If you can't read please download the document
Upload
melita
View
46
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Roman Empire. Pax Romana = Roman Peace. 31 BCE – 180 CE 200-year span between Augustus and Marcus Aurelius Augustus : 31 BCE - 14 CE ended civil war and created a stable government Marcus Aurelius : 161-180 Plato’s ideal of the philosopher-king. Period of Political Turmoil: 180-284. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Roman Empire
Roman EmpirePax Romana = Roman Peace
31 BCE 180 CE200-year span between Augustus and Marcus AureliusAugustus: 31 BCE - 14 CEended civil war and created a stable government Marcus Aurelius: 161-180Platos ideal of the philosopher-king
Period of Political Turmoil: 180-284
Diocletian: 284-305divided empire into eastern and western parts - ruled in the eastinstituted economic reforms fixed prices for goods and servicesfarmers working on latifundias had to remain on the landsons were required to follow their fathers occupationsConstantine: 312-337granted freedom of religion - legalizing Christianity
Roman Society
patriarchal familywomen gained greater public freedom: business, theater, baths
Achievements
access to education: all classes and both sexesengineering: roads, bridges, aqueducts, harbors, and bathsliterature: Virgils Aeneid - epic poem glorifying Romes heroic past, Ovids The Metamorphoses - tales of Greek/Roman godslaw: principles later incorporated into U.S Bill of Rights
Bread & Circus
to feed and entertain the masseschariot races, gladiator fights, mock naval battles, and public executions
Problematic Neighbors
Germanic tribes: Ostogoths, Visigoths, Vandals semi-nomadic invaders originally from ScandinaviaHunsfierce nomads and superb riders and warriors from Central Asiadrove more Germanic tribes into the Roman Empire
Causes of Decline
Politicaldivision of empire = less capable leaders in the westoppression and corruption = less popular supportno official system of succession = internal power struggles and civil wars between rival generals
Causes of Decline
Militarypoorly trained armiesmercenaries (foreign soldiers who fight for pay) had no loyalty series of Germanic invasions
Causes of Decline
Economicincrease in taxes to support army and bureaucracyreliance on slave labor - created unemploymentindenture of farmers to wealthy landownersno more loot from newly conquered territories
Causes of Decline
Socialdecline in population from war and disease decline in patriotism, discipline and devotion to dutydevotion of upper classes to luxury and self-interestGermanic rulers became as acceptable as Roman rulers
Fall of Rome ~ 476 CE
Odoacer, a minor German chief, captured Rome, forced the emperor to give up the throne, and proclaimed himself King of Italy.