The Decline of Rome
The Decline of Rome
 Main Idea:
 Poor Leadership, a declining economy and attacks by Germanic Tribes
weakened the Roman Empire.
The Decline of Rome
 What do you do when you face a difficult problem?
 Do you try to solve it yourself? Do you ask other people for help?
The Decline of Rome
 In this lesson we will learn about the problems the Roman Empire faced
and how its leaders responded.
The Decline of Rome
 In 180 C.E. Marcus Aurelius died.
 His son, Commodus became Emperor.
The Decline of Rome
 Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic
(patient) philosopher and one of
the 5 “Good” Roman emperors.
 His Stoic philosophical writings
are known as the Meditations of
Marcus Aurelius, which were
written in Greek.
 It was during the reign of Marcus
Aurelius that the Marcomannic
War broke out at the northern
frontier of the empire.
The Decline of Rome
 The Romans fought the Marcomannic War campaigns against a coalition
of German tribes from 168-175…they were on the verge of total victory
when news arrived of a rebellion in the east.
The Decline of Rome
 Marcus Aurelius’ son, Commodus became Emperor after his father
died and was very cruel and wasted much of Rome’s resources…
 Commodus was one of the excessive emperors who ate, drank, and
spent too much money and really offended the Romans.
The Decline of Rome
 Commodus spent much of his time fighting as a Gladiator in the Arena.
 He was involved in possibly as many as 1000 gladiatorial contests where his opponents
had blunted weapons.
The Decline of Rome
 Towards the end of his reign he renamed the months of the year for aspects
of himself.
 He began claiming to be a god… when he was killed, his body was hooked
and dragged into the Tiber River, but his successor had him buried properly.
The Decline of Rome
 Finally in 192 C.E. Commodus was strangled to death in his own bath tube.
 He had made himself unbearable on the eve of an appearance in the arena where he
was to fight as Hercules, his ministers had him strangled in his bath by his wrestling
partner and personal trainer, Narcissus.
The Decline of Rome
 Nearly a century of Confusion and fighting for power followed Commodus’ death.
 After Commodus, Emperors called the Severan’s ruled Rome.
The Decline of Rome
 There were five Severan Emperors in the Severan Dynasty
 The Severan Age was a time in the Roman Empire between 193 and 235...the
dynasty was founded by the Roman general Septimius Severus, who rose to power
as the victor of the civil war through 193.
The Decline of Rome

Much of the Severan’s time was spent putting down revolts and protecting the Roman
borders from envisions.

The Severan’s stayed in power by paying the army well, but they ignored the growing
problem of crime and poverty. (Part of the Imperial Palace complex on the Palatine Hill
overlooking the Circus Maximus)
The Decline of Rome
 Circus Maximus - is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass
entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy
The Decline of Rome
 Questions:
 1) Who was Marcus Aurelius?
 2) What did his son Commodus spend much of his time doing?
 3) How was Commodus killed?
The Decline of Rome
 Questions:
 1) Who was Marcus Aurelius?
 Roman Emperor, regarded as the Scholar Emperor
 2) What did his son Commodus spend much of his time doing?
 Fighting as a Gladiator
 3) How was Commodus killed?
 Strangled in the bathtub by his wrestling partner
Political and Social Problems
 When the last Severan ruler died in 235 C.E., Rome’s government
became very weak.
 For almost 50 years, military leaders and generals fought each for
complete control over the Roman Empire.
Political and Social Problems
 During this time of civil war Rome actually had 22 different Emperors.
Political and Social Problems
 Poor leadership was not Rome’s only difficulty…fewer Romans honored
the old ideas of duty, courage and honesty.
 Many politicians and government officials began taking bides.
Political and Social Problems
 As problems increased, well educated people often refused to serve in the
government.
 Many wealthy people citizens even stopped paying their taxes.
(Wealthy Roman Home)
Political and Social Problems
 With the government in shambles, fewer people attended schools and a
large number of the Empire’s people were enslaved
 Wealthy Romans supported slavery because it was a cheap way to get
work done…as you can tell Rome was quickly falling apart.
Political and Social Problems
Questions:
4) How many Emperors did Rome have in a
50 year period after 235 C.E.?
22 Emperors during a 50 year period
5) What were many government politicians
and employees taking during this time of
chaos?
