Western Civilization

Chapter 6

Imperial Rome, 31-28 B.C.

• During the first two centuries A.D., Romans fashioned a new form of government

• After the defeat and suicides of Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian became known as Augustus Caesar and was supreme in Rome because: – of his conquests and his command of the army– his wealth used to gain support– backing of populares and elites who wanted peace– his plan

• Octavian knew Romans were used to choosing their own path

• He also knew problems could be solved if power was in one man’s hands – his

• He had a plan:– was elected to be Consul annually beginning in 31

B.C.– n 27 B.C., he made his move for more power

– He stood before the Senate and returned all the power the Senate had given him

– As a result, the Senate feared another civil war– The Senate handed him back his power and gave

him more:• tribune for life• authority of Consulship• proconsular authority over the provinces• command of the armies• an imperium

• They gave him even more honors:– First Senator– Augustus, meaning most revered– Imperator meaning victorious general– Father of his country– Princeps, first citizen of Rome

Luckily for Rome, Augustus was a good ruler.

• His first order of business was to reconstruct Rome’s social order because citizens were de-moralized

• So he:– Redefined old class divisions with each group

having its own functions and responsibilities• There were rigid standards of birth, wealth, and conduct• Elites had the largest share of government• Augustus hopes this would bring order and security

– He tried to improve the morale and patriotism of Rome’s citizens

– He encouraged the revival of the ancient Roman religion

– He patronized writers who wrote positive propaganda about Rome like Virgil who wrote the Aeneid

• Augustus arranged for numerous laws to curb vices: luxury, sexual irregularities, divorce, childless marriages, gambling, and drinking

• He spent lots of money to beautify Rome and provide public services; the result was pride in capital

• He established a professional army under his control; they received special training, discipline, regular pay, & pensions in money not land

• There were support services for the military: supply depots, roads, & military posts

• Augustus tried to improve provincial governance– Princep: Augustus who supervised– Provincial Administration: governors under

Augustus’ control– Procurator or tax collectorAll received salaries, so they wouldn’t exploit the

people

• Local political life was left to local authorities• This brought order and pride• Augustus set up a fair tax collection system• He set up a system for succession– He wanted it to be hereditary– He wanted his successor to have practical

experience in governing beforehandAugustus was a realist, a hard-working statesman,

and very patient

• All this together helped to establish a Roman peace called Pax Romana that truly took hold from 69 – 180 A.D.

Solidifying the Augustine Principate14 – 96 A.D.

• There were two families who ruled the Roman Empire in its first one hundred years: Julio-Claudians and Flavians

• Augustus was of the Julio-Claudians; of the 5 emperors from the family, Augustus was the best– Augustus (r. 27 B.C. – 14 A.D.) was wise and

intelligent

Augustus

– Tiberius (r. 14 – 37 A.D.) was Augustus’ second wife’s elder son; he was able but cold, suspicious, and disillusioned

– Caligula (r. 37 – 41 A.D.) was the nephew of Tiberius; crazy and was assassinated

– Claudius (r. 41 54 A.D.) was the uncle of Caligula; timid, physically handicapped, bookish, competent historian and priest; may have been poisoned by his wife Agrippina

– Nero (r. 54-68 A.D.) was Agrippina’s son by a previous marriage; was the worst, vicious, vain, & wasteful; was ousted from office; killed his mother & 2 wives; disposed of senators, persecuted Christians, killed himself

• Civil war followed after Nero lasting a year.• It came to an end when the Flavian family

took control– Vespasian ( r. 69-79 A.D.) restored the Augustan

system and curbed the military

– Titus (r. 79 81 A.D.) was Vespasian’s son; had no respect for the Senate

– Domitian (r. 81-96 A.D.) was Vespasian’s other son; he, too, had no respect for the Senate

Titus and Domitian were charged with Being tyrants. They brought mistrust but restored authority

and dignity to the office

• They had a competent administration• They restored the military to their posts• They gave more power to the elites• The people concluded that power in the hands

of one man brought stability and security• Domitian as a ruler was mistrusted and was

assassinated• Opposition to one-man rule disappeared

The Good Emperors

• Nerva (r. 96-98 A.D.) elderly and he named a man from Spain to succeed him

• Trajan (r. 98-117 A.D.) was from Spain; was well-respected and a good military man; had a sound and honest administration; gave financial aid to poor children; he added the last areas to empire

• Hadrian (r. 117-138 A.D.) cultured humanitarian; traveled throughout empire promoting peace

• Antoninus Pius (r. 138-161 A.D.) excellent character; given name of Pius by Senate

• Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180 A.D.) stoic philosopher with deep sense of duty;

nobility of purpose; willing to work; most inspiring of all of them

The Good Emperors

• All trained each successor• They all:– created a unified body of law– granted citizenship to a large number of

provincials– set up humanitarian projects for the unfortunate– had a sound financial system based on fair taxes– renewed the bond between Rome and its people

and allegiance was formed

• They all exercised their power through a bureaucracy and an army

• Trajan added the final areas to the empire: Dacia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia

• Palestinian Jews revolted 115-117 and 132-135 A.D.; both revolts were put down by Hadrian

• Government was not despotic; they ruled benevolently, humanely, and with a deep respect for Roman law

• They felt good government was vital for a civilized life

Economic life

• The first two centuries were relatively prosperous for the Roman Empire brought about by good government and peace

• There was a higher standard of living throughout the empire– Agriculture:• The basis for that prosperity• occupied the energies of most people• fewer small farms, more latifundia with fewer slaves and

more tenant farmers

• In Italy there were signs of poorer production and soil erosion by the end of second century A.D.

