Chapter 9 The Glory of Ancient Rome

Make sure you know your vocabulary it is on your test.

Roman Daily Life

• Rome had the most beautiful monuments and public buildings in the world.

• Wealth and goods flowed freely to all parts of the empire.

• Merchants made their living from tourists who visited the city.

Rome took a

census every

5 years

Census=count

Roman Citizens

• To be a Roman citizen was a matter of great pride.

• Guess who were not considered as citizens?

Roman Citizens

• Mmm…

Roman Social Classes

• Rome had 2 social classes:

Wealthy citizens

Lower class: poor people

Rags to Riches??

• The poor lived in poorly built houses or multi-story apartment buildings.

• They did not have running water nor plumbing.

• The wealthy lived in villas and enjoyed feasts with game or boar.

• They would have entertainment including dancers, performers and musicians.

Let’s Eat at a Roman Feast!!

Bread and Circus

• To prevent the poor from rioting, the government gave them free grain and provided circus entertainment in the Colosseum.

Bread and Circus

• The Roman Government gave:

Gladiators fought to the death.

Most gladiators were slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners or war. All were forced to fight in bloody contests of strength.

“Hail Caesar! We who

are about to die salute

you.”

What happens if Caesar goes ‘thumbs up?’ Thumbs down?

Roman Life

• Despite the appeal of brutal combat and executions for “entertainment”, the Romans valued family life.

• (I did not say the rulers did, but the people of Rome did. )

• The Roman government provided family support.

Help is on the Way!

• The Roman Government provided support to the upper classes. These measures were designed to encourage the upper classes to increase the size of their families and to continue their family names.

Help is on the Way!

• For families with 3 or more….

• You get free land

Head of the Household

• The head of the household was the paterfamilias (pay tur

• fuh MIL ee us). • The family included

everything and everyone in the home under the “head of the household”.

Luiggi

wifeYoungerbrother

mother

Child

Daughter-in-law

slaves

Roles of Women in Rome

• A woman’s place in the household depended on what kind of marriage she had.

• Sometimes she would leave the family and join her husband’s family.

Roles of Women in Rome

• Some women shaped roles for themselves outside the family.

• Some women became doctors and worked in medicine, while others engaged in trade.

• The women of the lower class were usually cooks, dressmakers, and hairdressers.

Slavery in Rome

• Slavery was common in Rome.

• Even poor families might employ slaves.

• Slaves had almost no rights, but a few rose to important positions in households of wealthy families.

• Some slaves were able to save money and buy their freedom.

Christianity and the Roman Empire

• During the rule of Augustus, Rome increased its control over Judea, the region that once had been known as Canaan. Here we will be focusing on the rise of a new religion, called Christianity.

• Christianity was just one of the religions in the Roman Empire. The Romans were tolerant of toward the people in these lands as well as they showed their loyalty to the Roman Emperor and their gods.

Sermon on the Mount

• In the book of Matthew 5: 1-10 reveals what Christianity was all about.

• Look on page 259 in the new book and let’s review.

• The speaker is Jesus and he is telling his followers what they have to look forward to when you trust in Jesus and do the will of His Father.

Sermon continued

• Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

• Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit the earth.

• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst fr what is right, for they will be satisfied.

Sermon continued

• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be treated with mercy.

• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God….

• Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Sermon continued

• Jesus taught that God would provide everlasting life for those who followed Jesus’ teachings.

Unrest in Judaea

• The Romans conquered the Jewish homeland of Judaea.

• The Romans allowed the Jews to practice their faith, then as opposition grew to the Romans, the Romans struck back with harsh rules.

Christianity and the Roman Empire

• As a result of the Roman rule, many Jews became resentful and believed a messiah or savior would come to bring justice and freedom to the land.

• In 37 B.C. the Roman senate appointed a new ruler of Judaea named Herod- it was during this time that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Jesus

• The story of his birth is told in a collection of books called the New Testament- the Hebrew Bible.

• Complete the map work on page 247 from your old textbook.

• In the book of Luke- it states that an order from Augustus decreed that a census be taken throughout the entire empire.

Jesus

• Remember, a census required that all men, and their households, had to return where they were born so they could be counted. So a man named Joseph and his wife Mary went to Bethlehem- a small town south of Jerusalem- where Mary gave birth to a son- Jesus. Growing up Jesus and his family lived in Nazareth where Joseph was a carpenter.

Jesus

• While living in Nazareth, Jesus grew in stature and favor with men. He astounded people with his knowledge of the scriptures and of God. From the age of 30, Jesus spent his time preaching, teaching, and healing the sick. Many believed that he was the Messiah, a special leader to be sent from God in order to guide the Jewish people and set up an earthly kingdom.

