Census – an official count of people living in a place Villa – a country estate Circus – an arena in ancient Rome or the show held there Gladiator – a person who fought to the death as entertainment for the Roman public

1 million people lived in Rome Rome was the center of religion, culture, and politics It was a large, crowded, and loud city Every 5 years Romans registered for a census claiming their citizenship Roman men declared their families, slaves, and wealth to authorities If Romans did not register they could lose everything and even be enslaved

As Rome expanded people beyond Romans were extended citizenship Society was made up of a small amount of wealthy people and many poor free and slaves The poor were without jobs. They depended on the government for handouts The wealthy were known for their feasts Feasts included meals with ostrich, flamingo, wild boar or partridge The celebrations had musicians, performers and dancers

Roman Villas

The poor lived in rundown, poorly built, wooden tall apartment houses There was no running water, toilets or kitchens Food and drink had to be carried upstairs Rubbish (garbage) and human waste had to be carried downstairs Fires were frequent and fatal

Wheat was the key to survival If a harvest failed or a shipment from overseas was late the poor rioted To keep peace the emperors supplied free grain Emperors also held spectacular shows in the Colosseum called circuses Rich and poor filled the Colosseum to watch events that include human fighting animals, animals fighting humans, and humans fighting animals. Highlight fights were between gladiators, most were slaves who fought to the death. Non slaves fought for fame and fortune

Before battle gladiators paraded onto the floor of the arena, stood in front of the Emperor and shouted: “Hail Caesar! We who are about to die salute you” The fight was over when a gladiator was dead, dying, or disarmed The crowd waived handkerchiefs to spare a loser, a thumbs down by the Emperor resulted in death

Government supported the upper class. For example, Julius Caesar gave men with children over three children land Slaves with four children or more received privileges Heads of Roman families were known as paterfamilias which is Latin for “father of the family” They had absolute power of household Paterfamilias could be father, grandfather, or great grandfather 3 generations usually lived under the same roof Sons had to be emancipated to start their own businesses or property In early times sons and daughters could be sold into slavery

Almost every wealthy family owned a slave 1/3 of Italy’s population were slaves Many household families took good care of their slaves Slaves had no rights Non household slaves worked on farms and could be chained together Some slaves were chained at night while they slept Some slaves were trained as rowers for the navy Some slaves could buy their freedom if they made money as a gladiator or chariot racer

Daughters would leave their families to live with their husband’s family. The new wife would be considered a daughter under a paterfamilias Some women kept ties with the family she grew up with A women's role in her new family was to have children Women’s freedom depended on the wealth of her husband Mothers or wives of Emperors gained great political power Some women trained to be doctors or open their own business Lower class women took in work such as cooking, hairdressing dressmaking

Jesus – founder of Christianity; believed by Christians to be the Messiah Messiah – a savior of Judaism and Christianity Disciple – a follower of a person or belief Epistle – the Christian Bible, letters written by disciples Martyr – a person who dies for a cause Persecution - to treat people in a cruel or unjust way

Romans had conquered the Jewish homeland of Judaea in 63 B.C. Jews resented the foreign rule even though Roman allowed conquered people to follow their own religion The Jews believed a messiah would come to save them 37 B.C. Romans appointed Herod king of Judaea Jesus was believed to be born in the Judean town of Bethlehem According to the New Testament Jesus grew up in Nazareth He was a carpenter and taught when he was 30 He traveled from place to place preaching to the Jews that there was only 1 God

Jesus taught that God was loving and forgiving and that people should love others as they love themselves Jesus attracted disciples, or followers, who looked to him as a leader Jesus began to criticize some of the powerful people of Judaea for not doing as God wished Local leaders feared this challenge of their powers and had Jesus crucified, to death Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross

The teachings of Jesus are at the core of Christianity Christians believe in one God They believe that God is the Father (father of the Jews), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit (God’s messenger) According to the New Testament, Jesus rose from the dead, showing God’s forgiveness because Christians believed Jesus died to take the punishments for the sins of the people Jesus promised a life after death for those of whom accepted Jesus and his teachings

The Greek equivalent to messiah is christos Many educated people of Jesus’ followers spoke Greek As followers started to follow Jesus they began to call him Christ Jesus' followers became known as Christians After Jesus’ death, his followers spread the new religion from Jerusalem across the empire

Saul was one of Jesus devoted followers According to the New Testament, Saul rejected Christ at first until he had a vision of Jesus speaking to him After his experience, he changed his name to Paul and carried Christianity to the Mediterranean, spreading Jesus’ teachings Paul’s writings, epistles, became part of the Christian bible

