1. Rome and Christianity : From Republic to Empire Key Terms: Cicero Julius Caesar Pompey Marc Antony Augustus Pax Romana Aqueduct Romance Languages Civil Law

2. Get Caught Up… After civil war, Rome was a dangerous place. Everyone was trying to decide who the best leaders would be and who to support. Julius Caesar, a powerful general in the Roman army, gained many followers. The senate thought he had too many followers, so they killed him on the Ides of March, or March 15th. Caesar’s friends, Marc Antony and Octavian, took power after Caesar was murdered and promised to avenge his death. They did so but couldn’t get along after Antony divorced his wife, Octavian’s sister. Octavian forced Antony to kill himself and gained absolute power.

3. Ides of March

4. Rome Becomes an Empire After Octavian, now named Augustus, gained power, Rome became an empire. The first 200 years of the empire were called Pax Romana, or Roman peace. An empire is a land with different people and territories under one single ruler. During Pax Romana, Rome was in excellent shape! Trade, new currency, and a stable government helped Rome prosper.

5. Rome’s Accomplishments Romans studied things that would help them live better lives. They studied the stars to produce a calendar. They studied plants and animals to learn how to grow them larger and provide more food.

6. Rome’s Accomplishments Galen, a Roman doctor, studied the human heart and how it works. They used the first cement material. They built roads in layers making them so durable that are still around today.

7. Rome’s Accomplishments Romans also mastered the art of building strong, durable bridges by building them with arches. These strong arches showed their understanding of engineering. They also built aqueducts, or raised waterways that carry water from mountains to valleys. Many Roman bridges and aqueducts still stand today.

8. Architecture and Literature Romans stole many ideas from the Greeks. Romans were able to build larger structures than the Greeks because of engineering.

9. Romance Languages Because Rome was an empire, many languages were spoken in its territories. Latin was the most important of those languages. People wrote, conducted business, and kept records in Latin. Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian are Romance languages that developed from Latin. English words like veto and circus are from Latin.

10. Recapitulate Summarize KEY POINTS