The Fall of Rome

The Roman Empire The Big Idea The Romans made great advances in many fields that helped keep their empire strong. Main Ideas Leadership and laws helped the Romans in building the empire. Roman advancements in engineering, architecture, art, and philosophy helped shape later civilizations. Christianity spread quickly throughout the Roman world.

Leadership and laws helped the Romans in building the empire. Rome grew from a tiny village to a huge city. Home to more than a million people The territories Rome controlled formed one of the largest states the world had ever seen. Territories surrounded the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman Empire was ruled by emperors. Roman citizens understood their laws and had protected rights.

Roman Emperor’s Powers Declare war, raise taxes, and punish lawbreakers Nominate public officials and influence meetings of the Senate Lead religious festivals

Pax Romana was 200 years of peace that began with the rule of Augustus Augustus was the first emperor of Rome

Roman Citizenship Citizens were the people who could participate in government. Citizens had the right to vote and hold public office. Duties of citizenship included Paying taxes Serving in the army when needed

Roman Citizenship

Roman Citizenship Rome’s emperors gave citizenship to groups that the Romans had conquered. This act helped keep people loyal to Rome.

Roman advancements in engineering, architecture, art, and philosophy helped shape later civilizations. Engineering Roads lasted for centuries, and bridges spanned raging rivers. Aqueducts, human-made channels that carried water from distant mountain ranges into Rome or other cities

Rome’s Legacy Roman builders were the first people to use concrete. The Romans used aqueducts as channels to transport water

Roman advancements in engineering, architecture, art, and philosophy helped shape later civilizations. Architecture and Art Romans borrowed from Greek ideas, such as using columns and open space, but made their buildings larger and grander. Roman art borrowed ideas from the Greeks, such as making their art look realistic.

The Romans borrowed ideas in art and architecture from the Greeks.

Roman advancements in engineering, architecture, art, and philosophy helped shape later civilizations. Philosophy Wanted to show the world as it really was Wanted their ideas to improve people’s lives

Latin became the basis of many modern European languages The languages of French, Spanish, and Italian all have their roots in Latin

The Colosseum arena that could hold 60,000 people

Christianity spread quickly throughout the Roman world. Roman officials tried to stop the growth of Christianity, but they were unsuccessful. Later emperors increased their support for Christianity, and it became the official religion of the empire.

Christianity spread quickly throughout the Roman world. By the 300s most of Rome’s population was Christian. Church leaders became major figures in Roman society.

Reasons for the decline of Rome. Bad/weak rulers or govt. Germanic Barbarians Weak borders social problems bad economy

Fall of the Western Roman Empire The Big Idea Problems from both inside and outside caused the Roman Empire to split and the western half to collapse. Many problems threatened the Roman Empire, leading one emperor to divide it in half. Barbarians invaded Rome in the 300s and 400s. Many factors contributed to Rome’s fall.

Problems in the Empire Emperors gave up territory because they feared the empire had become too large. Yet new threats to the empire were appearing. Because so many people were needed for the army, there was no one left to farm the land. Disease and high taxes threatened Rome’s survival.

Main Idea 1: Many problems threatened the Roman Empire, leading one emperor to divide it in half. At its height the Roman Empire included all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. The empire became too large to defend or govern efficiently. Emperor Diocletian divided the empire to make it more manageable.

When Diocletian took power in A.D. 284, he introduced reforms. Both Diocletian and Constantine introduced reforms that regulated what jobs people had.

Division of the Empire Emperor Diocletian divided the empire because it was too big for one person to rule. Emperor Constantine reunited the two halves shortly after he took power. He moved the capital east, into what is now Turkey. The new capital was called Constantinople. Power no longer resided in Rome.

Many factors contributed to Rome’s fall. The large size of the empire made it hard to govern. Barbarian invasions weakened the empire. Corruption, or the decay of people’s values, in politics led to inefficiency in government. Bribes and threats were used to achieve goals. Wealthy citizens began to leave Rome, making life more difficult for those who remained. Inflation and a weakening economy were factors. The military used its power to make and remove emperors.

Barbarians invaded Rome in the 300s and 400s. Not long after Rome’s capital moved, German barbarians raided the Roman Empire. In the late 300s, a new group, called the Huns, invaded Europe. They were from Central Asia. The Goths fled from the Huns into Rome. They moved into western Roman territory. Additional attacks by more invaders made the empire weak.

The Sacking of Rome The Huns pushed a group called the Goths into Rome because they had nowhere else to go. The Goths destroyed Rome after Rome quit paying them not to attack. The Goths sacked, or destroyed, Rome in 410.

Germanic tribes attacked Rome at the Battle of Adrianople Odoacer’s overthrow of the emperor of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire included Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Arabs, Jews, Slavs, and others

Main Idea 3: Byzantine Christianity was different from religion in the west. People in the East and West began to interpret elements of Christianity differently. Eastern priests could get married, but Western priests could not. Religious services were performed in Greek in the East and in Latin in the West. The East broke away from the West and formed the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor controlled the Church.

Mosaics are pictures made from small pieces of colored glass or stone

Eastern emperors ruled from Constantinople and tried but failed to reunite the whole Roman Empire. Justinian wanted to reunite the old Roman Empire. He conquered Italy and much land around the Mediterranean. He examined Rome’s laws and organized them into a legal system called the Justinian Code. Removed out-of-date and unchristian laws Simplified Roman law to give fair treatment to all

Eastern emperors ruled from Constantinople and tried but failed to reunite the whole Roman Empire. He made two enemies who would have run him out of Constantinople had his wife, Theodora, convinced him to stay. Theodora was smart and powerful, and advised Justinian on how to end the riots.

The Hagia Sophia was the religious center of the Byzantine Empire

Conflict between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. What were its origins Conflict over who was in charge (Roman = pope) (Eastern = emperor)The pope received help from the Franks, and consequently gave Charlemagne, leader of the Franks, the title of emperor. This angered the Byzantines, who believed their leader was the only true emperor.

Conflict between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. What was the outcome? Finally in A.D. 1054 the pope and the patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other. This caused a split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches that has lasted to this day. As time passed, the Byzantine Empire became less Roman and more Greek.

The Empire after Justinian After his death, the eastern Roman Empire began to decline. Later emperors lost all the land Justinian had gained. In 1453, a group called the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople and ended the eastern Roman Empire. The 1,000-year history of the eastern Roman Empire came to an end.

How the eastern empire differed from the western empire Main Idea 2: The people of the eastern empire created a new society that was very different from society in the west How the eastern empire differed from the western empire The society was called the Byzantine Empire. People studied Greek, not Latin. They traded with and were influenced by other cultures. Emperors had more power and were thought to be chosen by God. They had both political and religious power.