Groups of Christians gathered to worship in Alexandria, Corinth, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and even Rome This new religion gained many followers in cities Poor families welcomed the new message as good news Paganus was a Latin word meaning “country dweller” which is the root word of the word Pagan Pagan is used to describe someone who is not a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim

Christians organize and borrow from the Jewish religion Christians sang and prayed and read from the scripture Sunday was put on the side for a day of worship since that is the day Christians believe Jesus had risen from the dead Christians practiced two rites or holy acts 1 – Baptism – when a person is dipped in holy water. The water washes away your sins and makes you a member of the church 2- Eucharist or Holy Communion – Christians share bread and wine which represent Jesus’ body and blood

Romans persecuted Christians at various times for another 250 years Romans were losing power and they used the Christians as “scape goats” In Rome it became a crime to be a Christian Punishment was death Despite these harsh penalties Christianity grew Widows, poor, orphans were drawn to the new religion Emperors such as Domitian, Marcus, Aurelius, Valerian, Diocletian tried to stamp out Christianity but failed Romans started to see the Christians as martyr and admired them By A.D. 300’s about 1 in every 10 Romans were Christian

The fast growing religion of Christianity scared the Roman government Roman gods were no longer being worshipped and Romans didn’t show the same type of respect for the emperor Christians started to not fulfill their Roman duties such as serving in the military Roman officials started to see Christians as enemies to the empire After a 9 day fire in Rome, Roman officials blamed the Christians Christians were arrested and sent to their deaths Some were forced to fight wild animals, other soaked in oil and burned, others were crucified Paul was imprisoned for 2 years then killed

Constantine – emperor of Rome from A.D. 312 to 337, encouraged the spread of Christianity Mercenary – A soldier who serves for pay in a foreign army Inflation – an economic situation in which the government issues more money with lower value

The Christian church provided comfort and authority in the times of the empire collapsing Marcus Aurelius allowed his unqualified 18 year old son, Commodus, to rule in 180 A.D. He destroyed the Senate and bribed the military to support them The choices he made were poor Commodus was assassinated on New Year’s Day 192 A.D.

After Commodus, many emperors were successful generals and not politicians They often stole money from the treasury Money was used to bribe the military for their loyalty Economy became weak and the senate lost its power Rulers gained power through violence Between A.D. 180 – A.D. 284 Rome had 24 emperors, most were assassinated

Mercenaries serve for pay not for the love of Rome Since they were motivated by money and not by loyalty they often switched sides if the situation would help them out financially The Roman empire had grown too large Many territories regained their independence Lack of land led to less wealth and resources The army couldn’t be paid so citizens taxes increased Less silver led to inflation and money bought less and less Roman coins became worthless

Diocletian tried to stop the decline of Rome by enlarged the army, built new forts at the borders, and improved the tax system Divided the empire into two parts to make it easier to rule and A co-emperor would run rule the western part Diocletian stepped down in 313 A.D. Seven years generals fought one another for power but Constantine won in the West Licinius and Maximinus ruled the East In 313 Licinius took full control of the east. Eventually Constantine gained power of the East and West

Constantine was the Roman Emperor from A.D. 312 to 337 Legend 1 says: -As a result of a dream Constantine marked all of his with Christian symbols and won an overwhelming victory -Legend 2 says: -- Another legend says that Constantine say the words “Under his sign you will Conqueror” and won his battle -Either way Constantine strongly supported the spread of Christianity

Under Constantine Christians could practice their religion openly and form churches Constantine's 25 years as a ruler helped to strengthen the church In 325 Constantine settled a dispute between Christians in eastern and Western Rome Constantine helped pay and create the Christian church in Jerusalem on the spot where Jesus was crucified, buried, and said to have risen Constantine also helped build the church of St Peter in Rome

In 330 Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east to the city of Byzantium, today’s Turkey Rome had not been the political center for some time Byzantine was enlarged and filled with riches It was named the: New Rome Then the capital became known as Constantinople “The City of Constantine” The power of the Roman Empire was now firmly in the east

Constantine struggled to keep the empire together Invaders swept across Rome’s borders by tribes, which today we call them Germanic tribes Romans called them barbarians The Visigoths captured and looted Rome in 410 The Vandals took Rome in 455 The Roman Empire was powerless Romes last emperor, 14 year old Romulus Augustulus, lost power in 476 when a German general captured him and forced him to work on a farm The Western part of the empire collapsed

What led to the fall of Rome? 1 – Inexperienced and/or corrupt rulers 2 – Turn over of many rulers through assassinations 3 – The empire grew to large 4 – The military turned into mercenaries who fought for money as opposed for the love of their country