Monday, July 11, 2016
Fall of Rome #48
*Test and Notebook Check Tues. 10/17
*Vocab Due 10/16
Warm Up: Describe the daily
activities in a Roman City.
Pax Romana
From 30 B.C. until A.D. 180 Rome enjoyed a period of
peace and prosperity. This time period is referred to
by historians as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace.
This 200 year period of peace and stability allowed
the Roman Empire to achieve new heights in
technology, agriculture, science, and the arts. The
Roman Empire was a very civilized place during this
time, and life was generally comfortable, and good.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
After 200 years of Pax Romana, Rome fell into a long
slow period of decline. Instead of focusing on protecting
their borders, Roman armies began fighting against one
another. As a result, many outside invaders were able to
enter Rome, and cause great destruction. These invaders
included the Visigoths, the Huns, the Germans, the
Persians, the Slavs, and the Avars. 
Reasons for the Decline of the Roman Empire
Economic Decay
Barbarian disruption of trade
 No plunder
Drain of gold and silver (on luxuries and military)
Inflation caused by over coinage
Over farming of soil
Slavery and the loss of work ethic
Reasons for the Decline of the Roman Empire
Political Decay
Indifference to politics and government
Inability to collect taxes
Military shenanigans (take over, assassination cycle)
No confidence 
Taking over farmland
Tax collection
Reasons for the Decline of the Roman Empire
Military Decay
Military pressure from a growing world
Split loyalty of Barbarian troops
Lack of patriotism of soldiers (fight for $)
Roman Decline. 180 – 476 C.E.
(Highlights)
Diocletian (284 –305)
Strong leader who temporarily stopped the decline.
Split Empire in two – created two capitals
-western: Latin-speaking Rome
-eastern: Greek-speaking (Byzantium)
Constantinople
Diocletian’s Palace
Constantine moves capital of Empire
to Byzantium because:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Crossroads of trade
Easy to defend
Christian city
Richer half of the Empire
Renamed the city Constantinople
Edict of Milan
Constantine did not actually
become a Christian, although
it is claimed that he was
baptized on his deathbed.
He ended persecution of
Christians in the empire with
the Edict of Milan, which
declared that the empire
would be neutral regarding
religion.
The Edict also restored
confiscated property to
churches and individual
Christians.
Edict: A law issued by a monarch
FALL OF THE WESTERN ROMAN
EMPIRE 476 CE
Germanic Invasions
• Germanic tribes flee Huns, enter Roman lands, sack
Rome A.D. 410
Attila the Hun
• Attila—unites the Huns in A.D. 444; plunders 70 cities
in East
• Attacks Rome in 452; famine and disease prevents
victory
An Empire No More
• Last Roman emperor falls to Germans in 476; end of
Western Empire
• East thrives for another thousand years (Byzantine
Empire)
NEXT
FALL OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE 476 CE
EASTERN EMPIRE CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER 1000 YEARS
Who Would stop the Fall?
Group
Army
Government Leadership
Patrician in countryside
Average Roman Farmer
Romans of Foreign Origin
New Barbarian Immigrants
Romans in cities
Christians
Save It
Let It Go
LEGACY OF ROME
Conquest
Slavery
Brutality
Plunder
Military Skills
•Professional soldiers
•Military Tactics
•Order and Organization
Law
Individual Rights
Due Process
Court System
Government
Republic
Citizenship
Pax Romana
Latin Language
Italian
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Architecture
Concrete
Water management
Roads
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


the arch



curved support structure
can support more weight than the post and lintel
concrete



Romans paved thousands of miles of roads that helped the
empire communicate and expand
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