Last Cycle Notes

[6Amanda]

 

• Roman Religion
• Government and religion were linked
• Many of the gods came from some aspect of the Greek Gods
• Had many gods
• The Rise of Christianity
• Roman gods were very impersonal and was practiced with very little emotion
• Rome took over the Jewish land of Israel around 63 BCE which introduced Christianity to the Roman Empire
• Christianity broke off from Judaism and was based on life and teachings of Jesus as well as his death and resurrection
• As Jesus traveled around preaching, many people started following him
• Why was Christianity Attractive to People?
• Embraced all people- men and women, enslaved persons, the poor, and nobles
• Gave hope to the powerless
• Appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome
• Offered a personal relationship with a loving god
• Promised eternal life after death
• Paul, an apostle, 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 non- Jew
• Rome’s Reaction
• Rome persecuted Christians as they did not worship the Roman gods
• Many were crucified, burned, killed by wild animals in arenas
• Roman Emperor Constantine named Christianity one of the Roman Empires religions in 313 AD after winning a battle where he believed the Christian God intervened
• In 308 AD, ROman Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the empire’s official religion
• Early Christian Issues
• As time went on, there were growing disagreements between Christians in regards to beliefs
• The New Testament was added to the Hebrew Old Testament to make the Christian bible which helped unify Christians
• Included the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) as well as the Epistles (letters) of Paul among others
• The Nicene Creed
• In 325 AD, Constantine further unified the teachings of Christianity
• In Nicaea ( in Turkey today), church leaders wrote the Nicene Creed, which defined the basic beliefs of the Church
• Three Main Causes for the Fall of Rome
• 1. Internal problems and conflicts
• 2. Splitting the Roman Empire into East and West
• 3. Outside invasions
• Diocletian Splits the Empire- 285 AD
• Diocletian was a strong ruler that brought law and order back to the Empire
• He believed that the empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler
• He divided the empire into two
• Greek speaking East - Byzantine Empire
• Latin speaking West
• He took the eastern half for himself and appointed a co- ruler for the West
• Constantine
• Constantine took control of the western part of the Roman Empire in 312 AD and also took control of the Eastern Part in 324 AD
  United the empire during his reign and moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium (330 AD), changing the name of the city to Constantinople
• Huge walls were built around Constantinople to protect it from barbarians
• After his death, the empire was split into 2 again
• Today the city it known as Istanbul
• The Byzantine Empire would last until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks took the area over
• Germanic Tribes
• Germanic tribes moved into the Roman Empire due to the Huns moving into their territory around 370 AD
• The Germanic tribes attacked and took over areas all throughout the empire and eventually sacked Rome itself in 410 AD
• The Huns
• In 370 AD, the Huns moved into Europe from Central Asia and battled the Germanic tribes
• In 444 AD, under Attila, the Huns invaded both parts of the Roman Empire
• The Huns attacked over 70 cities
• Couldn’t get past walls of Constantinople
• Invaded Rome in 452 AD but failed
• Attila the Hun died in 453 AD and so did the Hun’s power
• The Last Roman Emperor and the End
• The last Western emperor was Romulus Augustulus, a 14 year old
• He was ousted by German forced in 476 AD and Rome fell
• The Eastern Roman Empire continued and flourished until the Ottoman Turks took them over in 1453
• After Rome fell, Europe fell into the Dark Ages
• The Dark Ages
• Why it the time period known as the Dark Ages?
• Magyars and Vikings raided western European church monasteries and destroyed many of these centers of learning
• Due to this, Europe was thrown backwards in time where science, culture, and learning were not focused on as much as they had been with Ancient Rome and Greece
• What happened to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire?
