The Roman Empire(27 BC to 475 AD).

The Republic Expands (350 B.C.E. to 150 B.C.E)

Romans secured their territories because of military colonies and generous policy toward the people they conquered. They let them

•Free from taxation

•Govern their own internal affairs

•Participate in trade

•Take Roman spouses

In return, they had to provide military support and alliance

Rome’s Expansion Creates Problems

• Rome became wealthy and powerful, but there were problems:– The Roman constitution that

had worked for a small city-state it would not work for a large empire.

– Conquered lands fell into the hands of wealthy elites who organized plantations known as latifundia.

– Owners of latifundia operated at lower costs than did owners of smaller holdings who often were forced to sell their land to wealthier neighbors.

– The social inequality increased. The small land owners, the plebs and the veterans pushed for changes

The military dictatorship (95-44 BC)

• Military commanders lead by General Gaius Marius recruited landless farmers for an army and initiated a civil war.

• Marius’ army marched on Rome and placed the city under military occupation. He was supported by the populares who challenged the existing order and tried to increase the influence of the plebs.

• At the death on Mario (in 83

BC) Sulla, another Roman general supported by the Optimates (or patricians) challenged Mario’s designated successor, seized Rome and murdered some ten thousand individuals.

• Sulla became Dictator of Rome and started his "Reign of Terror”, with indiscriminate killing of political opponents

• In late 81 BC Sulla stunned the world (and posterity) by resigning his near-absolute powers and restoring constitutional government. Shortly after, he retired to private life and

died.

• By the time Sulla died in 78 B.C, he had imposed policies that weakened the influence of the lower classes and strengthened the wealthy in Roman politics.

• Poverty in the cities had increased, while the price of grain had risen. Social outbreaks were common.

• The urban poor joined the personal armies of ambitious generals.

• Because of social instability, the newly restored republic did not have long life

Julius Caesar (49 BC-44 BC)• Gaius Marius’s nephew, Julius

Caesar, was a general of the Roman army, then a consul, and then in 49 B.C. he named himself dictator of Rome.

• He favored liberal policies and had the support of the plebs

• He was popular with Romans because he spent sums of money sponsoring battles between gladiators and wild animals.

• This kept him in the public eye and helped to publicize his interests in social reform.

• He led an army to Gaul (now France) which he conquered and brought it into the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar made much needed reforms:

•He relieved debts of the lower class.

•He used his wealth to promote building and entertainment in Rome which pacified his subjects.

•He confiscated land from his opponents and redistributed among his army’s veterans.

•He extended Roman citizenship to people in the conquered provinces.

The Roman Empire (27 BC-331 AD)• In 44 BC Caesar was

assassinated (stabbed to death) in the Roman forum. Civil War went on for the next 17 years.

• Caesar’s nephew, Octavian (AKA Augustus) built a monarchy (disguised as a republic). He was the first emperor of Rome

• Augustus initiated a period of domestic peace and foreign expansion which lasted more than 200 years.

The Roman Empire (117 AD.)

The Empire Flourishes

• When Roman soldiers, diplomats, governors, and merchants arrived in newly conquered territories, they boosted the local economy

• They accessed local resources and encouraged inhabitants to cultivate wheat, olives, and grapes.

• Local ruling elites joined with Roman representatives and used wealth to control natural resources and stimulated the economical growth

•

Civil Development• Around 450 BC, Roman

jurists (judges, attorneys) adopted the Roman code as a basic law code for citizens of the early republic.

• During the late republic, jurists worked to create a body of law that would work for the diverse people of the Empire.

• They established the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and defendants could challenge accusers before a judge in a court of law.

Roma and Greece• Rome completed the

conquer of Greece in 148 BC. The Romans became fascinated by the superior Greek culture and adopted many of the cultural aspects of Greek life (i.e. philosophy, mathematics, theatre, and even mythology!) Greek books were copied and translated, and studied, and that is how they came to us.

Technological Development• Roman engineers

prepared deep beds for roads, edged them with curbs, provided drainage and used large, flat paving stones. They developed wide roads for two lanes.

• They built temples, bath houses, public buildings, stadiums, and aqueducts in the territories that they conquered

Social Structure• Families were ruled by the

oldest male (Pater familia) • Under the Empire, it was legal

for women to own land, run businesses, free slaves, make wills, inherit wealth, and get a paid job. 

• Slavery was an essential component of the Roman empire. By the 2nd century C.E., more than 1/3 of the population were slaves. Slaves had the potential to lead economically successful lives, even gaining their freedom.

Tax system

• In the early days of the Roman Republic, public taxes consisted of modest assessments on owned wealth and property. The tax rate under normal circumstances was 1% and sometimes would climb as high as 3% in situations such as war. 

• By 167 B.C Rome no longer needed to levy a tax against its citizens in Italy and looked only to the provinces for collections.Tax assessments in these communities fell under the jurisdiction of Provincial governors and various local magistrates.

• Tax farmers (Publicani) were used to collect these taxes from the provincials. The Publicani would bid for the right to collect in particular regions, and pay the state in advance of this collection. The collectors would keep anything in excess of what they bid plus the interest due from the treasury. This system lead to lots of abuses and consequent rebellion in various provinces.

Development of Religion• The Galilea and other remote

provinces of the empire were particularly vexed by taxes and unscrupulous publicans

• Jews (who were monotheistic) formed a community around Jesus of Nazareth, a charismatic leader who taught peace, devotion to God, and love for fellow human beings.

• 1st Century AD: The ideas of Christianity spread thanks to better roads and communication systems established by the Roman Empire.

But in the 1st century AD, political problems mounted.

The empire was too large for one emperor to control

Emperors were weak and sometimes

crazy.

Citizens experienced a loss of confidence, patriotism, & loyalty to the

Roman government

.. And economic problemsOutside groups disrupted trade

Poor harvests led to food shortages

Rome had a trade imbalance (they bought more than they produced)

The gov’t raised taxes & printed new coins which led to inflation

The economic decline left many

Romans poor

And military problemsGermanic tribes outside Rome were gaining strength

The Roman military was growing weak: generals were

challenging the authority of the emperors

To save money, Romans hired foreign soldiers but

these “mercenaries” were not loyal to Rome

• The fall of the Roman Empire

happened in 3 major stages:–An era of decline due to internal

problems within Rome –A brief period of revival due to

reforms by Emperors Diocletian & Constantine

–Continued decline, invasion by Germanic “barbarians”, & the conquest of Rome

• In 284 A.D. Emperor Diocletian came to power & made a series

of reforms that temporarily halted Rome’s decline

– To fix the military, he doubled the size of the Roman army

– To fix the economy, he fixedprices for goods

– To fix the lack of loyalty, he presented himself as a “godlike” emperor

Diocletian’s most important reform was realizing Rome was too large and dividing the empire into the Western Eastern Roman

Empires

Attempts to Reform the Empire • After Diocletian, the emperor Constantine came to power &

continued to reform Rome (~ 300 AD)

– To help unify Rome, he ended persecutions and converted to Christianity

– He moved the official capital from Rome to a new city in the East, called Constantinople.

Constantinople was a major trade

center & was easy to defend; The city

was built in the Roman style but had a

strong Greek & Christian influence

The Collapse of the Roman Empire

By 370 A.D., “barbarian” groups outside Rome, led by the Huns, began to attack

The weak Roman army in the West could do little to stop the invasions; By 476, Germanic barbarians

conquered Western Rome

The Fall of Rome

After the Fall of Rome The East became the Byzantine Empire & flourished for another thousand years. The Byzantine Empire kept alive

the cultural achievements of ancient Greece & Rome