Rome

1
Rome

• From a Republic to an Empire

2
To Consider

• What groups of people originally stood in the way
  of Romes Mediterranean domination and what
  became of them?
• How did Rome differ from Greece and how did this
  make them more successful?
• What went wrong with the republic?

3
The End of the Republic

• The old city constitution could no longer hold up
  with the expanding territory
• Sulla had two political heirs
• Julius (a politician) and Pompey (a general who
  had teamed up with Crassus a banker)
• Julius became consul in 59 BC
• Formed the first triumvirate

4
The Triumvirate Fails

• All three spend their years in battle
• Crassus died fighting leaving Pompey and Julius
  to rule
• Each was suspicious of the other and eventually
  civil war broke out
• Pompey snuggled up with the senate and had their
  official support
• They demanded that Julius relinquish his
  authority
• Julius marched on Rome and defeated him in 45 BC
• The Senate accepted his victory and appointed him
  dictator for 10 years

5
Julius Caesar

• Julius gains the title of Caesar as the momentum
  of his authority increased
• Senatorial class was uneasy with his power
• 44 BC Caesar is killed by conspirators
• Another civil war ensues
• Second triumvirate
• Octavian, Marc Antony, Lepidus

6
Augustus Caesar

• Octavian and Antony go head to head for power
• Octavian brands Antony as a traitor and get Rome
  on his side
• He defeats the army and navy of Antony and
  Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC
• Octavian becomes Augustus Caesar

7
The Pax Romana

• Virgil writes
• You, Roman, remember- these are your arts
• To rule nations and to impose the ways of peace,
• To spare the humble and to war down the proud.
• Augustus could have declared himself dictator but
  didnt
• He claimed to restore the republic but he created
  a constitutional monarchy instead
• Called himself princeps or First Citizen

8
The Rise to Emperor and Beyond

• 12 BC he became Pontifex Maximus
• Made him head of the state religion
• Because of his military success he became
  Imperator, which eventually came to mean Emperor
• He built a more professional army as an arm of
  the government
• He also handled Roman colonies as part of the
  Empire, not independent settlements as the Greeks
  had done
• Eventually he became associated with the Goddess
  of the state Roma
• By his death in 14 AD almost every province had
  an altar to Roma and Augustus

9
Expansion

• Rome always had problems with the Gauls (Celts)
  and other tribes living north and west of the
  roman borders.
• Augustus created buffer zones with forts and
  military outposts in these areas, protecting the
  Italian Romans from hostility.
• Roman Peace is established

10
The Julio-Claudians

• Tiberius 14-37 AD
• Step-son of Augustus, good military leader,
  followed Augustus footsteps, was frugal, and
  eventually retired to Capri (senility)
• Caligula 37-41
• Grand-nephew of Tiberius, started off OK but got
  sick and went nuts, spent all of Tiberius
  treasury and began to charge rich families with
  treason to steal their money, was killed by the
  praetorian guard
• Claudius 41-54
• Found by the guard hidden behind the curtains,
  had physical handicaps, turned out to be a good
  leader with respect for the senate, concerned
  with citizenship to provincials, in the end he
  married Caligulas sister Agrippina who then
  plotted to kill him.
• Nero 54-68
• Agrippinas son, 16 years old, his rule was
  dominated by his mother, he tried several times
  to kill her, he finally killed her and his wife
  so that he could marry his mistress, he forced
  people to attend his concerts, speculations
  relating to the great fires of Rome, the senate
  sentenced him to death, he killed himself and
  said Oh what a great artist the world is losing

11
The Flavians

• After the death of Nero several people claimed to
  be emperor but Flavian Vespasian had the upper
  hand
• He too gave citizenship to conquered territories
  and did a good job keeping down invaders
• Titus 79-81
• Son of Vespasian, continued what his father
  started but died early
• Domitian 81-96
• Least popular of this crew, was disrespectful
  toward the senate, insisted on being called Lord
  and Master, did a terrible job, blamed Christians
  and Jews on the misfortune and persecuted them
  severely, was finally murdered

12
The 5 Good Emperors and the Other Guy

• Nerva, an old senator succeeded
• Ruled for only 2 years but trained his own
  successor
• Trajan 98-117
• A Spaniard (1st emperor not of Italian origin),
  well liked, good military ruler, Rome reached its
  greatest extent, on his death bed he chose
  another Spaniard
• Hadrian 117-138
• Modified the code of laws, retreated borders,
  reorganized army, Hadrians wall
• Antonius Pius 138-161
• Wealthy senator from Gaul, selected by Hadrian,
  climax of the Pax Romana, put Rome on the
  defensive as opposed to the offensive
• Marcus Aurelius 161-180
• Stoic philosopher, wrote Meditations, had to deal
  with sever fighting in Dacia where 25 of the
  population died, was stricken by plague fighting
  in present-day Austria
• Commodus (the not so great) 180-192
• Marcus broke tradition allowing his son to rule,
  he should have appointed a suitable successor,
  Commodus was hated as he became a megalomaniac,
  he thought he was the reincarnation of Hercules,
  finally the senate killed him and removed al
  record of his rule from the lists.