• In the East, the Byzantine Empire became the center for trade and Greco- Roman culture
• In the West, Europe grew weak and fell into the Middle Ages from 500 to 1500
• When Germanic Barbarian tribes conquered Rome, Europe was plagued by constant warfare
• Warfare disrupted trade, destroyed Europe’s cities, and forced people to rural areas
• Learning declined; few people could read or write
• Greco- Roman culture was forgotten
• Europe lost a common language; Latin mixed with local languages to form Spanish, Frech, Italian
• The invasions and fall of Roman Empire caused the following problems in Rome:
• 1. The Disruption of Trade-
• Centralized Roman authority broke down and with it went the protection of trade
• Without Roman power and protection, roads and trade were no longer safe
• Without trade and commerce, the economy tanked
• Money became scarce
• 2. Downfall of Cities
• Within the disruption of trade, cities were no longer the vital economic centers they once were
• With the breakdown of central Roman authority, cities were no longer needed as centers of government
• People moved to the countryside
• London, Paris, Florence, Milan, among were still around
• 3. Population shifts
• With the cities no longer the important places they once were, people started migrating to the country
• Why?
• They could grow their own food and felt safer there
• 4. Decline of Learning
• The Germanic “barbarians” could not read or write
• The Germanic languages started becoming important, but they lacked a writing system
• Important info was all in Latin or Greek
• The science and philosophy of ancients Greece/Rome got ignored/lost as the Germanic people didn’t have much use for it
• Church leaders are the only people who could read or write
• 5. Loss of Common Language
• All languages mixed together their own language
• 6. Decline of Infrastructure
• All the great public works fells into disrepair
• Didn’t destroy them but didn’t put money into them
• People were leaving the cities
• The Spread of Christianity in the Medieval Europe
• Clovis brought Christianity to the Germanic Franks in the Gaul
• Pope Gregory I (The Great)
• Expanded the Pope's role to not just spiritual but also secular
• More involved in government
• Martles main achievement was the military
• Pepin the Short
• Became the first leader of the Carolingian Dynasty
• Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
• Charlemagne proceeded to conquer to the east and south, taking on Germanic tribes in Europe
• Becoming Emperor
• Pope Leo was kidnapped and Charlemagne helped save lives
• Feudalism
• A political, social, and economical of Europe during the middle age as a wau to offer protected for each other
• Poeople wpi;d give knights land
• Death of HW George Bush
• Watch a video on his life
• Talked about how women are coming out and saying he groped them
• Continue on Cause and Effect
• Caesar crosses the Rubicon River and brings his army with him to Rome- Civil War breaks out for three years
• Caesar defeats Pompey and declares himself dictator- This ends the Republican system of government in Rome
• Julius Caesar- Ruled 49-44 BC
• Veni. Vidi. Vici. - I came. I saw. I conquered. - Famous saying
• Full Name - Gaius Julius Caesar
• AKA- Julius Caesar
• Place of Death - Rome, Italy
• Gaius Julius Caesar’s Resume
• Grew up in a patrician family
• Father died when he was 16
• Married Cornelia in 84 BCE
• Became the High Priest of Jupiter
• There was a Civil War in Rome and the person Caesar backed lost
• Due to this, Caesar joined the military to hide from Sulla, the new dictator
• Fought in Asia and Cilicia
• Julius Caesar’s Resume
• After Sulla’s death, Caesar returned to Rome and went into politics
• During his travels, was captured by pirates
• Became Governor of Spain, a Roman province in 61-60 BCE
• In 60 BCE, Julius Caesar joined forces with Crassus, a wealthy Roman, and Pompey, a popular general
• With their help, Caesar was elected Consul in 59 BCE
• For the next ten years, these three men dominated Rome as a triumvirate, a group of three rulers
• Was known as the First Triumvirate
• After being Consu for one year, became Governor of Gaul (France and Belgium) from 58-50 BCE
• Caesar’s power and popularity concerned Crassus and Pompey back in Rome
• First Triumvirate Falls Apart
• Crassus was killed in a battle in Syria so he was out of the picture
• Pompey became jealous of Caesar’s power and popularity so the Senate ordered Caesar to disband his military and return to Rome to face trail
• Caesar refused and instead crossed the Rubicon River in 49 BCE and attacked Pompey’s troops
• Pompey fled to Spain and then Greece where Caesar’s troops defeated him
• Pompey was able to escape and fled to Egypt where he was killed
• Caesar returned to Rome with support from the people and the military and became dictator - 46 BC
• In 44 BC, Caesar was named dictator for life
• Caesar and Cleopatra in Egypt - 47 BCE
• Caesar arrived in Egypt and was not happy that they killed Pompey
• Caesar declared martial law and took over the palace and deposed Ptolemy XIII
• Ptolemy I became the first Greek ruler of Egypt in 323 BCE
• He ordered Cleopatra VII back to the throne, aligned with her and defeated the Ptolemy XIII and the Egyptians in 47 BCE in the Battle of the Nile River
• Continue on Caesar and Cleopatra in Egypt -47 BCE
• Cleopatra VII was the last Egyptian leader before Rome took it over
• Cleopatra and Caesar would have a son together, Ptolemy Caesar (know as Caesarion)
• Cleopatra proclaimed him her heir and successor to the Roman thorne
• Not something that Caesar did as he named his grand nephew his successor
• Caesar as Dictator
• Served just a year before he was assassinated
• Granted Roman citizenship to many new people in the provinces
• Gave land to the poor
• Expanded the senate, adding friends and supporters from Italy and other regions
• Helped the poor by creating jobs, especially through the construction of new public buildings
• Started colonies where people without land could own property
• Increased pay for soldiers and helped veterans get land
• Abolished the tax system
• Helped rebuild Carthage as a Roman colony
• Reformed the Roman calendar
• So why was he killed?
