Chapter 9 Lesson 3 The Fall of Rome

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Chapter 9 Lesson 3The Fall of Rome

• Objectives
• Explore how bad government contributed to the
  decline of the Empire
• Understand the Fall of the Roman Empire.
• Discuss Constantines role in support for
  Christianity.
• Lean how northern invaders brought about the
  collapse of the Roman Empire.

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Rome Review

• Use p. 251 in your text to label a map of the
  Roman Empire at its height.
• In the key, draw a solid black line and write,
  Roman Empire, about A.D. 120-270

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The Roman Empire
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A Background on Rome

• Read the background together.
• Then, in your groups, go back through the reading
  and fill in the blanks with the appropriate
  information.

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HOMEWORK Rome Review

• Read over Daily Life Notes, on p. 3 of your
  packet.
• Choose five facts from the reading that stood out
  to you. On notebook paper, draw pictures to
  represent these facts about daily Life in Rome.
• Notebook heading
• Oct 19, 2010 Daily Life in Rome

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Do Now Patricians vs Plebeians
Share your pictures with your groups. Then,
create list on the white board that lists
differences between the Patricians and Plebians.

• Ate meat fish fruits
• Napped during the day
• Had lavish homes and extravagant parties
• Went to school and were taught by tutors

• Ate bread in wine water
• Worked all day
• Lived in small one-room apartments
• Did not go to school- taught by parents instead

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The Legend of Rome

• Legend has it that Rome was founded by twin
  brothers, Romulus Remus.
• Romulus Remus were sons of Mars (the Roman god
  of war) and his wife, a princess. A jealous king
  ordered them to be killed. A female wolf rescued
  them, however, and shepherd raised them. When
  they grew up, they killed the unfair king and
  founded the city of Rome, where the seven hills
  rise above the Tiber River. Some versions say
  that Romulus killed Remus too, and this is why
  Rome was named for him.

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All roads lead to Rome!

• Over time, Romes used its strength in
  agriculture and built many trade networks.
• Trade allowed Rome to become so wealthy that it
  could send its army out to conquer surrounding
  areas. Roads were built to allow the army to
  travel to all of Romes territories.
• Rome ruled so much land that it was often said,
  all roads lead to Rome.

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Roman Government

• Before it was an empire, Rome was an example of a
  REPUBLIC
• A republic is a government whose citizens have
  the right to vote on their leaders.

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The Roman Republic Government
2 Consuls (Rulers of Rome)
Senate (Representative body for Patricians-
Wealthy Class) Tribal Assembly
(Representative body for Plebeians- Lower Class)
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The Twelve Tables, 450 BCE

• For many years, only the upper class in Rome,
  called patricians could hold government offices
  or vote. In 450 BC, though, the plebeians (lower
  class) gained more rights.

The Twelve Tables provided political and social
rights for the plebeians.
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Patricians vs Plebeians

• Vast differences between the patricians and
  plebians remained, however. Life was very
  different for these two groups. Although separate
  in many ways, the classes often came together for
  circuses.

Circuses were held in the Coliseum, a large
structure in the center of Rome.
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Circuses

• Here, one could get a supply of free grain and
  enjoy the entertainment of clowns, criminal
  executions, and gladiator fights.

Gladiators were people who were chosen to
participate in a public fight to the death.
Often, slaves and criminals were gladiators.
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Power Struggle

• The days of the Roman Republic ended when army
  generals fought with each other for power. Rome
  dissolved into a civil war until 58 B.C. when
  Julius Caesar led an army to seize power in Rome.

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Julius Caesar

• Caesar conquered new lands of Rome and helped it
  become powerful once again. In 49 B.C., Caesar
  even challenged the power of Romes senate!
  Within five years, he had conquered the senate
  and made himself dictator for life.

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The end of Caesar

• But, because the Roman senate thought that Caesar
  had become too powerful, they orchestrated his
  assassination in March of that same year (49
  B.C.). After the death of Caesar, civil war broke
  out once again in Rome.

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A United Rome

• Rome was united again under the leadership of
  Augustus. Augustus was an intelligent ruler who
  showed great respect for the senate to avoid
  acting like a king. During his rule, Rome
  experienced peace and prosperity.

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Ups and Downs in Rome

• For 82 years after Augustus death, Rome had a
  series of good, bad, and terrible emperors.
• Two of the worst leaders were Caligula and Nero.
  Caligula proclaimed himself a god and ruled
  cruelly. He even killed his own mother, brother,
  and wife.

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Nero

• Nero started an official campaign against
  Christians. He blamed them when Rome caught on
  fire and called for their arrest and execution.

