The Roman Empire LVHS

7/29/2019 The Roman Empire LVHS

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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1) Why did people settle in Italy [Rome].

2) What various people made up the Roman people?

=Terms/Events =Questions =People


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LEGENDARY BEGINNINGS

Long before Rome was a village,the Greeks fought against the

city of Troy

Among the Trojan warriors was

Aeneas, a poor sheepherder

Aeneas fought bravely against

the Greeks, but ultimately Troyfell

On the last night of the battle,

Hector appeared to Aeneas and

told him to flee


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Aeneas took his family and leftTroy. He lost his wife.

He wandered for many years insearch of a new place to call home

He had many adventures and wasultimately led by Athena to Italy

Eventually he found the TiberRiver and landed near Rome

He married a new wife, founded anew city called Alba Longa

His later decedents helped foundRome


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Another legend holds that Rome was founded byRomulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC

These were the two sons of Rhea and Mars

Rhea, a Trojan princess was raped by Mars

Rheas husband told her to drown the boys

They were rescued and raised by a she-wolf

As they grew older they quarreled over whoshould rule their new land

Romulus named the city


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LAND AND PEOPLE

Italy is a peninsula extending

about 750 miles north to south

Width averages about 120miles

Italy is rather isolated, being

bordered on the north by the

Alps

It also has the Apennines

running north to southdividing the nation in half


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LAND AND PEOPLE

People were interested in Italydue to its central location

It is positioned where they couldtrade with Asia, Europe and

Africa

Italy also has great naturalborders

The soil is much more rich than

Greece and better for farming

Much of this is due to theApennines which brings silt tothe lowlands


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LAND AND PEOPLE

While this silt created good

farmland it also blocked the

mouths of rivers

Vast swamplands formed atleading to disease

Italy also lacks natural harbors

The early inhabitants were tied

to the land

Dominance at sea came later


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LAND AND PEOPLE

The neolithic people were thefirst to settle in Italy around

5000 BC

They built villages in the hillsand formed many tribes

New waves of people came

and settled from 2000 BC to

1000 BC

The Etruscans settled in the

North while the Umbrians and

Latins settled in central Italy


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LAND AND PEOPLE

Greeks settlers arrived later

around 900 BC

They traders sailed up thePeninsula and traded olives

and grapes

They also introduced the Greek

alphabet

Many Greeks settled in Sicilyand Southwest Italy


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HISTORICAL BEGINNINGS

The Etruscans in the northremain a great enigma to

historians

They did not speak a Indo-

European language

Their alphabet is similar to the

Greeks but only a few words

have been deciphered

Wall paintings and remains tellus a great deal

The Etruscans were great

innovators


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LAND AND PEOPLE

The Latin tribe settled to the

south of the Etruscans

Their city, Rome, is located in

central Italy

It is nestled in the mountains

along the Tiber River

Rome was good for farming,

trade, and defensible

The Tiber was inland, far

enough to allow trade, but also

safe against intruders and

pirates


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HISTORICAL BEGINNINGS

In 620 BC, the Etruscans

gained control of Rome

The powerful Tarquin family

ruled over them

They taught the Latin tribe

how to build with bricks androof with tile

They also taught the Latins art,

paved streets, and how to

build with arches


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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1) How did Rome develop into a Republic?

2) How does a republic differ from a directdemocracy?



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A NEW GOVERNMENT

In 620 BC, the Etruscans seized

control of Rome

In 534, Tarquin the Proud ruled

over Rome with violence

The Romans rose up andoverthrew the Etruscan king

The Romans created a new

government system

It was based on democratic

principals and called a

Republic


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

The Republic was stillinfluenced by Etruscan rule

Under the king, people were

called as advisors

Many were likely familymembers and were called

Patres or fathers

Other advisors were called

senators after Senex old men

After the king was removed,

these powerful advisors stillheld control


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

Most of Rome was made up of

farmers and craftsman

The Romans called them

Plebeians [commoners]