Bribes
6) Why would Romans support slavery?
It was a cheap form of labor
Focus on Everyday Life: Slavery in the
Roman Empire
 Public and Private slavery were common in the Roman society.
 Public slaves were owned by the state…they took care of important
buildings and served government officials.
Focus on Everyday Life: Slavery in the
Roman Empire
 Some educated public slaves were used to help organize the
governments of conquered areas.
Focus on Everyday Life: Slavery in the
Roman Empire
 Private slaves on the other hand were owned by individuals, they were often
forced to work long hours and could be sold at any time.
(Roman slave collar, slave masters put these on their slaves to make sure they
did not “get lost”)
Focus on Everyday Life: Slavery in the
Roman Empire
 Wealthy Romans had hundreds or even thousands of enslaved
people…most enslaved people worked on farms.
 Most enslaved people were men…most likely due to great
strength…some became gladiators…enslaved women made clothing and
cooked massive meals.
Focus on Everyday Life: Slavery in the
Roman Empire
Connecting to the Past Questions:
7) What was the difference between public
and private enslavement?
Public Slaves were owned by the state
and private slaves were owned by an
individual.
8) Which jobs were probably considered the
most desirable by enslaved people?
Answers may be different, however jobs such
as groundskeepers or personal assistants
would have been easier.
Economic and Military Problems
 Around 200 C.E., Rome’s economy
began to severely fall apart.
 As government weakened, Rome’s
law and order broke down.
 (Roman Moneychanger with his
"bank" (bench) for counting)
Economic and Military Problems
 Invaders began spilling into the lands, sacking farms, seizing crops and
destroying the homeland.
 Farmers grew less food and hunger began to spread throughout the
Empire…even the Roman military was unable to help.
Economic and Military Problems
 As the economy worsened, people bought fewer goods…Artisans
produced less and shopkeepers lost money.
 Many businesses closed and the number of workers dropped sharply.
Economic and Military Problems
 Many workers had to leave jobs and serve in the army.
 Then Rome was hit with a plague.
Economic and Military Problems
 Plague – is a disease that spreads very fast through an area, country
or continent.
 This particular plague killed one out of every ten people in Rome.
Economic and Military Problems
 Between 166 and 266 C.E. the Roman Empire was hit by two separate plagues, each
one nearly as deadly as the more famous Black Death of the Middle Ages.
 The first one, known as the Antonine Plague, which lasted eighteen years and killed
millions of people all over the empire…it may have even killed the famous Marcus
Aurelius the last of the Good Emperors. (Antonine was similar to Smallpox)
Economic and Military Problems
 The second Plague broke out in 251 C.E. and raged for fifteen years right in the
middle of the dreadful Economic and Military crisis that we are discussing.
 It is believed that the two diseases were Smallpox and Measles, both potent killers.
Economic and Military Problems
 Roman also began to suffer from inflation…which is the rapidly increasing
of prices on all goods.
 Inflation happens when money losses its value … How do you think this
happened in Rome?
Economic and Military Problems
 The weak economy meant fewer taxes were paid to the Roman government.
 With less money coming in, the Roman government could not afford to
defend its territories and had to find a way to pay its soldiers and officials.
Economic and Military Problems
 One way for the government to get the money it needed was to make
their gold coins using less gold...they would actually use other metal
instead of actual gold.
 By putting less gold in each coin, the government could make extra
coins and pay for more things.
Economic and Military Problems
 People soon learned that the coins did not have as much gold in them, and
the coins began losing value.
 Prices ended up going up and many people stopped using money altogether.
Economic and Military Problems
 They began to barter or exchange goods without money.
 Barter – is a system of trade based around needing items…no money is
ever exchanged. For example if I grow apples and my neighbor grows
pears…instead of buying them off each other we would just trade for them!
Economic and Military Problems
 Meanwhile, invaders swept into the Empire.
 In the west, Germanic tribes raided Roman farms and towns.
Economic and Military Problems
 In the east, armies from Persia pushed into the empires territory.
 As fighting increased, the government could no longer enlist and pay
Romans as soldiers.
Economic and Military Problems
 They began using Germanic warriors in the Roman Army.
 However these Germanic soldiers were not loyal to Rome or its leaders
and would often times fly from battles
Economic and Military Problems
 Questions:
 9) What does the term plague mean?
