2. Egyptian

3. Hellenic

4. ROME Splendour and turmoil
Rome was based on greek ‘democracy’, where the people (citizens) were the chief power

5. The Roman Empire lasted from 500BCE to 500CE
It went from being a monarchy, to a republic, to an autocratic empire
The Roman Empire’s greatest strengths were its army, its law, its architecture and engineering, and literature.

6. Roman politics could get messy - even at its peak, Roman politics was volatile The Death of Julius Caesar 44B.C.E.

7. To keep the Roman mob happy, Vespasian built one of the most famous buildings in the world.. 79C.E.
The Colosseum

8. The Colosseum
Defeated enemies would be humiliated and killed before the crowd
Enemies of the state (like Christians and other ‘barbarians’) were fed to wild animals
The centre stage could even be flooded for ship battles!

9. Gladiators

10. Gladiators Slaves Were from all over the empire
Fought in the colosseum
Fought men, beasts, and recreated great Roman battles
Could win their freedom
Became as popular as rock stars today

11. Gladiators

12. Gladiators

13. Roman Empire at its peak 117C.E.

14. Roman Britain

15. The Empire splits 324C.E.

16. The weakened Empire is invaded and carved up by ‘barbarians’.

17. Gemitus Britannorum: ‘The Groans of the Britons’ Roman Briton pleads for help against the Saxons 430C.E.
“To Agitius, general, the groans of the Britons... the barbarians drive us to the sea, the sea drives us to the barbarians, between these two means of death we are either killed or drowned.”

18. Barbarian ways
But, outside Rome, people believed in older, more clear-cut power structures
Power belonged to the strongest
As the Empire collapsed and the barbarians took Roman lands, they brought with them their own forms of government- kings

19. The Feudal system Feudal power triangle King Bishops & Barons Knights
Merchants and Craftsmen
Peasant Freemen & Serfs