Both the Patricians fathers

and the Plebeians

commoners had voting

rights

At first only the Patricians held

public offices and created laws


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

The Patrician class organized

the government into two

bodies

An executive and a legislative

branch

The legislative branch

consisted of the assembly and

the senate who created laws

Roman senators were electedby the Plebeians and served a

life term in office


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

The executive branch washeaded by two consuls

These two men were also

elected into office and served a

one year term

They had to both agree upon

any action for it to be put into

effect

One could veto I forbid the

other

In times of crisis a temporarydictator could be elected


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

In 494 BC, many plebeians wereangered at their government

They represented the majoritybut had little voice ingovernment affairs

They refused to fight in theRoman army unless there waschange

The Patricians agreed to reforms

They allowed the plebeians theright to veto and make laws


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A NEW GOVERNMENT

The plebeians slowly moved Rome

towards democracy

The greatest plebeian victory was

the creation of written law

Previous laws benefited the rich and

powerful

Now the laws were equal

They were engraved on bronzetablets and set in the Roman forum

for all to see

It worked in similar fashion as our

constitution


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RELIGION

In early Roman history, theyworshipped spirits of nature

They had priests called

soothsayers who would

foretell the future

They did this by observing the

flight of birds and animal

intestines

Then the Romans began to be

influenced by Greek culture

Their spirits began to be calledGods and Goddesses


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RELIGION

They borrowed Greek Godsand Goddesses and gave them

Roman names

Ares = Mars, Aphrodite =

Venus and Zeus = Jupiter

Some aspects however were

distinctly Roman

They worshiped ancestralspirits

They also worshipped vesta,

the goddess of the hearth


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RELIGIONVesta was the goddess of home andfamily

At her shrines fires were burnedrepresenting life and the spirit ofcreation

The fires were kept alight and watchedover by Rome's only priest class, thevestal virgins

They tended the fires and made a 30 yearvow of chastity

Without them, it was believed Romewould not exist and it would lose contactwith the Gods

They enjoyed great freedom andprivileges but breaking their oaths was

severe


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FAMILY

Family was a core component ofRoman life

Families were large in size andincluded unmarried children,married sons, relatives and slaves

The father was the head of alldecisions, religion and education

He had the power to sell family

members into slavery or even killthem

Fathers however had a deepresponsibility to provide for itsmembers


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FAMILY

Roman wives had few rights butmore than Greek women

They hosted parties, cared for thefamily

Many had slaves who helped withhousehold work

Some spent their time learningGreek and running shops

Roman values surrounded theideas of thrift, discipline, selfsacrifice, and devotion to familyand the republic


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FOOD

Wealthy Romans reclined on theircouches while slaves fed them

Favored meals were: Boiled stingray

garnished with hot raisins, boiled

crane with turnips,roasted rabbit,

boar leg, wood pigeon baked pie,roasted flamingo with dates honey

and wine

Garum and Defrutum were used as

condiments

In later years, many Romans

practiced binge eating

They also had odd oral hygiene

practices


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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1) How did Rome develop into an Empire?

2) What conflict ushered in the Roman Golden Age?



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EXPANSION

From 500 to 300 BC, Rome faced manythreats from its neighbors

To protect the new Republic, Rome

began a conquest of Italy

The most difficult challenge that facedthe Roman were the Greeks in SouthernItaly

The King of Macedon, Pyrrhus, came tohelp the Greek colonies

Each time the Romans attacked, theGreek armies threw them back


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EXPANSION

At the battle of Heraclea in 280 BC theGreeks prevailed though lost many oftheir best warriors

