6-2

Key Words: Civil War: A war between groups of the same country. Triumvirate: a group of three leaders. Augustus: Means "exhalted one". The name that Octavian took when he became ruler of Rome. Pax Roma: A time of peace and prosperity. (Roman Peace).

Key People: Julius Caesar: A military leader who took control of the Roman empire in 60 BC.

Summary:

The Republic Collapses
 * As the Roman Empire grew, the lower class citizens were unhappy, and there was a military breakdown, and the republic govt. wasn't working out.

Economic Turmoil
 * As Rome grew, so did the gap between the rich and the poor, and many of the wealthy landowners owned slaves, which made up 1/3 of Rome's population in 100 BC.
 * Small farmers found it hard to compete with the land owners' large estates, and many sold their land to the land owners, and became part of the urban poor, which made up 1/4 of Rome's population.
 * Two brothers Tiberius and Gauis, tried to help the poor by attempting to limit the sizes of the estates and giving some land to the poor, but they made enemies with the senators and were killed.
 * After their deaths, a civil war followed.

Military Upheavel
 * Military generals tried to seize greater power for themselves by recruiting landless people by promising them land and leading by force.

Julius Caesar Takes Control
 * In 60 BC, Julius Caesar teamed up with a wealthy Roman named Crassus and a popular general named Pompey, and for the next ten years, these people ruled Rome.
 * Caesar was a good leader and a military genius, and after his one year serving as consul, he appointed himself governer of Gaul and took over it.
 * This success at Gaul made him popular with the Romans, and Pompey, now Caesar's political rival, had the senate order Caesar to "disband his legions and come home."
 * Caesar defied orders, took his army across the Rubicon River, making Pompey flee, and Pompey was also defeated in Greece, Spain, Asia, and Egypt. In 46 BC, he was elected dictator of Rome, and in 44 BC, he was elected dictator for life.

Caesar's Reforms
 * Caesar made many people in the provinces citizens of Rome, expanded the senate, helped the poor by creating jobs and giving them land, and increased pay for soldiers.
 * Nobles and senators feared Caesar's growing power because they might lose theirs, and on March 5, 44 BC, they stabbed hiom to death.

Beginning of the Empire
 * After Caesar's death, civil wars destroyed the Roman republic, but Caesar's grandson along with Octavian, his adopted son, Mark Antony (an experienced general), and Lepidus (a powerful politician), ruled Rome for ten years.
 * People of the alliance became jealous, and Octavian forced Lepidus to retire, and accused Antony of trying to rule Rome from Egypt, where he defeats Antony's army.
 * Although he fixed some parts of the republic, he became the unchallenging leader of Rome, and accepted the title "Augustus".

A Vast and Powerful Empire
 * Rome was at the peak of it's power from 27 BC to AD 180, and there was no fighting, only peace and prosperity.
 * In this time, the Roman empire was 3 million square miles, and about 60-80 billion people lived in the area.

A Sound Government
 * Augustus stablized the frontier, glorified Rome with beautiful public buildings, and set up a civil service, in which he paid workers to manage the affairs of the government.
 * After Augustus died, the Roman empire remained stable, and they were still big and powerful. There were lots of different cultures and languages within the empire.

Agriculture and Trade
 * Agriculture was the most important industry in the empire, and about 90% of the people were farmers. A silver coin called denarius served as a common coinage inh Augsutus's time.
 * Rome traded by sea with Greece, Anatolia, Antiotch, and India and Asia.
 * A complex network ofroads connected the Empire to Russia and other far away regions.

The Roman World
 * Romans emphasize the values of disipline, strength, and loyalty, and a person with these qualities is said to have the virtue of gravitas.
 * Most people lived in the country and worked as farmers, but some, such as merchants, soldiers and slaves, shared the roads of Rome and smaller cities,l with created great diversity.

Slaves and Captivity
 * Slavery was an important part of the economy, and it wasa used in Rome more than anywhere else. A slave was often a person from a conquered nation and property of the owner, who could do whatever he wanted with them.
 * Slaves worked in the city and on the farm, and many weere treated cruely and forced to work all day or became gladiators, who fought for a living.

Gods and Goddesses
 * The early Romans worshiped divine spirits called numina, and close to them were the Lares, who guarded each family.
 * Government and religion were linked, and people were expected to worship in private, in public, and worship the emperor.

Society and Culture
 * Social classes had little in common, and the wealthy spent large sums of money on luxeries.
 * Most people barely had the ncessities of life, and they crowded into public buildings with terrible living conditions.
 * To distract and control the people, there were games, races, mock battles, and gladitor shows.
 * During this time, a new relgion called Christianity came to be, and alothough it was at first challenged, it soon became one of the most popular religions in the world.