Chapter 9 The Glory of
Ancient Rome
Make sure you know your
vocabulary it is on your test.
Roman Daily Life
• Rome had the most
beautiful monuments
and public buildings in
the world.
• Wealth and goods
flowed freely to all
parts of the empire.
• Merchants made their
living from tourists
who visited the city.
Roman Citizens
• To be a Roman citizen was a matter of
great pride.
• Guess who were not considered as
citizens?
Roman Citizens
• Mmm…
Roman Social Classes
• Rome had 2 social classes:
Wealthy citizens
Lower class: poor people
Rags to Riches??
• The poor lived in
poorly built houses or
multi-story apartment
buildings.
• They did not have
running water nor
plumbing.
• The wealthy lived in
villas and enjoyed
feasts with game or
boar.
• They would have
entertainment
including dancers,
performers and
musicians.
Let’s Eat at a Roman Feast!!
Bread and Circus
• To prevent the poor
from rioting, the
government gave
them free grain and
provided circus
entertainment in the
Colosseum.
Bread and Circus
• The Roman
Government gave:
Gladiators fought to the death.
Most gladiators were slaves,
condemned criminals or prisoners
or war. All were forced to fight in
bloody contests of strength.
What happens if Caesar goes ‘thumbs
up?’ Thumbs down?
Roman Life
• Despite the appeal of brutal combat and
executions for “entertainment”, the
Romans valued family life.
• (I did not say the rulers did, but the people
of Rome did. )
• The Roman government provided family
support.
Help is on the Way!
• The Roman Government provided support
to the upper classes. These measures
were designed to encourage the upper
classes to increase the size of their
families and to continue their family
names.
Help is on the Way!
• For families with 3 or
more….
• You get free land
Head of the Household
• The head of the
household was the
paterfamilias (pay tur
• fuh MIL ee us).
• The family included
everything and
everyone in the home
under the “head of the
household”.
Luiggi
wife
Younger
brother
Child
Daughter-in-law
slaves
mother
Roles of Women in Rome
• A woman’s place in
the household
depended on what
kind of marriage she
had.
• Sometimes she would
leave the family and
join her husband’s
family.
Roles of Women in Rome
• Some women shaped roles for themselves
outside the family.
• Some women became doctors and worked
in medicine, while others engaged in
trade.
• The women of the lower class were
usually cooks, dressmakers, and
hairdressers.
Slavery in Rome
• Slavery was common in Rome.
• Even poor families might employ slaves.
• Slaves had almost no rights, but a few
rose to important positions in households
of wealthy families.
• Some slaves were able to save money
and buy their freedom.
Christianity and the Roman
Empire
• During the rule of Augustus, Rome
increased its control over Judea, the
region that once had been known as
Canaan. Here we will be focusing on the
rise of a new religion, called Christianity.
• Christianity was just one of the religions in
the Roman Empire. The Romans were
tolerant of toward the people in these
lands as well as they showed their loyalty
to the Roman Emperor and their gods.
Sermon on the Mount
• In the book of Matthew 5: 1-10 reveals
what Christianity was all about.
• Look on page 259 in the new book and
let’s review.
• The speaker is Jesus and he is telling his
followers what they have to look forward to
when you trust in Jesus and do the will of
His Father.
Sermon continued
• Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they
shall be comforted.
• Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit
the earth.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst fr
what is right, for they will be satisfied.
Sermon continued
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be
treated with mercy.
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God….
• Blessed are those who are persecuted in
the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Sermon continued
• Jesus taught that God
would provide
everlasting life for
those who followed
Jesus’ teachings.
Unrest in Judaea
• The Romans conquered the Jewish
homeland of Judaea.
• The Romans allowed the Jews to practice
their faith, then as opposition grew to the
Romans, the Romans struck back with
harsh rules.
Christianity and the Roman
Empire
• As a result of the Roman rule, many Jews
became resentful and believed a messiah
or savior would come to bring justice and
freedom to the land.
• In 37 B.C. the Roman senate appointed a
new ruler of Judaea named Herod- it was
during this time that Jesus was born in
Bethlehem.
Jesus
• The story of his birth is told in a collection
of books called the New Testament- the
Hebrew Bible.
• Complete the map work on page 247 from
your old textbook.
• In the book of Luke- it states that an order
from Augustus decreed that a census be
taken throughout the entire empire.
Jesus
• Remember, a census required that all
men, and their households, had to return
where they were born so they could be
counted. So a man named Joseph and
his wife Mary went to Bethlehem- a small
town south of Jerusalem- where Mary
gave birth to a son- Jesus. Growing up
Jesus and his family lived in Nazareth
where Joseph was a carpenter.
Jesus
• While living in Nazareth, Jesus grew in
stature and favor with men. He astounded
people with his knowledge of the
scriptures and of God. From the age of
30, Jesus spent his time preaching,
teaching, and healing the sick. Many
believed that he was the Messiah, a
special leader to be sent from God in order
to guide the Jewish people and set up an
earthly kingdom.
Jesus
• Like all Jewish teachers, Jesus taught
there is one true God and that God was a
loving and forgiving God and we are to
love and worship him with all our hearts.
