Roman Empire page ___ Julius Caesar 1. Celebrated Roman general and statesman. 2. Formed triumvirate with Crassus & Pompey 3. After 1 year, Caesar left to conquer Gaul. Triumvirate ruled for 10 years. 4. Senate ordered Caesar’s resignation 5. Caesar marched to and crossed the Rubicon River, starting a civil war. 6. Caesar took Rome and chased Pompey across Mediterranean. 7. Pompey was killed in Alexandria by Pharaoh. 8. Caesar appointed dictator in 46 BCE.

The Death of Julius Caesar 1. Caesar was launching a series of political and social reforms 2. He was assassinated by a group of nobles on his way to Pompey’s Theater (where the Senate convened) 3. Caesar’s grandnephew Octavian would become ruler and create the Roman Empire

Pax Romana 1. Period of peace and prosperity. 2. Trade flourished 3. The Colosseum and Circus Maximus was constructed. 4. Built a series of stone water channels called aqueducts.

Gladiators 1. Fought against each other, wild animals, and condemned criminals, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of spectators. 2. These fights took place in arenas in many cities from the Roman Republic period through the Roman Empire.

Beginnings of Christianity 1. Jesus of Nazareth began a traveling ministry at age 30 2. The ministry was very attractive to the poor 3. The Popularity of Jesus’ ministry threatened Roman and Jewish leaders a. Apostles – Jesus’ 12 disciples or students 4. Pax Romana made spread of Christianity easy a. Apostle Paul traveled around the empire on Roman roads

Jewish Rebellions 1. 66 CE band of Jews rebelled against Rome 2. Rome stormed Jerusalem, burned the temple mount 3. 132 CE Jews rebelled again Rome forced Jews to leave Judea: Diaspora Christianity 1. Refused to: a. worship Roman gods b. honor emperor as a god c. perform military service

Rome Responds 1. Christians persecuted 2. Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals

Emperor Constantine 1. Ended persecution of Christians 2. Declared Christianity one of the approved religions

Decline and fall of Rome 1. 3rd Century CE hostile outside tribes and pirates began to disrupt trade 2. Rome lacked new sources of gold and silver 3. Raised taxes, minted coins with less silver, suffered from inflation 4. Serious food shortages and disease spread

Reform Attempts 1. Diocletian splits the empire into 2 parts 2. Constantine reunites the empire, moves capital to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople) 3. After Constantine empire split in two again

Roman Decline 1. Constantine moved the capital to the city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. 2. After the death of Theodosius, (last Roman Emperor) the eastern part of the Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. 3. Barbarian invasions by the Visigoths, Huns and Vandals led to the fall of Rome in 455 CE.

Western Empire Falls 1. worsening internal problems 2. Separation from wealthier Eastern Empire 3. Germanic invaders/the Huns

Eastern Empire (called the Byzantine Empire) flourishes until 1453 CE, when it fell to the Ottomans.