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The Good

• In A.D. 96, five good emperors came to rule
  Rome, one of whom was Hadrian.
• He set laws to protect women, children and
  slaves, reorganized the army, had a wall built on
  the British isles that still stands today.

Hadrians Wall separated England and Scotland at
the time today, it is somewhat South of the
border between these territories.
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Marcus Aurelius his son

• The last of the good emperors was Marcus
  Aurelius, who died in 180 A.D., leaving his son,
  Commodus, in charge. Under Commodus, the Roman
  Empire began to decline.

Commodus liked to dress up like Hercules, the
mortal son of Zeus, who was a Roman god.
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The Roman Empire
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Causes for the Fall of Rome

• In its later years, Rome began experiencing a
  number of political, economic, and social
  problems.
• Historians do not agree on one single cause for
  the fall of Rome. Rather, most believe that it
  fell for a number of reasons.
• Over the next few days, we will be examining each
  of the theories for Romes fall. Then, we will
  consider what Ancient Rome and modern America
  have in common.

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9. 3 The Fall of Rome

• The authors of your textbook have included
  several theories for the fall of Rome in chapter
  9 section 3.
• As we read about the last years of the Roman
  Empire in the text, note which theories THEY
  BELIEVE led to the fall of Rome.

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• Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, who was
  only 18 when he began to rule.
• His rule began the decline of the Roman Empire!
• 1. He wasted his time on gladiator fights.
• 2. He ignored the power of the senate, and did
  not ask for their advice.
• 3. He bribed the army to support him.

• Commodus

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The commode
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The Roman Colosseum
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Gladiator
A person who fought to the death in an arena for
the entertainment of the public Usually a slave.
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What happened to the Roman senate under the
emperor Commodus?
The once powerful senate lost its power and
prestige.
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Commodus contributed to building an army of
mercenaries- foreign soldiers who served for pay.
They were motivated by money, not by loyalty.
Mercenary
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Inflation
Inflation is an economic situation in which more
money circulates, but the money has less value.
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Diocletian
He ruled the empire in 284 and tried to
strengthen Rome. He enlarged the army, built
forts and improved the tax system. He also split
the empire into 2 parts to make it easier to rule
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Can you name 4 or more reasons for the decline
of the Roman Empire?

• Weak, corrupt rulers
• Non-loyal army
• Economic issues
• Empire too large
• What other reasons?

How does this compare with the Ten Theories of
the Fall of the Roman Empire previously discussed?
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What problems did having a mercenary army cause
for the empire?
They were motivated by money, not loyalty, and
they often switched sides if it benefited them.
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Constantine
The emperor of Rome from AD 312 to 337 who
encouraged the spread of Christianity.
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Licinius- Roman Emperor from 308-324
The co-emperor of the eastern part of the Roman
Empire with Constantine. Constantine defeated
him in 324 because he continued to practice
persecution.
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Byzantium
A city in the eastern Roman empire. It is the
site of present-day Istanbul, Turkey.
Istanbul, Constantinople, Byzantium
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Constantinople
Constantinople was once the city of Byzantium,
but later renamed by Constantine when it became
the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
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Write on the very bottom in a horizontal way,
rather than the vertical way it is shown.

• Byzantium
• Constantinople
• Istanbul

Byzantium Constantinople-- Istanbul
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3 ways Constantine supported Christianity

• Christians were free to practice their religion
• Christianity became the official religion of the
  empire
• Planned and paid for the construction of churches
• He even prevented a split in the church and kept
  it whole!

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What city became the new capital of the Roman
Empire?
Byzantium, which soon became known as
Constantinople (now is Istanbul)
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Germanic Tribes
Germanic tribes are invaders from the north who
attacked Romes borders. Romans called these
people barbarians.
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Barbarians
Barbarians are considered wild and uncivilized
people.
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Who was Romulus Augustus, and what was his fate?
He was the last Roman Emperor who ruled from AD
475 to 476.
He was only 14 years old when he became
ruler. Julius Nepos legally held the title of
emperor when Odovacer overtook the power.
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Barbarian Invasions- p 8 9
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An Emperors Vision

• Define the vocabulary for this lesson
• Legions, Constantine, Maxentius, Circus,
• Cavalry, Persecution
• Read An Emperors Vision aloud to find out HOW
  Constantine came to control all of the Roman
  Empire
• Discuss questions to consider with a partner
  and write the answers down on p. 14 of your
  packet.

