The Birth of
the Roman
Empire
The Republic Collapses
• Republic expanded, but it caused problems
• Major problems included;
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Widening gap between the rich and poor
Soldiers came home with no jobs or land/homes
Corruption was growing in the government
Slaves captured in battle were also unhappy
Attempts to Save Rome
• Two brothers try to solve Rome’s problems
– Suggest that land should be split up
– Both Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus are killed
• Rome falls into civil war- rich v. poor
• Generals start creating armies themselves
– No longer care about Rome as a whole
• Power begins to change to the most powerful
instead of the ones chosen
Julius Caesar Comes
• Julius Caesar comes to power with the help
of two other people
– Crassus and Pompey
– Creates a triumvirate- rule by 3 people
• Caesar takes control of Gaul (France)
• He then turns his army on Rome to take
power from Pompey- Pompey flees Rome
• Caesar gained the support of the Romans
– Named himself dictator for life in 44BC
Julius’ Changes
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Increased citizenship to more Romans
Created jobs for the poor
Expanded Senate positions; filled w/ friends
All these things make Caesar very popular
• Senators begin to worry about his popularity
– Feel they will be losing power/ influence
• Julius Caesar is killed March 15, 44 BC
– Stabbed by friend Marcus Brutus and others
Life After the Death of Julius Caesar
• Civil war breaks out again after
assassination
– Destroys what is left of the Roman
republic
• Octavian is quick to come into power
– Was Julius’ grand-nephew and adopted
son
• Comes to power with two others-2nd
Triumvirate
– Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus
• The 2nd Triumvirate will end much like
the first
Breakdown of the 2nd Triumvirate
• They took power in 43 BC but quickly fell apart
– Lepidus forced to retire from service by Octavian
– Marc Antony and Octavian begin to fight
• Marc Antony goes to fight in Anatolia
– While there he meets Cleopatra- Queen of Egypt
• Falls in love with her and travels back to Egypt
– Octavian accuses him of trying to rule Rome from
Egypt- some people do not like that idea
• The Battle of Actium (31BC)
– Octavian battles Antony and Cleopatra for control
• Octavian wins; Cleopatra and Anthony commit suicide
Octavian Controls the Empire Alone
• The Roman Empire was now Octavian’s
– He promised to bring back parts of the republic
• He kept the Senate
– Later accepted the title of Augustus or “exalted one”
– Also took title of imperator or Emperor
• Octavian’s rule starts the Roman Empire
– Different from the Roman Republic - only 1 ruler
– He takes power alone in 27 BC
• A new period of peace and prosperity begins
– Pax Romana – means “Roman peace”
• Lasts from 27 BC – 180 AD
Life During the Pax Romana
• Contained 200 wonderful years for Rome
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Had excellent leaders/ emperors
Plenty of food, jobs and money
Trade increased as well as the size of the empire
Had 60-80 million people in the empire
• City of Rome grew to over 1 million people
• Trading became a major part of the empire
– Traded by land to China, India and the Middle East
• Used the Silk Roads to reach into Russia as well
• Roads were built for army, but were also used for trade
– Traded by sea with the protection of the Roman navy
Protecting and Glorifying the Empire
• Defending such a large area was difficult
– Over 10,000 miles of border to protect
• Roman Legion had to depend on support armies
– Armies trained by the Romans
• Got to become citizens when their service was up
• Octavian glorified the empire by…
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Building new buildings
Using civil servants to collect taxes, mail, and grain
Stabilizing the empire
Creating a SILVER coin monetary system
• Called denarius, denaris (plural)
Emperors that followed Octavian
• 5 great emperors followed Octavian
– Gave them the great years of the Pax Romana
– There were also some crazy emperors such as
Caligula and Nero - hated the Christians
• Emperors had a plan for when they died
– If they didn’t a civil war could start again
– They picked an heir to the throne before they died
• Marcus Aurelius was the last great emperor
– He does not choose an heir before death
– This leads to the beginning of the fall of Rome
Life in the Roman Empire
• Many people filled the streets of Rome daily
– Few lived in the city limits;many lived in countrysides
• Romans valued certain personal qualities
– Power, strength, and usefulness
• Life was focused around the family
– Eldest males ran the home; had complete control
• Could disown family members or sell them into slavery
– Boys were favored over girls – they could vote
• Also held family traditions and got original names
• Daughters got female version of fathers name
• Education was usually for the richer boys
– Women taught at home; married at 12-15 to older men
Women and Slaves In Rome
• As the empire came to power, women were close
to equals socially in Rome
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Given more freedom than women of Greece
Allowed to own property and testify in court
Were NOT allowed to vote or educated outside home
Attended fairs, festivals, and public baths
• Slavery very important to Roman society
– Romans use slaves more than any other civilization
– Slaves were property, could be bought, sold, killed
– Some forced to be gladiators for entertainment
Roman Religion- Roman Mythology
• Romans were polytheistic
• Roman religion helped to explain 3 things
– Life events, natural phenomena, human characteristics
• Held ceremonies and rituals to Gods – like Greeks
– Religion also connected to government
– Ceremonies were to be both public and private
• Worship of the emperor also part of the religion
• By 100 AD, Romans are interested in other
religions – felt a more personal connection to them
Entertainment in Rome
• Entertainment very different b/w rich and poor
– Rich had fancy parties, banquets and fancy
homes
– Poor were usually unemployed and fed on
bread rations from the Roman government
• To distract the poor from revolting they held
games
– Gladiator games, races, mock battles all free
– By 250 AD, there were 150 holidays in Rome
• Used the Colosseum for the games- sat 50,000
people
– Live animals used in games as well, lots of death