Topic 5
roman empire
GREECE AND ROME
Embedded Files
unit 3: topic 5 - curriculum guide
unit 3: topic 5 - curriculum guide
table of contents
table of contents
Unit 3 - Topic 5: Overview......................................................................................................................................1
Unit 3 - Topic 5: Goal, GLEs, & Description...........................................................................................................2
Essential Content - GLEs
Ancillary Content - GLEs
Homework: What Did you Learn in Unit 3 - Topic 4...........................................................................................3
Student Strategies..................................................................................................................................................4
Caterpillar Writing
Thinking Like a Historian
R.A.C.E. Strategy for Reading
C.E.R. Strategy for Reading and Stating Claims (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)
Lesson Activity: Vocabulary Words - Homework................................................................................................5
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Roman Republic..........................................................................................6
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Julius Caesar................................................................................................7
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment - Julius Caesar...................................................8
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Pax Romana.................................................................................................9
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment............................................................................10
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Roman Empire.............................................................................................11
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment - Roman Growth...............................................12
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Predicting the Rise and Fall of Empires....................................................13
Can Math Predict the Rise and Fall of Empires......................13A
No, Math Cannot Predict the Rise and Fall of Empires..........13B
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment.............................................................................14
Lesson Activity: Building Context -- Reasons Rome Fell......................................................................................15
Lesson Activity: Summative Assessment..............................................................................................................16
unit 3 - Topic 5: Overview
unit 3 - Topic 5: Overview
Page 1
Topic 5: Students examine the period known as the Pax Romana and investigate the rise and decline of the Roman Empire.
Unit 3 Description: Students examine the growth of civilization in ancient Greece; the birthplace of democracy, the achievements of the ancient Greeks, and the spread of the Hellenistic civilization and its contributions to Western civilization. Additionally, this unit focuses on the rise of the Roman Republic, its government structure and its contributions to the development of democratic principles, its transition into an empire, the reasons for its expansion and decline, and its contributions to western civilization. Students explore how permanent settlements can only thrive with common rules and organizational structures. They will also explore the role war plays in advancing civilizations. All characteristics of civilizations will be covered and analyzed.
Unit 3 - Topic 4: Goals, GLEs & description
Unit 3 - Topic 4: Goals, GLEs & description
Page 2
Topic 5: Goal
Students will be able to write about how geography and the environment shaped the development of civilizations by stating a claim supported by evidence.
Topics (GLES) for the unit & pacing:
Unit 3: Approximately 7 weeks
Topic 5: 8 class periods
Connections to the Unit Claim:
Students examine the period known as Pax Romana and investigate the rise and decline of the Roman Empire.
Key Connections:
Geographic factors shaped the development of ancient civilizations,
Resources and land use contributed to the development and expansion of trade between civilizations and world regions,
Political factors influenced the economic, social, and cultural development of ancient civilizations,
Territorial expansion, the growth of trade and taxation influenced migration patterns, and the spread of cultures, ideas, and religion, and
The Greek city-states and the Roman Republic influenced the development of democracy.
Claim:
What factors make a civilization influential?
Sub-Claim:
Did the Roman Empire suddenly fall or transform?
essential content
essential content
6.2.5 Describe the characteristics of Roman civilizations; its cultural, political, and technological achievements; and its influence on later cultures
Discuss how the Etruscans influenced the Romans.
Describe the political, economic, social, and cultural characteristics of the Roman Republic including agriculture and trade, law/legal codes (Twelve Tables), importance of the military, influential people/leaders (Julius Caesar, Antony, Octavian/Augustus, Polybius), and beliefs of mythology (Romulus and Remus).
Explain the factors that weakened Roman Republic and the reasons for the fall of the Republic (social inequality, decisions of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and the Senate).
Discuss the fall of the Carthaginian Empire and the rise of the Roman Empire (Punic Wars, Hannibal).
Explain how the Pax Romana period both contradicted and exemplified "Roman Peace."
Describe the political, economic, social, and cultural characteristics and achievements of the Roman empire, including architecture (roads, columns, arches, domes, aqueducts, baths, forums, amphitheaters: the Colosseum, Pantheon), laws (Justinian's Code), beliefs and mythology (Roman deities/ gods and goddess), social structures (plebeians and patricians), recreation and entertainment (Gladiators).
Analyze the social, economic, military, and political factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire and attempts at solutions (challenges with food and transportation, over-expansion and over spending, arrival of the Huns and Germanic Tribes, weakening of Roman Legions).
Analyze the legacy of the Roman Empire through its influence on later cultures (road network, infrastructure, legal principles and rights of the citizenry).
6.3.3 - Compare and contrast physical and political boundaries of civilizations, empires, and kingdoms using maps and globes.
Use maps to locate the major physical features (bodies of water, mountain ranges, deserts, coastlines, islands) of Greece and Rome, along with their city-states (Athens & Sparta) and colonies/territories (Anatolia, Britain, Egypt, Gaul, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Spain), and explain how political boundaries changed over time.
Compare the boundaries of the ancient Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta.
Use maps to locate Alexander the Great's conquests and the extent of his empire, noting how the boundaries changed over time.
Locate the extent of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire on a map.
6.4.1 - Identify and describe physical features and climate conditions that contributed to early human settlement in regions of the world.
Use maps to locate major geographic and physical features associated with ancient Greece and Rome, including bodies of water, deserts, mountain ranges, and other features.
-*-Ancient Greece: bodies of water (Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Black Sea, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea), mountains (Mount Olympus), islands (Crete), and peninsulas (Anatolian, Balkan, Peloponnese/Peloponnesus).
-*-Ancient Rome: bodies of water (Adriatic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Tiber River), mountain ranges (Alps, Apennines, Atlas, Carpathian, Caucasus, Pyrenees), and peninsulas (Anatolian, Balkan, Iberian, Italian/Apennine).
Describe the physical features and climate conditions in ancient Greece and Rome (coastlines, harbors, mountains, fertile/arable land, natural resources, mild/moderate climate), and explain how they influenced settlement.
Analyze the geographical reasons that made Greece and Rome trading and colonizing civilizations (islands, poor soil, very long coastlines).
6.4.2 - Explain how world migration patterns and cultural diffusion influenced human settlement.
Explain how migration-related to Alexander the Great’s conquests led to the spread of Greek thought and culture (Hellenism) throughout his empire of Asia, Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East.
Explain the relationships between migration along trade routes, the spread of culture/cultural diffusion, and settlement in the Roman Empire.
6.4.3 - Explain the connection between physical geography and its influence on the development of civilization.
Explain how physical geography influenced the development of ancient Greece (agriculture, trade, protection, social interactions).
Explain how geography and natural resources affected the fall of the Roman Empire.
6.5.2 Describe the government of the Roman Republic and how it influenced the development of democracy.
Explain the rise and structure of the Roman Republic, including law/legal codes (Twelve Tables), branches of government (Consul, Senate, Assemblies: Centuriate, Tribal, Plebeians Council, Praetor), citizens (qualifications, rights, responsibilities), and social groups/classes and related power struggles (patricians, plebeians, tribunes).
Analyze evidence for and against the Roman Republic being fully democratic.
Compare and contrast features of the Roman Republic with features of Athenian democracy and late democratic governments (United States).
6.6.1 - Explain the impact of job specialization in the development of civilizations.
Analyze the role, importance, and benefits of job specialization in ancient Greece and Rome (artisans/craftsmen, merchants, farmers, engineers, and laborers).
Analyze how job specialization influenced the growth of social classes in the Roman Empire.
6.6.2 - Analyze the progression from barter exchange to monetary exchange.
Explain the transition from a barter system to a monetary system in ancient Greece and Rome, including the use of coins as currency.
Describe the benefits of using currency for trade in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.
6.6.3 - Describe the economic motivation for expanding trade and territorial conquests in world civilizations using economic concepts.
Use economic terms to explain why ancient Greece and ancient Rome expanded trade (terms include goods, services, producers, consumers, supply, demand, scarcity, shortage, surplus, markets, import, and export).
Explain the relationship between the territorial expansion and the acquisition of markets and resources, using examples from the empire of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire.
ancillary Content
ancillary Content
6.1.1 - Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by completing the following tasks:
Options to address 6.1.1 in Unit 3:
Use technology to research the achievements of ancient Greece and Roman civilization.
Analyze artifacts from ancient Greece and Roman civilizations.
Compare and contrast the long lasting influence of Greek and Roman culture.
Produce written claims on the factors that make a civilization influential.
6.1.2 - Construct and interpret a parallel timeline of key events in the ancient world
Create parallel timelines of the rise and fall of ancient Greek city-states, Alexander the Great’s empire, the Roman Republic, and Roman Empire.
Create a timeline using appropriate dates, including B.C.E/B.C. and C.E./A.D.
6.1.3 - Analyze information in primary and secondary sources to address document-based questions
Analyze primary sources, artifacts, and secondary sources related to ancient Greece and Rome, including excerpts from influential Greek and Roman thinkers (Plutarch, Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Titus Livius/Livy, Polybius) to answer questions about the political, economic, social, and cultural achievements of ancient Greece and Rome.
