1. Roman Empire

2. The Romans The start of the new millennium C.E. was dominated by the spread of the Roman Empire in Europe The Romans gained power as the Greeks lost theirs Legend holds that Romulus and Remus, two brothers raised by a she-wolf, fought and Romulus killed his brother and founded Rome. The original Roman settlers were called Latins

3. The Age of the Kings First Romans were hardworking farmers Paternalistic communities with strong family ties They were polytheistic Etruscans, more advanced that the Romans, easily conquered them The Romans learned how to build roads, bridges, and more advanced weapons from them After 250 years of captivity the Romans rebelled against Tarquin the Proud and reclaimed the peninsula

4. The Roman Republic First attempt at government was an aristocracy Power held by wealthy land owners who were called patricians, only they could be consuls or senators Plebeians, framers and workers, given little say There were two consuls of equal power who could veto each other, and a senate to pass laws and orchestrate foreign affairs Eventually the plebeians were allowed to elect tribunes or representative bodies The basic rights of the citizens were eventually written down on the Twelve Tables

5. Foreign Involvement Romans drove out the Gauls and conquered the Greek southern colonies But expansion brought the Romans into contact with the Carthaginians – North African traders 3 Punic Wars fought over expansion 1 st war – fighting in Sicily and Mediterranean sea 2 nd war- Hannibal used elephants and devastated the Romans but ran out of supplies and was forced to return to Carthage to save the city At the Battle of Zama the Romans soundly defeated the Carthaginians and destroyed Carthage

6. Economic Success Equites, a new class of merchants developed Estates called latifundia, much like plantations, they required a large capital investment and manpower (slaves) The latifundia came to dominate grain production – the smaller farmers could not compete Disposed smaller farmers were forced to move into the cities to find work

7. Social Reforms Tiberius Gracchus wanted to give land back to the peasants by limiting the size of a farm to 320 acres H was elected tribune but couldn’t pass his reform Tried to run for a second term but he and followers were assassinated This set the precedent that violence was acceptable in the political world Gaius, his brother, and the Land Commission guided the land distribution Gaius and his supporters were also killed

8. The End of the Republic Gaius Marius defeated Jugurtha and saved Rome from the Germanic tribes Abolished property requirement for Roman Army and remodeled army and gave land to soldiers who retired A civil war erupted and Cornelius Sulla captured Rome and eliminated all opposition before turning control back over to the senate Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar fought for power. Formed the First Triumvirate Crassus was killed in battle and then Caesar marched on Rome and defeated Pompey Caesar made himself dictator and then dictator for life Assassinated by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius Marc Antony, Marcus Lepidus, and Gaius Octavian sought power At the battle of Antium Octavian destroyed the armies of Antony and Cleopatra and took sole command of Rome

9. The Age of Augustus Augustus received the title of imperator or emperor Created a large standing army and praetorian guard to protect the emperor Expanded empire east to the Balkans and into Germany Named his own successor, Tiberius, and started the Julio-Claudian dynasty Emperor Nero abused his powers the most and committed suicide when legions revolted

10. The Five Good Emperors Known as Pax Romana – period of peace and prosperity Empire included 70 million people Roads spread law, language, and culture First emperor Nerva created smooth transition from one emperor to the next by saying that the emperor would name his successor and then adopt him as a son so that the most qualified person would be the next ruler Nerva named Trajan as his successor

11. Hadrian Consolidated Roman possessions Fortified frontier and built Hadrian’s wall in northern England Sympathetic towards Jews until they revolted due to the construction of a temple built for Jupiter Then he began to persecute them

12. Marcus Aurelius Last of the Five Good Emperors Protected Romans from the invading Parthians Ruled during the plague

13. Bread and Circuses Entertainment acted as a release of Social pressure Government sponsored grain distribution to the poor to keep them from rebelling Circus Maximus – chariot races Colosseum – gladiators and animal fights

14. Roman Life Influenced by the Greeks – the Romans always envied the Greeks and the influence the Greeks had on the world, but they were never able to imitate it Children of the wealthy sent to Greece for education, or educated by Greek slaves

15. Literature, Art, and Architecture Valued public speaking – the greatest orator was Cicero Virgil wrote the Aeneid, which was viewed equal to the Homeric takes Livy wrote The History of Rome Statues carved like Greeks, with and emphasis on realism Frescoes popular among the rich Romans developed the Arch as opposed to the supporting column utilized by the Greeks Romans also developed concrete which allowed for the construction of huge structures like the Colosseum Built roads and aqueducts to supply cities with water

16. Roman Law Twelve Tables and the Code of Hammurabi made available for all to see Universal law based on reason Influential for centuries

17. The Family Patriarchal society Little interest in women Fathers arranged daughters marriages, legal age for marriage was 12

18. Slaves Greek slaves were highly sought after because of their education Slaves auctioned in market place Some were able to purchase their freedom, but most led miserable lives Harsh laws were used to punish runaway slaves Largest revolt was by Spartacus and his 100,000 slave followers Eventually Spartacus and 6,000 slaves were crucified

19. Christianity Romans were polytheists, but tolerant of many other religions Some Roman soldiers joined the cult of Mithraism, which was associated with the virtues of military life Others joined the cult of Isis, which promised an eternal life happier than the one on earth Jesus of Nazareth came as the Messiah of the Jews, however he did not advocate violence, and the Jews were expecting Him to come as a military leader Pontius Pilate sentenced Him by crucifixion The resurrection became the foundation of Christian Theology

20. Persecution Peter founded the Church in Rome, and Paul's letters spread the message to the gentiles At the beginning the Romans were tolerant of Christianity until they began to see it as a threat to the empire Nero blamed Christians from setting Rome on fire In 313 C.E. Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which said that Christianity was to be tolerated Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Empire

21. The Fall of Rome Diocletian became emperor and divided the empire into the east and the west, which were to be governed separately Constantine moved the capital to Constantinople The Teutonic tribes were attracted to the Roman Empire because of the fertile land Romans fought them off, but later let some into the empire to help fight against other invaders Attila and the Huns attacked but were defeated by a large Roman/Germanic army In 476 C.E. Germanic tribes attacked and eventually sacked Rome

22. The Fall of Rome However the eastern Roman empire, or the Byzantine Empire, last almost 1000 years longer In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks The Roman grew too large to be governed, much like the Han Empire in China The fall of the Roman Empire is attributed to the influence of Christianity, economic problems, foreign invasion, and weak administration. Most importantly the empire had grown too large to defend