Chapter 12The Roman Empire

50-BC to AD 150

Cicero

• Cicero, a gifted philosopher and orator, wanted to make Rome a better place. He wanted the Romans to give the power to the Senate.

Julius Caesar

Pompey• Pompey was a very

powerful man in Rome. He was also a very good friend of Caesar.

• He worked to fight against the Senate. He and Caesar would change the course of history.

• He would eventually work against Caesar, trying to take his power away from him.

Julius Caesar100-44 BC

• Caesar was probably the greatest general in history. As a general he was becoming a very powerful figure in Rome. Worried that he was becoming too powerful, the Senate ordered him back to Rome to arrest him and take away his command.

• Caesar, knowing that this would be considered an act of war, in defiance, he marched his troops back to Rome.

Caesar Becomes Dictator

• Caesar seized power from the Senate and became dictator of the entire Roman Empire.

The Death Of Caesar

• A group of senators under the leadership of Brutus, a young senator and Caesar’s friend, murdered Caesar on, March 15th, also known as the Ides of March, 44 BC.

Marcus Junius Brutus Caepio

• 85-42 BC• Young senator• Friend of Caesar• Leader of the group of

Senators who murdered Caesar.

• Later committed suicide

Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius)• 83-30 BC• Assistant to Caesar• Helped to punish

those who murdered Caesar

• Married Cleopatra• Battled Octavian for

power and lost.• Committed suicide so

he wouldn’t be taken prisoner.

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar (Octavian) 63 BC-14 AD

• Octavian, later called Augustus, was Caesar’s adopted son, because Caesar only had a daughter, named Julia. He, along with Marc Antony, worked to punish the people who had killed Caesar. He eventually became Emperor of the Roman empire.

• As a leader, he was considered one of Rome’s best.

Cleopatra

• 69-30 BC• Queen of Egypt• “Queen”of Julius

Caesar• Married Marc Antony• Her bid to rule Rome

with Marc Antony was defeated by Octavian.

• Committed suicide

The Vast Roman Empire

Hadrian (Publius Hadrianus)

76-138 AD

Joined the army when he was 14 years old.

Great military leader.

Was considered a good

Emperor.

Built Hadrian’s wall in Great Britain.

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall Present Day

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall

Roman Trade Routes

Pax Romana• First 200 years of

the Roman Empire were a time of general peace and prosperity.

• There was a stable government, an organized military, and no major wars or rebellions.

• It lasted until about AD 180.

Pompeii destroyed in 79 AD

Palatine HillBeautiful temples

Chariot raceswere held

here Then

Chariot Race

Palatine Hill Now

Villas

Roman Roads

Galen

Roman Road in Great Britain• Roman roads were built primarily for Rome’s

military legions to travel throughout the empire.

Roman Road Construction

Roman Road Construction

More Roman Roads

Cement

• The Romans invented cement, a product that allowed their structures to last for centuries.

Roman ArchesA Roman aqueduct

Roman Arch Construction

Vaults

• A vault is a set of arches that supports the roof of a building.

• The Romans used vaults to create a huge, open area within buildings.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum Today

Gladiators fought in the Colosseum

Roman Dome

Past

Pantheon

Present

Present

Virgil… Wrote a great epic poemabout the founding of Rome

Ovid…Wrote poems about Roman Mythology

Roman TheaterAn ancient Romantheater in Francestill used today

Romance languages developed from Latin and influence how people speak and write today. Modern languages are

based on the Roman language

PortugalRomania

France Spain

And of course, Italy

Roman law inspired a system called civil law. Civil law is a legal system based on

a written code of law.