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9. 3 The Fall of Rome

• The authors of your textbook discussed a few
  theories for the fall of Rome in chapter 9
  section 3.
• There are many other theories that historians
  hold may have caused the fall of Rome that do not
  appear in the textbook. Read through the packet
  on the theories for Romes fall to find out about
  ALL TEN POSSIBLE REASONS!
• Write a 2 sentence summary of each theory in your
  own words on p. 11 12 of your packet.

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Theory 1 Barbarian Invasions

• Two Sentence Summary
• Because Roman soldiers were being made to fight
  civil wars in Italy, the Roman border (at the
  Rhine Danube Rivers) was left open to attack.
• Germanic hunters and herders from northern and
  central Europe, including the general Odovacar,
  began to take over Roman lands, so Germanic
  tribal chiefs now ruled the western part of the
  Roman empire.

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Theory 2Decline in Morals Values

• Two Sentence Summary
• Romans acted cruelly by watching and enjoying
  gladiators fight, while violent crimes were being
  committed in the cities.
• Even rulers, like Nero and Caligula, demonstrated
  poor values when they wasted money on parties
  that made their guests sick.

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Theory 3 Environmental Public Health Problems

• Two Sentence Summary
• Many wealthy people in the Roman Empire,
  including some leaders, may have died due to
  consumption of too much lead.
• Lead was found in pipes and cooking utensils used
  by the wealthiest people in Rome whose death
  rates were increasing.

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Theory 4 Excessive Military Spending to Defend
the Empire

• Two Sentence Summary
• Since the Empire was constantly being attacked by
  barbarians, the Roman government had to spend a
  lot of money to maintain their army, which meant
  that less money could be spent on education and
  road maintenance.
• Because many of the soldiers were mercenaries
  (hired soldiers from other countries) who were
  expensive, taxes went up, which angered
  businessmen and farmers.

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Theory 5 Inferior Technology

• Two Sentence Summary
• Although the Romans achieved much in the fields
  of engineering and public services, they relied
  too much on human and animal labor.
• Rome neglected to invent new machines to increase
  the production of goods, which was much needed in
  an empire where the population continued to grow.

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Theory 6 Inflation

• Two Sentence Summary
• Since less gold was obtained in the last years of
  the Roman empire, coins that were made were not
  worth as much, which led merchants to raise the
  price of their goods.
• The Roman economy suffered so much that people
  began trading in fruits, vegetables, and
  clothing, because coins were no longer valuable.

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Theory 7 Political Corruption

• Two Sentence Summary
• Politicians began bribing Romans to vote for them
  by promising that those who voted for them would
  be rewarded once they became emperor.
• Politicians were, therefore, winning elections by
  spending money, rather than by being good rulers
  twenty-five of these emperors were so bad that
  they were assassinated!

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Theory 8 Rise in Christianity

• Two Sentence Summary
• More Romans became Christians as barbarians were
  attacking the Empire because Christians oppose
  war, they might not have wanted to fight the
  barbarians off.
• Also, as more Roman leaders became Christian,
  they spent the empires money on building
  churches, rather than on maintaining the empire.

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Theory 9 Unemployment

• Two Sentence Summary
• Wealthy men who used slave labor were able to
  produce and sell goods cheaply, which caused
  problems for the average farmers who had to pay
  their workers.
• Farmers had to sell their farms as a result,
  causing thousands to lose their jobs.

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Theory 10 Urban Decay

• Two Sentence Summary
• Most Romans were not rich, and therefore, had to
  live in small, crowded, and smelly rooms in
  apartment houses.
• When they could not afford their rent, Romans
  were made to move out and live on the streets,
  which led to an increase in crime and decay in
  cities.

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Our Society

• We have been talking about problems that existed
  in Rome over 1500 years ago.
• Every society has its problems, though, including
  our own. Read over the questionairre on p. 13 of
  your packet. Use a dictionary or ask a
  parent/guardian for help with any phrases that
  you dont understand.
• Decide whether you strongly disagree, disagree,
  agree, or strongly agree with each of the ten
  statements and check the boxes that match your
  opinion. Make sure that you can defend and
  explain your answers to each statement.

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Is America destined to fall like Rome?

• Many scholars today warn us that the answer is
  yes!
• They point out problems in America today.
• Political Cartoon Analysis-
• We will see a series of cartoons that illustrate
  problems scholars see in America today.
• As a group, go through the list of theories for
  the fall of Rome and decide which theory is
  being illustrated
• Write that theory down on your white board hold
  it up!

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How is America like Rome?How is America
different from Rome?

• Choose ONE of the cartoons and answer question 1
  on p. 9
• Respond to question 2 by writing which theory it
  shows
• Tonight, complete the Venn Diagram, comparing and
  contrasting America and Rome on this issue. Use
  the theories handout recall our class
  discussion.