culture & invention.
Roman Architecture
■ The Romans were tremendous builders who
improved upon Greek designs with two new
architectural features: arches & domes:
– Arches – curved structures over an opening
that can support its own weight – were used
by the Romans to create enormous building
like the Coliseum and the Pantheon.
– Domes – created open spaces in buildings
■ Using cement, Romans built arenas so
thousands of people could attend “circuses”
(entertainment events).
Arts and Architecture
■Roman art is realistic – “warts and all”
■Sculpture also captures emotions.
■Frescoes (wall paintings) and mosaics
(painting made with chips of colored
stone or glass)
Roman Architecture
■Who
influenced the
Romans in
architecture?
■What is one
unique
characteristic
of Roman
building?
■Sketch an
arch.
Compare the images
of the Roman
Coliseum & the
Georgia Dome
1. Write three
similarities that you
can see (or can
assume) about
their architecture
Roman Roads
■ The Romans built the largest and
longest-lasting network of roads in the
ancient world.
■ At the height of the empire, Roman
roads stretched for 56,000 miles and
included 29 major highways.
■ At first the roads were built to move
soldiers quickly, but eventually the
routes served many people and
purposes, including trade.
Roman Roads
Roman Aqueducts
■ One of the Roman’s greatest and most
practical engineering feats was the
channeling of water to their towns and
cities
■ Roman engineers built the aqueducts to
move the cold, clear water from springs
over 250 miles into towns.
■ Some of the aqueducts are still standing
and in use. One in Spain is a two-tiered
aqueduct that is 95 feet above the
ground and is 2,388 feet long!
Roman Aqueducts
If the curvy line between the lake and the
Roman city represents hills and valleys,
how would the Romans get the water to the
city? Sketch an aqueduct that connects the
lake and city.
Sciences
■Ptolemy – scientist and astronomercomes up with geocentric theory
(earth is center of the universe)
■Galen – doctor – medical
encyclopedia and experimentation
■Pliny the Elder – volumes of work on
geography, zoology, botany
–Died during the eruption of Mt.
Vesuvius in 79AD
Roman Calendar
■ The Romans began using a new solar
calendar that was borrowed heavily
from the Egyptian calendar and had
been improved by the scholars of
Alexandria.
■ This new calendar (called the “Julian
calendar” after Julius Caesar) had 365
days and 1 extra day every fourth year.
■ July was named after Julius Caesar
because it included his birthday.
Roman Calendar
Three months on
the Julian
calendar are
named after
famous Romans.
One is July.
1.What are the
other two
months?
2.Who are they
named after?
Roman Language
• Roman conquest spread Latin through
much of Europe. Over time, different
regions in Europe developed languages
based on Latin.
• Languages based on Latin are known as
Romance languages.
• Words in the five major Romance
languages often sound alike – for
example, the Latin word for “freedom”,
libertas, translates as liberta in Italian,
liberte in French, libertad in Spanish,
liberdade in Portuguese, and libertate in
Romanian.
Literature
■Poetry – Virgil’s Aeneid picks up
where the Iliad and Odyssey leave
off. Virgil is trying to rile up Roman
patriotism.
■Horace writes satires- poked fun at
Roman society. Other poets, Juvenal
and Martial were very harsh against
Roman society.
Historians
■Livy tells of Roman patriotism and
glorifies some ancient heroes like
Cincinnatus (dictator who ruled for
short time).
■Tacitus was against Augustus and
liked the simple lifestyle of the
Germanic tribes in the northern part
of the empire.
Philosophy
■Marcus Aurelius (last of the good
emperors) embraced stoicism (from
the Hellenistic Age)
–He stressed the ideas of duty and
the importance of accepting one’s
fate.
–These ideas will be incorporated
into Christianity.
Roman Law
■ Roman laws were made by the Senate and
then posted for the people to see, called the
Twelve Tables.
■ 2 Systems of Laws
– Civil laws – applied to citizens (did not
cover non-citizens)
– Law of nations – applied to all people
under Roman rule
■ Roman law allowed anyone – including the
poor and slaves – to accuse others of crimes.
Legacy of the Roman Law
■ The Roman legal system included a criminal
court system with lawyers and juries so
people accused of crimes could defend
themselves. Witnesses could be called to give
witness testimony.
– Innocent until proven guilty
– Face your accuser
– Defend yourself
– Guilt must be established through evidence
– Judges interpret the laws