Roman Empire

Mr. Stikes

End of the Republic

• Remember, Julius Caesar enacted a series of reforms that increased the power of the lower classes

• In response, he was killed by a group of Senators on the Ides (15th) of March, 44 B.C.

“Death of Caesar” by Vincenzo Camuccini

Civil War

• After Julius Caesar’s death, a Second Triumvirate was formed to punish the assassins

• Members:– Octavian (Julius Caesar’s nephew)– Marc Antony– Marcus Lepidus

Second Triumvirate

• Defeats those who killed Caesar in 42 B.C.

• Divided land amongst themselves – each ruled a portion as a dictator– Octavian – From Italy westward– Marc Antony – From Greece eastward– Marcus Lepidus – North Africa

Second Triumvirate

Nominally independent, under control of Cleopatra (Cleopatra VII)

Consolidation of Power

• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire

• Marc Antony marries Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

– Octavian convinces the Romans that Antony wants to rule Rome as king

– 31 B.C. – naval battle at Actium – Octavian defeats Antony & Cleopatra

• Cleopatra and Antony commit suicide 1 year later

DID YOU KNOW: Antony was married to Octavian’s sister Octavia before he married Cleopatra

Result:

Octavian is sole ruler of Rome

Augustus Caesar

• Octavian is appointed as consul, tribune and commander in chief for life in 27 B.C.

• He gives himself the title Augustus, meaning “the majestic one”

– From now on, he is known as Augustus Caesar

Augustus Caesar

• Ruled 40 years

• Accomplishments:– “found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of

marble”• Great builder

– Reduced corruption– Conducted a census to determine taxes– Began Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”)

• 200 year period• Began in 31 B.C.• Relatively peaceful time

Julio-Claudian Emperors• Augustus dies in A.D. 14

• Successors:– Tiberius (A.D. 14-37)

• Accused many of treason

– Caligula (A.D. 37-41)• Mentally ill, killed by palace guard

– Claudius (A.D. 41-54)• Great scholar, invaded England

– Nero (A.D. 54-68)• Cruel, perhaps insane, sentenced to death by Senate

Roman Emperors after Nero

• For 28 years after Nero’s death, Rome was governed by emperors placed on the throne by the army.

• They were:

Galba (A.D. 68)Otho (A.D. 69)Vitellius (A.D. 69)

Vespasian (A.D. 69-79)Titus (A.D. 79-81)Domitian (A.D. 81-96)

Flavians

The Good Emperors

• After the assassination of Domitian, the Senate elected Nerva as emperor

• The next five emperors are known as the “Good Emperors” because of their administrative effectiveness and large building projects

DID YOU KNOW: The term “Five Good Emperors” is taken from Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Good Emperors

• Nerva (A.D. 96-98)– Provided stability after rule of Domitian

• Trajan (A.D. 98-117)– Increased Empire to greatest size

• Hadrian (A.D. 117-138)– Strengthened frontiers, built Hadrian’s Wall, traveled

extensively

• Antoninius Pius (A.D. 138-161)– Stable ruler, restored position of Rome

• Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 161-180)– Philosopher-king, Stoic, writer of “Meditations”

Trajan’s Column in Rome

The Five Good Emperors

• Some scholars claim that the major strength of the Five Good Emperors was that they adopted their successors, instead of relying on blood relatives.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

• Why would this be an advantage?

• How is this similar or different to the way in which we choose our rulers in the United States?

Imperial Rome

• Roman citizenship was gradually extended throughout the provinces

• Roman law stressed the authority of the state over the individual

• Army: professional, supplemented by provincial auxiliaries

Imperial Rome• Economy:

– Mainly agrarian, with some trade (land & sea)

– Major crops:• Grain• Olives• Grapes

– Major products:• Olive oil• Wine

– Major imports:• Silk from China

• Cotton & spices from India • Ivory and wild animals from Africa • Metals from Spain and Britain • Fossilized amber gems from

Germany • Slaves from throughout the world

Imperial Rome

• Farmers often paid taxes in grain

– This allowed the government to distribute free grain to the populace

– This discouraged farmers from increasing output

Imperial Rome – Road System

• Perhaps Rome’s greatest legacy was her road system, which linked various parts of the empire to Rome

Imperial Rome – Road System

• 250,000 miles long, including 50,000 paved miles

• Called “via”

• Most famous: Via Appia, or Appian Way

Roman Roads

Width: 9-12 feet

Bottom: packed earth

Sand or lime mortar

Stones (4-5 in. in dia.) cemented together

with mortar or clay

Concrete with pottery pieces

Concrete with gravel or sand and lime, poured in layers, curved to allow for

draining

Top: Flat rocks at least 6 in. deep, placed into moist

concrete

Depth: 6-9 feet

Imperial Rome - Aqueducts

• Purpose: carry fresh water from its source into cities DID YOU KNOW: The city of Rome

was served by around 300 miles of aqueducts, of which only around 10% were above ground.

Important Roman Advancements in the Imperial Age

• Galen – discoveries in medicine• Ptolemy – astronomy• Ovid – poet,

– Metamorphoses• Horace – poet,

– Odes• Virgil – epic poet,

– Aeneid• Livy – Historian

– Ab Urbe Condita (From the Founding of the City) • Tacitus – Historian

– Historiae, Annales (Histories, Annals)

Rome after the Good Emperors

• From A.D. 192 – 284, there were 28 emperors, most of whom met a violent death– This period begins after the death of

Commodus in 192– Many of these were declared emperor by the

army– This period is marked by invasion from

outside of the empire and civil war within the empire

Rome after the Good Emperors

• Economic Decline:– Political instability led to economic decline

– War:• Disrupted trade, reducing profits and increasing prices• Destroyed farmland, causing food shortages and raising

prices

Rome after the Good Emperors

• To combat this, the Imperial government minted more coins, causing inflation– Inflation: continual rising level of prices

• Taxes increased, due to increased costs of legions– This made farming less profitable

Attempts at Reform• Diocletian: (r. 284-305)

– General, came to power by killing previous emperor

– Divided empire into two parts, each ruled by a coemperor (“Augustus”) and an assistant coemperor (“Caesar”)

• Note: There was a senior Augustus who was ultimately in charge of the Empire

– Issued Edict of Prices – froze wages, set maximum prices for goods

• Penalty for breaking price rules = death– Effect: Emergence of black market, workers tied to jobs by law

Diocletian’s Division

• This division was meant to provide stability to the empire

• The empire was still whole, but ruled by 4 people

DID YOU KNOW: Each Augustus and Caesar had his own capital and territory.

Attempts at Reform• Constantine (r. 306-337)

– Supporter of Christianity

• A.D. 312 – Battle of the Milvian Bridge

– Made jobs hereditary

– A.D. 330 – moved capital of empire to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople (today we call it Istanbul)

ROME

CONSTANTINOPLE

Attempts at Reform

• Theodosius I (r. 379-395)– Completely separates Western Roman Empire from

Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) at his death

Theodosius I

Honorius(West)

Arcadius(East)

Invasions

• Began in late 300’s– Mainly Germanic peoples

– Reasons:• Searching for better grazing land• Share of Roman wealth• Nomadic

• Angles• Saxons• Huns• Avars

• Ostrogoths• Visigoths• Vandals• Franks

Results & Fall of Western Roman Empire

• Vandals raid and sack Rome in A.D. 455

• Odoacer leads troops that sack Rome in A.D. 476

– Removes last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus

“FALL OF ROME”?