Pre Test Day

Today we had a day to study for other classes or the test tomorrow. The test will be on everything that we have learned about Rome. Test tomorrow, until then..

Rome Fades Away

• Diocletian
• he rules from 284-303
• its cool to persecute Christians
• Rome needs a big army (400,000)
• Rome needs a big gov (20,000 officials)
• had the idea to split Rome into two empires.
• Constantine
• rules from 306-337
• its cool to be a Christian
• conversion to Christianity via a cross in the sky
• 313 - his Edict of Milan proclaims freedom of worship
• built a new capital in the East
• Byzantium, soon to be known as Constantinople.
• The Edict of Milan
• a proclamation that gave religious toleration to Christianity within the Roman empire. 
• It was the outcome of a political agreement concluded in Milan between the Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius in February 313. 
• The proclamation, made for the East by Licinius in June 313, granted;
• all persons freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased
• assured Christians of legal rights
• including the right to organize churches
• directed the prompt return to Christians of confiscated property.
• Peasants
• life in the Fourth Century
• getting bankrupted by endless tax collection
• new farming system: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms
• peasant can avoid paying taxes, but get just as hard by landlords
• paying off debts and being "allowed" to live on the land, in exchange for endless back breaking work.
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power.
• foreshadowing feudalism.
• Western Empire crumbles
• Rome's power decreasing
• too poor and begins to be neglected
• Huns migrate from China to eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and actually capture the loot Rome itself in 410
• Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean
• Ostrogoth's in Italy
• Franks in Gaul
• Angles and Saxons in Britain
• End of an Era
• 500 BC - the monarchy was abolished
• 450 BC - the Twelve Tables are established
• 44 BC- end of the line for Julius Caesar
• 27 BC - 180 AD - the Roman Peace (Pax Romana)
• constant fifth century invasions by barbarian tribes left the western Roman Empire shattered and crumbling
• the last emperor was a teenage boy installed in 475 by his father
• barbarians deposed Romulus Augustulus without bothering to kill him

The Decline of the Roman Empire

Today in class we went over the test and took notes:

• Rise of Christianity 
• Jesus spent 3 years teaching
• Killed by Roman leaders
• Followers believe he was the Messiah
• Saul becomes Paul and spreads Jesus' message
• Christianity evolves from cult status to established, official structure
• Monotheistic - Jews and Christians 
• Conflicted with Roman beliefs
• Persecution against both was common
• Christianity appealed to the poor
• Some Roman leaders embraced Christianity
• 313 AD: Constantine had a battlefield conversion
• He issues the Edict of Milan
• No more persecution
• Approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• The Roman Empire and Christianity are linked in power and influence

• Homework: write notes on page 123
• The greatest change that began among the people was the spread of Christianity.
• The Germanic barbarians of northern Europe became wealthier and more organized.
• From 200 AD they became such a large threat that emperors could only hold them off by building up the army.
• The empire was still strong enough to bring about the last and greatest change in civilization.
• Eventually, the burden of government and the army became too heavy to bear, the barbarian attacks grew too fierce to be resisted, and the empire began to collapse.

Test Day

Today we took our final Rome test. There were 40 questions, I thought I did well. The last part on the back page was about the emperors and that was challenging but everything else was fine. I hope I got a good grade.

Everything on the Test

Today we took notes again on everything that will be on the test.

