1. ROME: Rise and Fall of an Empire1

2. The Age of Augustus
Saw disorder and instability in the empire; believed that the empire had become too large for republican rule.
Although he kept all power for himself, he won the support of the Senate by asking its advice, permitting it to run some of the provinces, and have its own treasury. 2

3. 3

4. The Age of Augustus
In 27 B.C.E., the senators bestowed the title of “Augustus” on Octavian, a meaning “honored and majestic,” and one formerly only bestowed on gods.
From that point forward, Octavian became “Augustus Caesar,” emperor of the entire Roman world. 4

5. Augustus’ Reforms
Took control of the Roman army in order to abolish the tradition of dictator-generals
Granted citizenship to people in the provinces (led to increased loyalty)
Used army to control troublesome provinces; gave Senate control of peaceful ones
Vergil reading the Aeneid to Livia and Augustus 5

6. Augustus’ Reforms Restored traditional Roman values:
Patriotism, close family ties, hard work, discipline, simple living
Banished his own daughter as punishment for her promiscuity!
Passed laws encouraging early marriage and raising large families
Helped the poor by providing free or low-cost grain
Sponsored public works projects: roads, buildings, water systems (improved life for Romans and provided jobs for those in need) 6

7. Pax Romana “The Roman Peace”
Time of stability, expansion, power, and prosperity that lasted over 200 years (27 B.C.E to 180 C.E.; Augustus died in 14 C.E.)
(We’re in the “C.E.s! No more backward counting!) 7

8. Imperial Roman Road System

9. Augustus’ Successors: An Overview
At the time of Augustus’ death, the empire had no law of succession – no rule stating how the next emperor would be chosen.
The first four emperors after Augustus were related to him or to his second wife, Livia. 9

10. Augustus’ Successors: An Overview
Tiberius (14-37 C.E.)
Augustus’ stepson – ran the empire well
Caligula (37-41 C.E.)
Cruel, incompetent, and bizarre
(made his horse a consul?)
Assassinated by members of the royal guard 10

11. Augustus’ Successors: An Overview
Claudius (41-54 C.E.)
Scholar chosen by the royal guard to be emperor
Restored order and stability
Sponsored military expeditions, one of which added Britain to the empire

12. Augustus’ Successors: An Overview
Nero (54-68 C.E.)
Claudius’ stepson; over time, his reign became increasingly bloodthirsty
Many historians believe that he started the infamous fire which destroyed Rome in 64 (good point: it allowed Rome to be rebuilt in Greek tradition).
Committed suicide in 68 when the army rebelled against him 12

13. The Military Emperors
Following Nero’s death, lawlessness swept Rome as military commanders battled for the throne.
Most notable: Vespasian ( C.E.)
Restored discipline to army and government
Swiftly put down rebellions in Gaul and Judea (located where the state of Israel lies today)

14. THE FIVE GOOD EMPERORS The Antonine Dynasty

15. Something that distinguishes the Five Good Emperors from those before and after is that the principate stops passing down the bloodline. Unlike the Flavians, the emperor adopted an heir and, unlike the Julio-Claudians, the emperor chose from outside his relatives.

16. Nerva
This trend begins with Nerva, who was elected emperor in 96 at the death of Domitian. He was already in his mid-60’s when he got the job, and had been a long-time politician serving under Nero and the Flavians.

17. Nerva
His reign was short as he died of natural causes early in 98, only 16 months after taking office. Also it was a difficult reign due to financial problems and issues of loyalty from the military.

18. Nerva
In order to maintain control of the army, he named one of its most popular generals as his successor. For this he is accredited with starting a new, wise tradition for Rome, but it should be noted that his options were limited.

19. Trajan
Nerva was succeeded by his adopted heir Trajan, who ruled from 98 to 117 and is famous for stretching the Roman empire to the greatest extent it ever reached.

20. Trajan
Trajan is also famous for the fact that he was not born in Italy. He was from a non-patrician family in Spain and the first Roman Emperor not to be from Italy.

21. Trajan
Trajan and Nerva alike established a practice of conferring and cooperating with the senate despite their growing lack of authority, and the peaceful transition of power continued to the next three emperors.

23. DACIA

26. ARMENIA, ASSYRIA, MESOPATAMIA

27. Hadrian
Trajan was succeeded in 117 by his adopted heir Hadrian. Sources differ on whether he was born in Rome or Spain, but he was from a patrician family.

28. Hadrian
Hadrian was not quite as popular as his predecessors with the senate or the army. Hadrian had a love for building and architecture

29. Hadrian
Hadrian made extensive travels and inspections throughout the empire. He also began to solidify it rather than expand it. This was dramatically different from any of his predecessors.

