Download Roman Empire - Alvinisd.net

The Roman Empire
From Republic to Empire
By the 2nd century BC, the Senate had become
the real governing power of the Roman state.
II. The Senate and government offices were
increasingly controlled by a small circle of
wealthy and powerful landowning families.
III. Over time, small farmers had found that
they were unable to compete with large
landowners and had lost their farms.
IV. As a result, many of these small farmers
drifted to the cities forming a large class
of landless poor.
I.
V.
Two brothers from the aristocracy urged
the council of the plebs to pass reforms to
take public land held by large landowners,
and give it to the landless Romans.
VI. A group of senators, who owned large areas
of public land, killed one brother, and later
the other, for attempting reforms.
VII. In 107 BC, a Roman general began to recruit
for his army, the urban and rural poor who
owned no property, and promised them land.
VIII.These soldiers swore and oath of loyalty to the
general, not the Roman state, and this created
armies not under government control.
IX. Eventually a general named Sulla seized
control of Rome when the Senate tried to
replace him.
X. Sulla conducted a reign of terror to wipe out
all opposition, but then he restored power to
the Senate believing he restored order.
XI. However, Sulla’s example of using the army to
seize power proved attractive to ambitious men.
XII. One of these men would be Crassus, the
Roman politician and general who, in 71 BC,
defeated the slave army led by Spartacus.
The First Triumvirate
I.
In 60 BC, three men, Crassus, Pompey, and
Julius Caesar, formed the First Triumvirate,
an unofficial political alliance which exerted
considerable influence within the Republic.
Julius Caesar
The First Triumvirate
I.
In 60 BC, three men, Crassus, Pompey, and
Julius Caesar, formed the First Triumvirate,
an unofficial political alliance which exerted
considerable influence within the Republic.
II. During Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, as many
as a million people died, the entire population
of an entire city, 40,000 were slaughtered and
another million were enslaved.
III. And because of his conquest of Gaul, Caesar
was granted command of Gaul, and achieved
distinction as a military leader and an army
of loyal veterans due to his success there.
IV. Caesar’s military career in Gaul is still studied
at military academies, including West Point.
V. In 53 BC, Crassus is killed in battle, and the
Senate voted that Pompey to rule as the sole
consul.
VI. It was then that Pompey and the Senate
ordered that Caesar quit his command.
VII. Instead, Caesar took his army into Italy and
illegal crossed the Rubicon River, today the
phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means that
there is no turning back.
IV. Caesar’s military career in Gaul is still studied
at military academies, including West Point.
V. In 53 BC, Crassus is killed in battle, and the
Senate voted that Pompey to rule as the sole
consul.
VI. It was then that Pompey and the Senate
ordered that Caesar quit his command.
VII. Instead, Caesar took his army into Italy and
illegal crossed the Rubicon River, today the
phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means that
there is no turning back.
VIII.Caesar’s army defeated Pompey’s army, and
afterwards Pompey sought refuge in Egypt,
where he was assassinated.
IX. In 45 BC, Caesar was proclaimed dictator for
life, and began a program of reforms including
the creation of the Julian calendar and giving
land to the poor.
X. In 44 BC, on the Ides of March (15th), as Caesar
arrived at the Senate, he was presented with a
petition by a senator to recall his exiled brother.
XI. Several senators, including Cassius and his
friend Brutus, had conspired to assassinate
Caesar, and feigning support for the approval
of the petition, they encircled Caesar,.
IX. In 45 BC, Caesar was proclaimed dictator for
life, and began a program of reforms including
the creation of the Julian calendar and giving
land to the poor.
X. In 44 BC, on the Ides of March (15th), as Caesar
arrived at the Senate, he was presented with a
petition by a senator to recall his exiled brother.
XI. Several senators, including Cassius and his
friend Brutus, had conspired to assassinate
Caesar, and feigning support for the approval
of the petition, they encircled Caesar.
XII. Within moments, the senators began striking
Caesar with daggers, he was stabbed 23 times.
The Second Triumvirate
After Caesar’s death, a Second Triumvirate
was created by Mark Antony, Lepidus, and
Octavian, Caesar’s grandnephew and heir.
II. The Triumvirate crushed the armies of Cassius
and Brutus who were also trying to seize power.
III. Eventually another power struggle ensued in
which Octavian defeated Mark Antony and
his ally, Cleopatra VII of Egypt, resulting in
Egypt becoming a Roman province.
IV. Cleopatra had been Caesar’s lover, she then
became Antony’s ally, then lover, and Antony
fell madly in love with her.
I.
Cleopatra
IV. To avoid capture by Octavian’s army, Antony
committed suicide by stabbing himself with
his own sword with the belief that Cleopatra
had already done so.
V. When he found out that Cleopatra was still
alive, his friends brought him to Cleopatra's
monument in which she was hiding, and he
died in her arms, she later
VI. Octavian proclaimed the “restoration of the
Republic,” and the Senate granted him the
title imperator, or commander in chief, and
Octavian became the first Roman emperor.
VII. In 27 BC, the Senate awarded Octavian the
title of Augustus, meaning “the revered one.”
Augustus
The Pantheon
VIII.Augustus created a new political situation in
which the emperor could name his successor.
IX. The next four emperor’s took more and more
power, while at the same time becoming more
corrupt, extravagant, and unstable.
Caligula
Nero
VIII.Augustus created a new political situation in
which the emperor could name his successor.