• Other parts of the empire were doing well agriculturally and supported Italy

• Trade:– Expanded and was crucial to prosperity– By-product of peaceful times– Connected the Mediterranean– Exchanged • agricultural products• simple manufactured goods• luxury goods• raw materials

• Building Activity:– occurred throughout the empire; shows

Romanization– employed thousands– Built basilicas, temples, theatres, stadiums,

palaces, public baths, triumphal arches, private dwellings, roads, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, and villas

Eastern Religions

• Many Romans found the traditional religion and its gods lacking

• Some Romans leaned towards monotheism even though traditional gods were needed to be patriotic

• Many wanted a personal relationship with God• So people turned to mystery religions during

the first century A.D.

• Mystery Religions:– They worshipped a God with whom personal

contact seemed immediate– They were offered the promise of immortality– These cults filtered in from various parts of the

empire

Gods Worshipped

• Anatolian Cybele or the great mother-goddess cult was worshipped from the late 3rd century onward; they would bathe in the blood of a bull or ram in order to gain mortality

• Cult of Isis (Egyptian goddess)– water from the Nile was used to purify people

• Cult of Mithras (Persia)– Indo-Iranian god of light and truth– Bringer of victory and immortalityRome accepted these cults if they could be worked

in with traditional godsHowever, the religion of the Jews of Palestine could

not be assimilatedThey were monotheistic not polytheistic

The Jews

• Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 B.C.– He left the religion alone– He left it under the control of a high priest– Jerusalem later became a client kingdom under

Herod, a Roman puppet ruler– Jews could maintain their faith– They were excused from sacrificing to Roman gods

• Sadducees had favor with the foreigners; they defended Jerusalem law, worked with Rome, and didn’t believe in a Messiah

• Hasidim rejected all compromise with Rome; they expected a Messiah to come and destroy Rome and had dietary rules that separated them from gentiles

• Hasidim– Pharisees did not advocate violent revolt against

Rome, even though they wanted separation– Zealots began sporadic resistance to Rome after 6

A.D.

Jesus of Nazareth

• Born Joshua ben Joseph sometime between 6 and 4 B.C.

• Followers saw him as the Messiah or the Christ• He preached about the coming of the Kingdom

of God in a non-political style; said it was not of this world

• He preached peace and love entirely within the Jewish tradition

• Some Jews saw his teachings as blasphemy, especially his claim as “King of the Jews”

• Pontius Pilate, a Roman Procurator or tax collector, thought Jesus posed a threat to law and order and sentenced him to death by crucifixion

• the cruel death of a gentle man calmed the public somewhat

• Jesus’ followers claimed that Jesus arose from the dead 3 days after he died

• This group said that this proved that Jesus was the Messiah

• They then formed a small sect called Christians led by Peter

• They had sacraments like a ritual meal but followed much of Jewish law and custom

• Christianity spread through the work of Jesus’ followers:– Paul of Tarsus was a convert who said that

Christianity was separate from Judaism. He wrote the first coherent set of beliefs through his letters to churches being established

– Many converted and faced persecution– Nero and Diocletian saw Christianity as a successful,

aggressive cult that needed to be stopped; they killed Christians

Tour of the Empire

• It spread from York in the north of Britain to the Euphrates River

• Locals were allowed to conduct business and affairs of government

• There were entertainment centers for state events: gladiators, races, baths, theatres, and temples to Jupiter

• They built aqueducts, roads, and bridges

• There were local senates and assemblies with their own aristocrats

• In 120 A.D. Hadrian traveled throughout the Empire on an inspection tour

• He was later succeeded by his adopted son, Trajan

• Hadrian had a wall built in north Britain to mark the northern most border of the Roman Empire, Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall

• Hadrian spent 10 years traveling around the Empire

• He spread Pax Romana• Some problems began to crop up in the

Roman Empire in the second century A.D.• There was corruption and the Roman Legion

had fewer Romans within its ranks

Culture of Rome

• Writers:– Cornelius Tacitus was a Rome’s greatest historian

who tried to find the reality amongst all the propaganda

– Plutarch wrote biographies like Parallel Lives

– Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher who wanted people to free themselves from material goods because they only brought unhappiness

Crises

• The third century was full of crises– Barbarian invasions: unprotected borders– Economic problems: decline in farm products due

to erosion, depletion, and shortage of labor; trade and industry declined and banditry picked up

– Plague – Assassinations: Commodus, the son of Marcus

Aurelius, reigned 180-192. He was insane and violent. His assassination was followed by civil war

Commodus

• Septimus Severus became emperor after Commodus and reigned from 193-211– He ended civil war– He was a military man– Empire was generally healthy under his rule– He had confrontations with Persians, Franks, and

Goths– Other family members succeeded him– The last Severan was assassinated in 235

Septimus Severus

Barracks Emperors

• Between 235 and 284, there were 20 emperors, all military men– These were generals who were barely in power as

emperor before they were violently removed from office by other generals

– Had authoritarian style– Insensitive to civilian problems– Did not understand the Augustan principle of rule– They only wanted what was best for the military

• Recovery began by 260 A.D. by Emperor Gallenus and in 275 by Emperor Aurelian

• They defeated the Franks and the Goths• Reform emperors like Diocletian (284-305)

and Constantine (306-337) slowed the decline of the Roman Empire but did not stop it

Diocletian and Constantine