Rise and Fall of Rome

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Rise and Fall of Rome

• The Roman Empire

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From Republic to Empire

• Julius Caesar is dictator, 47-44 B.C.E.
• Second Civil War fought amongst Second
  Triumvirate following assassination
• Caesars nephew Octavian v. Mark Anthony
• Octavian defeats Anthony at Battle of Actium, 31
  B.C.E., proclaimed imperator by the Senate
  renamed Augustus.
• Further territorial expansion.

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ABOVE Marcus Antonius RIGHT Augustus
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Demography of Empire

• Empire extended 3.5 million square miles.
• Around 50 million inhabitants.
• Citizenship extended to non-Romans during
  Augustus reign.
• 212 B.C.E., included all free inhabitants
• Several cities with populations over 100,000
  Rome, Alexandria, Ephesus, Antioch.
• Military numbered around 350,000 men.

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Key Events of Imperial Period

• Literature borrowed from Greeks.
• Pax Romana, 27 B.C.E.-180 C.E.
• Pacification of the masses.
• Rise of Christianity (next lecture).
• Fall of Rome, 410-476 C.E.

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Literature The New Epic

• Cultural borrowing from Greeks.
• Virgil (70-19 B.C.E.) and the Aeneid (1st cent.
  B.C.E.).
• Commissioned by Augustus.
• Epic story in the style of Homer.
• Details life of Aeneas and the founding of Rome.
• Attempt to connect Roman history to ancient Greek
  historical epics and heroes.
• Obvious fiction.

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Aeneas and his one-time lover Dido, Queen of
Carthage. Aeneas sneaks out on her one night and
returns to his journey. When she wakes up she is
devastated and commits suicide. What do you think
this might explain in the Aeneid?
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Pax Romana

• Pax Romana is Latin for Roman Peace.
• From 27 B.C.E.-180 C.E., the empire was in a
  state of peace, prosperity and stability.
• Rome was so strong that few dared to challenge
  its power largest empire in the known world.
• The exceptions
• Germanic tribes, Parthian Empire, unrest in
  Judaea.

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Pacification of the Masses

• Flavian Amphitheatre (Coliseum) c. 81 C.E.
• 50,000 seats
• Circus Maximus, 366 B.C.E.
• 10,000 seats
• Distractions to keep the masses from revolting.
• Bread, wine, entertainment.

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Fall of the Roman Empire

• Pax Romana ends in 180 C.E.
• Decadence of the aristocracy
• Christianization of the empire
• Traditions and culture undermined
• Rise of Eastern Empire
• Byzantium, later Constantinople
• Too many foreigners in positions of power
• Barbarian invasions
• Rome sacked by Visigoths (410), Vandals (455),
  last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, is deposed.

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Alaric I of the Visigoths, sacker of Rome.
Division of the Western Empire by barbarians.