30. HADRIAN’S WALL

36. Antoninus Pius
Hadrian was succeeded in 138 by his adopted heir Antoninus Pius, his family was a patrician family from Narbonese Gaul.

37. Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius tends to be the least well known today even though he actually ruled longer than the other four of the “Five Good Emperors” and everyone else thus far since Augustus.

38. Antoninus Pius
His reign saw no major wars, only small skirmishes, and he himself never left Italy to deal with them as his predecessors did and follower would do. He also increased cooperation with the senate which had diminished under Hadrian.

43. Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus Pius was succeeded in 161 by his adopted heir Marcus Aurelius (4,5,6). This was a unique adoption since it was done by the order of Hadrian. M. Aurelius grew up being prepared to be the ruler.

44. Marcus Aurelius
In adulthood he was known for his Stoic philosophy which survives in his work Meditations. Like Hadrian, he traveled the empire spending a great deal of time in Germania during the wars there.

45. Marcus Aurelius
His reign was also marked by a new war with the Parthians who invaded Armenia and Syria. The war was won, but the army returned with a plague which killed millions of Romans.

46. Marcus Aurelius
Aurelius’ rule is also marked by the fact that it began and ended with joint rule of co-emperors, the beginning with Verus, and the end with Commodus. Aurelius died in 180 of some kind of pox, possibly the plague brought from Parthia

47. 1 - 5
Apart from the manner of succession and the peace and prosperity felt by the empire, there were other trends with these five emperors.
Administratively the government shifted toward being more authoritarian despite general increased cooperation with the upper class.
The Comitia was disbanded after Nerva.
Under Hadrian the princeps took law making and interpreting power away from the praetors.

48. 1 - 5
The upper class in towns across the empire became more financially responsible for their communities.
Also, all of these emperors greatly contributed to the enfranchisement of peoples around the empire. They all extended Latin rights to provinces, which was the stepping stone to full citizenship.

49. COMMODUS
M. Aurelius was succeeded in 180 by his son and co-ruler Aurelius Commodus Antoninus.

50. COMMODUS
He was the first actual, non-adopted son to take power since Domitian. He has gone down in history as one of the “mad emperors” along with Nero and Caligula, all of whom are known for their excesses.

51. COMMODUS
He died in 192 when he was strangled in the bath tub by a wrestler hired to kill him.

52. Effects of Pax Romana
This era of political and social stability, military dominance, and economic prosperity would allow the Roman culture to flourish and spread throughout the Western world.
ART
ARCHITECTURE
LITERATURE
DRAMA
SCIENCE & MEDICINE
ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
LAW

53. Crisis in the 3rd Century
1) Weakened defenses
Barbarian invasions began on the northern frontier as well as in Greece, Spain, Asia Minor
Sassanians (an Iranian dynasty) seized control of Mesopotamia in the East and began to penetrate far Roman territories. 53

54. Empire in Crisis, 3rd Century C.E.54

56. Crisis in the 3rd Century
2) Weak, ineffective government
C.E. – over 20 emperors held power
Some reigned for less than 1 year
All but 1 were assassinated!
Emperors and their armies often fought one another for power.
Armies were increasingly made up of mercenaries (“guns for hire”) who were loyal to whomever paid them the most!

57. Crisis in the 3rd Century
2) Weak, ineffective government, continued
Effects on social order:
All power was in the hands of the emperor
Senate/ruling class were practically gone
Two distinct classes emerge:
Honestiores – aristocrats (nobility, senators, equestrians, high-ranking soldiers)
Humiliores – lower classes
This situation foreshadows the social system of the Middle Ages!

58. Crisis in the 3rd Century
3) Drained imperial treasury
An attempt to lower the value of coins backfired; people lost confidence in Roman money and turned to barter
Domino effects:
Deteriorated roads (hindered trade)

59. Crisis in the 3rd Century
Domino effects, continued:
Provincial revolts (needed large, costly army to put down rebellions)
Large farms had wiped out smaller ones, leading to:
Shortage of jobs
Decreased production of food
This situation foreshadows the
economic system of the Middle Ages.
Increased taxes (to pay for the army and the emperors’ extravagant lifestyles)
Some emperors sold off their palace furniture to raise money!

60. Crisis in the 3rd Century
4) Environmental Problems
Plague
Famine
Soil exhaustion
Possible weather changes (global cooling?)

