Notes for Test

Augustus- first emperor

·         Begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity

·         Built roads, aqueducts

·         Set up civil service to take care of roads, the grains supply

·         Dies at age 76, started at 18

Caligula:

·         In addition to being Germanicus’ son, he was Tiberius’ adopted grandson and great- nephew-putting him next in line for emperor

·         He started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trails a thing of the past

·         He began to fight with the senate

·         He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places- including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (sacrilege)

·         Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men’s wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that’s what his critics said)

·         Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (aged 28)

Next in line: Claudius

·         Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed

·         he rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus

·         Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize her power for her lover Silius through a coup- so Claudius had them killed.

RELIGIOUS TROUBLES:

·         Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic

·         Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god

·         AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)

·         The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines

·         Half a million Jews died in the rebellion

Persecution of Christians:

·         Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor

·         Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)

·         Often used for “entertainment” purposes in the colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)

·         Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly- by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman Empire were Christians