Roman Empire
Roman Law
Law was first codified by the Twelve
Tables
 Comprised of a court system with lawyers
and a judge
 Foundation for modern laws

Julius Caesar
Power hungry Roman Senator
 Conquers Gaul
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Veni, Vidi, Veci
The Roman Senate grew jealous of Caesar
and ordered him to return home
 Caesar marched on Rome with his army
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First Dictator
The other consul, Pompey, lead an army
against Caesar
 Caesar won the battle and anointed
himself dictator
 Caesar was loved by the lower class, but
hated by the nobles and Senate
 Caesar was betrayed and stabbed to death
at the senate
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Augustus (63 BC-AD 14)
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originally named Octavian
Caesar’s grandnephew
and adopted son
defeated rivals in civil
wars after Caesar’s death
became Rome’s 1st
emperor
started a 200-year period
of prosperity called the
Pax Romana (“Roman
Peace”)
Roman engineering

roads

Romans paved thousands of miles of roads that
helped the empire communicate and expand
Roman engineering


roads
 Romans paved thousands of miles
of roads that helped the empire
communicate and expand
the arch


curved support structure
can support more weight than
the post and lintel
Roman engineering



roads
 Romans paved thousands of miles of roads that helped
the empire communicate and expand
the arch
 curved support structure
 can support more weight than the post and lintel
concrete


a construction material consisting of gravel,
sand, water, and cement
sturdy, lightweight, inexpensive
Roman engineering




roads
 Romans paved thousands of miles of roads that helped the
empire communicate and expand
the arch
 curved support structure
 can support more weight than the post and lintel
concrete
 a construction material consisting of gravel, sand, water, and
cement
 sturdy, lightweight, inexpensive
aqueducts


channels that carry water
supplied Roman cities with large supplies of fresh
water allowing them to expand
The Colosseum
The Pantheon
Christianity
During Pax Romana a religious leader
named Jesus appears in the Middle East
 Jesus is executed by the Romans, but his
teachings live on
 His follower, Paul spreads the teaching of
Jesus throughout the Roman Empire

Vesuvius

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volcano in
southern Italy
erupted in AD 79
destroyed the
cities of Pompeii
and Herculaneum
 ruins provide
information
about daily life
in the Roman
Empire
Late Empire
Christians are persecuted throughout
Rome
 Emperor Constantine converts to
Christianity, allowing it to spread
 Empire is so large it is split in half

Fall of Rome
Internal and external pressure weaken
Rome
 Germanic tribes attack the borders
 Atilla the Hun sweeps into Italy
 Western Empire Falls in 476 A.D. but
Eastern half persists
