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After Caesar – the Roman
Empire
The Second Triumverate
After Caesar’s death, his 18 year old
adopted son, Octavian, works to destroy
all of Caesar’s enemies.
Caesar’s friend, Mark Antony, a general,
helps him.
They rule Rome as the Second
Triumverate.
– Along with Lepidus
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They make a list of 100 senators and set
Antony and Cleopatra
• Antony is married to Octavian’s sister, but
meets Cleopatra, causing a divorce.
• Antony goes on a “business” trip to Egypt.
• Octavian plots against him.
• Octavian tells the Senate that Antony
plans to rule Rome, from Egypt. The
Senate sends Octavian to destroy Antony.
• 31 BC, Battle of Actium – Octavian defeats
Antony and Cleopatra, they commit
suicide.
Octavian rules Rome
• Octavian gives himself title of “First
Citizen”
• Senate offers him title of “Augustus”
meaning “exalted one”
• Augustus now ruled Rome.
• He had total power, given to him by the
Senate, who met anyway for tradition.
• The Roman Empire now rules the known
world. Britain to Asia, Germany to North
The Pax Romana:
An Overview
1. The Roman Peace Defined
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27BC to 180AD, 207 years of peace and
prosperity.
The “Roman Lake”
90 million people, Rome – 1 million.
Improvements made for the people of Rome
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Trade?
Public Buildings?
Civil Service?
Life in the Roman Empire
• Two Cultural Movements of Rome
– Epicureanism
– Stoicism
• Livy and Virgil – Roman Writers
• How did Roman Laws bring the empire
together under one government?
Livy
• Historian
• He wrote at the time
of Augustus
• His works tell the
story of Rome’s
founding through the
Republic
Virgil
• Wrote the Aeneid
• The epic poem about
the founding of Rome
(Romulus and
Remus) and Rome’s
sacred mission and
destiny to conquer
and organize the
world
Roman Law
• Became the
foundation of the
legal systems in all
European countries
conquered by
Rome
Principles of Roman law that still
have meaning today
• According to natural law, all men are equal
• Ignorance of the law does not excuse
• No one is compelled to defend a cause
against his will
• No one suffers a penalty for what he thinks
• The burden of proof is on the party
accusing not on the party denying
• In inflicting penalties, the age and
inexperience of the guilty party must be
taken into account
Life in the Roman Empire
• What were the life of the Rich and Poor
like?
• Did the government take care of their
people?
• Life of the lower classes meant living in a
tenement, using public bathrooms, and
eating at a thermopolium (luncheonette)
since your home did have kitchen facilities.
Tenement
Dumping
waste
Roman latrine
and sewer
The yellow sponge
Life at the top
• Life of the Upper Classes meant living in
fancy homes in the cities and villas
(country homes).
• They had slaves
• Enjoyed banquets with dishes such as
parrot-tongue pie, boiled ostrich, tree fungi
in fish-fat sauce.
• Their homes had libraries, art galleries,
swimming pools, and athletic courts.
The
Emperors of the
Pax Romana
Augustus
27 BCE – 14 AD
Policies of Augustus
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Civil Service jobs for the poor.
The Denarius
Free trade in the Empire
Roads
Citizenship extended to everyone.
Aqueducts
The “capital of the world”
– “I found Rome in brick and left it in marble.”
Roman aqueducts
Appian Way
Denarius
Roman mail carriers
Pantheon – a Roman dome.
Temple dedicated to all the gods
Tiberius
• Age 55 when he began
to rule Rome
• A commander in
Augustus army.
• Improved tax collection
and tax system.
• Spent the last 11 years
of his life on the island
of Capri until he was
smothered with a pillow
while he slept
14 – 37 AD
Caligula
• Tiberius’ nephew
• Psychotic
• Skilled dueler, gladiator,
charioteer.
• He proposed his horse be
named consul
• He was murdered by the
Praetorian Guard
• What does his reign say
about the Roman Empire?
37 - 41
Claudius
• Uncle of Caligula who
continued reforming the
government
• Set up court system and
public justice.
• Conquered part of Britain
& extended citizenship in
Spain & Gaul
• Poisoned by his wife
(niece) Agrippina
41 - 54
Nero
• Agrippina’s son
• He started persecuting the
Christians as part of the
“entertainment”.
• Loved poetry, music, the
arts.
• Accused of burning Rome
“while Rome burned, Nero
fiddled.”
• Condemned to death by the
Senate.
• He had his mother killed &
he committed suicide.
54 - 68
Year of the Four (Army) Emperors
68 - 69
• Controlling the army is the key to rule
• Each emperor was chosen by various army
factions
• Galba was the first to rule and die, followed by
Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian who starts a new
dynasty – the Flavian dynasty
Galba
Otho
Vitellius
Vespasian
Vespasian
• Ended the civil war,
restored finances and
reformed the army
• Started building a
giant sport arena later
called the Coliseum
69 - 79
Titus
• Son of Vespasian
• Opened the
Colosseum
• In 79 AD Mt Vesuvius
erupted burying
Pompeii and
Herculaneum
• His brother Domitian
succeeded him
79 - 81
79 AD
Domitian
• Second son of
Vespasian
• Greatly disliked by the
Senators and upper
classes
• Murdered in a palace
revolt
81 - 96
Five Good Emperors
(Adoptive Emperors)
• Nerva, first of the Good
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Emperors
Senator who was
appointed emperor by
the Senate
Began the custom of
adopting an heir
Postal service,
aqueducts, treasury,
roads, stored grain.
Gave land to the poor.
96 - 98
Trajan
• Great military leader.
• He extended the
empire to its greatest
limit.
• Trajan’s Column
98 - 117
Hadrian
• Hadrian’s Wall
• Put down a Jewish
revolt in Jerusalem.
• Loved literature and
the arts, sponsored
them with money.
117 - 138
Empire under Hadrian
Antoninus Pius
• Expanded education
and welfare system.
• Most prosperous of
the emperors.
• Trade flourished.
161-180
Marcus Aurelius
• The Stoic philosopher
emperor who wrote
“Meditations”
• Increased citizenship, “an
attack on Rome is an
attack on us.”
• Champion of the poor,
founded schools,
orphanages, hospitals.
• Pax Romana ends with
his death
161 - 180