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Ancient Rome �& The Origin of Christianity

Outcome: The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Constructive Response Questions

  • What factors contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire?

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What will we learn?

  • Factors that weakened Rome (Social, political, economic, military)
  • Emperor Constantine
  • Germanic invasions

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

  • A Century of Crisis
    • Pax Romana came to an end with Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180)
    • The rulers that followed were unable to manage the large empire and its growing problems.
    • Result: The Roman Empire began to decline

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The Roman Empire Under Augustus

Stable

Secure

Powerful!

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Rome Fell Like a Game of Jenga

Social Factors

Economic Factors

Political Factors

Military Factors

Many factors weakened Rome over the course of several centuries. By the end, it was too broken to save

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4 FACTORS WEAKENED ROME

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

  • Problems
    • Economic
      • Trade was disrupted by hostile tribes and pirates
      • No new gold or silver sources = raise taxes
      • Created more money = inflation (bad)
      • Soil in Italy and Western Europe became increasingly less fertile

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

    • Political
      • Citizens were losing their patriotism towards Rome
      • Government began to be controlled by military
      • Terrible emperors such as Nero, Commodus, & Caligula murdered, raped, and impoverished their people

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Examples of BAD EMPERORS!

  • Caligula
  • Ruled 37-41 AD
  • Lacked experience of collective decision making
  • Rumored incest with 3 of his sisters
  • Rumored to enjoy watching torture
  • Wanted to make his horse a member of the Senate
  • Was stabbed by imperial bodyguard while watching a gladitorial show in 41AD

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Examples of BAD EMPERORS!

  • Nero
  • Ruled from 54-68 AD
  • Little interest in governing, preferred to be poet & actor
  • Burned down part of the city to build his palace
  • Persecuted Christians
  • Killed his mother
  • Committed suicide after being deposed by the senate

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Examples of BAD EMPERORS!

  • Commodus
  • Ruled from 180-192 AD; empire begins to erode, ends Pax Romana
  • Wasn’t very bright
  • Ran a “hands-off” government
  • Not a military leader
  • Was vain, thought of himself like Hercules & fought in the Colosseum; renamed Rome colonia Commodiana
  • Was assassinated by eating poison beef and strangled when it was feared he might recover from the poison

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Commodus in Gladiator

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Examples of BAD EMPERORS!

  • Elagabulus
  • Ruled from 218-222 AD
  • Wanted to make the sun-god Elagabal the main deity in the Pantheon
  • Acted as if he were a god
  • Built a new temple for Elagabal; actions appalled the Roman subjects
  • Was murdered by praetorian guards in 222 AD

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

    • Social
      • People were slowly losing their confidence in the Empire
      • Gap between rich and poor was still very wide
      • Decline in interest in public affairs

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

    • Military
      • Low funds for defense
      • Mercenaries (foreign soldiers) hired who accepted lower pay
      • Soldiers were less disciplined and loyal

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

  • Reform Attempted
    • Emperor Diocletian
      • Becomes emperor in 284 AD
      • Ruled with iron fist and limited personal freedoms
      • Doubled size of army
      • Sought to control inflation
      • Divided empire in two: Greek Speaking East & Latin Speaking West

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Split of the Empire

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Emperor Constantine

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

    • Emperor Constantine
      • Embraced Christianity due to vision he had at the battle of Milvian Bridge; victory at Milvian Bridge made him sole ruler of Rome
      • First Christian Roman emperor
      • Issued the Edict of Milan which allowed Christians to worship freely
      • Moves capital of empire east to Byzantium; builds new city
      • New city is later renamed Constantinople (in modern day Turkey)
      • Eastern empire flourishes due to trade and wealth

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

  • Western Empire Crumbles
    • The decline of the Western Roman Empire took place over many years
    • Final collapse was due to:
      • Worsening internal problems
      • The separation of the Western Empire from wealthier East
      • Outside invasions

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

    • Germanic Invasions
      • Mongol nomads, The Huns, forced Germanic peoples on empire’s borders to push into Roman lands
      • Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, ousted by Germanic forces in 476 AD

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Attila the Hun

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Invasion Routes

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Romulus Augustulus Deposed

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Finished.

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

  • Result: The Western Roman Empire was no more but the eastern empire would continue to thrive as a region known today as Byzantium

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Constructive Response Questions

  • What factors contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire?