Topic: Ancient Rome: Republic and Empire

Weekly Schedule
Due Date	Activity
Oct 9	Read & examine this week's module Textbook: Chapters 8 & 9 Watch: All Videos
Oct 9	Discussion: Plot against Caesar
Oct 9	Extra Credit Quiz

Image: Augustus

Summary:

On the Italian peninsula, on hills overlooking a fertile plain and the Tiber River, a new city-state emerged whose citizens became masters of the world. Hardworking and serious, the Romans valued family and city above all else. After a period of monarchy, Romans developed a new form of government, the republic, in which both rich and poor citizens participated. Rome then turned outward, conquering the Italian peninsula before turning to the Mediterranean. Military success strengthened Rome with wealth and slaves and brought the influence of Hellenistic culture to the city. Unfortunately, the republican form of government degenerated into power struggles and violence. Nonetheless, Rome left its mark on Western civilization in the form of laws, technology, and a way of life.

The republican government of Rome was unable to withstand the debilitating social and political divisions that intensified in the first century BCE. Patricians and plebeians alike turned against traditional rule and sought to undermine the Senatorial authority. Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Crassus formed the First Triumvirate with the aim of achieving personal wealth and power. Their actions increased the size and power of the Rome, but this expansion deteriorated the bonds that held the Republic together. The collapse of the First Triumvirate led to a major Civil War between Pompey and Caesar. After the disastrous battle of Pharsalus and the death of Pompey in Egypt, Julius Caesar emerged as the sole victor. A group of Senators led by Brutus and Cassius, conspired against Caesar and murdered him on the Ides of March (March 15) of 44 BCE. Unwittingly, the murder of Caesar marked the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire. Although interpretations of his rule vary, his murder solved none of the social or political problems of Rome. The violence would continue until a new leader established another form of government that would last even longer than the Roman republic.

A Second Triumvirate was formed by Caesar's heir and two of Caesars Generals. Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus unleashed a new wave of violence and war that dismantled the old Senatorial power and essentially destroyed the Republic. After turning on his allies in a violent civil war, Octavian (known as Augustus) seized power and transformed the Roman government into a new system, the principate, which combined the absolute power of the emperor with the administrative talents of the Senate.

The Empire

Following the death of Augustus in 14 CE the empire grew dramatically, by the time of Trajan's reign (ruled 98-117), Rome had dramatically expanded its territory. In the third century, political, economic, and environmental problems severely weakened the Roman world, and invasions by barbarians became a serious and continuous threat. In 284, a new, strong emperor, Diocletian, tried to reform the government and the army, and to strengthen the Roman world against its many problems, dividing the Roman world into an eastern half and a western half, each under a separate emperor, in order to ease the burden of ruling such a large and complex world. The empire of the Dominate crumbled in 476 in the western half, but lasted much longer in the east. During this traumatic period, loss of territory and the economic decimation of the country led people to adopt far more mystical religions and philosophies, but particularly Christianity. No one was more important to the new faith than Emperor Constantine (306-337). Beginning in 306, he ruled over a united empire from a new capital city in the east--the old Greek city of Byzantium--which became known as Constantinople and rapidly eclipsed Rome as the premier city of the empire. Constantine's fame as one of the most important Roman rulers stems from his acceptance of Christianity as a legal religion in 312. Although he did not make Christianity the state religion, its new legal status provoked a wild proliferation of the faith, particularly in the eastern half of the empire. All subsequent emperors were Christians by profession, except for Constantine's nephew, Julian ("the Apostate," ruled 361-363), who made a brief attempt to restore Rome's pagan state religion but without lasting success.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this week's module, students will be able to:

Examine the major historical events in Ancient Rome

The Rise of Rome
Establishment of the Republic
The Civil Wars and decline of the Republic
The Rise of Augustus and the Empire
The Decline of the Empire