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4/12/2012
1
The Fall of Rome?
Crisis and Recovery of 3rd Century Civil War (238-53 CE)
Invasions (267-9 CE) – Carpians and Vandals (Rhine)
– Goths and Alamanni (Danube) • Athens sacked
• Battle of Nessus (268)
• Battle of Naissus (270)
– Sassanids (East)
Empire splits
• Gallic Empire (259-73 CE)
• Palmyrene Empire (267-74 CE) – Finally reunited by Aurelian
Aurelian (270-5 CE)
• builds walls around Rome
Diocletian (284-305 CE)
• Tetrarchy (293 CE)
• Revolt in Britain
• Persian Invasion
• Military and Financial reforms
Constantine (307-37 CE)
• founds Constantinople
• moves seat of govt.
258 CE
Gallic Empire
• Britannia
• Gallia
• Hispania
Aegyptus
Syria
Palestine
Palmyrene Empire
260 CE
Milan
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debasement of Roman Coinage
Eight-fold rise in prices from 267-274
• Right-hand man (dux) of Gallienus – helped defeat the Alamanni – cavalry defeated Goths at Naissus
• participated in the assassination of Gallienus – Supported Claudius II to throne – brother was declared Emperor by Senate – legions refused him and chose Aurelian instead
• Reunified the Empire – Palmyra (272/3) – Gallic Empire (274)
• Built walls around Rome • Revalued the coinage
Emperor Aurelian (270-5 CE)
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Porta Appia (San Sabastiano) 6.5 meters high 3.5 meters thick square tower every 30 meters
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Reforms of Diocletian (284-305)
• divides empire into four administrative districts – Tetrarchy
• Strengthens Roman military – discipline in
army
• persecutes Christians
The Four Tetrarchs
• Porphyry marble (Egypt)
– ca. 300 CE
– St. Marks Cathedral, Venice
• previously on top of a column in Constantinople
– paludamentum (cloak)
– military belt
• shift in artistic style seen in Late Antique Period
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The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883)
Flavius Valerius Constantinus Constantine the Great (306-337)
Battle of Milvian Bridge Oct. 312 “In hoc signus vincus”
Constantine Reunites the Empire Religious Reform 313 Edict of Milan • officially marks end of persecution • restoration of Church properties 325 Council of Nicaea Political and Economic Reform • Unifies Empire 324-330 Relocates Capital to Byzantium Military Reform • Uses Tetrarchy prefectures for military command • Creates magister peditum and magister equitum
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Constantine relocates the Capital of Empire
330 CE Constantine moves capital of Roman Empire to Byzantium and renames it Constantinople
• builds a massive fortification structure
408 CE Theodosius II builds more elaborate defensive system
1453 CE Suleiman I “the Magnificent” builds cannons specifically to batter gates and sacks Constantinople
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Fortification system of Constantinople designed and built by Theodosius II (408 CE)
Gothic Armies
• migrated to Danube region
• Divided into West (Visi) and East (Ostro) branches
– most powerful of tribes
• tribal leadership based on aristocratic structure
– comites and dux w/a 100 years of fighting for the Romans
– 15,000 warriors
• spatha sword and fransica battle-ax
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Battle of Adrianople 378 CE
372 CE Western Goths having settled south of Danube (Bulgaria) go to Constantinople to ask for permission to settle.
• They are paid off every year, but then a change in “barbarian” policy
378 CE Emperor Valens assembles an army and is defeated at Adrianople – New Emperor Theodosius pays them to relocate and
police Noricum in Western half of Empire (foedus)
401 CE They ask Ravenna for payoff 401-2 first invasion turned back by Stilicho
410 ALARIC SACKS ROME
Visigoths Move Towards Italy