Roman Empire
27 BCE- 476 CE
Augustus Caesar
In 27 CE, Octavian
was named by the
Senate consul,
tribune, and
commander in
chief for life.
He also took the
name “Augustus,”
which means
“Majestic One.”
Augustus (Con’t)
Augustus ruled Rome for 40 years,
from 27 BCE to 14 CE.
• He began to rebuild the city of Rome.
• He appointed governors and tax
collectors.
• He imported grain from the provinces of
North Africa.
• Public works projects, such as roads,
temples, and public buildings were
constructed.
Augustus (Con’t)
Augustus boasted that he had “found
Rome a city of bricks and left it a city
of marble.”
In 31 BCE, the Pax Romana began.
This was a peace that lasted until
180 CE. During this time, the
Roman legions did not participate in
any major conflicts and the people of
the roman Empire lived and
prospered.
Julio-Claudian Emperors
From 14 to 68 CE, there were 4
people that assumed the position of
emperor. These four were related to
Augustus.
• Tiberius
• Caligula
• Claudius
• Nero
The Good Emperors
Twenty-eight years after Nero’s
death, there were several emperors
whose skill as effective
administrators earned them the title
“Good Emperors.”
• Nerva
• Trajan
• Hadrian
• Antonius Pius
• Marcus Aurelius
Roman Rule
By 27 BCE, there were some 70
million people living in the Roman
Empire.
To rule effectively, Augustus had to
make many changes in the
government of Rome.
These were in the areas of
government appointments, law, and
the military.
Roman Government
Professional
governors were
appointed in the
provinces.
Augustus took the
title of “Pontiflex
Maximus.” This
joined the political
and religious
systems together.
Roman Law
As more provinces were added, the
need for a system of laws grew.
Roman citizens were covered by the
jus civile, or citizens law.
Non-Roman citizens were covered by
the jus gentium, or non-citizen law.
Roman laws stressed the importance
of the state over the individual.
Roman Military
Rome had a powerful military in the
beginning of the empire. However,
as the Pax Romana continued, the
cost of maintaining a large army
increased.
Emperors began to reduce the
number of Romans in the legions,
especially in the provinces. The
allowed provincial peoples to join and
protect their provinces.
Rome’s Economy
50,000 miles of
improved Roman
roads allowed
trade goods to
travel throughout
the empire.
Many of these
roads still exist.
Life During the Pax Romana
Increased wealth.
Decreased importance of family.
Fathers lost some of their power.
Gap between rich and poor continued
to widen.
Government continued the “Bread
and circuses” program for the poor in
the cities.
Life (Con’t)
Life (Con’t)
Romans
constructed many
public works
projects
throughout the
empire.
One of the most
unique was the
aqueducts that
supplied Roman
cities with water.
Life (Con’t)
Much of the building in the provinces
was completed by the Roman
legions.
Once the provinces were secured,
soldiers became builders to bring
Rome anywhere that Romans
settled.
In some cases, the Romans allowed
the royal families to remain in power
as long as they followed Roman law.
Life (Con’t)
Romans also preserved Greek culture
and literature.
They also excelled in adapting the
discoveries of other cultures and
using them in different ways.
Examples are the arch (Etruscan),
columns (Greeks) and medicine
(Greeks).
Roman Contributions to Science
and Architecture
Road and bridge construction.
Perfected concrete
Vaulted domes
Amphitheaters
Arches
The Romans had no real
contributions to science. What they
did was gather information from
other cultures.
Roman Architecture
The Pantheon
constructed during
the reign of
Hadrian.
Built as a temple to
Roman gods.
Largest free
standing dome in
the world until the
14th century CE.
Rise of Christianity
In 6 CE, the Romans took over
Judea.
The Romans allowed the Jews to
continue their religion but treated
the Jewish population cruelly.
The Jews took strength in their belief
that a messiah would appear and
drive the Romans from their lands.
Rise of Christianity (Con’t)
From 30-33 CE, a Jew named Jesus
traveled throughout Judea preaching
a new message. He preached that
God was coming and that people
should act with kindness and
compassion and give up their sinful
lives.
The followers of Jesus believed that
he was the messiah.
Rise of Christianity (Con’t)
The religious leaders of the Jewish religion
and the Romans viewed Jesus as a rebel
and a traitor.
The Romans arrested Jesus in Jerusalem
as a political rebel and crucified him.
After his death, his disciples began to
spread his message. They began calling
Jesus “Christos” or Greek for messiah.
One disciple, Paul traveled throughout the
empire spreading the word of Jesus.
Rise of Christianity (Con’t)
The religion appealed to the poor,
salves, and women.
The Romans treated the followers of
this religion as traitors because the
Christians refused to serve in the
roman legions or recognize the
emperor as a divine person.
For the next 200 years, the Romans
persecuted the Christians on and off.
Rise of Christianity (Con’t)
In 312 CE, Constantine became the
first Roman emperor to convert to
Christianity.
One year later, he issued the Edict of
Milan ant gave religious freedom to
all of the empire.
In 392 CE, the emperor Theodosius
made Christianity the official religion
of the empire.
Early Christian Hierarchy
Why was it necessary?
What model did the church use?
How did the position of Pope come
about?
Early Church Hierarchy
Patriarchs
5 Patriarchal cities – Rome, Antioch,
Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem
Archbishops
Provinces
Bishops
Diocese
Priests
Parishes
The Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire
The Roman Empire
expanded to its
greatest extent
during the reign of
the emperor
Trajan.
The Roman legions
were responsible
for protecting a
border over 4000
miles long.
Decline and Fall (Con’t)
The Pax Romana ended with the
death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 CE.
From 192 to 284 CE, Rome was ruled
by many different emperors, most of
them were incompetent and killed by
the Praetorian Guards.
This period became known as the 2nd
Century Crisis.
Decline and Fall – 2nd Century
Crisis
Political instability
Economic Decline
• Warfare disrupted trade and profits. It
also destroyed farm lands.
• The government began minting more
coins, which lead to inflation.
• Taxes increased to pay for the larger
military needed to protect the borders
from outside invaders.
Decline and Fall – Unsuccessful
Reforms
Emperor Diocletian
• Split the empire into two; the Western Roman
Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Ruled
with a co-emperor.
West capital – Rome
East capital – Byzantium (Later Constantinople)
Economic reforms – Edict of Prices – froze prices,
required fathers to teach their sons an occupation,
set a maximum price for goods, and required a
person to stay in the same job.
When Diocletian retired in 305 CE, civil wars again
break out.
Decline and Fall – Con’t)
Emperor Constantine assumes power
in 312CE and continues Diocletian’s
reforms. He moved the capital to
Constantinople.
Theodosius becomes emperor in 337
CE and declares that the empire be
permanently split upon his death.
Decline and Fall – Barbarian
Invasions
Germanic Tribes
• Visigoths
• Huns
• Vandals
• Franks
• Goths
• Rome falls to Germanic tribes led by
Odacer in 476 CE