 A disease that spreads very fast through an
area, country or continent
 10) What is inflation?
 Rapidly increasing of prices on all goods.
 11) What does the term barter mean?
 A system of trade based around needing
items
 12) What was Rome doing with its gold coins?
 Made gold coins with smaller amount of gold
in them
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 In 284 C.E. a Roman General names Diocletian became Emperor.
 To stop the Empire’s decline, he introduced reforms, or political
changes to make things better for everyone in Rome!
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 The Empire was just too large for one person to rule, Diocletian divided the
land into four different parts.
 The idea was to have appointed officials in charge of these four different
areas, while he kept supreme authority over the entire Empire.
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 Diocletian also worked to boost the economy.
 To slow down inflation, he issued rules that would set prices of goods
and the wages of all Roman workers.
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 To make sure more goods were produced, he ordered workers to remain
in the same jobs until they died…almost like slavery but with money.
 Diocletian’s reforms were a complete disaster and failed.
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 The people ignored the new rules and Diocletian did not have enough
power to make the Roman citizens obey.
What were Diocletian’s Reforms?
 Questions:
 1) Who was Diocletian?
A Roman General who became Emperor
 2) Why did he want to create reforms in Rome?
These political changes were going to make
things better in Rome
 3) How did he divide the Roman Empire?
He divided the Empire into 4 different parts
to make it easier to control
 4) How did Diocletian try to reverse the decline of
Rome?
He issued rules that stated how much items
cost and how much workers could be paid.
Who was Constantine?
 In 305 C.E. Diocletian retired from his position of Emperor.
 After a period of great conflict, another general names Constantine
became Emperor in 312 C.E.
Who was Constantine?
 To aid the economy, Constantine
issued several orders.
 The sons of workers had to follow
their fathers’ trades.
 The sons of farmers had to work
the land that their fathers worked
 The sons of soilders had to serve
in the army.
Who was Constantine?
 Constantine's changes did not halt the empire’s decline in the west.
 As a result Constantine moved the capital of the empire from the dying city
of Rome to a new city in the east.
Who was Constantine?
 He chose the site of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium.
 There he built a Forum, a large amphitheater called the Hippodrome and
many other lavish sites.
Who was Constantine?
 The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a spectacle that was the
sporting and social center of Constantinople
Who was Constantine?
 The city became known as Constantinople…named after Constantine.
 Today the city is located in modern day Turkey and has been renamed to Istanbul.
Who was Constantine?
 Questions:
 1) Who was Constantine?
 A former Roman General who became
Emperor of Rome
 2) What were some of the changes that
Constantine made in order to aid the economy?
 Sons of workers, farmers and soldiers all
had to follow in the footsteps of their fathers
 3) What ancient Greek city did Constantine make
the new capital of his Empire and what did he
rename it?
 Greek city of Byzantium and he renamed it
Constantinople
Biography of Constantine The Great
 Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian,
although he was not baptized until near his death in 337 C.E.
 He first came to believe in Christianity many years earlier, when he was
just a military leader.
Biography of Constantine The Great
 Constantine believed he had seen a flaming cross in the sky that said,
“By this sign thou shall conquer.”
 The next day his army was victorious in a major battle and he believed
that the cross he saw was a call to the Christian God.
Biography of Constantine The Great
 During his reign, Constantine granted new opportunities to Christians and helped
advance the power of the early Catholic church.
 He encouraged discussion about the acceptance of the holy Trinity and boosted the
political positions and power of bishops within the Roman Government.
Biography of Constantine The Great
 Even though Constantine had
many political and religious
successes, his life was filled with
controversy and tragedy.
 Constantine married a woman
named Fausta and his eldest son
from a previous marriage was
named Crispus.
Biography of Constantine The Great
 Fausta accused Crispus of crimes and claimed that he was planning to
seize the throne for himself.
 Constantine was so shocked that he had his son killed.
Biography of Constantine The Great
 Constantine later discovered that Fausta had lied because she wanted
her own son to be in line for the throne.
 Constantine then had his wife, Fausta killed.
Biography of Constantine The Great
Then and Now:
Constantine believed that freedom
of religion was important for the
success of his empire and made
sure that Christians could no longer
be persecuted.
What part of the United States
Constitution protects freedom of
religion?