However, Jesus promised that people who
followed the steps to salvation- hear,
believe, repent, baptism, and live a faithful
life- will have an everlasting life.
The Gospels
• Years after the death of Jesus, the
disciples or followers of Christ wrote
stories about his teachings.
• Four stories of Jesus’ life were written in
the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John.
Roman Fears
• Some people
complained to the
Romans that Jesus
taught that God was
greater than the
emperor.
• The Romans feared a
revolt and eventually
decided to have
Jesus put to death by
being crucified.
Roman Guards and an
Emperor. (Rein actors)
Jesus
• Jesus spoke of a
heavenly kingdom in
which He would rule
His kingdom (the
church). The Romans
would arrest, try, and
crucify Jesus.
Crucifixion means
putting to death by
hanging form a cross.
• The Romans thought
Jesus was going to
have a physical
kingdom and liberate
all the Jews living
under Roman rule.
Jesus
the teachings of
• Jesus often used parables- simple
stories- that contained a message or truth.
• Read the excerpt –Many Voices/Primary
Source on page 248 from the book of Luke
and explain the meaning of love that Jesus
speaks of. How does this relate to us
today?
Jesus
• Jesus chose 12 men to help Him spread
His word. Do you know what they were
called? The Bible says they came from all
walks of life. One named Peter was a
fisherman. Do you know anymore about
the others? Matthew 10: 2-4 has a list of
their names. Before Jesus, these men
had little in common; however, they
became united in the work of Jesus.
Christos
• Many educated
people of Jesus’ time
spoke Greek.
• The Greek word for
messiah was
Christos.
• After Jesus’ death
his followers began
to call themselves
Christians.
• Who was Saul?
(Paul)
• Paul persuaded
Jesus’ followers to
teach the Greeks and
Romans as well as
the Jews.
Jesus
Jesus was 33 when he
died
Rose again after three
days
New
Testament
Rejoined his apostles
and told them of the
coming of the kingdom
Ascended back to
heaven
Ways of Worship
• Christians practiced
the rites of:
Ways of Worship
• Singing
• Praying
• Giving
A.D. 64
• In A.D. 64 a fire
started in Rome and
burned the city for 9
days. Rumor had it
the Christians started
the fire…
• This illustration was to
show Nero’s father
who died in the
blaze…
Revenge on the Christians
• Nero ordered the arrest, and killing of
Christians. This persecution lasted for
another 250years.
Section 3
• Fall of Rome
• Read pages 270-276
• Make sure you draw the time line on page
271 it has at least 3 test questions on it.
Please leave space for us to write
additional notes in class. 
Discussion Question
• What problems led to the fall of the
Roman Empire? Provide at least three
examples.
• Reread “The Empire Crumbles” pgs. 272273.
• Your answer should come from these
paragraphs: Size of the Empire, Serious
Economic Problems, and Efforts to stop
the Decline all on page 273.
Constantine
• Constantine was a Roman emperor from
312-337 A.D. He strongly encouraged the
spread of Christianity.
• We will look at his battles where he was
victorious and how he handled the division
of the Roman Empire.
From Good to Bad
• After the death of Marcus Aurelius, his son
Commodus became the next emperor.
• Lets create a story web about Commodus.
Was not a
good leader.
Did not work with the
Senate- tried to mess it
up.
Commodus
Bribed the
army to
support him.
Was
assassinated in
192
The Empire Crumbles
• Historians do not agree on any ONE
cause for the decline of Rome but
SEVERAL PROBLEMS led to the downfall
of Rome.
Weak Corrupt Rulers
• After Commodus, the emperors were
corrupt. Many were successful generals
and not politicians.
• The generals would steal money for
themselves and bribe their army to keep
them in power.
Reasons for the Decline of Rome
• Rome was much too
large to rule.
• Enemies began to
attack Rome.
• The Romans called
these people
Barbarians.
• Rome’s sources of
wealth declined when
the empire did not
continue to grow.
• Rome had to pay its
army and had no
money.
• To raise money the
government collected
even more taxes.
Woe is me…
• Food was scarce so its prices went
Less
We just described
inflation.
Trying to stop the decline
• Emperors tried to stop the decline of
Rome, but were unsuccessful.
• Enlarge the army, built new forts at the
borders, improve the tax system and…
Rome’s
Decline
A Divided Empire
Rulers of the Roman Empire
Now Rome no
longer
persecuted
Christians.
Christianity
became the
official religion
of the empire.
He continued to
persecute
Christians.
He battled
Constantine
numerous times and
lost control of the …
“New Rome”
• In 330 Constantine won control of the
Eastern Roman Empire and moved
the Capital to the city of Byzantium,
in modern-day Turkey.
• Constantine renamed the city to
“Constantinople” which means the
“city of Constantine”.
Constantinople
• Constantinople was firmly in place as the new
capital of the Roman Empire.
Byzantium aka
Constantinople
Rome
Rome ends with…
• The last emperor was named ROMULUS
Augustus.
• Germanic tribes continued to invade
Rome. The Romans called these people
Barbarians.
• The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for
1000 years after the fall of the Western
Roman Empire.