Agenda
1. Pax Romana
2. Imperial Rome
Objectives
Students will be able to…
47. Describe the benefits provided by
the Roman Empire during the Pax
Romana.
48. Describe daily life in Imperial
Rome.
Governing
Objective #47
• Governing is hard
–When it is bad, you know it is bad
–When it is good, you get a Golden
Age!
Successors
• So hard to find good help these days
Nero
Caligula
The Pax Romana
• The Golden Age of Rome (27 BC to AD
180)
–Peace (in Latin, pax)
–Prosperity
–Stable government (starting with
Augustus)
• Five Good Emperors (AD 96-180)
–Includes Trajan and Hadrian
Augustus reminds me…
• Months of the calendar
–September
–October
–November
–December
7
8
9
10
New Months
• The Caesars were very impressed
with themselves
–Julius  July
–Augustus  August
–And of course, both needed to
have the most days of other
months
GRAPES
The Roman Empire
G
R
• Polytheistic mythology
• Next time, we’ll add Christianity
A
• Behold the glory of Rome!
Objective #48
(and 47, too)
Circus Maximus
Pantheon
Coliseum
The Forum
A Famous Tomb
Domus Augustus
P
• Emperors
– Senate, but no power
• Succession problems
– During good times: emperor adopted a
capable successor
– During bad times: emperor promoted his
own spoiled children
• Augustus created a civil service, uniform
law code
E
• Economy based on farming and slave
labor
• Trade!
–Pompeii
–Roads throughout the empire, still the
major routes of Europe
–Common currency
–Silk Road
S
• Lots of slavery
• Most people were poor
–Lots of unemployment
–Distracted by “bread and circuses”
Bread and Circuses
• People in Rome were distracted by
daily supplies of food and free
entertainment
–Gladiator shows
–Theater
–Chariot races
–150 holidays per year