Transcript EMPERORS OF ROME

EMPERORS
OF ROME
ADRIAN WONG
KAMIL KHAN
Hadrian
(117-138 A.D.)
“Ah fleeting Spirit! wand'ring Fire,
That long hast warm'd my tender
Breast, Must thou no more this Frame
inspire?”
- Hadrian
Hadrian
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 Was born in Italica, Baetica (modern day Seville, Spain) on
January 24, 76 to a well- established settler family originating
from Italy.
 Schooled in various subjects that were studied by young
aristocrats and was also very fond of learning Hellenic
culture, thus earning himself the nickname “the
Greekling”.
 Enlisted in the army, and soon joined Trajan’s expedition
against Parthia as a legate on Trajan’s staff.
 Appointed to the Governor of Syria as a replacement and then
became the successor of Trajan as he died of illness.
How Hadrian became Emperor
 After his father had passed away in 85 A.D., he was left
to the care of his father’s dear friend Acilius Attianus
and his father’s cousin, Trajan who became Emperor in
98 A.D.
 When Trajan became seriously ill and died, Hadrian
was officially adopted by Trajan to be the heir.
 However, no official papers were produced and brought
to Rome until two days before the Emperor’s death and
these documents were long speculated that Plotina,
Empress and wife of Trajan, had forged them to aide
her protégé.
 His supremacy as Roman Emperor lasted 22 years from
117- 138 A.D.
Military Relations
 Associated with the army at a very
young age when he joined as a
teenager and went to train in
Italica.
 His excellence as a military
commander was overshadowed by
the lack of major battles during his
reign as Emperor.
 He surrendered Trajan’s conquests
in Mesopotamia, averted a war
with Parthia in 121 by negotiating
a peace, and defeated the Jewish
uprising and continued to
persecute them.
 His main policy was to achieve
peace through force and even
threat.
Architectural Pursuits
 The most obvious
construction by Hadrian
was Hadrian’s Wall which
was built in 122 to defend
Britannia from the
Caledonians in the North.
 Although, it was mostly
made of wood and did not
last long, it proved to be
very useful in protecting
Rome.
 Also, the Pantheon built
by Agrippa was enriched
and recreated under
Hadrian to look as it does
today.
Hadrian’s Impact on Rome
 During much of Hadrian’s reign was
spent traveling with the Roman army
and it was a fundamental part of his
governing.
 On his visits, he would hand out
instructions on how to build new public
structures, projects, and settlements.
 He was able to strengthen Rome from
within through improved infrastructure
(i.e. new roads, aqueducts, temples,
theatres, circuses, and other city
improvements), as opposed to
conquering or taking over enemies.
 He was a well- received and respected
Emperor as he met many of his
supporters during his tours and he got a
closer feel for the provinces and its
people.
Augustus
“I found Rome a city of bricks
and left it a city of marble.”
-Augustus
Octavian – The Early Life
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Augustus, the first emperor of Rome was born on
September 23, 63 BCE under the name Gaius Octavius.
His father who had named Octavius for himself, was a
respected member of the Equestrian Order. His mother,
Atia Balba Caesonia, was the niece of Julius Caesar.
At the age of 11, Octavian delivered the eulogy at his
grandmother Julia’s funeral, the elder sister of Caesar.
At the tender age of 17, Octavian led a group of
companions through hostile territory to get to his greatuncle Caesar’s home front, which impressed Caesar very
much.
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Octavian – The Rise to
Power
When Caesar was
assassinated, it was found
in his will, that due to
having no legitimate
children, Caesar had
adopted Octavian and
named him his heir.
Octavian formed an army
and allied with Marc
Anthony to defeat Brutus
and Cassius (plotters
against Caesar).
Together with Lepidus, the
three men formed the
Second Triumvirate.
The First Settlement
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The Western half of the
Roman Republic had sworn to
follow Octavian in 31 BCE,
and after defeating Marc
Antony, the Eastern half
followed.
In 27 BCE, Octavian returned
the power to the Senate, the
Senate in turn gave him the
titles Augustus and Princeps.
Augustus was more of a
religious title than
authoritative.
The Second Settlement
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In 23 BCE, Augustus gave
up him consulship but
retained “consular
imperium” or Imperial
Council. The council gave
him power of tribune,
which led to a deal called
“The Second Settlement”.
This allowed Augustus to
lay issues in front of the
council and stop actions
that would be done
otherwise.
Developments under
Augustus
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Augustus created a position of
supreme authority and complete
rule over the military called
“The Emperor of Rome”.
Vast expansion of the borders,
these borders stayed under the
Empire for another 400 years.
Augustus helped develop trade
links with regions such as India
and China.
Augustus created the law “lex
Papia Poppaea” which rewarded
having children and penalized
not having children, this was a
key measure to have Rome’s
population flourish.
Augustus – The Legacy
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Soon after Augustus’s death, he
was deified meaning revered as a
god.
Both his last name Caesar and
title Augustus became titles of
Roman Emperors for 400 years
to come.
Augustus’s actions stopped the
civil wars after Julius Caesar’s
death and brought peace to the
land that lasted for 100 years.
The month of August is named
after Augustus just like July is
named after Julius. August was
called Sextilis until Augustus’s
time.
Historical Significance
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Augustus had a large affect on
Rome as a whole, he was the
first person to be honoured with
the title, Augustus which was a
religious name. It means
“majestic” or “the increaser”.
He managed to stop the civil
wars that were avenging Caesar’s
death and brought Rome back
from the edge of destruction.
August was “auctoritas” which
means authority in English over
most of Rome. Auctoritas played
a key role in the formation of
fascism and nazism.
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Since Augustus was the first
emperor of Rome, he is credited
with the creation of “monarchy”,
the rule by a king or a queen, or
in this case, Emperor.
Augustus helped rebuild 82
temples in Rome alone.
Caesar Augustus also encouraged
literature with the writings of
Horace and Virgil applauded.
Virgil’s legend apparently makes
all of Julius Caesar’s family and
adoptive son, Augustus, direct
blood of Aeneas, a great warrior.
Adrian Wong
THE END
Kamil Khan