Jesus

• Like all Jewish teachers, Jesus taught there is one true God and that God was a loving and forgiving God and we are to love and worship him with all our hearts. However, Jesus promised that people who followed the steps to salvation- hear, believe, repent, baptism, and live a faithful life- will have an everlasting life.

The Gospels

• Years after the death of Jesus, the disciples or followers of Christ wrote stories about his teachings.

• Four stories of Jesus’ life were written in the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Roman Fears

• Some people complained to the Romans that Jesus taught that God was greater than the emperor.

• The Romans feared a revolt and eventually decided to have Jesus put to death by being crucified.

Roman Guards and an Emperor. (Rein actors)

Jesus

• Jesus spoke of a heavenly kingdom in which He would rule His kingdom (the church). The Romans would arrest, try, and crucify Jesus. Crucifixion means putting to death by hanging form a cross.

• The Romans thought Jesus was going to have a physical kingdom and liberate all the Jews living under Roman rule.

Jesusthe teachings of

• Jesus often used parables- simple stories- that contained a message or truth.

• Read the excerpt –Many Voices/Primary Source on page 248 from the book of Luke and explain the meaning of love that Jesus speaks of. How does this relate to us today?

Jesus

• Jesus chose 12 men to help Him spread His word. Do you know what they were called? The Bible says they came from all walks of life. One named Peter was a fisherman. Do you know anymore about the others? Matthew 10: 2-4 has a list of their names. Before Jesus, these men had little in common; however, they became united in the work of Jesus.

Christos

• Many educated people of Jesus’ time spoke Greek.

• The Greek word for messiah was Christos.

• After Jesus’ death his followers began to call themselves Christians.

• Who was Saul? (Paul)

• Paul persuaded Jesus’ followers to teach the Greeks and Romans as well as the Jews.

Jesus

Ways of Worship

• Christians practiced the rites of:

Ways of Worship

• SingingSinging • PrayingPraying

• GivingGiving

A.D. 64

• In A.D. 64 a fire started in Rome and burned the city for 9 days. Rumor had it the Christians started the fire…

• This illustration was to show Nero’s father who died in the blaze…

Revenge on the Christians

• Nero ordered the arrest, and killing of Christians. This persecution lasted for another 250years.

Section 3

• Fall of Rome

• Read pages 270-276

• Make sure you draw the time line on page 271 it has at least 3 test questions on it. Please leave space for us to write additional notes in class.

Discussion Question

• What problems led to the fall of the Roman Empire? Provide at least three examples.

• Reread “The Empire Crumbles” pgs. 272-273.

• Your answer should come from these paragraphs: Size of the Empire, Serious Economic Problems, and Efforts to stop the Decline all on page 273.

Constantine

• Constantine was a Roman emperor from 312-337 A.D. He strongly encouraged the spread of Christianity.

• We will look at his battles where he was victorious and how he handled the division of the Roman Empire.

From Good to Bad

• After the death of Marcus Aurelius, his son Commodus became the next emperor.

• Lets create a story web about Commodus.

CommodusWas not a good leader.

Did not work with the Senate- tried to mess it up.

Bribed the army to support him.

Was assassinated in 192

The Empire Crumbles

• Historians do not agree on any ONE cause for the decline of Rome but SEVERAL PROBLEMS led to the downfall of Rome.

Weak Corrupt Rulers

• After Commodus, the emperors were corrupt. Many were successful generals and not politicians.

• The generals would steal money for themselves and bribe their army to keep them in power.

Reasons for the Decline of Rome

• Rome was much too large to rule.

• Enemies began to attack Rome.

• The Romans called these people Barbarians.

• Rome’s sources of wealth declined when the empire did not continue to grow.

• Rome had to pay its army and had no money.

• To raise money the government collected even more taxes.

Woe is me…

• Food was scarce so its prices went

The government produced more and

more coins. The coins were not valued

as much because there was not much

silver in them. So the coins were actually

worth

Less

We just described inflation.

Trying to stop the decline

• Emperors tried to stop the decline of Rome, but were unsuccessful.

• Enlarge the army, built new forts at the borders, improve the tax system and…

Rome’s Decline

A Divided Empire

Rulers of the Roman Empire

Now Rome no longer persecuted Christians.

Christianity became the official religion of the empire.

He continued to persecute Christians.

He battled Constantine numerous times and lost control of the …

“New Rome”

• In 330 Constantine won control of the Eastern Roman Empire and moved the Capital to the city of Byzantium, in modern-day Turkey.

• Constantine renamed the city to “Constantinople” which means the “city of Constantine”.

Constantinople

• Constantinople was firmly in place as the new capital of the Roman Empire.

Rome

Byzantium aka

Constantinople

Rome ends with…

• The last emperor was named ROMULUS Augustus.

• Germanic tribes continued to invade Rome. The Romans called these people Barbarians.

• The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for 1000 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.