Pyrrhus offered a peace treaty to Romewhich they rejected

He then attacked Sicily and won, butlost more men

When he returned to Italy, the Romans

had built up another army

Pyrrhus won that battle in 275 but hisarmy was so depleted he withdrew

Winning through defeat is called a

Pyrrhic Victory


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EXPANSION

In 264 BC, Rome was back at war

An incredible sea power, Carthage, hadseized the Strait of Messina

Full scale war erupted between the twoancient powers

Carthage had existed for generations

They were kings of the Mediterranean

No one could challenge their power atsea


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EXPANSION

Their capital was situated in N. Africa

They controlled many of the islandsthat bordered Italy and Rome

War with Carthage would continue formany years

Today we see the conflict as 3 distinctwars

They have been referred to as the PunicWars

Punici is Latin for Phoenician


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EXPANSION

Rome had a difficult time withCarthage in the 1st Punic War

Rome was a land power, not good at

sea

When the Carthaginians defeated theRoman fleet, Rome built another

They created new tactics and invented

the Corvus or crow

The crow locked ships together andallowed the Roman to board their ships

This put Rome at an advantage


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A ROMAN SEA BATTLE

FROM BEN HUR


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A ROMAN SEA BATTLE

FROM BEN HUR


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EXPANSION

With the Corvus and a new fleet, Romedefeated Carthage

Rome added its first of many provinces,Sicily

Carthage however vowed revenge

They took control of Spain, and began

constructing a land army

This army would come to be lead byone of the greatest generals of theancient world, Hannibal


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EXPANSIONThe 2nd Punic War began whenHannibal led his army over the frostyAlps

He had 46,000 men in his army, alongwith 37 war elephants

Most of his elephants died crossing theAlps but this did not deter Hannibal

He met the Romans at several battlesand won victory after victory

The Romans combined all their legionsinto one great army to defeat Hannibal

The Battle of Cannae is one of the

worlds greatest ancient battles


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THE BATTLE OF CANNAE


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Strength: Carthaginians = 35,000 Roman = 86,400


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Losses: Carthage = 6,000 Rome= 76,000


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EXPANSION

After defeating the Romans at Cannae,Hannibal led his army to the gates ofRome

He feared being surrounded and hismen were low on supplies

Instead, Hannibal decided to attacksurrounding villages, and get Romesenemies to fight along side him

This permitted the Roman army time tore-group


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EXPANSION

The Roman army was then placed inthe hands ofScipio

Scipio was a brilliant general

He decided not to attack Hannibal inItaly, but to ravage his homelandCarthage as the army was away

As Scipio marched on Carthage

Hannibal had to leave quickly to protecthis homeland

Scipio and Hannibal met at the Battle ofZama


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EXPANSIONAmazingly, Scipio used the same battletactics Hannibal used at Cannae

Hannibal was later pursued, when onthe brink of capture, he took poison

Years later, Carthage and Rome went to

war again, urged by the Roman senatorCato

This time Rome had had enough

The 3rd Punic War involved Scipio

burning Carthage to the ground

With the defeat of Carthage, Romegained Sicily, Corsica and N. Africa

Empire building had begun


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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

1) How was the Roman military able to dominateEurope?



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Rome leaned heavily on the strength of its

superior army

Since the 6th century BC, Rome had studied

and imported Greek ideals into its armies

For many years they fought in phalanxs

Later they expanded and elongated the size

of the phalanx

The typical Roman legion was composed of

6,000 soldiers

Legions were divided into maniples/cohorts

Those in turn were divided into centuries

THE ROMAN MILITARY


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The Roman legions were great atadaptation

They constantly improved uponweaponry and tactics

The short gladius replaced the spear,though the Roman pilium was notwithout use

Better armor was created

They adopted the shield from theGreeks and improved its length

They also improved the Macedoniansiege machines

THE ROMAN MILITARY


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Roman persistence, pride, discipline

and adaptation was paramount to theirsuccess

Many of the early legions were named

They carried the banner of their legion

and the standard of Rome, The Eagle

SPQR stood for: Senatus PopulusqueRomanus The Senate and People ofRome

If a legion was defeated and lost itsEagle standard it incurred great shame

With this elite fighting unit there waslittle that could stand in their way from

total conquest of Europe

THE ROMAN MILITARY


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Romes had a strong military due to

several reasons

Every male citizen had to serve in the

army

Roman soldiers were well trained,

deserters were punished by death

They were kept busy building roads and

creating forts and garrisons. Many were

paid in salt.

