Monday-
After Julius Caesar
Octavian = Caesar Augustus = Augustus
The Second Triumvirate: 43 BC - 33 BC
Civil war broke out after Caesar’s death
Triumvirate is a government in which three people run
Octavian (Caesar’s grandnephew/adopted son), Marc Antony (a general), and Lepidus (a politician) ruled Rome for ten years
Fell apart eventually due to jealousy and violence
Octavian forced Lepidus to retire
Octavian went to war against Marc Antony (with Queen Cleopatra from Egypt)
Cleopatra
Interesting Facts:
Was a guest in Rome (with Caesarion) for several years as Caesar’s guest and won over the Roman people with her beauty and charm
Caesarion (Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar) was Cleopatra’s and Caesar’s son and possibly his only biological son
Ruled with Cleopatra until her death and then became sole ruler of Egypt
Possibly would have ruled all of the Roman Republic/Empire had Caesar not been assassinated
Went back to Egypt after Caesar’s death (Cleopatra and Caesarion)
Once Octavian and Marc Antony defeated Caesar’s killers, they split the Roman Republic in two
Octavian took Rome
Antony took Egypt
Antony quickly falls in love with Cleopatra (had three kids) This was a huge problem because:
Antony is married to Octavian’s sister, Octavia
Octavian was not pleased about this
Octavian is concerned that Antony and Cleopatra want to take over Rome
Octavian decided to attack first and defeated Antony and Cleopatra fleet in the Battle of Actium as stated previously
Antony and Cleopatra were able to escape but eventually committed suicide together instead of being captured
Cleopatra video
Tuesday-Augustus and the Roman Empire-27 BC-14 AD
- Octavian took the title "Augustus" which means "exalted one"
- He would usher in the "pax Ramona"(27 BC-180 AD) which means "Roman Peace"
- This was the period of time where Rome was at it's peak
Augustus's Accomplishments
- Stabilized the frontier
- Glorified Rome with awesome public buildings-"found Rome brick and left it marble"
- Created a system of government that survived for centuries
- set up civil service within Rome
- paid workers to manage the affairs of government
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
- gov't provided grain every day
- struggled for survival
- Slavery was a significant part of Roman life and economy
- The Romans had more slaves than any previous civilizations-1/3 of the population
- 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
- Gov't put on to appease the poor
- Provided free of charge during holidays(150/year by 250 AD)
- fought in the Colosseum in Rome
- Animal vs animal, man vs animal, man vs man
Roman Religion
- Government and religion were linked
- Among the most important Roman gods and goddesses were:
- Jupiter, father of the gods
- Juno, Jupiter's wife, who watched over women
- Minerva, goddess of wisdom and arts and crafts
- Worship of the emperor also became part of the official religion of Rome
Wednesday-
The Rise of Christianity
- Roman gods were very impersonal and practiced with very little emotions
- Rome took over the Jewish land of Israel around 63 BC
- Christianity taught that people could have a personal relationship with God which attracted many people
- Christianity broke off from Judaism and was based on the life and teachings of Jesus as well as his death and resurrection
- As Jesus traveled around preaching, many people started following him
- Especially attracted the poor based on his teachings
- "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"
- Paul, an apostle, stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people's sins
- an apostle was a christian teacher or missionary
- He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew)
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
Rome's Reaction
- Rome persecuted Christians as they did not worship the Roman gods
- many were crucified, burned or killed by wild animals in the circus arenas
- Roman Empire Constantine named Christianity one of the Roman Empires religions in 313 AD after winning a battle where he believed the Christian God intervened
- In 380 AD, Roman Empire Theodosius made Christianity the empire's official religion
The Early Christian(Catholic) church
- A priest led each small group Christians in each church
- A bishop, who was also a priest, supervised several local churches
- Eventually, every major city had its own bishop
- According to tradition, Jesus referred to Peter as the "rock" on which the Christian Church would be built
- As a result, all priests and bishops traced their authority to him
- These bishops said that peter was the first pope, the father or head of the Christian church
- Whoever was bishop of Rome was also the leader of the whole church
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 four Gospels(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) as well as the Epistles(letters) of Paul among other documents
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
The Fall of the Roman Empire
- Diocletian
- Constantine
- Constantinople
- Byzantine Empire
- Attila the Hun
- Historians generally agree that the end of the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius(161-180 AD) marked the end of two centuries of peace and prosperity(Pax Ramona) and the Roman Empire
Thursday-
song game
Friday-
Three Main Causes for the fall or Rome
- Internal problems and conflicts
- Separation of the Roman Empire into East and West
- Outside invasions
Diocletian Splits the Empire-285 AD
- Diocletian was a strong ruler the 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(Greece, Anatolia, Syria and Egypt)-Byzantine Empire
- Latin-speaking West(Italy, Gaul, Britain and Spain)
- 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 capitol from Rome to Byzantium(330 AD), changing the name of the city to Constaniople
- huge walls were built around Constantinople to protect it from barbarians
- after his death, the empire was split in two again
- today the city is known as Istanbul
- the Byzantine Empire would last until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks took the area over
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 Roman emperor was Romulus Augustus, a 14 year old
- He was ousted by German forces in 476 AD and Rome fell
- The Eastern Roman Empire(Byzantine) continued and flourished until the Ottoman Turks took them over in 1453
- After Rome fell, Europe fell into the Dark ages from around 500-1500 AD
The legacy of Rome
- The Latin Language
- The basis of many future languages-French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian
- Many English words have their root in Latin
Important Roman Laws
- All persons had the right to equal treatment under law
- A person was considered innocent until proven guilty
- The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused
- A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts
- Any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside
- Roman law served as a basis for the law of many European countries in the future as well as the United States
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