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Western Civilization
Chapter 6
Imperial Rome, 31-28 B.C.
• During the first two centuries A.D., Romans
fashioned a new form of government
• After the defeat and suicides of Antony and
Cleopatra, Octavian became known as Augustus
Caesar and was supreme in Rome because:
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of his conquests and his command of the army
his wealth used to gain support
backing of populares and elites who wanted peace
his plan
• Octavian knew Romans were used to choosing
their own path
• He also knew problems could be solved if
power was in one man’s hands – his
• He had a plan:
– was elected to be Consul annually beginning in 31
B.C.
– n 27 B.C., he made his move for more power
– He stood before the Senate and returned all the
power the Senate had given him
– As a result, the Senate feared another civil war
– The Senate handed him back his power and gave
him more:
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tribune for life
authority of Consulship
proconsular authority over the provinces
command of the armies
an imperium
• They gave him even more honors:
– First Senator
– Augustus, meaning most revered
– Imperator meaning victorious general
– Father of his country
– Princeps, first citizen of Rome
Luckily for Rome, Augustus was a good ruler.
• His first order of business was to reconstruct
Rome’s social order because citizens were demoralized
• So he:
– Redefined old class divisions with each group
having its own functions and responsibilities
• There were rigid standards of birth, wealth, and
conduct
• Elites had the largest share of government
• Augustus hopes this would bring order and security
– He tried to improve the morale and patriotism of
Rome’s citizens
– He encouraged the revival of the ancient Roman
religion
– He patronized writers who wrote positive
propaganda about Rome like Virgil who wrote the
Aeneid
• Augustus arranged for numerous laws to curb
vices: luxury, sexual irregularities, divorce,
childless marriages, gambling, and drinking
• He spent lots of money to beautify Rome and
provide public services; the result was pride in
capital
• He established a professional army under his
control; they received special training, discipline,
regular pay, & pensions in money not land
• There were support services for the military:
supply depots, roads, & military posts
• Augustus tried to improve provincial governance
– Princep: Augustus who supervised
– Provincial Administration: governors under
Augustus’ control
– Procurator or tax collector
All received salaries, so they wouldn’t exploit the people
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Local political life was left to local authorities
This brought order and pride
Augustus set up a fair tax collection system
He set up a system for succession
– He wanted it to be hereditary
– He wanted his successor to have practical
experience in governing beforehand
Augustus was a realist, a hard-working statesman,
and very patient
• All this together helped to establish a Roman
peace called Pax Romana that truly took hold
from 69 – 180 A.D.
Solidifying the Augustine Principate
14 – 96 A.D.
• There were two families who ruled the Roman
Empire in its first one hundred years: JulioClaudians and Flavians
• Augustus was of the Julio-Claudians; of the 5
emperors from the family, Augustus was the
best
– Augustus (r. 27 B.C. – 14 A.D.) was wise and
intelligent
Augustus
– Tiberius (r. 14 – 37 A.D.) was Augustus’ second
wife’s elder son; he was able but cold, suspicious,
and disillusioned
– Caligula (r. 37 – 41 A.D.) was the nephew of
Tiberius; crazy and was assassinated
– Claudius (r. 41 54 A.D.) was the uncle of Caligula;
timid, physically handicapped, bookish,
competent historian and priest; may have been
poisoned by his wife Agrippina
– Nero (r. 54-68 A.D.) was Agrippina’s son
by a previous marriage; was the worst,
vicious, vain, & wasteful; was ousted
from office; killed his mother &
2 wives; disposed of senators,
persecuted Christians, killed himself
• Civil war followed after Nero lasting a year.
• It came to an end when the Flavian family
took control
– Vespasian ( r. 69-79 A.D.) restored the Augustan
system and curbed the military
– Titus (r. 79 81 A.D.) was Vespasian’s son; had no
respect for the Senate
– Domitian (r. 81-96 A.D.) was Vespasian’s
other son; he, too, had no respect for the Senate
Titus and Domitian were charged with
Being tyrants. They brought mistrust but restored
authority and dignity to the office
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They had a competent administration
They restored the military to their posts
They gave more power to the elites
The people concluded that power in the hands
of one man brought stability and security
• Domitian as a ruler was mistrusted and was
assassinated
• Opposition to one-man rule disappeared
The Good Emperors
• Nerva (r. 96-98 A.D.) elderly and he named a
man from Spain to succeed him
• Trajan (r. 98-117 A.D.) was from
Spain; was well-respected and a
good military man; had a sound
and honest administration; gave
financial aid to poor children; he
added the last areas to empire
• Hadrian (r. 117-138 A.D.) cultured
humanitarian; traveled throughout empire
promoting peace
• Antoninus Pius (r. 138-161 A.D.)
excellent character; given name
of Pius by Senate
• Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180 A.D.) stoic
philosopher with deep sense of duty;
nobility of purpose; willing to work; most
inspiring of all of them
The Good Emperors
• All trained each successor
• They all:
– created a unified body of law
– granted citizenship to a large number of
provincials
– set up humanitarian projects for the unfortunate
– had a sound financial system based on fair taxes
– renewed the bond between Rome and its people
and allegiance was formed
• They all exercised their power through a
bureaucracy and an army
• Trajan added the final areas to the empire: Dacia,
Armenia, and Mesopotamia
• Palestinian Jews revolted 115-117 and 132-135
A.D.; both revolts were put down by Hadrian
• Government was not despotic; they ruled
benevolently, humanely, and with a deep respect
for Roman law
• They felt good government was vital for a
civilized life
Economic life
• The first two centuries were relatively
prosperous for the Roman Empire brought
about by good government and peace
• There was a higher standard of living
throughout the empire
– Agriculture:
• The basis for that prosperity
• occupied the energies of most people
• fewer small farms, more latifundia with fewer slaves
and more tenant farmers
• In Italy there were signs of poorer production
and soil erosion by the end of second century
A.D.
