The Rise and Fall of the Roman
Republic
Chapter 9: Rome’s Dark Night of
Tyranny
By Dallin Hardy

Octavian



Became Emperor of the
Roman Empire
End of the Roman
Republic
Introduced the


Age of Augustus
31 B.C.-14 A.D.
The Age of Augustus

Octavian


31 B.C.-14 A.D.
Given the title




Augustus
“The Revered one”
“The Sacred one”
First Roman Emperor

Imperator

Emperor

Livy



59 B.C.-17 A.D.
Roman historian
Wrote

History of Rome

“Bread and Circuses”


Juvenal
Common people


Rather than care about
their freedom
Distract themselves with
entertainment

Gladiatorial Games


Entertainment
Blood sports

Battle of the Teutoburg
Forest

Rome sought to conquer


Germania
3 Legions led by Varus

Were massacred by the
Germans


Led by Arminius
 Hermann the German
“Varus, give me back my
legions!”

Augustus

The Death of Augustus


Died of old age
Famous last words

“Did you like the
performance?”
Roman Religion

Roman Gods

Adopted from the Greek
gods

Religious Synchronism

The merging of religions
Greek God
Roman God Role
Zeus
Jupiter
Chief god
Ares
Mars
God of war
Hera
Juno
Wife of chief god
Aphrodite
Venus
Goddess of love
Artemis
Diana
Goddess of the hunt
Athena
Minerva
Goddess of wisdom
Hermes
Mercury
Messenger god
Pluto
God of the underworld
Neptune
God of the sea
Hades
Poseidon
Hephaestus Vulcan
God of fire

“We have overcome all
the nations of the world,
because we have
realized that the world is
directed and governed
by the gods.”

Cicero
The Rise of Christianity

Jesus Christ


1-33 A.D.
Preached


Judaea
Galilee

The Birth of Jesus

The Message of Jesus

“Think not that I am
come to destroy the law,
or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but
to fulfil.”

Matthew 5:17

“Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would
that men should do to
you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law
and the prophets.”

Matthew 7:12


“And thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with
all thy strength: this is the
first commandment.
And the second is like,
namely this, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other
commandment greater than
these.”

Mark 12:30-31

Jesus taught ethical
teachings




Humility
Charity
Love
Shaped the value
system of Western
Civilization

Jesus


Was arrested
Brought before

Pontius Pilate


Roman magistrate
Ordered Jesus to be
crucified

The Crucifixion of
Jesus

The Resurrection

Follows proclaimed that
Jesus had conquered
death

The Spread of
Christianity

Simon Peter


Fisherman
Leader of Jesus’
apostles

Paul




Roman citizen
Persecuted Christians
Miraculously converted to
Christianity
The greatest Christian
missionary


Taught the gentiles
Founded churches
throughout the
Mediterranean

Christian Writings


Oral traditions
Epistles


Letters
New Testament

Compilation of Christian
writings

The Triumph of
Christianity

The effects of
Christian persecution

Christianity



Strengthened
More organized
Greater Commitment
Darkness Falls

The Early Empire

14-180 A.D.
Emperors of the Early Empire

Tiberius



14-37 A.D.
Stepson of Augustus
Great general

Tiberius the Tyrant

Assassinated



Created a police state


Agrippa
Germanicus
Criticism of the state was
treason
Immoral

Caligula


37-41 A.D.
“Little Boots”




Eccentric
Extravagant
Cruel
Perverted

Madness of Caligula


Ordered the sun to rise
Made his horse a priest





Gave the horse a house
Wanted to appoint the
horse as consul
Committed adultery
Thought he was a living
god
“Let them hate me, so
long as they fear me.”

The Assassination of
Caligula


Stabbed to death
30 Wounds
Dean of Depravity

Claudius





41-54 A.D.
Had cerebral palsy
Great administrator
Built public works
Conquered Britain

Death of Claudius

Poisoned by his wife

Agrippina


Wanted her son to
become Emperor
 Nero
Claudius was later deified

Temple of Claudius
Persecutions and Power
Factions

Nero



54-68 A.D.
Claudius’ stepson
Last of the Julian dynasty



Libertine
Tyrant
First emperor to persecute
the Christians

Matricide


59 A.D.
Attempted murder



In a ship wreck
Agrippina survived
Had her executed

Made to look like a suicide

Great Fire of Rome




64 A.D.
5 Days
1/3rd of Rome was
destroyed
Nero blamed the fire on
the Christians


Christians were punished
Nero may have started
the fire

In order to begin new
building projects

Nero “fiddled while
Rome burned”

Nero’s Public
Performances





Drove a four-horse chariot
Sang
Played the harp
Wrote poetry
Composed

Roman Persecution

Initially


Romans paid little attention
to Christians
Christians refused to
worship

The Roman gods

Act of treason

Persecution of
Christians

Began with Nero

64 A.D.

Methods of
Persecution



Crucifixion
Burned
Eaten by wild beasts

The Underground
Christian movement


Met in the catacombs
Fish symbol

The Death of Nero



Suicide
Stabbed in the throat
“What an artist the world
is losing in me”

Pax Romana



Roman Peace
Lasted for more than 200
years
27 B.C.-180 A.D.