Rome was both cruel and merciful

Those who surrendered were annexed

into Rome as citizens and enjoyed Roman

rights and protection

Those who resisted were put to the sword

THE ROMAN MILITARY


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A great example of Roman military prowess isthe rebellion of Boudicca

Rome entered England in 43AD

Britain was full of several warring tribes

One of the largest was the Iceni tribe

When the Romans hunted down andslaughtered the druids, the Iceni declared war

They Iceni destroyed a Roman legion and

burned London to the ground

They were led by Boudicca

The greatest showdown took place at WatlingStreet where 230,000 Iceni stood against 10,000Romans

THE ROMAN MILITARY


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BOUDICCAS REBELLION


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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1) What problems did the Republic have that led to itsdownfall?

2) How and why did Julius Caesar overthrow theRoman Republic?



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CONQUEST AND CRISISFor the next 50 years Rome wouldcontinue to expand its reign over theMediterranean Sea

Shortly after defeating Carthage, Romebegan a war against Greece

First it took Greek colonies

Then it marched on Macedonia itself

Later it annexed all of Greece and even

extended itself into Asia minor

By 126 BC Rome and conquered all theMediterranean

It renamed the Sea, Mare Nostrum


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Romes rapid expansion did not alwaysmean progress

Wealthy Romans pounced on the newlyadded territories

They used them for their own profit

By 100 BC, 30% of the Romanpopulation consisted of slaves

There was little need for farmers as thewealthy took the land and worked itthrough slave labor

The streets of Rome began to fill withthe landless poor

CONQUEST AND CRISIS


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The gap between the rich and poorwidened as did the peoples patience

Revolts became common place, Romehad to use its legions to keep the revolts

down

In 73 BC, a slave named Spartacus led amassive slave uprising

70,000 slaves united and ravished the

Italian countryside

The army of Spartacus was defeatedand 6000 were crucified along theAppian Way

CONQUEST AND CRISIS


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Tiberius Grachus, a Roman tribuneproposed land be taken from the richand redistributed to the poor

He was killed for his beliefs

Years later his brother Gaius gainedground fighting for the same thing andwas assassinated

With all of the political corruption,

many people turned to the army forhelp

The Roman Consul Marius was soonregarded as a savior

CONQUEST AND CRISIS


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In 113 BC, a series of Germanic tribesthreatened Rome

Marius reorganized the army and hiredthe landless poor by offering them landand wages

Marius led the Roman legions to victoryduring the crisis and became a hero

As a result of Mariuss reforms, soldierscame to honor the general of the Roman

army, not the senate

Fearing Mariuss power, the senateappointed Cornelius Sulla as dictatorand had him lead an army againstMarius

CONQUEST AND CRISIS


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Marius was defeated and had to live inexile

With Marius gone, the people of Rometurned to another general,Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was born into thePartician Julia family

His ancestry was traced all the wayback to Aenaes himself

His mother had complications givingbirth to him and he had to be cut out

Thus the word Caesarian was born

CONQUEST AND CRISIS


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EXPANSIONCaesar was targeted by Sulla because hewas the nephew of Marius

His mother however saved his life

Caesar joined the army and served well

as a soldier

Later he returned home to find thatmost of his inheritance had beendestroyed or taken by Sulla

Caesar returned to the military andwhile at duty in Spain came across astatue of Alexander the Great

He was distraught at how little he hadaccomplished in life


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EXPANSION

Caesars popularity as a soldier soonhad him rising through the ranks

Eventually his success earned himelection as Consul

His stint as Consul did not go over well

Returning home, in debt and in ill favor,he decided to plunder Gaul and make aname for himself