• Other parts of the empire were doing well
agriculturally and supported Italy
• Trade:
– Expanded and was crucial to prosperity
– By-product of peaceful times
– Connected the Mediterranean
– Exchanged
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agricultural products
simple manufactured goods
luxury goods
raw materials
• Building Activity:
– occurred throughout the empire; shows
Romanization
– employed thousands
– Built basilicas, temples, theatres, stadiums,
palaces, public baths, triumphal arches, private
dwellings, roads, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, and
villas
Eastern Religions
• Many Romans found the traditional religion
and its gods lacking
• Some Romans leaned towards monotheism
even though traditional gods were needed to
be patriotic
• Many wanted a personal relationship with
God
• So people turned to mystery religions during
the first century A.D.
• Mystery Religions:
– They worshipped a God with whom personal
contact seemed immediate
– They were offered the promise of immortality
– These cults filtered in from various parts of the
empire
Gods Worshipped
• Anatolian Cybele or the great mothergoddess cult was worshipped from the late 3rd
century onward; they would bathe in the
blood of a bull or ram in order to gain
mortality
• Cult of Isis (Egyptian goddess)
– water from the Nile was used to purify people
• Cult of Mithras (Persia)
– Indo-Iranian god of light and truth
– Bringer of victory and immortality
Rome accepted these cults if they could be worked
in with traditional gods
However, the religion of the Jews of Palestine could
not be assimilated
They were monotheistic not polytheistic
The Jews
• Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 B.C.
– He left the religion alone
– He left it under the control of a high priest
– Jerusalem later became a client kingdom under
Herod, a Roman puppet ruler
– Jews could maintain their faith
– They were excused from sacrificing to Roman gods
• Sadducees had favor with the foreigners; they
defended Jerusalem law, worked with Rome,
and didn’t believe in a Messiah
• Hasidim rejected all compromise with Rome;
they expected a Messiah to come and destroy
Rome and had dietary rules that separated
them from gentiles
• Hasidim
– Pharisees did not advocate violent revolt against
Rome, even though they wanted separation
– Zealots began sporadic resistance to Rome after 6
A.D.
Jesus of Nazareth
• Born Joshua ben Joseph sometime between 6
and 4 B.C.
• Followers saw him as the Messiah or the
Christ
• He preached about the coming of the
Kingdom of God in a non-political style; said it
was not of this world
• He preached peace and love entirely within
the Jewish tradition
• Some Jews saw his teachings as blasphemy,
especially his claim as “King of the Jews”
• Pontius Pilate, a Roman Procurator or tax
collector, thought Jesus posed a threat to law
and order and sentenced him to death by
crucifixion
• the cruel death of a gentle man calmed the
public somewhat
• Jesus’ followers claimed that Jesus arose from
the dead 3 days after he died
• This group said that this proved that Jesus was
the Messiah
• They then formed a small sect called
Christians led by Peter
• They had sacraments like a ritual meal but
followed much of Jewish law and custom
• Christianity spread through the work of Jesus’
followers:
– Paul of Tarsus was a convert who said that
Christianity was separate from Judaism. He wrote
the first coherent set of beliefs through his letters
to churches being established
– Many converted and faced persecution
– Nero and Diocletian saw Christianity as a
successful, aggressive cult that needed to be
stopped; they killed Christians
Tour of the Empire
• It spread from York in the north of Britain to
the Euphrates River
• Locals were allowed to conduct business and
affairs of government
• There were entertainment centers for state
events: gladiators, races, baths, theatres, and
temples to Jupiter
• They built aqueducts, roads, and bridges
• There were local senates and assemblies with
their own aristocrats
• In 120 A.D. Hadrian traveled throughout the
Empire on an inspection tour
• He was later succeeded by his adopted son,
Trajan
• Hadrian had a wall built in north Britain to
mark the northern most border of the Roman
Empire, Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall
• Hadrian spent 10 years traveling around the
Empire
• He spread Pax Romana
• Some problems began to crop up in the
Roman Empire in the second century A.D.
• There was corruption and the Roman Legion
had fewer Romans within its ranks
Culture of Rome
• Writers:
– Cornelius Tacitus was a Rome’s greatest historian
who tried to find the reality amongst all the
propaganda
– Plutarch wrote biographies like Parallel Lives
– Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who wanted
people to free themselves from material goods
because they only brought unhappiness
Crises
• The third century was full of crises
– Barbarian invasions: unprotected borders
– Economic problems: decline in farm products due
to erosion, depletion, and shortage of labor; trade
and industry declined and banditry picked up
– Plague
– Assassinations: Commodus, the son of Marcus
Aurelius, reigned 180-192. He was insane and
violent. His assassination was followed by civil war
Commodus
• Septimus Severus became emperor after
Commodus and reigned from 193-211
– He ended civil war
– He was a military man
– Empire was generally healthy under his rule
– He had confrontations with Persians, Franks, and
Goths
– Other family members succeeded him
– The last Severan was assassinated in 235
Septimus Severus
Barracks Emperors
• Between 235 and 284, there were 20
emperors, all military men
– These were generals who were barely in power as
emperor before they were violently removed from
office by other generals
– Had authoritarian style
– Insensitive to civilian problems
– Did not understand the Augustan principle of rule
– They only wanted what was best for the military
• Recovery began by 260 A.D. by Emperor
Gallenus and in 275 by Emperor Aurelian
• They defeated the Franks and the Goths
• Reform emperors like Diocletian (284-305)
and Constantine (306-337) slowed the decline
of the Roman Empire but did not stop it
Diocletian and Constantine