THE GLOBAL ROMAN WORLD
ROMAN EMPIRE AT ITS HEIGHT
THE FIRST EMPEROR
BACKGROUND TO THE FIRST EMPEROR
IN THE CHAOS AFTER THE DEATH OF JULIUS CASEAR AT THE END OF THE REPUBLIC 2 MEN EMERGED AS POSSIBLE RULERS - MARK ANTHONY AND OCTAVIAN
OCTAVIAN DEFEATED MARK ANTHONY AT THE NAVAL BATTLE OF ACTIUM
- THE DEFEATED MARK ANTHONY FLED TO EGYPT WITH CLEOPATRA.
OCTAVIAN BECAME AUGUSTUS CAESAR THE FIRST ROMAN EMPEROR
ROME WOULD BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CITIES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD WITH A MILLION PEOPLE AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE WOULD LAST FOR 5OO YEARS
THE FIRST 2OO YEARS OF THE EMPIRE WAS KNOWN AS THE PAX ROMANA ROMAN PEACE - IT WAS A PERIOD OF STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. THE ROMANS CREATED A MONEY SYSTEM OF COINS TO REPLACE BARTERING - CALLED DENARIUS AND SESTERTIUS EQUAL TO $1:5O - A LOAF OF BREAD APPROX 1/2 SESTERTIUS
SEEING ROME FOR THE FIRST TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE
AUGUSTUS WAS AN INTELLIGENT RULER WHO REBUILT MUCH OF NEW ROME
THEN ONE DAY IN POMPEII IN 79AD
POMPEII WAS BURIED UNDER 6 METRES OF VOLCANIC ASH
A 'POMPEII COUPLE' WALL ART DICOVERED IN
EXCAVATIONS STARTED IN MID 18 th CENTURY
HOW THE EMPIRE EXPANDED
1. AS ROMAN POWER EXPANDED THEY INTEGRATED MOST OF THE PEOPLE THEY HAD CONQUERED INTO ROMAN SOCIETY MAKING THEM FREE CITIZENS
2. THE ROMANS INVENTED CONCRETE AND RE BUILT MANY NEW CITIES IMPROVING THE ARCHITECTURE WHERE EVER THEY WENT
3. UNLIKE THE GREEKS THEY USED THE ARCH IN CONSTRUCTION AND ESPECIALLY TO TRANSPORT WATER VIA THEIR AMAZING AQUEDUCTS
ROMAN AQUEDUCTS
FROM A DOCUMENTARY SERIES I MADE IN ROME WITH
ARCHAEOLOGIST DR DARIUS ARYA
USING CONCRETE AND ARCHES THEY BUILT INCREDIBLE BUILDINGS LIKE THE COLOSSEUM HOLDING 5O,OOO SPECTATORS
OPENED AD 8O / STARTED BY EMPEROR VESPASIAN
FROM THE LIVING HISTORY SHOW I FILMED WITH
ARCHAEOLOGIST
Dr DARIUS ARYA
4. THEY BUILT MANY NEW ROADS TO CONNECT THE EMPIRE FOR TRADE AND THEIR ARMIES ON THE MARCH
5. THEY HAD AN EXCELLENT DISCIPLINED ORGANISED ARMY THEY WERE PAID AND WHEN DISCHARGED AFTER 2O YEARS SERVICE WERE GIVEN LAND AND CITIZENSHIP IF THEY WERE SLAVES
INSPITE OF THEIR POWERFUL MILITARY THEY OCCASIONALLY SUFFERED BAD DEFEATS - UNDER GENERAL VARIUS
IN 9 AD THE LOSS OF 3 LEGIONS BY AMBUSH IN THE FOREST IN GERMANIA
6. THE 5 GOOD EMPERORS INTRODUCING REFORMS NEW BUILDING PROJECTS KEEPING THE PEACE AND EXPANDING THE EMPIRE WHERE POSSIBLE
NERVA 96- 98AD
TRAJAN 98 - 117 AD
HADRIAN 117 - 138 AD
ANTONINUS PIUS 138 - 161 AD
MARCUS AURELIUS 161 - 18O AD
SOME OF THE EMPERORS WERE QUITE BAD AND EVEN MAD - NERO AND CALIGULA
EMPEROR HADRIAN REBUILT
THE PANTHEON
THE TEMPLE TO ALL THE GODS
ANOTHER EPISODE FROM MY 'LIVING HISTORY SHOW' DOCUMENTARY SERIES
7. ROMAN LAWS WERE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE, THE LAWS WERE ENFORCED - THIS BROUGHT CIVIL STABILITY TO THE EMPIRE. LAWS WE STILL USE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL AND BE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
1O. THE ROMANS ADOPTED GREEK GODS
ZEUS became JUPITER
ATHENA became MINERVA
POSEIDON beacame NEPTUNE
ARES became MARS
HERMES became MERCURY
HADES became PLUTO
