Transcript Gladiator 2000

Gladiator 2000
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire
http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/roman-empire.html
The Roman Empire
• Ancient Rome was a powerful kingdom in 750 BC.
It grew steadily until in 27 BC, when the nephew of
Julius Caesar, Octavius took control of the now
Republic.
• He named himself Augustus Caesar and Emperor
of the now Empire.
• For the next 200 years Rome grew at a steady pace,
encompassing more and more of the then known
world.
Senatus Populusque Romanus
(S.P.Q.R.)
• To create this ever
increasing empire,
Rome relied on a large
army.
• The army was made
up of Romans, and
men from the lands
that they conquered as
well.
Good Emperors
• From 96 AD to 180 AD there
was a period called the Pax
Romana.
• It was a long period of
expansion.
• It was presided over by five
emperors who were called the
‘Good Emperors’.
• They were called this in
comparison to the last four
emperors who had been corrupt
and immoral.
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Marcus Aurelius
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people/Marcus_aurelius_bust_bw.jpg
• Marcus Aurelius is the
most famous of these. He
was a stoic philosopher, a
warrior and a powerful
emperor.
• He was a general from
Spain that was adopted by
the Antoninus Pius.
• He made great legal
reforms & strengthened
the economy.
Marcus Aurelius
• His book is called The Meditations and is a
self-improvement book.
• Some of examples of his thoughts on virtue
and responsibility include
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“Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you
live, while it is in your power, be good.”
“The best way of avenging yourself is not to become like the wrongdoer.”
“One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him: and all this in a
short time. To conclude, always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are, and
what was yesterday a little mucus to-morrow will be a mummy or ashes. Pass then through this
little space of time in the way of nature, and end your journey in contentment, just as an olive
falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it
grew. “
Commodus
http://home.wish.net/~mgelten/Staatshoof
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• Sadly, at his death he was
followed by his son,
Commodus.
• Commodus was weak,
amoral, corrupt and
mentally unstable.
• He was unable to maintain
the progress of his father
and the rest of the Good
Emperors, and the Empire
was never as strong again.
The Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire is famous for its
obsession with blood sports.
• They had built massive amphitheaters and
they watched gladiators fight each other, wild
animals, and reenact great historic battles.
• They also loved to watch Christians and
other minorities be forced to fight wild
animals and gladiators unarmed.
Gladiators
• Gladiators fought in public
battles.
• They were usually men who
were criminals, slaves or
prisoners of war.
• Occasionally, they were
professionals who chose the life.
• They were trained to use a
variety of weapons, and if they
survived 3-5 years, they were
freed.
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