Transcript Chapter 9: The Fate of Ancient Rome

CHAPTER 9: THE FATE OF ANCIENT ROME
SECTION 1: ROMAN DAILY LIFE
ROMAN DAILY LIFE
Rome had many of the
most beautiful
monuments and
buildings in the world
 It contained more goods
and marketplaces than
any other city
 The empire was very
large, and people
brought goods from all
over to sell in Rome
 Rome was very busy!

ROMAN CITIZENS

Over 1 million people lived
in Rome during Augustus’
rule
 As
a result, Rome was noisy
and overcrowded
BEING COUNTED AS A CITIZEN
Being a Roman citizen was a matter of great pride
– people wanted to live in Rome
 In the republic and early years of the empire, only
residents of Rome were citizens


Every 5 years, Roman men registered for the census
 Census:


the official count of people living in Rome
Men had to declare all family members, slaves, and wealth on their
census form
Registering was the only way to be counted a citizen
 If
a man did not register, he could lose his property or be sold
into slavery

Women, children, slaves, and freed slaves were not
citizens
CITIZENS AND CITY

As the empire
expanded, people
beyond Rome gained
citizenship
Residents of Rome took
pride in their
monuments, buildings,
and city, and looked
down on those outside
the city
 Rome had a vibrant
social scene, with many
banquets and gatherings

ROMAN SOCIAL CLASSES

Roman society had a small
number of rich people



In contrast, there were many
poor people and slaves
There was a huge gap
between the poor and the
wealthy
Most Romans had few
luxuries


Many poor Romans were
unemployed
They depended on handouts
from the government to
support them
A LIFE OF LUXURY
The rich people had elegant homes in the city,
and large country homes called “villas”
 Wealthy people had great feasts and showed
off their wealth

 They
had entertainers come to perform at the
feasts
ANOTHER WAY OF LIFE FOR THE POOR

On the other hand, most people in Rome lived in poorly built
and rundown houses




They had no running water, toilets, or proper kitchens
They lived in tall apartment buildings with many steps to walk up
and down
Human waste and garbage was carried downstairs or dumped
from windows
They were made of wood, so fires were frequent

A large fire in 64 A.D. destroyed much of Rome
Roman
“insula,” or
apartment
building
BREAD AND CIRCUSES

The poor needed grain and wheat to survive
 Bread
was made from grain and wheat
 When
grain and wheat harvests were bad or shipments
were late, the poor people rioted
 In order to prevent riots, the emperors provided free grain
at the Colosseum

Roman emperors also held shows at the
Colosseum or other arenas
 The
arenas were called “circuses,” and the show
itself could also be called a “circus”

Circuses could be very violent – the Romans
loved brutal forms of entertainment
 Humans
vs. humans
 Humans vs. animals
 Animals vs. animals
 Criminals were executed publicly for everyone to
see
 Clowns would entertain people (if the audience had
enough bloodshed for the day)
 Gladiator:
someone who fought to the death for
entertainment purposes
 Most
gladiators were slaves captured in battle
 Some were free men and women who enjoyed the fame
and fortune received from their success
 The gladiator match lasted until one gladiator was dead,
dying, or wounded

Wounded gladiators would either be killed or, if the crowd
thought they had fought bravely, allowed to live

Crowds waved handkerchiefs to spare the loser, and thumbs down
meant death
ROMAN FAMILY LIFE – SUPPORT FROM THE
GOVERNMENT
Despite their enjoyment of brutal sports,
Romans had strong family values
 Roman government provided support to
families, especially to the upper classes

 Fathers
of large families received land from the
government
 This was meant to encourage wealthy families to
have children and continue the family name
 There were no government benefits for unmarried
men and couples with no children
THE ROMAN HOUSEHOLD

Head of a Roman household called paterfamilias – Latin for
“father of the family”




The family included everyone below the paterfamilias
The Paterfamilias could be the father, grandfather, or greatgrandfather of the household
Three generations often lived under one roof
The Paterfamilias had absolute power in the household – he
owned everything in it – women, children, slaves, furniture – and
this was Roman law!


