1. The Roman Empire

2. Essential Question:
What were the lasting characteristics of the Roman Republic?

3. The assassination of Caesar led to another civil war led by his adopted son Octavian and his best general, Marc Antony

4. FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO ROMAN EMPIRE
Augustus did away with the Senators’ power, eventually ending the representative government of Rome and becoming Rome’s first emperor
The Senate still met, but the emperor had all of the real power

6. THE PAX ROMANA Pax Romana
Augustus’was the beginning of a 207-year era of peace, wealth, and expansion called the “Pax Romana” (the “Roman Peace”) that lasted from 27 BCE to 180 CE
The Empire was over 3 million square miles in size and contained about 80 million people
Pax Romana

7. Roman aqueducts brought water to cities
Pax Romana became the “golden age” of Rome. Achievements include: 1. paved roads, 2. a modern infrastructure, 3. a merit-based bureaucracy to rule the empire
During the Pax Romana, emperors continued to expand
Roman aqueducts brought water to cities

8. ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS
The Romans developed innovations that are still used today; what made them such influential innovators?
Definition of “INNOVATION”: something new or original (such as an idea, an invention, a device, a method)

9. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Rome’s location on the Mediterranean Sea allowed for trade and cultural diffusion (blending of cultures) with other people and nations

10. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the Greeks) and improve upon them

11. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially during Pax Romana, enabled the Romans to promote culture and invention

12. Roman Architecture
The Romans were tremendously skilled builders; they improved upon Greek designs with two new architectural features: arches and domes

13. Roman Architecture
ARCHES: these are curved structures over an opening that can support its own weight; arches were used to create enormous buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon

14. Roman Architecture
DOMES: they created vast open spaces and ceilings inside buildings (like the Pantheon) and magnificent exteriors

15. Roman Architecture
The Romans built arenas (like the famous Coliseum in the city of Rome) so thousands of people could attend “circuses” (entertainments such as gladiator battles)

16. Roman Religion
At first, Romans were polytheistic and required people they conquered to show respect for their gods
During the time of Pax Romana (Roman Peace), Christianity began and spread along the roads and trade routes of the Roman Empire

17. Roman Law
Roman laws were made by the Senate and then publicly posted for all to see in displays called the Twelve Tables

18. Roman Government
Match each description of the U.S. government to its equivalent in the Roman Republic
American Government
Voters: The people elect their government leaders
President: Runs the government and enforces the laws passed by Congress
Senate: Lawmakers elected by the people; only 2 senators per state, so its a prestigious position
House of Representatives: Lawmakers elected by the people; they serve 2 year terms, so it is not as prestigious as the Senate
Roman Republic
Consuls
Senators
Tribunes
Citizen Assemblies

19. Roman Engineering: Roads
The Romans built the largest and longest-lasting network of roads in the Ancient World
At the height of the Empire, Roman roads stretched for 56,000 miles and included 29 major highways

20. Roman Engineering: Roads
At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly, but eventually the roads served many people for many purposes, especially as trade routes

21. Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
Romans were concerned with sanitation and public heath.One of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire
Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold, clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they would be up to 250 miles long

22. Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
Some Roman aqueducts are up and still in use today; one in Spain is 95 feet above the ground and 2388 feet long

23. Languages based in Latin are known as the Romance languages
Roman Language
Roman conquest spread their language, Latin, through much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe developed their own languages based in Latin
Languages based in Latin are known as the Romance languages

24. Roman Language
Words in the five major Romance languages often sound alike: for example, the Latin word for liberty, libertas, translates as liberta in Italian, liberte in French, libertad in Spanish, liberdade in Portuguese, and libertate in Romanian
See how many modern languages come from Latin; try to figure each of the three words in the “Modern English” column ?

25. The Roman Calendar
The Romans began using a new solar calendar that borrowed heavily from the Egyptian calendar and was improved by scholars from Alexandria

26. July was named after Julius because it included his birthday
The Roman Calendar
This new calendar (called the “Julian Calendar” after Julius Caesar) had 365 days and one extra day every fourth year
July was named after Julius because it included his birthday

27. The Roman Civil Service
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, created several systems to help himself rule the enormous Roman Empire
Augustus set up a civil service with skilled and salaried workers to take care of the running of the Empire

28. The Roman Civil Service
These bureaucrats helped oversee the Empire by keeping track of such operations as grain production, the roads, mail delivery, and tax collection

29. The Influence of the Greeks and Romans
The influence that the Greeks and later on the Romans had on Western civilization cannot be overstated
Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks and Romans: things like government, language, religion, law, education, entertainment, literature, art, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, buildings, customs, traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome

30. ROMAN EMPERORS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
Rome would have a wide range of different emperors over the years

31. ROMAN EMPERORS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
The 5 Good Emperors, like Marcus Aurelias, ruled Rome by appointing qualified Senators and other civil servants.
Bureaucracy – civil servants chosen to carry out government (not elected).

32. ROMAN EMPERORS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
The Emperors who ruled after the 5 Good Emperors contributed to the fall of Rome because they
were weak & corrupt
Legend has it, Nero burned half of Rome to the ground and then blamed it on the Christians.