Gaul was an area no Roman had beenable to take

Caesar decided it was free for his taking


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CAESARS MARCH TO GAUL


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CAESARS MARCH TO GAUL


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EXPANSION

Caesar adopted a plan of divide andconquer to subdue Gaul

He appeased and bought some tribeswhile waging war on others

Eventually, the Gauls began to uniteunder the leadership ofVercingetorix

Vercingetorix was proclaimed king and

defeated Caesars army

Vercingetorix received many losses inthe battle and retreated to a highmountain fort for protection


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EXPANSION

Julius Caesar devised an incredible plan

First he laid siege to the mountain lair

Hearing more Gauls were coming,

Caesar had to construct a second wallfor protection

Thus, one wall was used to assaultVercingetorix and another to defend

their position

This is the only time in history that adoughnut shaped defense has ever beenused


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VERCINGETORIX


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VERCINGETORIX


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EMPIRE

Caesars fame grew immense in all ofRome

Caesar was a bold, brave, and lovablegeneral

The senate did not enjoy that so manyadored him

In fear, they called him to the city, told

him to leave his army behind

Caesar feared a plot of assassination

He knew how corrupt senators could be


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EMPIRECaesar had to make a critical choice

He decided to march to Rome with hisarmy

He crossed the Rubicon, leading to the

modern phrase

As Rome saw Caesar, they feared hewas going to try and take their power,they sent out an army to attack him

The result was another Civil War

When the dust settled, Julius Caesarhad won

He assumed the role of dictator for life


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EMPIRE

Caesar began many reforms

He redistributed land to the poor

He also re-organized the senate to give

himself more power

Not approving of the loss of power, thesenate grew angry

A plot was hatched to assassinate

Caesar

Caesars good friend, Marc Antony,learned of the plot and ran to informhim


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EMPIRE

He was captured and detained

Caesar was also informed to beware of the

Ides of March [15th]

On that day, as he was gathered to meet

with senators the trap was sprung

One senator approached Caesar from

behind and stabbed him in the neck

As he tried to flee he tripped and fell and

was stabbed an additional 23 times

The Senates hope was to regain control

What they caused was another Civil War


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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1) What form of government did Rome adopt under

Octavian [Augustus]

2) What kinds of problems emerged under the PaxRomana?

3) How did leaders like Caligula preclude Romes fall?


EMPIRE


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EMPIRE

Two figures arose in the wake of JuliusCaesars death

His nephew Octavian and his cousinMarcus Antonius

Julius made Octavian his legal heir in his

will

With riots breaking out in Rome over thedeath of Caesar, Octavian and MarcAntony schemed for control

The two divided the Empire, Antony overthe east, Octavian over the west

While this ordeal worked for awhile,eventually they both clashed

EMPIRE


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Antony fell for Caesars old lover,Cleopatra of Egypt

Octavian convinced the Romans thatAntony and Cleopatra were conspiring forRome

He went to war with Antony

Antony, upon defeat, fell on his sword andinto Cleopatras arms

She allowed a poisonous snake to bite her

Octavian became the sole ruler of Rome


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EMPIRE

Octavian was declared Augustus, orrevered one

Octavian then became imperator, or

emperor of Rome

The Republic was no more

Augustus Caesar then instituted manyreforms and transformed Rome from

wood to marble

He ushered in the Pax Romana, 100years of peace and prosperity


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AN EMPIRE OF MADNESS

Octavian wanted prestige like his uncleJulius

He decided to send the Roman armiesinto Germania

As the Roman legions entered the wetTuetoburg Forest they were surrounded

The German tribes annihilated the

Roman army [20,000 killed]

The defeat would later be avenged by apromising young general namedGermanicus Julius Caesar


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As Augustus neared death, heproclaimed Tiberius Julius Caesaremperor

Tiberius was another general but of no

relation to Augustus

Tiberius was never comfortable beingemperor

Many favored Germanicus, the greatwar hero

Tiberius enjoyed power and sawGermanicus as a threat


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Tiberius sent Germanicus to Egypt

Away from Romes watchful eye hestruck

Germanicus mysteriously died

Many suspected that Tiberius had himsecretly killed

The wife of Germanicus and his eldest

son were exiled and they committedsuicide

His other son was put in prison andstarved to death


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THE DEATH OF GERMANICUS

O SS


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Germanicus youngest son was namedGaius Germanicus