DIONYSUS became BACCHUS
11. ROMAN WOMEN ENJOYED MORE FREEDOM THAN ATHENIAN WOMEN BUT HAD TO RESPECT THEIR FATHERS AND HUSBANDS - UNDER THE EMPEROR HADRIAN HAD THE RIGHT TO REFUSE MARRIAGE - DIVORCE WAS POSSIBLE - IF A WOMAN WAS NOT FERTILE SHE COULD BE DISOWNED - WOMEN COULD NOT VOTE OR HOLD POLITICAL OFFICE BUT THEY HAD THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF
VESTAL VIRGINS
THEY RESPECTED HIGH PRIESTESSES OF THE HEARTH 'THE VESTA' - PRESERVATION OF THE SACRED FIRE OF ROME - WOULD BE CHOSEN BY A HIGH PRIEST BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 - 1O THEY SERVED FOR 3O YEARS -
WEALTHY WOMEN OF COURSE HAD THEIR OWN SLAVES AND THEY COULD PERSUE EDUCATION - DOMESTIC ABUSE WAS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE - WOMEN COULD RUN BUSINESSES -
THEY COULD ATTEND ALL RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS - THEY COULD EXERCISE IN THE GYMNASIUMS
12. ALL THE ARTS WERE DEVELOPED IN ROME POETRY DRAMA PAINTING AND ESPECIALLY MOZAICS AND MURALS
13. CHRISTIANITY BEGAN UNDER ROMAN RULE - THE ROMANS GENERALLY TOLLERATED OTHER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS THAN THEIR OWN PAGAN GODS - BUT SOME EMPERORS LIKE NERO IN AD 64 BLAMED THEM FOR A FIRE THAT BURNT MUCH OF THE CITY. HE CONTINUED TO PERSECUTE THEM AS MARTRYS IN THE COLOSSEUM.
INSPITE OF THE PERSECUTION CHRITIANITY BEGAN TO SPEAD ( AFTER CHRIST BY THE APOSTLES AND ST. PAUL) THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EMPIRE BUT WHERE RADICAL JEWS RESENTED ROMAN RULE THEY WERE HARSHLY TREATED eg IN THEIR HOMELAND OF JUDEA. MANY ROMAN EMPERORS TRIED TO OUTLAW CHRISTIANITY AND THEIR WAS A CONSTANT STUGGLE FOR EARLY BELIEVERS IN THE FIRST FEW CENTURIES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
14. THEN IN AD 313 EMPEROR CONSTANTINE (AD 312 TO AD 337) CONVERTED THE EMPIRE TO CHRISTIANITY - AFTER HE HAD SEEN A CROSS IN THE SKY JUST BEFORE AN IMPORTANT BATTLE THAT HE HAD WON ' BY THIS SIGN YOU SHALL CONQUER ' - ALIGNING THIS TO CHRISTIANITY HE BECAME A CHRISTIAN BELIEVER
- HE THEN DIVIDED THE EMPIRE INTO 2 ESTABLISHING A NEW CHRISTIAN CAPITAL IN BYZANTINIUM - WHICH HE CALLED IT CONSTANTINOPLE
PRESENT DAY ISTANBUL IN TURKEY
AFTER THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE FELL IN 476 AD THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER 1OOO YEARS
DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
AFTER EMPEROR CONSTANTINE THE EMPIRE SLOWLY DECLINED IN POWER - THERE WERE NO GREAT EMPERORS AT THIS TIME TO LEAD AND HOLD THE EMPIRE TOGETHER - ARMY LEGIONS WENT ROGUE AROUND THE EMPIRE WNATING THEIR GENERALS TO BE EMPEROR - INTERNAL BATTLES WITHIN THE SENATE, POLITICAL UNREST AND POVERTY IN THE STREETS OF ROME - INVADERS WEAKENED THE NORTHERN BORDERS AND EVENTUALLY THE VISIGOTHS SACKED ROME IN 41O, THEN THE VANDALS IN 455 -
THE LAST EMPEROR ROMULUS AUGUSTULUS WAS DEPOSED IN 476 BC IN ROME BY A BARBARIAN LEADER ODOACER
THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE BROUGHT FORTH THE DARK AGES IN EUROPE AND THEN THE BEGINNING OF THE MIDDLE AGES - THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE LASTED UNTIL 1453
A PORTRAIT OF MODERN ROME
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