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Chapter 6.2: The Roman Empire Brings Change
1. What is a Triumvirate? List the members of the 1st Triumvirate and 2nd
Triumvirate.
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A Triumvirate is where 3 men shared power/ rule during the Roman
Republic
 1st Triumvirate: Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
 2nd Triumvirate: Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus
2. Who was Julius Caesar? (Time period, location, key achievements?)
1st century BCE in Rome…Julius Caesar was a great military leader, who was part of
the 1st triumvirate, took control as a dictator, then was named dictator for life…he
tried to make some reforms to benefit the poor…he was assassinated by a group of
senators on March 15th, 44BCE
3. Categorize the Roman Empire with one example for each SPICE component
SOCIAL Great disparity between wealthy and poor…patriarchal societies
POLITICAL: Roman Empire was led by an emperor…succession not always
clear…Senate eventually included Patricians and Plebeians…Tribunes
INTERACTIONS: Expansion of land…from Mediterranean Sea to North Africa to
England
CULTURAL: Polytheistic and cult of the emperor to Christianity…influenced greatly
by the Greeks and Etruscans
ECONOMIC: trade by land and sea…Mediterranean Sea…Silk Roads- link to India and
China…consistent form of currency
Chapter 6.2 The Roman Empire Brings Change
I.
Expansion Creates Problems in the Republic
 Punic Wars and Rome’s increasing wealth and expanding empire brought
many problems
o Widening gap between rich and poor
o Rich landowners lived on LATIFUNDIA…some estates had been
created by occupying conquered lands and by taking farms left
untended by soldiers serving in the army…then used slave labor
o By 100 BCE: slaves formed 1/3 of Rome’s total population
o Small farmers found it difficult to compete against slave labor, or to
recover from Hannibal
o Many small farmers, sold their land, and became homeless and
jobless, migrant workers, overcrowding in cities
o Class tensions planted the seeds for the republic’s collapse
II.
The Republic Collapses
 Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus: attempted to help the poor of Rome…both were
tribunes and proposed reforms
o Wanted to limit the sizes of estates and redistribution of land to the
poor
o Both brothers were strongly opposed by senators (many who owned
latifundia)
o Both were assassinated…Tiberius 133BCE and Gaius in 121 BCE
o Period of civil war followed their deaths
 Rise of politically powerful military leaders…generals recruited soldiers from
the landless poor, promising them land (“poor man’s fight, and a rich man’s
war”)
o Soldiers fought for pay, and owed allegiance to their commander
 Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla: two generals who fought a civil war
from 88-82BCE…Sulla won and was named dictator
 Julius Caesar emerged to bring order to Rome
A. Julius Caesar Takes Control
 60BCE: Julius Caesar joined forces with Crassus and Pompey and was elected
consul in 59BCE…ruled Rome as a triumvirate for 10 years
 Julius Caesar served one year as consul…the appointed himself governor of
Gaul (France)
 58-50BCE: Caesar conquered all of Gaul
 Julius Caesar became very popular with the Romans
 Pompey became his political rival, and feared Caesar’s ambitions
 50BCE: Senate ordered Caesar to disband his legions and return home
 Caesar defied the Senate…January 10, 49BCE…Julius Caesar crossed the
Rubicon River in Italy and marched towards Rome, while Pompey fled
 Caesar’s troops defeated Pompey’s armies in Greece, Asia, Spain and Egypt
 46BCE: Julius Caesar returned to Rome…with support of army and the
masses…46BCE Julius Caesar was appointed dictator…44BCE he was named
dictator for life
B.
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Caesar’s Reforms
Caesar governed as an absolute ruler
Granted Roman citizenship to many people in the provinces
Expanded the Senate
Helped the poor by creating jobs…construction of new public buildings
Started colonies where the landless could own land
Increased pay for soldiers
Many feared Caesar’s power
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Group of senators, led by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius plotted Caesar’s
assassination
March 15th, 44BCE (“Ides of March”), Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by a
group of Senators in the Senate Chamber
o Wife Calpurnia begged him not to go
o Soothsayer also warned him “beware the ides of March”
o Caesar’s famous last words: “Et tu, Brute?” (You, too, Brutus?)
C. Beginning of the Empire
 After Caesar’s death, Civil War broke out again
 2nd Triumvirate: Octavian (Caesar’s grandnephew and adopted son), Mark
Antony (experienced general) and Lepidus (powerful politician)
o took control of Rome in 43BCE, and ruled for 10 years
o purge of Caesar’s enemies…including Cicero
 Octavian forced Lepidus to retire…Mark Antony and Octavian became
rivals..Mark Antony met and fell in love with Cleopatra (Ptolemaic ruler in
Egypt)…civil war broke out…Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s
in the naval battle of Actium in 31BCE…later Antony and Cleopatra
committed suicide (asps)
 Octavian claimed he would restore the republic…Senate continued to
meet…but Octavian was the unchallenged ruler of Rome
 Eventually, Octavian was dubbed Augustus (exalted one)…Rome now an
EMPIRE
III.
A Vast and Powerful Empire
 Rome was at the peak of it’s power from 27BCE to 180 CE…period of peace
and prosperity known as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
 Roman Empire 3 million square miles…population between 60 and 80
million people
A.
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An Economy Based on Agriculture and Trade
Agriculture was the most important industry in the empire
About 90% of people were involved in farming
Time of Augustus: silver coin called a Denarius was the standard
o Made trade easier
 Vast trading network
o Mediterranean Sea
o Cities of Corinth and Ephesus and Antioch
o Rome traded with China and India (Silk Roads)
 Complex system of roads
o Linked Rome with Persia and Russia
o SILK ROADS
B. Managing a Huge Empire
 border of Roman Empire measured 10,000 miles
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by 2nd century AD: empire stretched from Spain to Mesopotamia, from North
Africa to Britain
 Roman army drew upon the men of the provinces as auxiliary, or support,
forces
o Became citizens when they were discharged from military service
o Army spread the Roman way of life to provinces and Roman rights to
non-Romans
C. A Sound Government
 Augustus was Rome’s ablest emperor…stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome
with public buildings, created a system of government that survived for
centuries…set up a civil service…(paid workers to manage the affairs of
government)…senate still functioned, but civil servants drawn from
plebeians actually administered the empire
 Augustus died in AD 14…senate chose his adopted son, Tiberius, as successor
D. The Emperors and Succession
 Rome’s peace and prosperity depended upon the orderly transfer of power
 Rome had no written law for selecting a new emperor…therefore, civil war
always a distinct possibility
 Five Good Emperors
o AD 96- Nerva through Marcus Aurelius, AD 180
 Marcus Aurelius’ death marked the end of the Pax Romana
IV.
Life in Imperial Rome
 merchants, soldiers, foreigners, and philosophers. In cities…but most people
in Roman Empire lived in the countryside and worked on farms
A. Men and Women
 discipline, strength, and loyalty
o virtue of GRAVITAS
 Family was at the heart of Roman society
o Eldest man- Paterfamilias
o Had power to banish or sell family members into slavery***
 By the Roman Empire…Roman women were nearly the equals of men
 Roman women could own property and testify in court…but they could not
vote…were expected to remain in the background…attended baths, and
plays, etc.
 Lower-class women: spinners, weavers, shopkeepers, midwives,
entertainers, and waitresses
B. Children and Education
 Romans favored boys over girls…girls not even given own names, feminine
form of the father’s name with “elder” “younger” or # added ex: Octavia II
 Schooling usually for upper-class boys…officially adults at 16
 Girls prepared for marriage and motherhood
o Girls married at 12 to 15 to older husband
C. Slave and Captivity
 slavery was a significant part of Roman life
 widespread and important to the economy…Romans made more use of
slaves than any previous civilization
o 1/3 of population!
 Most slaves were conquered peoples brought back by victorious Roman
armies (men, women, and children)
 Children born to slaves, also became slaves…slaves could be bought and sold
 Roman law: slaves were property of their master: could be punished,
rewarded, set free, or put to death as their master saw fit
 Some slaves were forced to become Gladiators, professional fighters, who
fought to the death in public contests
 Some slave rebellions…but none of them succeeded…more than one million
slaves lost their lives trying to gain their freedom
 Ex: Spartacus Rebellion
D.
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Gods and Goddesses
earliest Romans worshipped powerful spirits or divine forces, called numina
Lares: guardian spirits of each family
Roman gods and goddesses emerged after contact with Greeks and Etruscans
Government and religion were linked in Rome…deities were symbols of the
state
Private rituals at shrines in home…public worship ceremonies conducted by
priests in temples
Jupiter: father of Gods…Juno: his wife, watched over women…Minerva:
goddess of wisdom and arts and crafts
During the empire: worship of the emperor became part of the official
religion of Rome
E. Bread and Circuses- Food and Entertainment
 Wealth and social status made huge differences in how people lived…classes
had little in common
 Rich spent money on homes, gardens, slaves…gave large banquets
(vomatoriums)
 Most Romans barely had the necessities of life
 During the time of the Empire, much of the city’s population was unemployed
 Government supported unemployed with daily rations of grain
 To distract and control the masses, Roman government provided free games,
races, mock battles, and gladiator contests
 Christianity emerged during the empire.