• Some people thought he was becoming a king which they did not want
• Upset the rich
• Julian vs Gregorian Calendar
• The Julian calendar was the calendar was the calendar from 46 bBCE to 1582 CE when the Gregorian Calendar took its place
• The Gregorian Calendar was introduced and named after Pope Gregory XIII in the 1582 and is still used today
• The difference in the average length of the year between Julian (365.25 days) and Gregorian (365.2425 days) is 0.002%
• Caesar’s Assassination - 44 BC
• Due to helping the middle and lower class, Caesar made enemies with the wealthy class including many in the Senate
• Many were scared the Caesar wanted to be king
• Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus were two that killed Caesar - Stabbed 23 times by as many as 60 conspirators
• After Julius Caesar
• Octavian=Caesar Augustus=Augustus
• The Second Triumvirate - 43 BCE- 33 BCE
• Octavian (Caesar’s grandnephew/adopted son), Marc Antony (a general), and Lepidus (a politician) ruled Rome for ten years
• Civil War broke out after Caesar’s death with Octavian winning
• Eliminated enemies and anyone involved in Caesar’s assassination
• Brutus, Cassius, Pompeius (Pompey’s son)
• Triumvirate fell apart eventually due to jealousy and violence
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire after insulting him
• Octavian went to war against Marc Antony (with Queen Cleopatra from Egypt)
• Octavian defeated Antony/Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC
• Interesting Facts
• Once Octavian and Marc Antony defeated Caesar’s killers, they split the Roman Republic in two- Octavian took Rome and Antony took Egypt
• Antony quickly falls in love with Cleopatra (had 3 kids) - Huge problem - Why?
• 1. Antony was married to Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Octavian not pleased. Antony divorces Octavia.
• 2. Octavian was concerned that Antony and Cleopatra want to take over Rome
• Antony proclaimed many things in his will but one was that Caesarion was the rightful heir to Julius Caesar and not Octavian
• These issues led to war between Octavian and Antony
• Octavian decided to attack first and defeated Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet in the Battle of Actium as stated previously
• Antony and Cleopatra strangled as well as Antony’s oldest son
• “Two Caesars one too many”
• Octavian was now the lone ruler of Rome and it’s empire
• However, he decided to act like he wanted to allow the Republic to continue
• The Senate loved this and gave him the name “Augustus” or “Illustrious one” or “Exalted One”
• By 19 BC, he was given supreme court power to rule the Roman Empire and became the first(and probably greatest) emperor of Rome
• Augustus and the Roman Empire 0 27 BC - 14 AD
• Augustus would user in the “Pax Romana” (27 BC- 180 AD) which means “Roman Peace”
• This was the period of time where Rome was at its peak and the economy, the arts and agriculture flure
• Augustus’ Accomplishments
• Stabilized the frontier
• Created the system of government that survived for centuries
• Set up civil service within Rome
• Paid workers to manage the affairs of government
• Made adultery illegal
• Tax incentives for families with 3 or more children
• Glorified Rome with awesome public buildings - “found Rome brick and left it marble”
• Augustus’ Death
• Died in 14 CE (AD)
• His last words were either “I found Rome a city of clay but left it a city in marble.” or…
• According to his wife Livia, “Have I played the part well? The applaud as I exit”
• His adopted son
• Roman Life
• Discipline, strength, and loyalty were stressed in Rome
• People had gravitas that had these characteristics
• 90% of people farmed throughout the empire
• The rich lived by conspicuous consumption
• Most people lived in poverty
• High unemployment
• Lived in cramped tenements - fires common
• Government provided grain everyday
• Slavery was a significant part of Roman life and economy