• Where did the first Indo-Europeans settle around 750 BC?
• On the shores of the Tiber River
• What three groups of people dominated the culture of early Rome?
• Latin
• Etruscan's
• Greeks
• Who was Tarquin the Proud, and what was so significant about him?
• The last of the Roman kings.
• His son raped a women and got away with it.
• 534-510 BC
• Rome: monarchy to republic 
• Ruled by Etruscan kings (monarchy)
• After Tarquin (no more tyranny) the government became res publica.
• Patrician vs Plebeian 
• Patrician: upper class, land establishing, powerful, connected.
• Plebeian: common people, workers, farmers, some wealthy non-patricians.
• Senate
• governments assembly of 300 (unpaid) patricians, appointed for life, first by kings.
• Consuls
• two senators who led the government and military for one year terms.
• Tribunes
• leaders of the plebeian assembly: first rather powerless but gaining ground over the years.
• Why were the 12 tables so important?
• The first time laws were written down in Rome.
• Protect plebeians who were getting pushed around.
• Publicly displayed in the Forum 450 BC.
• The Roman Republic serves as a model for what modern document, and what modern government?
• The Constitution of the US and its separation of powers:
• Senate / Assemblies - US Senate / House of Reps, Consuls / Dictator - President of the US, Senate could act like judges - like our Supreme Court.
• Why could only the rich serve in the Senate?
• Members were not paid, but worked their way up from low-ranking magistrates to higher ones. They needed to spend a lot of money to look good, popular, and powerful, making them electable. Plebeians couldn't afford it. 
• The kings who ruled between 600 and 500 BC ordered the building of the Forum, Rome's political center.

Test Wednesday

Today we went over our old Rome test and went on the material that will be on the test Wednesday.

• Old Rome test
• Octavian
• AKA Caesar Augustus.
• First real emperor.
• Begins the Pox Ramona - roman peace.
• Built roads and aqueducts.
• Set up civil service to take care of roads, grain supply and postal services.
• Died at age 76 in 14 AD.
• Passed his power to Tiberius.
• Jesus 
• a Roman citizen practicing Jew.
• At 30 he began his ministry. (31-33 AD)
• Statements like "my kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans and Jew's nervous.
• The governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.
• Paul
• Was very important in telling about Jesus. (life, death, resurrection, message)
• Traveled; Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Coeinth, Rome, Jerusalem, Spain, Britain, Macedonia.
• Wrote letters to the people of the places he visited.
• Without Paul, Jesus was just an obscure preacher.
• Caligula
• Germanicus' son
• Tiberus' adopted grandson - next in line for emperor.
• Granted bonuses to military, made the governments spending a public matter.
• First 7 months of his reign were "completely blissful"
• He began to fight the Senate
• Claimed to be a god
• Cruel and insane; indulged in too much spending and sex. tried to make his horse a consul and a priest. slept with other mans wives and bragged about it.
• Assassinated by his own aides in 41 AD (age 28)
• Claudius
• isolated from his family because of his disabilities (cerebral palsy or polio)
• rose to the occasion; conquered Britain; built roads, canals, aqueducts, and renovated the Circus Maximus.
• awful marriage to Messalina, who was unfaithful to him, plotting to serve power for her lover Silius, - so Claudius killed them both.
• Religious Troubles
• Christianity and Judaism; monotheistic 
• Rome; many gods - some emperors viewed as gods
• 66 AD; Jews called Zealots tried to rebel. (Rome beat them and burned their temple)
• the Western Wall today in the holiest of all Jewish shrives.
• 1/2 million Jews died in the rebellion.
• Persecution and Christians
• Romans were harsh to worshipers.
• Christians were viewed as a cult.
• Often used for "entertainment" purposes.
• despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly.
• by 200 AD around 10% of Romans were Christians.

Rome Notes

In class Mr. Schick wasn't here, we took notes in the book;

• With the changes in Rome's society and politics, the character of its armies and their commanders also changed.
• Instead of the farmer-soldiers of old, it was now landless and property less proletarians who were drafted to fill the ranks of the legions.
• The government by supreme warlords was bound to be brief and unstable - unless one of them could turn military dictatorship int legitimate power.
• Julius Caesar
• Came from on old patrician family.
• He entered the politic world young.
• He sided with the poor people.
• In 60BC he began to collaborate with Gnaeus Pompeius.
• Won an appointment to have control of the southern regions of Gaul. 
• Conquered Gaul and even made forays into Britain and Germany.
• Crassus had led an army to a crushing defeat by the neighboring empire Parthia.
• With Pompey's support, the Senate ordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome.
• But instead he decided to come back with part of his army, in defiance of Roman Law.
• Pompey was hastily commissioned to defend the Senate, but his forces were not match for Caesar.
• The Father of the Fatherland - Caesar.
• Supreme pontiff - minor branch of government.
• Rubicon - northern Italy River: Rome and Rubicon.

50BC most of western Europe was under Roman Control.