Ch 11 - Lesson 4

Chapter 11: Rome: Republic to Empire

Lesson 4 - Rome Builds an Empire

Terms to Know

Pax romana: Roman peace; a long period of peace and prosperity in Roman history

proconsul: governor

When did it happen?

(I century B.C)

The Rule of

Augustus

The ''Pax Romana'' period:

For hundreds of years, there had been fighting in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. Caesar Augustus (formerly called Octavian) ended the fighting and took control of the whole area. He brought Pax Romana, or “Roman peace.” This peace lasted about 200 years.

During Augustus reign....

• Augustus wanted to make the empire strong and safe.

• He wanted Rome’s borders to be easier to defend, so he made the natural physical features of the land the empire’s borders.

• Augustus built beautiful buildings out of marble.

• Augustus handed out grain from Africa to the poor. He believed that well-fed people would not rebel against him.

During Augustus reign....

• The Roman Empire was divided into provinces. Augustus appointed a proconsul, or governor, for each province.

• He changed the tax laws. He made tax collectors government workers and paid them wages.

• Augustus also changed Rome's legal system. He made a set of laws for free men who were not citizens. Many of them later became citizens

Augustus ruled Rome for almost 40 years. He died in a.d. 14. His adopted son, Tiberius, became emperor after Augustus. The next three emperors—Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—were also relatives. They are called the Julio-Claudian emperors.

Assingment instructions: 1. In teams, conduct a research about the roman emperor you were assigned. 2. Create an infographic (you can use canva, genially or piktochart) 3. Present it in front of the class (3-4 min per team!) Make sure to include: - Years of his reign (e.g from A.D. 37 to 41) - What was this emperor's empire like? (achievements) - Major events of his empire (short description) - Team's assesment of the period (e.g. ''we believe he was a good/bad emperor because...) - IMAGES!! (to exemplify all of the above)

The Roman

Peace

In a.d. 69 a general named Vespasian restored peace. Vespasian stopped several rebellions.

After he died, his son Titus ruled. Two disasters struck while Titus was emperor. First, the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city of Pompeii. Second, a large fire damaged Rome. After Titus, Vespasian’s other son, Domitian, ruled. Both of Vespasian’s sons helped Rome grow and prosper.

From a.d. 96 to a.d. 180, a series of “good emperors” came to power. They were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. During their rule, trade grew and people had a better life than before.

By the a.d. 100s, the Roman Empire was one of the largest empires in history. It had 3.5 million square miles (9.1 million square km) of land. The empire was united because people thought of themselves as Romans.

Agriculture was the most important part of the empire’s economy. Some cities became centers for making pottery, cloth, and brass. Traders came from all over the world to ports in Italy. They brought silk from China, spices from India, tin from Britain, lead from Spain, and iron from Gaul.

The Roman Empire had a good system of paved roads. This helped trade grow. The Roman navy kept pirates off the Mediterranean Sea. This made it safer for ships to bring goods in and out of the empire’s ports.

By a.d. 100, everyone in the empire used a common currency, or money. This made it easy to trade. It meant that a merchant in Greece could sell to a person in Italy or Egypt. People also used a system of weights and measures to set prices, trade, and ship goods.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!