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Midterm Review &

“Fall” of Rome

"Did you mean to bring your TV remote instead of your calculator for this exam?"

Midterm Review

•  Midterm this Friday, Oct. 5 (in-class and take-home guidelines on course website)

•  Questions re format, etc.?

•  Sample Multiple Choice •  Sample Primary Source Passage •  Sample essays & Hints

Sample Multiple Choice Questions 1. The Julio-Claudian Emperors who succeeded Augustus were

a. his equal in dedication and ability b. unstable and incompetent c. democratically inclined d. mostly of Germanic origin, reflecting Romanization.

2. Patricians were a. usually wealthy aristocrats b. members of an elite military unit to guard the Emperor. c. lower on the social scale than plebians d. members of the Greek priesthood.

3. The Battle of Marathon resulted in a. a Persian victory b. an Athenian victory c. the destruction of the Carthaginian navy d. the death of Julius Caesar

4. The earliest civilizations emerged close to a. river valleys b. the sea coast c. mountain passes d. good pasture land for animals

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Sample Primary Source Passage

•  “If anyone take a male or female slave of the court, or a male or female slave of a free man, outside the city gates to escape, he shall be put to death. If anyone be too lazy to keep his dam in the proper condition, and if the dam then breaks and all the field be flooded, then shall he be sold for money, and the money shall replace the grain which has been ruined.”

•  Hammurabi, “Code of Laws”, ca. 18th c. BC, Babylonia. This law code shows that Babylonia was among the earliest civilizations. It valued organized agriculture, and had a government to enforce laws for the common good. Capital punishment was common in this society.

Sample Primary Source Passage II •  “We will now proceed to show you that we are come

here in the interest of our empire, and how we wish to preserve your country. You should submit before suffering the worst.”

“You will not consent to our being neutral, allies of neither and friends of both”.

“No, for we are the masters of the sea, and islanders like yourselves might take a rash step and lead yourselves and us into danger.”

Thucydides, Athenian/Melian Debate, Classical Greece (4oo’s BC?). Recorded by a Greek historian, this debate was about whether Athens had the right to conquer its neighbors. It shows that Athens was imperialist.

Hints for Primary Source Passage

•  Know “major” passages in Wiesner (e.g., Pericles, Aristotle, Vitruvius, Res Gestae), as well as the online primary sources (e.g., Polybius, Livy, Twelve Tables).

•  I am likely to choose passages we have discussed in class.

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Hints for the Essay Question •  1) Analyze the question in advance, to understand what

it’s asking re time, location, structure of answer, etc. •  2) Formulate a strategy for answering each question •  3) List relevant examples that might be useful (primary

and secondary sources can both be used) •  4) Always include an introductory paragraph •  5) Try to have a thesis statement that makes an

argument or convinces the reader; •  6) Use separate paragraphs for separate ideas •  7) Show how each paragraph contributes to the larger

argument.

“Fall” of Rome timeline

•  Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD) •  Pax Romana (1st/2nd c. AD) •  Third-Century Crisis (3rd c. AD) •  Rebuilding w/ Diocletian and

Constantine •  “Fall” vs. “Transformation” (4th/5th c.

AD)

3rd-Century Crisis •  “From a kingdom of gold

to one of iron and rust” (Diocassius) –  Invasions from Persia

(Sassanids), from N. Europe (Goths, Franks)

–  Plague in Egypt –  Assassinations of

emperors –  Massive inflation –  Militarization of government

•  Roman Empire under Siege, ca. 250 AD

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Diocletian (r. 284-305)

•  “Dominate” = Lord •  Reorganizes Roman

Empire into provinces and dioceses

•  Incorporates barbarians into Army

•  Tetrarchy •  Persecution of

Christians •  Public works (e.g.,

baths)

Tetrarchy Splits Empire into

quarters, with caesars and augusti to rule each.

An attempt to divide up administrative tasks

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Persecution of Christians

Baths of Diocletian

Baths of Diocletian

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Emperor Constantine (r. 306-337)

Constantine (r. 306-337)

•  Builds Constantinople (Byzantium/Istanbul)

•  Develops Mobile Frontier Armies

•  Converts to Christianity

•  Establishes religious tolerance (Edict of Milan, 313 AD)

Constantinople

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“In Hoc Signo Vinces”

Constantine At Milvian Bridge

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Constantine & Hollywood!

Rome: “Fall” vs. “Transformation”?

Why did Rome fall? •  Postmodern/Pirenne: no fall at all? •  Environmental (deforestation, Krakatoa) •  External forces (Huns, Goths, Vandals) •  Economic (lack of gold/silver, inflation, arbitrary

taxation, low tariffs, “plunder economy”) •  Epidemological (plague, lead, measles) •  Ethnic mixing (“Germanization” of troops) •  Others:

–  Chrisitian focus on heaven > now; –  “lack of martial vigor” –  Continued civil war –  “clash of civilizations” –  Moral decay –  Etc.