Wealthy families controlled as many as hundreds of slaves


Early on, the paterfamilias could sell a son or daughter into slavery,
although later, this was outlawed
Slaves did all the work for the family, even raising children
Poor families did not own slaves
THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN ROMAN SOCIETY

Women’s roles:

When a woman got married, she left the house of her father
to live in her husband’s house
She would take her place under the paterfamilias of the house,
whether it was her husband or an older member of the family
 In some cases, women got married just to produce children for her
husband’s family


The amount of freedom a woman had depended on her
husband’s wealth and social status

Wealthy women had a lot of independence and influenced
their families


Some women became doctors and became involved in business
Lower-class women became cooks, hairdressers,
entertainers, and dressmakers
SLAVERY IN ROME

Slavery was common in Rome



Almost every wealthy family had slaves
One-third of Italy’s population were slaves
Household slaves were generally taken care of very well

Most were not paid or given monetary tips, but families would
generally treat them well


Farm slaves and slaves who worked in mines led hard lives



They sometimes became part of the family
Sometimes they worked and slept chained together like prisoners,
and worked in terrible conditions
Many of these slaves also were forced to fight as gladiators
Some slaves were able to buy freedom through the tips or
wages they received

Slaves who were skilled gladiators could become rich and famous
EXIT QUESTION

Before we leave class today, answer the
following questions (at least 2 sentences each):
 Why
was being a citizen so important to the
Romans?
 Being a citizen can be compared to the importance
of being part of a group. What groups are you a
“citizen” of? Why are they important to you?
SECTION 1: ROMAN DAILY LIFE: SHORT VERSION
ROMAN DAILY LIFE

Rome was a proud and
busy city
 Filled
w/beautiful
buildings (such as
Pantheon and
Colosseum)
 Busy marketplaces filled
with people
 Merchants
brought goods
from all over to sell in
Rome
ROMAN CITIZENS

Over 1 million people lived
in Rome during Augustus’
rule
 As
a result, Rome was noisy
and overcrowded
BEING COUNTED AS A CITIZEN

Being a Roman citizen was a matter of great
pride – people wanted to live in Rome
 In
order to be counted as a citizen, men had to
register for the census every 5 years
 Census:

the official count of people living in Rome
Men had to declare all family members, slaves, and wealth on
their census form
 Women,
citizens
children, slaves, and freed slaves were not
ROMAN SOCIAL CLASSES
Roman society had a small
number of rich people
 In contrast, there were
many poor people and
slaves


There was a huge gap
between the poor and the
wealthy
 Many
poor Romans were
unemployed, depending on
support from the government
 In order to prevent riots, the
emperors provided free grain
at the Colosseum
A LIFE OF LUXURY
The rich people had elegant homes in the city,
and large country homes called “villas”
 They showed off their wealth

ANOTHER WAY OF LIFE FOR THE POOR

On the other hand, most people in Rome lived in poorly built
and rundown houses




They had no running water, toilets, or proper kitchens
They lived in tall apartment buildings with many steps to walk up
and down
Human waste and garbage was carried downstairs or dumped
from windows
They were made of wood, so fires were frequent

A large fire in 64 A.D. destroyed much of Rome because of all the wood
apartments
Roman
“insula,” or
apartment
building
CIRCUSES

The shows at the Colosseum were known as
“circuses”
 Circuses
could be very violent – the Romans loved
brutal forms of entertainment
 Humans
vs. humans, humans vs. animals, animals vs.
animals
 Criminals were executed publicly for everyone to see

Gladiator: someone who fought to the death for
entertainment

Most gladiators were slaves captured in battle, some were
free men and women who enjoyed the competition and
fame
THE ROMAN HOUSEHOLD
Despite their enjoyment of brutal sports, Romans
had strong family values
 Head of a Roman household called paterfamilias
– Latin for “father of the family”

The Paterfamilias had absolute power in the household
– he owned everything in it – women, children, slaves,
furniture – and this was Roman law!
 Everyone respected the older members of the family


Wealthy families controlled many slaves
Slaves did all the work for the wealthy family, even
raising children
 Poor families did not own slaves

THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN ROMAN SOCIETY

Women’s roles:
Marriage was very important to women
 Leaving her father to live in her new husband’s home
was a big deal, since family was so important to the
Romans


The amount of freedom a woman had depended
on her husband’s wealth and social status

Wealthy women had a lot of independence and
influenced their families
 Some
women became doctors and became involved in
business

Lower-class women became cooks, hairdressers,
entertainers, and dressmakers
SLAVERY IN ROME

Slavery was common in Rome



Almost every wealthy family had slaves
One-third of Italy’s population were slaves
Household slaves were generally taken care of very well

Most were not paid or given money as tips, but families would
generally treat them well


