The Struggle

The Roman Empire Struggles…

In the Third Century AD:

·         Epidemic disease spreads throughout the Empire

-          Many people lived in close corners

-          Too many people, unsanitary, pouring waste into the streets

·         It’s hard to defend the frontier against the barbarians

·         Emperors began to lose their hold on power

-          Stay in power for an average of two and a half years, due to wars or assassination

·         Maintaining armies is expensive

·         Still too many poverty-stricken citizens

284 AD – Diocletian’s reforms:

·         Increase the size of the army to 4000,000

-          1/3 bigger than during Augustus’’ time

-          Recruit from the ranks of the barbarians

·         Divide Roman territories into smaller provinces

-          This new gov’t had 20,000 officials – ten times more than under Augustus

-          They were more efficient at collecting higher taxes – this greater yield provided for a larger army

300 AD:

·         60 million people in the Roman empire

·         Several million are Christians

·         Christianity has quite an appeal to the poor and disenfranchised – and there are plenty of those!

·         More Christians – more face-to-face contacts –more conversations – more offspring

·         Some Christians are even gaining positions of power, became the ruling elite

To persecute or not to persecute

·         Diocletian (ruled from 284 – 305) left Christians alone at first

·         Then he undertook the most systematic persecution of all*

·         Constantine ruled as emperor 306 – 337

·         What was his connection with Christianity?*

·         And how did he restructure the empire?*

How did Diocletian persecute the Christians?

Diocletian ordered Christian churches to be burned and to have its treasures taken. He also ordered for all Christian scriptures and books to be destroyed, he made Christians potential subjects for judicial torture. Christian senators, equestrians, Decurion, veterans, and soldiers were devoid of their spot in the government and imperial freedmen were re-enslaved.

What is Constantine’s connection to Christianity?

Constantine’s mother was a Christian so he either adopted the religion when he was young or gradually throughout his life. He was not baptized until shortly before his death. Constantine’s conversion to Christian was huge, because Rome’s emperor before him persecuted Christians.

How did Constantine restructure the empire?

- Made it easier for the empire to respond to invasion

- Built defense strategic location, w/ forum, palaces, amphitheater, churches

-  gave grants to Christian leaders, symbolizing Christianity's growing role

-  Public baths, Arch of Constantine, first to build churches, first basilica to Saint Peter

LO2 Christianity in the Era of the Roman Peace

Jesus

•  During this Era Jewish conflict and dispute led to the destruction of the Temple in A.D 70.

• What is most known of Jesus is written in his gospels, named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Which are thought to be written between forty and seventy years after he died about A.D 30

• Scholars debate in how much these stories reflect Jesus's actual works and deeds

The Teacher

• The gospels were written at a time when the Jewish majority and the believers in Jesus were turning against each other
• Jesus taught that even the most faithful righteousness according to the Law fell short of what was necessary to please God. One must love not only one's friends but one's enemies; one must refrain only from adultery but from lustful thoughts.
• Jesus made a point of associating with people whom sticklers for the Law thought of as highly displeasing to God

Friday

Today in class we got with our partners and started to write our 500 word or more papers on Pax Romana. Maria is my partner again, I think we work very well together and we get our work done. All we did was work on our papers so not much really happened so there isn't much to blog about, but I believe Maria and I will get a good grade on this assignment.

HE WANTS TO BE KING!

Farmer who fought in war lost their farms when they returned home, and were reduced to the lowest "proletarian" citizen status.

• Proletarian - Property-less  citizens who can still vote

War profiteers abandoned and traded in slaves, weapons, and bought abandoned farms and plantations

• Buy ruined farms
• Small plots were merged into large estates for use of vineyards and olive groves
• In 150 BC slaves made up a third of the population in Italy

In second century BC the Gracchi brothers attempted to carve out special rights for the poor

The Plan

• Resettle many of the city's poor on small farms
• Provide a public subsidy of grain (welfare) for those who remained in Rome
• This would raise the number of independent self sufficient farmers (shortens the gap between the poor and rich) 

Gaius 

• Brother of Tiberius (8 years younger)ack would get paid i
• His head was cut off, whoever brought his head back will get paid the amount the head weighs in gold.

West Civ 4-1-13

Today in class we watched more of the Rome video about Tiberius. We finished off with Tiberius making a promise to the Barbarians to save thousands of soldiers and Romans. After the surrender Tiberius was recommended to run for Tribune. Each year 10 people are elected Tribune, to defend the peoples rights. In the Forum 133 BC Tiberius made his speech to the people to get a spot as Tribune. Tiberius won Tribune and used his Vito to put the government to stop and to show how powerful he could be if messed with. Octavious turned the aristocrats and other Romans against Tiberius by telling them he wanted to become king. There was a small war between those who supported Tiberius and those who though he wanted to be king. Wanting to be king was the worst thing someone could be accused of doing. On the day of Tiberius's election he was beat to death buy chairs, benches and other things found in the senate. He was not given a proper funeral, he was tossed in the river. Tiberius was killed along with 300 of his supporters.

Technical Problems

Today in class we were trying to watch a movie about Ancient Rome but the sound on Mr. Schick's computer wasn't working to it took us a whole mod to figure out what the problem was. Because it took so long to fix the computer we didn't get to watch much of the video so I didn't get many notes but this is what I got.

- The Republic lasted 500 years

-Tiberius son of the Emperor also named Tiberius.

• He died defending his fathers ideas
• Was murdered by an aristocrat
• His crime changed Rome FOREVER 

-After 6 days of fighting the Carthaginians surrendered 

• Defeating Carthage showed that Tiberius was able to take after his father.  
• Carthage was destroyed and all the territory ended up in the hands of Rome
• Men ad children from Carthage were sold into slavery

- As the aristocrats got richer from the things taken from Carthage, the poor flooded the streets

-If Tiberius fails to take care of the poor the Republic would fall apart.

Test tomorrow STUDY!!!!!

Today in class we reviewed the lyrics in the song Rome for the test we are taking tomorrow. 

Rome lyrics (explained)

1. The Latin's settled in Rome first and gave us our alphabet and language.

• After the Latin's  the Etruscans and Greeks settled in Rome

• Rome had a river that flowed from the inland to the see, many hills to keep an eye out for enemies , in the middle of the peninsula, middle of the Mediterranean sea.

• All the geographic features around them made them believe they were chosen to rule and be in charge.

2. Tarquin  was the last king of Rome

• He got full of himself and king crazy and rose against his government and tried to take over.
• The romans ran Tarquin out of Rome

3. Respublica = Republic
• Power in the hands of the people
• Power was shared between the Senate and assemblies of male citizens.

4. Patricians
• Land owners, wealthy, have connections

5. Plebians
• Common people, workers, small farmers, wealthy non-Patricians

6. Aristocracy
• Rich, connected, landowning, powerful, own branch of government, makes laws and decisions on what goes on

7. Tribunes
• had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it.

• The people damanded to patricans to come clean and make the laws/rules and punishments public
• In the forum are twelve tables with the rules and punishments

8. Consuls
• Two senators led the government and military for ONE YEAR TERMS (10years between terms) and appointed their own successors

9. Three forms of Government
• Democracy
• Aristocracy
• Monarchy