Monday-
Ancient Rome (continued)
- The Second Punic War Video(s) Notes:
- Hannibal attacks the Saguntines
- Rome didn't rescue the Saguntines like their treaty said and then they went to war with Hannibal and the Carthaginians
- Skippio was a great Roman leader whose son later defeated Hannibal
- Hannibal had to cut one of his eyes out because it became so infected
Tuesday-
Ancient Rome (continued)
- The Roman Republic Falls Apart
- Why?
- 1. 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
- Two tribunes (elected officials to benefit the Plebeians), Tiberius and Gaius, were murdered, after pushing for giving land to the poor
- 2. Unloyal military
- As the Roman Empire grew in size and the Roman Republic grew unstable, Roman generals started seizing power and hired landless farmers to fight for them
- Julius Caesar came to power this way
- 1. Growing gap between rich and poor- income inequality
- Why?
- Julius Caesar
- Ruled 49-44 BC
- Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)
- Julius Caesar's Resume
- Grew up in a patrician family (could vote and participate in government jobs)
- Father died when he was 16
- Became the High Priest of Jupiter
- At 16 years old, he married Cornelia in 84 BC
- Civil war in Rome ans the person Caesar back lost
- Due to this, Caesar joined the military to hide from Sulla, the new dictator (who didn't like Caesar because he didn't feel like Caesar was worthy of marrying Cornelia)
- Caesar fought in Asia and Cilicia
- 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 BC
- In 60 BC, Julius Caesar joined forces with Crassus (the wealthiest person in Rome), and Pompey, a popular general
- With their help, Caesar was elected consul in 59 BC
- 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 Consul for one year, became Governor of Gaul (France and Belgium) from 58-50 BC
- 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 military and return to Rome
- Caesar refused and instead crossed the Rubicon River in 49 BC and attacked Pompey's troops
- By 46 BC, Pompey was dead and his troops defeated
- Caesar returned to Rome with support from the people and the military and became dictator in 46 BC
- In 44 BC, Caesar was named dictator for life
- Caesar as Dictator
- Served just a year before he was assassinated
- Granted Roman citizenship to many people in the provinces
- 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
- Reformed the Roman calendar
- Julian v. Gregorian Calendar
- The Julian calendar was the calendar from 46 BC to 1582 when the Gregorian Calendar took its place
- The Gregorian Calendar was introduced and named after Pope Gregory XIII in 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
- Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus were the two that killed Caesar
Wednesday- watched video about Julius Caesar
Thursday- finished watching video about Julius Caesar
Ancient Rome (continued)
- The Second Triumvirate (43 BC-33 BC)
- Civil War broke out after Caesar's death
- The Roman Republic was now completely gone at this point
- Octavian (Caesar's grandnephew/adopted son), Mary 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)
- Octavian defeated Antony/Cleopatra in a naval battle of Actium in 31 BC
- Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide afterwards in 30 BC
- Augustus and the Roman Empire (27 BC-14 AD)
- Octavian took over the title "Augustus" which means "exalted one"
- He would usher in the "Pax Romana" (27 BC- 180 AD) which means "Roman Peace"
- This was the period of time where Rome was at it's peak
- Augusts' Accomplishments
- Stabilized the frontier
- Glorified Rome with awesome public buildings
- Temple of Augustus
- 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 where fires were common
- Government provided grain every day
- Struggled for survival
- Slavery was a significant part of Roman life and economy
- The Romans made more use of slaves than any previous civilization (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
- Discipline, strength, and loyalty were stressed in Rome
- Gladiator Contests
- Government put on Gladiator Contests to appease the poor
- Provided free of charge during holidays (had 150 a year by 250 AD)
- Fought in the Colosseum in Rome
- Animal v. animal, man v. animal, man v. man
Friday-
- Roman Religion
- Government and religion were linked
- The Rise of Christianity
- Roman gods were very impersonal and practiced with very little emotion
- 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 (Saul), 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 Gentile (non-Jew)
- Reasons Why Christianity Spread
- 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 arena
- Roman Emperor Constantine named Christianity one of the Roman Empire's religions in 313 AD after winning a battle where he believed the Christian God intervened
- In 380 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the empire's official religion
- Rome persecuted Christians as they did not worship the Roman gods
- The Early Christian (Catholic) Church
- A priest led each small group of Christians in each church
- A bishop, who was also a priest, supervised several local churches
- Eventually, every major city had its own bishop
- The apostle, Peter, became the first bishop of Rome
- 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 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
- 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 Romana) and the Roman Empire
- Three Main Causes for the Fall of Rome
- 1. Internal problems and conflicts
- 2. Separation of the Roman Empire into East and West
- 3. Outside invasions
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