Chapter 12 The Roman Empire 50-BC to AD 150
Mar 28, 2015
Chapter 12The Roman Empire
50-BC to AD 150
Cicero
• Cicero, a gifted philosopher and orator, wanted to make Rome a better place. He wanted the Romans to give the power to the Senate.
Julius Caesar
Pompey• Pompey was a very
powerful man in Rome. He was also a very good friend of Caesar.
• He worked to fight against the Senate. He and Caesar would change the course of history.
• He would eventually work against Caesar, trying to take his power away from him.
Julius Caesar100-44 BC
• Caesar was probably the greatest general in history. As a general he was becoming a very powerful figure in Rome. Worried that he was becoming too powerful, the Senate ordered him back to Rome to arrest him and take away his command.
• Caesar, knowing that this would be considered an act of war, in defiance, he marched his troops back to Rome.
Caesar Becomes Dictator
• Caesar seized power from the Senate and became dictator of the entire Roman Empire.
The Death Of Caesar
• A group of senators under the leadership of Brutus, a young senator and Caesar’s friend, murdered Caesar on, March 15th, also known as the Ides of March, 44 BC.
Marcus Junius Brutus Caepio
• 85-42 BC• Young senator• Friend of Caesar• Leader of the group of
Senators who murdered Caesar.
• Later committed suicide
Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius)• 83-30 BC• Assistant to Caesar• Helped to punish
those who murdered Caesar
• Married Cleopatra• Battled Octavian for
power and lost.• Committed suicide so
he wouldn’t be taken prisoner.
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar (Octavian) 63 BC-14 AD
• Octavian, later called Augustus, was Caesar’s adopted son, because Caesar only had a daughter, named Julia. He, along with Marc Antony, worked to punish the people who had killed Caesar. He eventually became Emperor of the Roman empire.
• As a leader, he was considered one of Rome’s best.
Cleopatra
• 69-30 BC• Queen of Egypt• “Queen”of Julius
Caesar• Married Marc Antony• Her bid to rule Rome
with Marc Antony was defeated by Octavian.
• Committed suicide
The Vast Roman Empire
Hadrian (Publius Hadrianus)
76-138 AD
Joined the army when he was 14 years old.
Great military leader.
Was considered a good
Emperor.
Built Hadrian’s wall in Great Britain.
Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall Present Day
Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall
Roman Trade Routes
Pax Romana• First 200 years of
the Roman Empire were a time of general peace and prosperity.
• There was a stable government, an organized military, and no major wars or rebellions.
• It lasted until about AD 180.
Pompeii destroyed in 79 AD
Palatine HillBeautiful temples
Chariot raceswere held
here Then
Chariot Race
Palatine Hill Now
Villas
Roman Roads
Galen
Roman Road in Great Britain• Roman roads were built primarily for Rome’s
military legions to travel throughout the empire.
Roman Road Construction
Roman Road Construction
More Roman Roads
Cement
• The Romans invented cement, a product that allowed their structures to last for centuries.
Roman ArchesA Roman aqueduct
Roman Arch Construction
Vaults
• A vault is a set of arches that supports the roof of a building.
• The Romans used vaults to create a huge, open area within buildings.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum Today
Gladiators fought in the Colosseum
Roman Dome
Past
Pantheon
Present
Present
Virgil… Wrote a great epic poemabout the founding of Rome
Ovid…Wrote poems about Roman Mythology
Roman TheaterAn ancient Romantheater in Francestill used today
Romance languages developed from Latin and influence how people speak and write today. Modern languages are
based on the Roman language
PortugalRomania
France Spain
And of course, Italy
Roman law inspired a system called civil law. Civil law is a legal system based on
a written code of law.