The

1
The Roman Empire 27 BCE - 476 CE
2
Octavian - AugustusRomes First Emperor

• Octavian became the first Roman Emperor in 27
  B.C.
• The Senate gave him the title of Augustus which
  meant exalted.
• Augustus began the Julian line of emperors.
• He began a period of peace and prosperity known
  as the Pax Romana which began with Augustus and
  continued for 200 years.

3
Octavian - AugustusRomes First Emperor

• Encouraged widespread trade
• Glorified Rome with splendid buildings
• Created a stable system of government that lasted
  for centuries
• Encouraged the old values of simplicity, sober
  conduct and patriotism (Gravitas)
• Created a common coinage throughout the empire
  which made trade easier
• Established fair taxation
• Began highway construction to bind his empire
  together
• Began public works programs
• Established a civil service

4
The First Roman Dynasty
5
The Roman Empire
The Julian Emperors

• Tiberius (14-37)
• Improved provincial government and tax system.
• Brought Rome its greatest prosperity
• Jesus was crucified during his reign

6
The Roman Empire
The Julian Emperors

• Caligula (37-41)
• Was insane by the time he came to power
• Brutally oppressed citizens of Rome
• Broke the Roman treasury
• Assassinated in 41 AD

7
The Roman Empire
The Julian Emperors

• Claudius (41-54)
• Intelligent and scholarly emperor
• Ruled empire wisely and rebuilt its treasury
• Added Britain to the Empire

8
The Roman Empire
The Julian Emperors

• Nero (54-68)
• Initially a good emperor before going insane.
• Became increasingly cruel.
• Rome burned during his reign.
• He began organized persecution of Christians.
• Forced to flee and committed suicide

9
The Roman Empire

• After the death of Nero, Rome was ruled by
  emperors who were supported by the military.
• Beginning in 96 AD, a series of emperors known as
  the Good Emperors led the empire effectively for
  nearly a century.

10
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors

• Nerva
• Chosen by the Senate.
• Began reforms by lowering taxes and distributing
  land to the poor.
• Began tradition of adopting an heir to be emperor.

11
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors

• Trajan
• Born in Spain. Became the first emperor from the
  provinces.
• Expanded the Empire to its greatest size.

12
The Roman Empire at its Largest
13
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors

• Hadrian
• Reorganized the Roman bureaucracy.
• Had defensive walls built along the frontiers of
  the Empire.
• Reorganized Roman law and rebuilt the city.

14
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors

• Antonius Pius
• Instituted public works programs.
• Expanded educational programs and programs for
  child welfare.
• Military began to decline during his reign.

15
The Roman Empire
The Good Emperors

• Marcus Aurelius
• Last of the Good Emperors
• Faced widespread invasions of frontiers by
  barbarian tribes.
• Spent most of his reign on the defense of Rome.
• His death ended the Pax Romana.

16
(No Transcript)
17
Jesus of Nazareth

• Born in Judea in town of Bethlehem and raised in
  village of Nazareth.
• Baptized by a prophet John the Baptist
• As a young man he was a carpenter.
• Around age 30 began a public ministry where he
  preached, taught, did good works, and reportedly
  performed many miracles.

18
Teachings of Jesus

• Based on Jewish traditions of monotheism and the
  Ten Commandments
• Stated that He was the true Son of God.
• His teachings emphasized
• A personal relationship of all believers with God
• Love for God, one another, enemies and self.
• God would end wickedness and create an eternal
  kingdom for those who believed and repented of
  their sins

19
Death of Jesus

• Jesus drew large crowds who claimed He was the
  Messiah that had been prophesized in Jewish
  scripture.
• His growing popularity worried Roman and Jewish
  leaders.
• Jewish leaders denied His deity and claimed that
  his teachings were blasphemy.
• He was accused of disloyalty to Rome and its
  leaders.
• He was sentenced to crucifixion by Roman
  authorities around 30 AD.

20
Rise and Spread of Christianity

• According to the Christian tradition
• Jesus was resurrected from the dead after three
  days and appeared to many of His followers.
• He ascended into Heaven after 40 days.
• He will return to establish a kingdom on earth
  for believers.
• His disciples became known as apostles and began
  spreading His teachings.
• They referred to Him as Christos (messiah or
  savior). The name Christianity derives from it.
• Large numbers of people throughout the Roman
  Empire were attracted to the new religion.

21
Apostle Paul

• A Jewish scholar originally known as Saul of
  Tarsus. He persecuted early Christians.
• Saul converted to Christianity and became known
  as the Apostle Paul.
• Spent the remainder of his life teaching and
  writing about Jesus on several journeys
  throughout the Roman Empire.
• Had tremendous influence, especially on Gentiles
  (non-Jews) because he claimed that Christianity
  was open to all people.

22
The Rise of Christianity
23
Apostle Peter

• An original disciple of Jesus, Peter traveled to
  Rome and began establishing a Christian community
  and church there.
• Jesus had stated that Peter would be the rock
  upon which My church will be built.
• Peter is considered to be the first pope of what
  later became the Catholic Church.
• Like Paul, he had tremendous influence and
  attracted many converts to Christianity,
  especially in Rome.

24
The Spread of Christianity
25
The Spread of Christianity
26
The Roman Empire
The Decline of the Empire
Following the death of Marcus Aurelius, the
Empire began to slowly decline. Civil War,
barbarian invasions and internal strife
threatened its very existence. Two strong leaders
managed to hold the Empire together for a while.
Diocletian - Divided the Empire into Eastern and
Western halves in order to better manage it.
27
The Roman Empire
The Decline of the Empire
Constantine - Established a new Roman capital at
Byzantium which later became Constantinople. He
converted to Christianity in 310. He was the last
effective ruler.
28
Constantinople The 2nd Rome (Founded in 330)
29
Decline of the Roman Empire

• Political Weaknesses
• The Empire became to large to administer
• Decline of the military and loyalty to government
• Series of weak rulers
• Economic Decline
• Heavy government expenses drained the treasury
• Trade, industry, and agriculture began to
  disappear
• Revenue from conquered lands declined
• Heavy taxation caused internal strife

30
Decline of the Roman Empire

• Outside Invasions
• Germanic tribes invaded the outposts of the
  Empire gradually weakening the defenses
• Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Vandals were the main
  invaders.
• They were pushed into Roman territory by the Huns
• Other Factors
• Population of the Empire declined
• Decay in family life and morals
• Spread of Christianity discouraged aggressiveness

31
Barbarian Invasions
32
Fall of the Roman Empire

• In the late 300s barbarian tribes began to
  invade the Western Empire
• In 476 the Western Empire fell to the invaders
  and ended the Empire.
• This date marks the end of the ancient period of
  history.

33
(No Transcript)
34
The Legacies of Ancient Rome

• Republican form of Government
• Roman Law and Legal System
• Latin and Romance Languages
• Roman Catholic Church (Christianity)
• City Planning
• Roman Engineering
• Aqueducts
• Sewage systems
• Concrete
• Arch and Dome
• Roads Highways

35
The Roman Forum
36
The Roman Forum today
37
Aqueducts
Arch
38
Roman Roads and Highways The Appian Way
Roman Baths
39
The Roman Colosseum
40
The Circus Maximus
41
ByzantiumThe Eastern Roman Empire
42
Imperial Roman Road System