Farm slaves and slaves who worked in mines had hard lives



They sometimes became part of the family (like Greek household
slaves)
Sometimes they worked and slept chained together like prisoners,
and worked in terrible conditions
Many of these slaves also were forced to fight as gladiators
Some slaves were able to buy freedom through the tips or
wages they received

Slaves who were skilled gladiators could become rich and famous
EXIT QUESTION

Before we leave class today, answer the
following questions (at least 2 sentences each):
 Why
was being a citizen so important to the
Romans?
 Being a citizen can be compared to the importance
of being part of a group. What groups are you a
“citizen” of? Why are they important to you?
SECTION 2: CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN
EMPIRE – SHORT VERSION

We are studying Christianity in class for
educational purposes only. Many people in
America are Christian, so please make sure
that any questions you ask are appropriate and
not potentially offensive. We are studying
Christianity, just as we would study about
traditional Greek or Roman religions,
Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or Islam.

Jesus Christ founded Christianity during the
Roman Empire
THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY

Jesus grew up in the
town of Nazareth (in
modern day Israel)

Jesus’ disciples, or
followers, told stories of
his life found in the Bible
4
disciples – Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John, each
wrote a story, known as a
Gospel - in the Bible about
Jesus
CHRISTIAN BELIEFS

The teachings of Jesus became known as
Christianity

Jesus’ teachings:
 There
is only one true God
 God is loving and forgiving
 People must love God and neighbor
 People who followed these teachings would live forever
Jesus’ followers believed he was the messiah, or
savior
 Jesus’ teachings scared some people

Romans did not want to believe that God was more
powerful than the emperor
 Jesus was put to death

CHRISTIANITY SPREADS – THE LETTERS OF
PAUL

Paul became one of the
most devoted followers
of Jesus
 He
wrote many epistles,
or letters, to help turn
Christianity into an
organized religion
 Many
of these epistles
were included in the Bible
ROME REACTS – ROME BURNS

Roman government feared Christianity and viewed
Christians as enemies of the empire


Christians refused to worship the Roman gods and the
Romans believed that they did not show proper respect
to the emperor
Emperor Nero began to persecute the Christians
Persecute: to treat in a cruel and unjust way
 They were arrested, killed, forced to fight in the
Colosseum
 Paul was imprisoned and killed

THE APPEAL OF CHRISTIANITY

Despite persecution, Christianity spread
throughout the empire
 People
appreciated its message of love,
forgiveness, and a better life
Christians provided help for people in the
community
 The Gospels were written so ordinary people
could understand them


By 300 A.D., one in ten Romans had become Christian
SECTION 2: CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN
EMPIRE

We are studying Christianity in class for
educational purposes only. Many people in
America are Christian, so please make sure
that any questions you ask are appropriate and
not potentially offensive. We are studying
Christianity, just as we would study about
traditional Greek or Roman religions,
Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or Islam.

Jesus Christ founded Christianity
 Christianity
 At
spread throughout the Roman Empire
first, it was usually only the poor and slaves who
followed Christianity, but later, it became more popular
UNREST IN JUDAEA

Romans conquered the Jewish homeland of
Judaea in 63 B.C.
 Romans
respected the Jews’ right to worship their
God, but Jews did not like Roman rule
 The
Jews believed that a messiah, or savior, would come
to bring justice and freedom from the Romans
 Romans punished Jews for opposing their rule
THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY

Jesus was born in the Judaean town of
Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth
 Stories
about Jesus are found in the New
Testament of the Bible
 Jesus’ disciples, or followers, told stories of his life
4
disciples – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each wrote
a story, known as a Gospel - in the Bible about Jesus
CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
Jesus began teaching when he was about 30
years old
 The teachings of Jesus became known as
Christianity

People who began to follow Jesus became known as
Christians
 Jesus’ teachings:

 There
is only one true God
 God is loving and forgiving
 People must love God and neighbor
 People who followed these teachings would live forever

Jesus’ followers believed he was the messiah
FEARS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

Jesus’ teachings scared
some people
 Romans
did not want to
believe that God was more
powerful than the emperor
 Romans feared a revolution by
the Christians (a move to
overthrow the government), so
they sentenced Jesus to death
CHRISTIANITY SPREADS – THE LETTERS OF
PAUL

Greek word for “messiah”
was “christos”


Jesus became known as
“Christ” (Chosen one)
Paul became one of the
most devoted followers of
Jesus