33. ROMAN EMPERORS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
Caligula was a psychopath and thought he should have been treated as a god

34. Roman Religion and the Start of Christianity

35. Religion in the Roman Empire
Religion in Rome was polytheistic & based upon the Greek gods
Romans worshiped the gods but people were not very emotional about their religion
The religion of the ancient Romans was polytheistic (ideas borrowed from the Greek gods)
Rulers were mostly tolerant of other religions; but they expected everyone who lived in the empire to respect the Roman gods as a sign of loyalty

36. Question: How do you think the Romans treated people they conquered who had different religions?

37. Religion in the Roman Empire
Emperors were mostly tolerant of other religions, but expected to respect the Roman gods

38. Religion in the Roman Empire
In 63 B.C., the Romans conquered the Hebrew kingdom of Judea
Hebrews were monotheistic & many refused to pay respect to the Roman gods

39. Religion in the Roman Empire
Many Hebrews began to resist Roman rule & believed that God would send a Messiah to restore the kingdom to the Jews

40. The Birth of Jesus & Beginning of Christianity
In Judea, a Jew named Jesus was born. Many considered Jesus to be the Messiah
Jesus preached a version of Judaism known as Christianity
The Life and Teachings of Jesus
Roman power spread to Judea, the home of the Jews, around 63 B.C. At first the Jewish kingdom remained independent, at least in name. Rome then took control of the Jewish kingdom in A.D. 6 and made it a province of the empire. A number of Jews, however, believed that they would once again be free. According to biblical tradition, God had promised that a savior known as the Messiah would arrive and restore the kingdom of the Jews. Roughly two decades after the beginning of Roman rule, many believed that such a savior had arrived.
Jesus of Nazareth Although the exact date is uncertain, historians believe that sometime around 6 to 4 B.C., a Jew named Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea. Jesus was raised in the village of Nazareth in northern Palestine. He was baptized by a prophet known as John the Baptist. As a young man, he took up the trade of carpentry. At the age of 30, Jesus began his public ministry. For the next three years, he preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly performed miracles. His teachings contained many ideas from Jewish tradition, such as monotheism, or belief in only one god, and the principles of the Ten Commandments. Jesus emphasized God’s personal relationship to each human being. He stressed the importance of people’s love for God, their neighbors, their enemies, and even themselves. He also taught that God would end wickedness in the world and would establish an eternal kingdom after death for people who sincerely repented their sins. (Refer to pages 286–287 for more about Christianity.)
A Growing Movement Historical records of the time mention very little about Jesus. The main source of information about his teachings are the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible. Some of the Gospels are thought to have been written by one or more of Jesus’ disciples, or pupils. These 12 men later came to be called apostles. As Jesus preached from town to town, his fame grew. He attracted large crowds, and many people were touched by his message. Because Jesus ignored wealth and status, his message had special appeal to the poor. “

41. The Teaching of Jesus
Monotheistic: based on the Jewish belief in one god
Jesus was God’s son
God was merciful and would rid the world of evil
Eternal life in heaven for those who repent their sins
Ten Commandments

42. The Crucifixion of Jesus
Roman leaders feared Jesus’popularity, especially amongst the poor.
In 29 A.D., Jesus was arrested for defying Roman authority & was crucified

43. The Spread of Christianity
The Apostles spread Jesus’ teachings
Unlike Judaism, the Apostles wanted to spread their faith to non-believers
Paul’s Mission One man, the apostle Paul, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development. Paul was a Jew who had never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity. While traveling to Damascus in Syria, he reportedly had a vision of Christ. He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings. The Pax Romana, which made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe, provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread. Common languages—Latin and Greek—allowed the message to be easily understood. Paul wrote influential letters, called Epistles, to groups of believers. In his teaching, Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins. He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew). It was this universality that enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion.

44. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire because of roads, numerous trade routes, & common language

45. Persecution of Jews & Christians
Judaism & Christianity were seen as problems for the Roman emperors:
Jews & Christians refused to recognize the emperor as more important than God
Many were crucified, exiled, or executed during gladiator events
Christians who died became martyrs (people who sacrifice their lives for their beliefs) which helped spread the faith
By the second century, as the Pax Romana began to
crumble, persecution of the Christians intensified. Romans
exiled, imprisoned, or executed Christians for refusing to
worship Roman deities. Thousands were crucified, burned,
or killed by wild animals in the circus arenas. Other
Christians and even some non-Christians regarded persecuted
Christians as martyrs. Martyrs were people willing to
sacrifice their lives for the sake of a belief or a cause.

46. THE FALL OF ROME: Political
Despite the bad emperors, the Roman Empire continued to grow in size until it was too large for one emperor to control

47. THE FALL OF ROME: Economic
Rome experienced poor harvests
Trade imbalance– imported (bought) more than they exported (sold)
Government raised taxes and printed new money
Rome experienced inflation (more money means the money was worth less)
Many Romans were poor and Rome could not afford to pay it’s soldiers

48. Rome Divides into East & West
In 284, Emperor Diocletian tried to restore order
He divided the empire into east and west so it would be easier to govern
All Images: Public Domain

49. Constantine Makes Changes
Moved capital from Rome to Constantinople (which was in the wealthier Eastern half)
To help unify Rome, Christianity became the official religion
Christianity decreased citizens loyalty to the Emperor
All Images: Public Domain

50. By 370 CE, Germanic tribes outside of Rome were gaining strength and attacking cities and disrupting trade
Rome’s army was no match because they were over extended throughout the empire and under paid

51. Fall of the Roman Empire in the West
Rome couldn‘t defend itself from foreign invaders --Attila the Hun and the Visigoths (Germanic tribes) In 476 BCE, Western Rome fell Eastern Rome will become the Byzantine Empire and prosper for another thousand years
All Images: Public Domain