As Germanicus traveled amongst hissoldiers with his young son in tow,

soldiers began to call the child Caligula,little boots

Caligula was spared death by Tiberius

He was raised by Tiberius when the

emperor was living at his retreat on theIsland of Capri

Here Caligula was subject to all kinds ofterrible things, his mind twisted



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As Tiberius grew old, Caligula struckand killed him in secret, seizing power

In his first two years he was immenselypopular, riding on the prestige of his

father

In the 3rd year of his reign, Caligula felldeathly ill

When he came back he was a different

person

He killed scores of people he believedwere plotting to kill him; close relativesand members of the Praetorian guard



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Soon, Caligula began to live inextravagance

Eating and drinking, wasting thepublics money

His wealthy lifestyle soon bankruptedRome, which in turn caused him to taxeverything and everyone for money

He taxed food, prostitutes, poor and

even killed wealthy citizens to acquiretheir property

When the public turned on him, hebuilt two massive floating ships on lakeNemi as a retreat



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Soon Caligula began claiming that hewas a God

He started to dress as Hercules, Apolloand even Venus

Other scandals surrounded Caligulaslife, scandals such as: raping the wivesof other men, then bragging about it.Killing for amusement. Erecting a statueof himself in Jerusalem for worship.Making his horse a consul

Eventually Caligula was assassinatedby his own guard

Poor leadership such as this broughtRome to its knees



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Following the death of Caligula, thePraetorian Guard proclaimed Claudiusas Emperor

He was the brother of Tiberius

Claudius was not well received by thepeople of Rome

He walked with a limp and was

partially deaf

He proved a great leader however,conquering Britain and building twogreat aqueducts


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ESSENTIAL QUESTION


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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

1) How did Rome treat early Christians? Why?




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Claudius had a wife named Agrippina

He frequently quarreled with her andvowed to adopt another child as his son

Some sources say that she poisoned his

food with mushrooms so her son couldbecome Caesar

Upon the death of Claudius, Nerobecame emperor of Rome

Nero was young, only 17, and thus hismother often made decisions for him

Many felt Rome was in the hands ofAgrippina



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Nero began to exercise his ownauthority and pushed his mother aside

She threatened to put his brother intopower so Nero had him put to death

Later, after other attempts to wrenchaway control, Nero had his motherkilled

Some sources indicate that he killed hispregnant wife

He later decided that he wanted tobuild a luxurious palace



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The problem with his desire was therewas nowhere in Rome where be could

build

He thus decided to set fire to the city

It was said that as people fled, he stoodatop the the walls and played his lyre

He blamed the fire on Christians andthus commenced the Great Persecution

To re-build Rome, he raised taxes whichled to his unpopularity

Rather than be removed he committedsuicide



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Leaders like Caligula and Nero beganRomes demise

The end would not come yet

The city would look outward to themilitary for good leadership

In the process, borders broke down,armies were defeated and enemies

began to surround Rome

The Empire would live on but thewriting was on the wall

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Augustus Caesar, relied heavily uponreligion

Saw Romes success was based upon its

worship of the Gods

Romans worshipped the same Gods asthe Greeks, only under different names

Their chief Gods and Goddesses were:

Jupiter, Mars, Juno and Minerva

The Romans were tolerant to allreligions

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

As Rome conquered the Middle East,other religions came to Rome

Many Roman citizens were quick toadopt these new religions, because they

provided answers to the afterlife

Christianity would have the greatestaffect of all the religions upon Rome

Christianity arose out of Judaism,which is the Jewish faith

It originated in Jerusalem, in modernday Israel

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

In 6 AD, Jerusalem fell under thecontrol of Rome

Under the bondage of Roman rule,many Jews adhered to the teachings ofthe Old Testament in the Bible

On such scripture told of the coming ofa Messiah, or anointed one, who wouldcome and save them