He wrote many epistles, or
letters, to help turn
Christianity into an
organized religion
 Many
of these epistles were
included in the Bible
CHRISTIANITY MOVES TO THE CITIES

Christianity began to spread throughout the
Roman world
 Many
poor people and people in cities followed
Christianity
 By 100 A.D., many Christians gathered for worship
across the Roman Empire

Anyone who did not share Christians’ beliefs
became known as a “pagan”
WAYS OF WORSHIP

Over time, Christianity began to change little by
little, and the beliefs began to mix with other
beliefs
 Some
Christians practiced two “rites,” or holy acts
 Baptism
– a believer was dipped in water to wash away
sin

Baptism converted the person to Christianity
 Christians

also practiced the Eucharist
Sharing of bread and wine in a sacred meal in memory of Jesus’
last supper
ROME REACTS – ROME BURNS

Roman government feared Christianity and viewed
Christians as enemies of the empire


Christians refused to worship the Roman gods and the
Romans believed that they did not show proper respect
to the emperor
Emperor Nero began to persecute the Christians

Fire in 64 A.D. burned much of Rome, and Christians
were blamed
 They
were arrested, killed, forced to fight in the Colosseum
 Paul was imprisoned and killed
TREATMENT OF CHRISTIANS

Romans persecuted
Christians for 250
years
Persecute – to treat
in a cruel and unjust
way
 It became a crime
simply to be a
Christian

 The
punishment was
death
THE APPEAL OF CHRISTIANITY

Despite persecution, Christianity spread
throughout the empire
 People
appreciated its message of love,
forgiveness, and a better life

Christians provided help for people in the
community
 Jesus
was viewed as an ordinary, humble man, and
not an arrogant, power-hungry hero from myths

The Gospels were written so ordinary people
could understand them

Emperor Diocletian outlawed Christian services,
imprisoned Christian priests, and put Christians
to death
 Many
Romans began to see that Christians were
good people, and took their side – Diocletian’s
actions backfired
 Others

 By
viewed Christians as martyrs
Martyr – someone who dies for a cause
300 A.D., one in ten Romans had become Christian
SECTION 3: THE FALL OF ROME
FROM GOOD RULE TO BAD

After death of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman
Empire started to decline
 His
son, Commodus, was a poor emperor
 Ruled
from 180-192 A.D., took power at 18 years of age
 Made poor choices and allowed senate’s power to be
taken away
 He bribed the army to support him
 He took part in the gladiator games because of his love
of killing
 Assassinated in 192 A.D.
WEAK, CORRUPT RULERS

Many corrupt rulers followed
Commodus

Often stole money from the
government’s treasury
 Government
weak


and economy became
New rulers would take power
violently
Between 180-284 A.D., Rome
had 29 emperors

Most assassinated
A MERCENARY ARMY

Mercenaries – foreign
soldiers who are paid
for military service
Romans would hire
mercenaries to be in
the army
 Mercenaries motivated
by money, not loyalty to
Rome

 They
often even
switched sides if it would
benefit them
THE SIZE OF THE EMPIRE

The Roman Empire
had grown too large
 Empire
spread itself
too thin, and enemies
attacked from all
angles
 Too
much time was
spent defending empire
rather than
strengthening their
authority
SERIOUS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

Rome stopped conquering new lands, so new
sources of wealth were no longer available
 The
empire struggled to pay its army
 Taxes
 People

were raised
suffered from severe unemployment
Not much food available
 The
price of food went up
 To
pay for food, government produced more coins

Resulted in inflation – an economic situation in which more
money circulates, but the money has less value
EFFORTS TO STOP THE DECLINE

Diocletian (remember him?
The persecutor of Christians)
tried to strengthen Rome





He enlarged the army
He built new forts at the
borders
He improved the tax system
He even divided the empire
into eastern and western
sections, making it easier to
rule
Diocletian ruled until 305
A.D.
CONSTANTINE AND CHRISTIANITY

The Roman Empire
was now split, to
make it easier to
rule
Constantine
became emperor
of the Western
Roman Empire
 Licinius became
emperor in the
Eastern Roman
Empire


Why the need for a split?
FREEDOM OF RELIGION


During the transition from
Diocletian to Constantine,
Rome changed into a
Christian Empire
In 313, Constantine and
Licinius proclaimed
freedom of worship
throughout Roman Empire


Christians would be able
to worship openly
Constantine’s most
important contribution:
making Christianity the
official religion of Rome
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
ANOTHER CHRISTIAN VICTORY

