Transcript Ancient Rome - Anoka-Hennepin School District

The Decline of the
Roman Empire
Crisis
• After the death of Marcus Aurelius
in 180, the golden age of the Pax
Romana ended.
• Political violence, civil wars, and
instability became the rule in the
next 100 years.
– 22 emperors total
“Bread and Circuses”
• Many emperors tried to
distract the Roman masses of
people from serious political
issues by giving them free
bread and entertaining them.
– Circus Maximus
• Horse and chariot races
– Colliseum
• Gladiator fights
Circus Maximus
Colliseum
• http://podcasts.howstuffworks.
com/hsw/podcasts/csotp/201101-21-csotpcolosseum.mp4?_kip_ipx=1469
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Emperor Diocletian
• (284 A.D.) To make the empire
easier to govern, he divided it into
two halves—the eastern and
western empire.
• He kept control of the wealthier
eastern part himself, but appointed
co-emperors and caesars.
– This is called a tetrarchy, or govt. by
four rulers
Adoption of Christianity
• Christians had been persecuted
early on.
• Christian church became more
structured by utilizing a clergy,
or church leaders.
Adoption of Christianity
• How did Christianity attract
followers?
1. Message was personal and
offered salvation.
2. Similar to other religions and
Jesus was a human figure that
was easy to relate to.
3. Fulfilled human need to
belong.
Adoption of Christianity
• Christians had become too
strong to blot out by force.
Emperor Constantine
• (312) Gained throne.
• Constantine became the first
Christian emperor and was
baptized late in his life.
• He issued the Edict of Milan
– Proclaimed official tolerance and
no more persecutions.
Constantine
• He built the new capital of
Constantinople in the eastern
empire on the site of the Greek city
of Byzantium.
• Diocletian and Constantine’s
reforms enlarged the army and
civil service, which drained public
funds.
–
Population declined so tax base was
not big enough to pay for these.
• Massive inflation, or rapid increase
in prices
Foreign Invasion
• The Germanic peoples invaded.
– Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, etc.
• The Huns, a nomadic people from
Asia, fought fierce battles to
dislodge the Germanic peoples in
their path.
• So the Huns and Germanic peoples
attacked and Rome had to surrender
Britain, then France and Spain.
The Pantheon
Foreign Invasion
• Attila the Hun embarked on a
savage campaign across much of
Europe and the western Roman
empire.
• He sent more Germanic peoples
fleeing into the Roman empire.
• (476) Odacer, a Germanic leader,
ousted the emperor of Rome.
• Eastern Roman Empire survived for
another 1,000 years.