Jesus Christ proclaimed himself thisperson

The Jews were split over him, manybelieved in his teachings, others rejectedhim because he was not a military man

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Jesus taught the people to love one

another, not to hate and kill

This was not seen in good light by all

Soon, many rallied and desired that

Jesus be put to death

He was given a Roman trial, anddespite a valid trial, he was put to death

by crucifixion

His followers proclaimed he had risenfrom the dead after the 3rd day,conquering death

His teachings continued to be taughtand many would be converted

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITYJesus, upon his resurrection, told hisdisciples to continue to preach his word

They then went out and taught all overthe world

Their story is found, as well as the

teachings of Jesus, in the NewTestament of the Bible

Peter, went to Rome, experiencedsuccess but was ultimately put to death

by upside down crucifixion

James went to Spain and he was killedas well as many others

Christianity however, could not be

stopped

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITYIn 70 AD, Jerusalem was completelydestroyed by Titus

Over 1 million people were killed

The last remnants were killed atop thefortified city of Masada

Many committed suicide rather thanRoman Capture

Those who survived were taken captiveback to Jerusalem

The Jewish temple was destroyed, itsriches carried back to Rome

The slaves and captured goods would fund

the construction of the Coliseum in Rome

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITYIn 70 AD, Jerusalem was completelydestroyed by Titus

Over 1 million people were killed

The last remnants were killed atop thefortified city of Masada

Many committed suicide rather thanRoman Capture

Those who survived were taken captiveback to Jerusalem

The Jewish temple was destroyed, itsriches carried back to Rome

The slaves and captured goods would fund

the construction of the Coliseum in Rome

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

The site where Christ was crucified wastransformed into a Roman temple

Christs tomb was allegedly buried by

the Romans to make them forget

Upon the tomb was constructed aRoman temple to Venus

Temples to Venus were essentially

houses of prostitution

The actual site however, is still heavilydebated

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Over time, many in Rome wouldconvert

This eventually became a majorproblem to Roman authority

As early as 54 AD, Christians began tobe persecuted in Rome

Nero blamed them for the fire that hadburned the city

Later, as Roman power began todecline, many Romans blamedChristians for their fall and defeats

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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Under Diocletian, Rome underwent arecovery project to protect the Empire

All citizens were told to worship theEmperors Gods

When Christians refused, they wereseverely persecuted, an event known as

the Great Persecution

1000s were put to death

Co-Emperor Galerius would feed

Christians to the lions for entertainmentwhile he ate lunch

Competitions were held to see whocould persecute and kill a Christian inthe most horrible way

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Despite the persecutions, Christianswould adhere to their beliefs

Their church meetings would be heldunderground in tunnels beneath Rome

Here we find the earliest of Christianart called the Orans

Christianity would ultimately win

supreme victory over Rome

It would all happen with the reign ofConstantine the Great

EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY







EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY







EARLY CHRISTIANITY


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EARLY CHRISTIANITY








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ESSENTIAL QUESTION


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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

1) What impact did Constantine have on Rome andWestern Civilization?

2) Why did Constantine build a new city in the east?


CONVERSION & DECLINE


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The Emperor Marcus Aurelius died in180 AD

He was considered the last of the greatRoman Emperors

The years that followed would becomeembroiled in chaos and Civil War

From the years 235 to 284, twenty two

people were named Emperor

Most were powerful military leaders,seizing power, only to be assassinated



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CONVERSION & DECLINEWhile turmoil and decay persistedinside of Rome, enemies tookadvantage

In Persia, the Sassanid Empire retookmany Roman lands

Germanic tribes began to win victoriesin Gaul, Spain, and the Balkans

Also the 3rd century experienced amassive plague

Trade reduced dramatically, in manyareas money was reduced to barter

Things got so bad that Rome began torecruit German mercenaries to fight for

them



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A last effort was put forth by theEmperor Diocletian to stop thedownward spiral

