Transcript Chapter 15 The Roman Empire

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 nonRomans 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.
Trade increased.
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.
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