Vespasian


69-79 A.D.
Conducted a war against
Judea

Destruction of Jerusalem


70 A.D.
Started to build the
Colosseum

The Destruction of
Jerusalem


66 A.D. Jewish revolt
70 A.D.

The destruction of
Jerusalem


By Rome
Destroyed the Temple of
Jerusalem

Titus


79-81 A.D.
General

Crushed the Jewish
rebellion


70 A.D.
Relieved the suffering
from

The eruption of Mount
Vesuvius

Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius


79 A.D. August 24
Pompeii



19 Hours
A day after the Vulcanalia


Town at the base of the
volcano
Festival of the Roman god
of fire
Thousands were killed

Domitian




81-96 A.D.
Heavily persecuted
Christians
Paranoid
Murdered by his
Praetorian guard
The Five Good Emperors

Nerva


96-98 A.D.
Reformed land laws

Trajan


98-117 A.D.
Expanded Roman rule




Romania
Mesopotamia
Sinai Peninsula
Rome’s reached it
greatest territorial
extent

Trajan’s Column



113 A.D.
98 Feet tall
Dacian Wars

Arches

Ancona

Hadrian



117-138 A.D.
Withdrew Roman
forces from
Mesopotamia
Strengthened



Rhine
Danube
Codified Roman law
Hadrian’s Building Projects

Hadrian’s Wall




122 A.D.
74 Miles long
Northern Britain
To keep out the


Picts
Scots

Hadrian’s Tomb


Castel Sant’Angelo
135-139 A.D.

Antoninus Pius


138-161 A.D.
Promoted



Art
Science
Constructed public
works

Marcus Aurelius


161-180 A.D.
“The Wise”

Stoic Philosopher



Stoicism
 Self control
 Fortitude
 Objective
Fought campaigns in
Germania
His death was followed
with

Conflict & Confusion

Extent of the Empire


212 A.D.
Caracalla

Gave Roman citizenship
to every free person

Roman culture



Cities
Roman law
Latin


Greek


Western part
Eastern part
Mixed with Greek
culture

Greco-Roman
Empire’s End

Economic and Military
Problems

Caused by






Invasions
Civil wars
Plague
Heavy taxation
Political turmoil
Foreign wars

Antonine Plague




165-180 A.D.
Smallpox or measles
2,000 Roman deaths a
day
5 million people died

Results



Labor shortage
Farm production
declined
Fewer soldiers

Hired German
Mercenaries

Lacked
 Roman traditions
 Loyalty to Rome

Severan Dynasty

193-235 A.D.

Septimius Severus


Caracalla


217-218
Elagabalus


211-217
Macrinus


193-211
218-212
Alexander Severus

222-235
Crisis of the Third Century

Political Upheavals

Civil wars


“Military anarchy”
235-284 A.D.

22 Emperors

Many met with a violent
death

The Late Roman
Empire

284-476 A.D.

Diocletian


284-305 A.D.
Divided Rome into

2 Parts



East
West
Each to be ruled by a
different emperor

Constantine the Great

Emperor of the Eastern
Roman Empire

306-312 A.D.

Maxentius

Emperor of the
Western Roman
Empire

306-312 A.D.

Battle of Milvian Bridge


October 28, 312 A.D.
Roman Civil War

Constantine



Eastern Roman Emperor
50,000
Maxentius


Western Roman Emperor
120,000

The Vision of
Constantine

October 27, 312 A.D.

Constantine




Looked at the sun
Saw a cross of light
Heard the words
 “In hoc signo
vinces”
 “In this sign, be
victorious!”
Placed crosses on
their tunics

Results



Maxentius is defeated
The death of Maxentius
Constantine becomes the
sole ruler of Rome

Rome United

Constantine

306-337 A.D.

The Triumph of
Christianity

The effects of
Christian persecution

Christianity



Strengthened
More organized
Greater Commitment

Organization of the
Christian church

Clergy


Church leaders
Laity

Church members

Appeal of Christianity

Personal

Offered





Salvation
Eternal life
Gave purpose to life
Similar to other religions
Communities

Satisfied the need to belong

Constantine


The first Christian
emperor
337 A.D.

Baptized

The Edict of Milan



By Constantine
313 A.D.
Official tolerance of
Christianity

The Council of Nicaea

325 A.D.



Uniformed Christian
doctrine
Celebration of Easter
Unified Christian churches

Constantinople

330 A.D.




The new capitol of the
Roman Empire
“New Rome”
Built by Constantine
A strategic location

For defense

The Death of
Constantine

Divided the Roman
empire

Between his three sons
The Fall

Goths


Germanic tribe
Sought to enter

Roman Empire

Flavius Julius Valens



Reigned 364-375
Opened the boarders and
invited the Goths
Sought



Mercenaries
Laborers
Expanded tax base

Gothic Rebellion

Goths




Treated poorly
Conscripted into Roman
military
Rebelled
Led by

Fritigern

Battle of Adrianople

August 9, 378 A.D.

Roman emperor


Valens
 30,000
Gothic rebels

Fritigern
 20,000

Results




Gothic victory
The death of Valens
Shattered the empire
Boarders left unprotected


Invaded by Barbarians
Major turning point in the

Fall of Rome

Theodosius the Great


379-395 A.D.
Christianity becomes the
official religion of Rome

Theodosius



392-395
Briefly reunited the
Roman Empire
Divided the empire upon
his death

Between his two sons


Arcadius
 The Eastern Roman
Empire
Honorius
 The Western Roman
Empire

The Sacking of Rome


410 A.D.
Visigoths



Alaric I
Attacked Rome
The first time in 800 years
that Rome had fallen to
an enemy

Romulus Augustus


463-476
The last Roman emperor

The Fall of the
Western Roman
Empire


476 A.D.
Fell to Odoacer


German
The first Barbarian
king of Rome

Byzantine Empire



395-1453
The Eastern Roman
Empire
Thrives for another
millennia

Fall of Empires




Despotism
Militarism
Expansionism
Welfarism