He formed the Tetrarchy, composed of 4emperors

He repaired and restored the economy

He rebuilt and fortified the Romanborders

He also unified Rome in religion,beginning the great persecution

In all, he restored Rome to a sense ofnormalcy



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One of the tetrarchs was Constantius

Constantius reigned in Gaul andBritannia

His son Constantine was born inIlliyricum

Constantius was a good man, did notpersecute the Christians

Galerius took the initiative to raiseConstantine

Purpose was to keep his power in check



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Many times, Galerius secretly tried tokill Constantine by putting him inimpossible battles

Time and again Constantine would win

In time, as Constantine grew, his fatherbecame ill in Britannia

Called for his son to return

In a drunken stupor, Galerius permittedConstantine to leave

Constantine found and lived with hisfather for one year in Britannia



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When Constantius died, Constantinewas made his replacement

In Rome, the people protested a new taxand selected Maxentius to becomeCaesar

Maxentius, declared war onConstantine in order to take his position

Efforts were made to attack Maxentiusbut no one could assault the AurelienWall

Thus it was left to the young andundefeated Constantine to remove theusurper



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Constantine took his army into Italy to

attack and rescue Rome

He first had to attack a small town justinside the Alps, Torino

Burned the cities gates, the citysurrendered

The next city, terrified, welcomed himwith open arms

Later he fought the Roman HeavyCalvary, beat them by creating ironclubs

Finally, he fought and laid siege toVerona, secured his rear


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Next objective was to assault Rome

No one in over 1000 years had defeatedthe capital city

Aurilian Wall was seen as impregnable

Constantine knew he was outnumberedand the battle seemed almost hopeless

In his march to Rome, he went out and

prayed

Prayed to the highest God for assistance

He received an answer



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As Constantine prayed he saw in thesky the Christian Chi Rho

He then heard the words, En hoc singo

vinces by this sign you shall conquer

Constantine took this as an answer tohis prayers

Marked all of his mens shields, armor

and flags with the Christian Chi Rho

Began his march onward to Rome



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As Constantine prayed he saw in thesky the Christian Chi Rho

He then heard the words, En hoc singo

vinces by this sign you shall conquer

Constantine took this as an answer tohis prayers

Marked all of his mens shields, armor

and flags with the Christian Chi Rho

Began his march onward to Rome



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Maxentius too had consulted the sagesfor wisdom

Received a prophecy that foretold his

victory

He marched out to fight Constantine inpitched battle, leaving the city walls

The battle took place near the Mulvian

Bridge

Maxentius had a deceptive plan



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Maxentius believed he could lureConstantine across the Mulvian Bridgewhich was made of boats

Then, when Constantine was atop thebridge, they would pull the pins and

drown him

In the battle, Constantine was soferocious that Maxentius men werepushed into the Tiber River

As Maxentius retreated, luringConstantine across the bridge, hehimself fell in and drown

The body was found and decapitated



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Constantines army then marched intoRome bearing the Christian symbols

With the victory Constantine convertedto Christianity

As Constantine converted, and peopleheard of his victory over Rome, theyassumed his God to be true

Constantine then had to learn what it

was to be a Christian

Went to great efforts to restore whathad been lost



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Sick of Rome and its politics,Constantine decided to build a newcapital in modern day Turkey

He named it Constantinople

It was chosen for it impressive naturaldefense

Also for its easy trade access to the east

Another reason was to create a

Christian capital, untainted by paganbeliefs

Some historians consider this event theend of the Roman Empire



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CONV S ON & C N

Constantine would lead in a new age of

progress for Rome

He would organize the Roman CatholicChurch, or set its foundations

He called the council of Nicaea inattempt to unify all Christians underone doctrine

Many religions see this act as aseparation from truth

In any case, what Constantine did wasraise Christianity to prominence

Without Constantine, Christianity maynot have survived


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After Constantines death, his sonswould take control of the Empire

They proved poor leaders

Focus turned to the east and the westwas left vulnerable

Eventually Rome would comesusceptible to attack due to poor

leadership

Within the next century, the Roman

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