• The Romans had more slaves than any previous civilization
• Most slaves were conquered peoples and included men, women, and children
• Children born to slaves also became slaves
• Slaves could be bought and sold as they were seen as property
• They could be punished, rewarded, set free, or put to death
• Some strong slaves became Gladiators
• Gladiator Contests
• Government put on appease the poor
• Provided free of charge during holidays
• Fought in the Colosseum in Rome
• Animal vs animal, man vs animal, man vs man
• Watched Isaac’s Extra Credit Video
• Discussed the government through pictures and graphs
• The Twelve Tables
• In 451 BCE, some officials started writing down Rome’s laws onto tablets
• These became the Twelve TAbles and the basis for Roman Law
• These Twelve Tables were held in the Forum- their government building
• The laws were designed to keep equality between everyone
• The Roman Republic- The Military
• The military was a very important part of making Rome into a major power
• All citizens who owned land were required to serve in the military
• Plebeians served in the military as well
• Legions were made up of large groups (5,500) of infantry
• There were about 30 legions in the Roman Army
• Legions were broken down into ten smaller groups called cohorts(480 men) which, in turn, were broken down into six centuries (80 men each)
• A centurion led the century- each legion had 59 centurions
• Each legion had a cavalry unit for support
• Weapons of War
• Romans used the gladius for hand to hand combat
• The pilum (spear) used for throwing or in hand to hand combat
• Roman armour and shield - used for protection and defence, shields could be used offensively in hand to hand combat
• Praetorian Guard
• The elite of the Roman army
• Their duty was to protect high ranking officials and eventually became the personal bodyguards of the Roman emperor
• The Guard eventually got involved in overthrowing emperors and naming their replacements
• Constantine the great disbanded the Guard in 312 AD after defeating them
• Looked over maps of Rome and how it grew
• Punic?
• “Punic” comes from the Latin word Poenicus, meaning “an inhabitant of Carthage”
• Carthage was founded by Phoenicians, and Poeticus is the Latin word for “Phoenician”
• Remember the Phoenicians?
• Rome vs. Carthage- 3 Punic Wars
• 264-146 BCE
• The First Punic War fought for control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean
• Lasted 23 years- 264-241 BCE
• Rome won
• The 2nd Punic War was started by Carthage to get revenge from the previous loss
• Lasted 16 years- 218-202 BCE
• Rome won
• Watched videos
• Events Between the 2nd and 3rd Punic Wars 201-150 BC
• The Treaty that ended the 2nd Punic Wars caused Carthage to lose all land outside of where Carthage was
• The Treaty also said that Carthage could have no army
• Shortly thereafter, Carthage was attacked by the Numidian king, Masinissa, who was an ally of Carthage in the 2nd Punic War
• Since Carthage could not have an army, they asked to Rome to help
• Rome dragged its feet, reluctant to give aid to Carthage
• Rome sent Cato the Elder, an ambassador and veteran of the 2nd Punic War, to Carthage to discuss the situation
• Cato the Elder went back to Rome and told of how well off economically Carthage and that Carthage should be destroyed
• Cato hated Carthage and was very biased
• Eventually, Carthage defended themselves and in doing so, broke the peace treaty
• This led to the 3rd Punic War
• Third Punic War - 149 - 146 BC
• 53 years after the 2nd Punic War
• Rome went on the offensive and laid siege to Carthage
• The Romans burned the city, 20,000 Carthaginian people died and 50,000 were sold into slavery
• Carthage was no more and became the Roman colony called Africa
• With Carthage out of the picture, Rome would continue it’s conquests in the upcoming decades and be the dominant power in the area
• The Roman Republic Falls Apart
• Why?