IX. The next four emperor’s took more and more
power, while at the same time becoming more
corrupt, extravagant, and unstable.
X. Following them were a series of six emperors
in a 19 year period (list of Roman Emperors).
The Circus Maximus
The Colosseum
The Colosseum Today
VIII.Augustus created a new political situation in
which the emperor could name his successor.
IX. The next four emperor’s took more and more
power, while at the same time becoming more
corrupt, extravagant, and unstable.
X. Following them were a series of six emperors
in a 19 year period (list of Roman Emperors).
XI. Then in the 2nd century AD, there was a series
of 5 good emperor’s who created a period of
peace and prosperity known as Pax Romana.
XII. These emperors created new programs to help
people, such as Emperor Trajan who provided
state funds to assist poor parents in the raising
and education of their children.
XII. Trajan expanded the Empire to its greatest
extent, 3.5 million sq. miles with a population
of around 55 million people, and implemented
the construction of many public works.
XIII.Hadrian constructed Hadrian’s Wall, erected
many fine buildings, and codified Roman law.
Hadrian’s Wall
XII. Trajan expanded the Empire to its greatest
extent, 3.5 million sq. miles with a population
of around 55 million people, and implemented
the construction of many public works.
XIII.Hadrian constructed Hadrian’s Wall, erected
many fine buildings, and codified Roman law.
XIV.Cities were run by Roman agents which
spread both Roman and Greek culture.
XV. Latin was spoken in the western part of
the empire, and Greek in the eastern part.
XVI.Also, the Romans excelled at engineering
and architecture, and they built buildings
structures, and monuments throughout the
Empire that reflected this ability.
Roman Aqueducts
The Roman Baths of Caracalla
Roman Villa Hypocaust
Roman Villa
Mosaic from Hadrian’s Villa
Roman Apartments
The Forum
The Basilica
Pompeii
The Birth of Christianity
By 6 AD, the Jewish Kingdom of Judea, had
become a Roman province, which later would be
renamed Palestine by Hadrian.
Unrest against Roman rule was widespread in
Judea, and there was disagreement amongst the
Jews whether to cooperate or resists.
A Jewish revolt that began in 66AD, was
crushed by the Romans and resulted in the
temple in Jerusalem being destroyed.
A few decades before the revolt, a Jewish
prophet known as Jesus of Nazareth, traveled
and preached throughout Judea and Galilee.
Jesus used parables, seemingly simple stories
that taught humility, charity, and love toward
others, which would shape the value system of
Western civilization.
Jesus’ preaching eventually stirred controversy,
and those who opposed him turned him over to
Roman authorities, who in the end would put
Jesus to death by crucifixion.
Jesus used parables, seemingly simple stories
that taught humility, charity, and love toward
others, which would shape the value system of
Western civilization.
Jesus’ preaching eventually stirred controversy,
and those who opposed him turned him over to
Roman authorities, who in the end would put
Jesus to death by crucifixion.
After his death, his followers claimed he had
arisen from the dead and appeared to them.
As word of his resurrection spread, a movement
within Judaism began, winning over believers.
It was believed that Jesus was the Messiah,
the expected deliverer who would save the
Jewish people from their foes.
The Greek translation of Messiah is Christ,
meaning anointed, so the followers of Jesus
became known as Christians.
In the Hebrew Bible, a messiah is a Jewish
king who will rule the united tribes of Israel,
and herald a Messianic Age of global peace.
However, Jesus’ followers believed that his
purpose was to provide spiritual salvation.
This was the main source of the rift which
would separate Christianity from Judaism,
even though they both share the same origin.
The Spread of Christianity
After Jesus’ death, apostles, or leaders,
emerged in the Christian movement, two of
the most prominent being Paul and Peter.
The center of Paul’s message was that Jesus
was the Savior, or Son of God, who through
his death made up for the sins of humanity.
And by accepting Jesus as their Christ and
Savior, people could be saved from their sins.
Through the course of traveling to spread the
word of Christ, Peter went to Rome where he
is said to have been put to death by Nero.
Peter is said to have been crucified, the cross
being placed upside down at his own request,
since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified
in the same way as Jesus.
Peter is said to have been crucified, the cross
being placed upside down at his own request,
since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified
in the same way as Jesus.
At first the Romans paid little attention to the
Christians as Romans were generally tolerate
of other religions, but eventually Christians
came to be viewed as dangerous because they
refused to worship the gods and emperor.
This was seen as an act of treason, punishable
by death, and the Romans began to persecute
Christians.
Christians were subjected to cruel deaths,
especially under Nero, such as being fed to
lions in the Colosseum.
Christians were subjected to cruel deaths,
especially under Nero, such as being fed to
lions in the Colosseum.
The persecutions culminated under the reign
of Diocletian, from 284 to 305, when over
20,000 Christians are thought to have died.
However, as Diocletian zealously persecuted
Christians in the eastern part of the empire,
in the west, Christians in Gaul, Spain, and
Britannia were virtually unmolested.
Christianity became popular because, unlike
the impersonal Roman state religion, it was
personal, offered salvation, and eternal life.
Christianity proved attractive to all classes
of society, but especially to the poor and
powerless.
Christianity helped fulfill the human need to
belong, in a way that the huge Roman Empire
could not.
Christians formed communities in which
people were bound to one another, for in
these communities, people expressed love,
helped one another, and gave assistance to
the poor and sick.