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Focus Questions for

“OCTAVIAN LEADS”1.Why was Cicero killed?

2.How did Octavian assure the loyalty of the army?

3.Name 3 ways Octavian got the loyalty of the poor.

4.When did Rome’s Golden Age occur?

5.What was the biggest problem facing Roman emperors?

Augustus was a clever politician, who held the offices of consul, tribune, high priest, and senator all at the same time.

Augustus kept the assemblies and government officials of the republic, yet strengthened his authority in two ways:

1. For control, he had every soldier swear allegiance to him.

2. He built up his imperial household to take charge of the daily business of government.

He gave enslaved people and freedmen, or former enslaved people, a chance to be part of the government.

Augustus pushed Rome’s borders to natural boundaries that would be easy to defend.

He gave provincial governors long terms of office and paid them large salaries.

To make sure that people did not pay too little or too much tax, Augustus ordered a census, or population count, to be taken from time to time.

Augustus ruled for 41 years, bringing peace, patriotism, and pride to the Romans. Most important, however, he reorganized the government of Rome so that it ran well for more than 200 years.

Octavian Leads

Focus topics for

“PAX ROMANA”

1. How long did the Pax Romana last?

2. Name 3 positive things that occurred during the Pax Romana.

3. What was the greatest amount of people in the Roman Empire?

4. Which was the only direction Rome was unable to expand toward in the first century?

5. What were 2 problems faced by Rome?

The peace that Augustus brought to Rome, called the Pax Romana, lasted for 200 years. Rome and its people prospered, civilization spread, and cultures mixed.

With peace came increased trade as goods moved freely and safely along trade routes. There were no tariffs, or taxes placed on goods brought into the country. Shipping became a big business, and increased trade meant more business for Romans.

During the Pax Romana, Roman law went through major changes. In writing new laws that would be fair to non-Romans and Romans, Roman judges were helped by special lawyers and legal writers called juris prudentes. Everyone was considered equal before the law and innocent until proven guilty. By about 125 A.D., Roman law was standardized, making legal procedures the same in all parts of the empire.

CAUSE EFFECT

Augustus brought 200 years of peace to Rome in the form of the PAX ROMANA.

Rome and its people prospered.

The same coins were used throughout the empire.

Trade increased.

No tariffs were placed on goods brought into Rome.

Goods and money moved freely along trade routes.

The Mediterranean Sea was cleared of pirates.

It was safe for trade and travel. Ships carried grain from North Africa to Rome. Cargoes of brick, marble, granite and wood were bound for Rome. Luxury items from the north and China passed overland on Roman roads.

Trade increased. Shopkeepers grew richer.

Rome conquered new territory. Roman merchants had to do business with non-Romans.

The Twelve Tables were changed. Roman judges had to write new laws that would be fair to non-Romans.

Principles of law were fair. Everyone was considered equal before the law: innocent until proven guilty.

Legal practices were the same in all parts of the empire.

Roman law was standardized.

In the early years of the empire, about 1 million people lived in Rome. A rich person in Rome lived in a domus, or house, with marble walls, colored stone floors, and windows made of small panes of glass, furnace heating, and running water.

Most Romans, however, were not rich. They lived in high-rent apartment houses called islands that were six or more stories high.

In Rome, the family was all-important. The father was head of the household; his word was law. After the age of 12, the sons of poor families went to work, while the sons of rich families began their formal education. After the age of 12, the daughters of the rich were given private lessons at home.

Wealthy women had enslaved people to do their housework to free themselves to study the arts, literature, and fashions.

The Romans enjoyed dice gambling and public bathhouses.

Under the empire, the government staged free public games, including circuses, chariot races, and gladiatorial games. The people who fought animals and one another in arenas were called gladiators. A few gladiators won their freedom, but those that gave a poor performance were killed, even if they survived the fight.

Focus questions for

“ROMAN LIFE”

1. How many people could watch events in the Colosseum?

2. Name 3 problems that Rome, a city of over 1,000,000 people faced.

3. What new invention helped the Romans construct their great buildings?

4. Why were aqueducts important?

5. Why did Rome need to build such large trade ships?

Roman Life

The Pax Romana ended after about 200 years, conditions in the Roman Empire grew worse, and by 476 A.D., there was no empire left.

(1) Politically, the Roman Empire fell because the emperors had no written rule about who was to inherit the throne upon an emperor’s death. Commodus, became emperor when Marcus Aurelius died in 180 A.D. He was so cruel and hated that in 192 A.D. he was strangled and the throne was sold to the highest bidder. For nearly 100 years, legion fought legion to put its own emperor on the throne.

(2) Economically, the Roman Empire fell because the emperor raised taxes in order to pay his soldiers high wages to keep them happy and supportive. The Romans began to suffer from inflation, or a period of ever-increasing prices. Many people began to barter, or exchange goods without using money.

(3) Thirdly, Rome fell because foreign enemies, Germanic hunters and herders from northern and central Europe, began to raid Greece and Gaul.

Focus questions for

“SOCIETAL PROBLEMS IN ROME”

1. Name 8 ideas that caused people to be dissatisfied with Rome?

Societal Problems in Rome

Two emperors, Diocletian and Constantine I, tried very hard to save the Roman Empire from collapse. Diocletian, who ruled from 284 to 305 A.D., fortified the frontiers and reorganized the governments. He also established the official policy of rule by divine right and divided the Roman Empire into two parts.

In 312 A.D., Constantine I became emperor and ruled until 337 A.D. Constantine took even firmer control than Diocletian. Despite the changes made by Diocletian and Constantine, the Roman Empire continued to decline in the west.

In 330 A.D., Constantine moved the capital from a dying Rome east to the newly built city of Constantinople in present-day Turkey. Neither Diocletian nor Constantine I succeeded to save the Roman Empire.

In 378 A.D., a Germanic group defeated Roman legions at the Battle of Adrianople. In 410 A.D., the Germanic chief Alaric and his soldiers invaded Rome, burning records and looting the treasury.

The Roman Senate told the people, “You can no longer rely on Rome for finance or direction. You are on your own.”

Fall of the Roman Empire