61. Crisis in the 3rd Century
5) The impact of Christianity
ROMAN VALUES
Cult of Emperor (Emperor is divine)
Dignitas: How peers judge you
Loyalty to Empire
Ideal citizen is the soldier/farmer
Violence is a way of life
Rewards come in this life
CHRISTIAN VALUES
Religion before government
Morals: How God sees you.
Loyalty to God
Ideal citizen follows Jesus Christ’s teachings
Non-violence
Rewards in the afterlife

62. Crisis in the 3rd Century
6) The “Tent Effect”
Simply put: the empire got so big that it could not sustain itself. It simply collapsed.

63. Diocletian Splits the Empire in Two: 294 C.E.63

64. The Rise of Christianity
Christianity began as a cult.
The Gospels indicate that Jesus accepted Jewish laws and traditions of the Old Testament.
Renewed emphasis on love, compassion, and a relationship with God. 64

65. The Rise of Christianity
Jesus’ popularity was threatening.
Jewish leaders did not accept him as the Messiah (savior)
Roman leaders (especially the emperors) feared he would lead a rebellion against the Empire
Evangelists and disciples followed Jesus’ teachings and preached the Gospel very effectively.
Ex. Paul of Tarsus 65

66. The Rise of Christianity
Attraction of Christianity
Eternal salvation
Hope
Equality
Importance of charity
Enthusiasm of the martyrs 66

67. The Rise of Christianity
Persecution of Christians began.
Christians did not worship the emperor as a god.
Christians did not attend gladiatorial games or other traditional Roman festivals.
Christians did not serve in the army.
Christians’ festivals and customs were seen as strange.
Ex. Some perceived them as cannibals who chose to “eat the body and blood of Christ.” 67

68. The Impact of Constantine
Moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium (330 C.E.); renamed the city Constantinople.
Why move the capital?
Port city – great for trade and commerce
Strategic location – surrounded on three sides by water; easy to defend
It’s NOT Rome – Rome seen as a “pagan city” plagued with problems. 68

69. Constantinople: “The 2nd Rome”

70. The Impact of Constantine
Declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. (This coincides with a shift of power to the East.)
Called the Council of Nicaea to determine the Church’s official doctrine.
Result: the Nicene Creed (“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen and unseen….”) 70

71. The Power of the Catholic Church
As the Christian population grew, so did the power of the Church and its officials.
Ex. Emperor Theodosius did penance, as ordered by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Rome.
Eventually, the highest office of the Roman Catholic Church became the papacy (held by the pope).
The term Catholic means “universal” (also related to a Greek adjective meaning “complete”)
The Roman Catholic Church, as it is known today, began during the reign of Theodosius 71

72. The Spread of Christianity72

73. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian
Under Justinian’s leadership, the western portion of the Roman Empire was reconquered. However, this unity would be short-lived.
In the West, barbarian tribes threatened the borders, and in the east, Muslims from Arabia sought to capture the critical trading port of Constantinople.

74. The Byzantine Empire during the Reign of Justinian

75. The Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)
Under the orders of Justinian, construction of the Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) was constructed in 532 and took only five years to complete. Famous for its massive dome, it is considered on the best examples of Byzantine architecture.
When Constantinople was conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks, the church was converted to a mosque. The four minarets were added and the interior walls were redesigned to reflect the Muslim faith.

76. Legacy of the Roman EmpireV X L C D M 1 5 10 50
100
500
1000
Cultural contributions
Art
Architecture
Science
Literature 76

77. Legacy of the Roman Empire
Roman Engineering
Aqueducts
Sewage systems
Dams
Cement
Arch
The earliest Christian communities were small groups of followers scattered throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
As the new faith spread, an organized Christian Church developed. This helps unite Christians in different lands.
Sense of community and fellowship (brothers and sisters) 77

78. Legacy of the Roman Empire
Cultural contributions
Latin
unifying language; foundation of many other Romance languages
also the language of the Catholic Church
Caveat emptor!
Buyer beware!
Et tu, Brute?
And you, Brutus?
(Julius Caesar)
Carpe diem!
Seize the day!
-- Law and Politics
Republican government
Legal codes (Jus Gentium – the Laws of the People)
Amor vincit omnia. Love conquers all.
veni vidi vici. I came, I saw, I conquered . (Julius Caesar's report of victory in 47 B.C.E. over Pharnaces, king of Pontus) 78

79. Legacy of the Roman Empire
Roman Catholicism and European Unity
The idea of a united Europe will continue to inspire leaders well into the Middle Ages
Christianity becomes the uniting religious force in Western civilizations. 79