• The growing gap between rich and poor- income inequality
• As Rome took over areas, it took in slaves as well
• By 100 BC, slaves made up 33% of Rome’s population
• Small farmers couldn’t compete with the rich landowners and had to sell land leaving them homeless- many became soldiers
• The “victorious soldier problem”
• Two tribunes, Tiberius, and Gaius, were murdered, after pushing for giving land to the poor
• Cause & Effect
• Rapid expansion of the Roman Empire- Difficult to govern with a republican for of government
• Greedy, dishonest leaders- The poor felt no loyalty to the Roman government who were keeping them poor
• The poor felt no loyalty to the Roman government who was keeping them poor- Conflicts between the rich and the poor people grow
• Professional soldiers who were poor citizens and only made money if they won a battle- Soldiers only loyal to the generals who paid them
• Power hungry generals (Caesar) fight one another for control of government - Caesar's rivals fear he is becoming too powerful and declare him a public enemy
• Milliarium Aureum
• Translates to “Golden Milestone”
• Was a marble or gilded bronze statue erected by Caesar Augustus in 20 BC
• All roads were thought to have started here and all distances were measured in relation to it
• “All roads lead to Rome”
• Why did Rome ending up being the place of the next great civilization in the West?
• Location, location, location
• Rome’s Geography
• Mountains for protection, river
• Italy is a peninsula, shaped like a boot
• Centrally located in region- great location
• Rome is on the Tiber River- near coast and 3 continents
• Mountains- provided a natural barrier- Alps, Apennines
• Seas
• More Advantages of Rome’s Geography
• Contained large plains making it easy to farm
• Position made it easier for Rome to conquer other lands and gain new territory
• The First Romans- 1000 BC-500 BC
• 1. Latins
• Built the original settlement at Rome on Palatine Hill
• This is where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf
• 2. The Greeks -750-600 BC
• Established colonies in southern Italy and Sicily
• Brought Greek ideas to Italy
• 3. The Etruscans
• Came from northern Italy
• Skilled metalworkers and engineers
• Had a writing system with an alphabet that the Romans adopted
• Greatly influenced Roman architecture
• Introduced the arch
• Outside of Greece, one of the most advanced civilizations in Europe during this time
• Not much is known about them since there are no Etruscan history documents or literature
• What is a Republic?
• A government run by the people through elected representatives
• Republic vs Representative Democracy vs Direct Democracy
• The Early Republic - 600-509 BC
• The Etruscans were the group that helped rome grow into a large city
• Under the Etruscans, Rome was ruled by a king until 509 BC
• King Tarquin the Proud was a tyrant and was overthrown by Brutus, the founder of the Roman Republic
• The Roman Republic 509-27 BC
• Set up after King Tarquin was overthrown in 509 BC
• Set up a republic
• Citizens were free-born males only
• SPQR- Senatus Populusque Romanus
• “The Senate and People of Rome”
• Who were Roman Citizens?
• The Roman concept of the citizen evolved over time
• All males over 15 who were descended from the original tribes of Rome became citizens
• Citizens of Rome distinguished themselves for slaves and other non citizens by wearing a toga
• The full citizens could vote, marry freeborn persons, and buy and sell things (commerce)
• Some citizens were not allowed to vote or hold public office, but maintained the other rights
• Some citizens could vote and practice commerce, but could not hold office or marry freeborn women
• In late Republic, male slaves who were granted their freedom could become full citizens
• Social Classes-
• Patricians
• The upper class wealthy landowners
• Very small group 5% of the citizen population
• Controlled the most valuable land, held the key military and religious offices
• Plebeians
• The lower class - peasants, laborers, artisans, shopkeepers
• Very large group- 95% of the citizen population
• Very few privileges and say but could vote (men)
• Paid most of the taxes and served in the army
• Salves
• About a third of all the people were slaves
• Rome’s leaders eventually allowed plebeians to form their own assembly and elect representatives called tribunes
• Why would they do this?- Because the plebeians would refuse to work and be in the military
• These tribunes worked to protect the rights of plebeians
• Why was this an important step for the “common people”?