Licinius agreed to freedom of religion, but he
actually still allowed persecution of Christians
 Constantine
was angry about the persecution of
Christians
 He
fought Licinius and won, taking control of the Eastern
Roman Empire as well
 Constantine saw his victory as a blessing from the
Christian God
BUILDING A FAITH

Constantine worked to
strengthen Christian church
 He
built St. Peter’s Cathedral
and paid for the construction of
churches
 He mixed Christianity with
other “pagan” religions
 Pros:
This attracted more people
to the church, including former
“pagans”
 Cons: The message of
Christianity became influenced
by outsiders and was changed
A NEW CAPITAL

Constantine moved
the capital of the
Roman Empire from
Rome to Byzantium
(in modern day
Turkey)
 He
made Byzantium
beautiful
 He
renamed the city
Constantinople after
himself
INVASIONS AND COLLAPSE

After Constantine died, the Roman Empire was
invaded by Germanic tribes (which included people
from Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden,
Norway, Denmark)
Visigoths (from Germany) captured and looted Rome in
410
 Vandals (from East Germany) took down Rome in 455


Rome fell completely in 476, and Constantinople
became the center of a new empire, the Byzantine
Empire
OTHER REASONS FOR COLLAPSE
Big gap between the rich and the poor led to
unhappiness and a lack of support for the
empire
 The size of the empire made it hard to defend
 Inflation – money was worthless
 Unemployment – lack of jobs

SECTION 3: THE FALL OF ROME – SHORT
VERSION
FROM GOOD RULE TO BAD
Major issue in the Roman Empire: Roman
people never knew whether they were getting a
good or bad ruler
 Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “good
emperors” in Rome

 After
his death, the Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
was over
REASONS FOR DECLINE OF ROME
 1.
Weak, corrupt rulers
 2. An army of mercenaries
 3. The large size of the empire
 4. Serious economic problems
WEAK, CORRUPT RULERS
Marcus Aurelius’ son,
Commodus, was a bad ruler
 Many other bad rulers followed
him


Often stole money from the
government’s treasury
 Government
weak


and economy became
New rulers would take power
violently
Between 180-284 A.D., Rome
had 29 emperors

Most were assassinated
A MERCENARY ARMY

Mercenaries – foreign
soldiers who are paid
for military service
Romans would hire
mercenaries to be in
the army
 Mercenaries motivated
by money, not loyalty to
Rome

 They
often even
switched sides if it would
benefit them
THE SIZE OF THE EMPIRE

The Roman Empire
had grown too large
 Empire
spread itself
too thin, and enemies
attacked from all
angles
 Too
much time was
spent defending empire
rather than
strengthening their
authority
SERIOUS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

Rome stopped conquering new lands, so new
sources of wealth were no longer available
 The
empire struggled to pay its army
 Taxes
 People

were raised
suffered from severe unemployment
Not much food available
 The
price of food went up
 To
pay for food, government produced more coins

Resulted in inflation – an economic situation in which more
money circulates, but the money has less value
CONSTANTINE AND CHRISTIANITY

Emperor Constantine
decided to split the
empire, to make it
easier to manage


Constantine
became emperor of
the Western Roman
Empire
Licinius became
emperor in the
Eastern Roman
Empire

Why the need for a split?
FREEDOM OF RELIGION

Constantine was
Rome’s first Christian
emperor


Christians would be able
to worship openly for the
first time
Constantine’s most
important contribution:
making Christianity the
official religion of Rome
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
BUILDING A FAITH

Constantine worked to
strengthen Christian church
 He
built St. Peter’s Cathedral
and paid for the construction of
churches
 He mixed Christianity with
other “pagan” religions
 Pros:
This attracted more people
to the church, including former
“pagans”
 Cons: The message of
Christianity became influenced
by outsiders and was changed
A NEW CAPITAL

Constantine moved
the capital of the
Roman Empire from
Rome to Byzantium
(in modern day
Turkey)
 He
made Byzantium
beautiful
 He
renamed the city
Constantinople after
himself
INVASIONS AND COLLAPSE

After Constantine died, the Roman Empire was
invaded by Germanic tribes (which included people
from Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden,
Norway, Denmark)
Visigoths (from Germany) captured and looted Rome in
410
 Vandals (from East Germany) took down Rome in 455


Rome fell completely in 476, and Constantinople
became the center of a new empire, the Byzantine
Empire