6.1.4 - Identify and compare measurements of time in order to understand historical chronology
Identify historical time periods and eras (classical antiquity, Pax Romana, Hellenistic Era).
Review terms related to measurements of time as needed (B.C.E./B.C., C.E./A.D., circa or c.).
Examine timelines of key Unit 3 content recognizing measurements of time, sequencing, chronology, location, distance, and duration.
6.3.1 - Identify and label major lines of latitude and longitude using a world map or globe to determine climate zones and time zones
Review the location of major lines of latitude (Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer, Arctic Circle), climate zones and types (tropical, dry, mild, continental, polar), and the relationship between latitude and climate as necessary.
Using a climate map, describe the type of climate(s) present in ancient Greece and Rome.
Determine time zones by locating and identifying lines longitude using maps.
6.3.2 - Plot coordinates of latitude and longitude to determine location or change of location
Review how to find latitude and longitude as necessary by using maps to plot coordinates of latitude and longitude for important locations in ancient Greece and Rome, and recognize hemispheres, continents, and oceans.
6.3.4 - Determine world migration patterns and population trends by interpreting maps, charts, and graphs.
Explain the relationship between migration patterns, population trends, and the expansion of empires (Alexander the Great, Roman Empire).
Ancillary Content not addressed in the textbook at this time. Teachers should include Ancillary Content with the Topic.
homework: What did you learn in Unit 3 - Topic 4?
homework: What did you learn in Unit 3 - Topic 4?
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Directions for Homework: Before we start this new topic, take a minute to write about what you have learned so far. Use complete sentences in your writing. Try to fill these pages with the new knowledge you have gained. Celebrating YOU, Because YOU ARE SOMEBODY!!! Don't forget it.
Student Strategies - Caterpillar Writing, Thinking Like a Historian, & R.A.C.E.
Student Strategies - Caterpillar Writing, Thinking Like a Historian, & R.A.C.E.
Page 4
Student Strategies - CER (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning)
Student Strategies - CER (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning)
Lesson Activity: Vocabulary Words - homework
Lesson Activity: Vocabulary Words - homework
Page 5
civil war
cultural diffusion
empire
imperial
inflation
legions
Pax Romana
Directions: Open your NOTEBOOK and complete the vocabulary for a HOMEWORK assignment. You will not be tested on all words, but you need to know them for content.
Lesson Activity: Building Context
Lesson Activity: Building Context
Roman Republic
Page 6
In previous tasks, we learned about the founding and development of the Roman Republic. Next we will examine how the decline of the Roman Republic led to the rise of the Roman Empire.
Students, you will review the Roman Republic from task 4 to remind yourself of the structure and history of the republic.
The roman republic
The roman republic
The Romans established a form of government -- a republic -- that was copied by countries for centuries. In fact, the government of the United States is based partly on Rome's model.
It all began when the Romans overthrew their Etruscan conquerors in 509 B.C.E. Centered north of Rome, the Etruscans had ruled over the Romans for hundreds of years.
Once free, the Romans established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf. A republic is quite different from a democracy, in which every citizen is expected to play an active role in governing the state.
Citizens
The Roman concept of the citizen evolved during the Roman Republic and changed significantly during the later Roman Empire. After the Romans freed themselves from the Etruscans, they established a republic, and all males over 15 who were descended from the original tribes of Rome became citizens. Citizens of Rome distinguished themselves from slaves and other noncitizens by wearing a toga; most wore a white toga. During the Empire, each emperor wore a purple toga to distinguish himself as the princeps, or "first citizen."
Citizenship varied greatly. The full citizens could vote, marry freeborn persons, and practice commerce. Some citizens were not allowed to vote or hold public office but maintained the other rights. A third type of citizen could vote and practice commerce, but could not hold office or marry freeborn women.
In the late Republic, male slaves who were granted their freedom could become full citizens. Around 90 B.C.E., non-Roman allies of the Republic gained the rights of citizenship, and by 212 C.E. all free people of the Roman Empire could become citizens.
The aristocracy (wealthy class) dominated the early Roman Republic. In Roman society, the aristocrats were known as patricians. The highest positions in the government were held by two consuls, or leaders, who ruled the Roman Republic. A senate composed of patricians elected these consuls. At this time, lower-class citizens, or plebeians, had virtually no say in the government. Both men and women were citizens in the Roman Republic, but only men could vote.
Tradition dictates that patricians and plebeians should be strictly separated; marriage between the two classes was even prohibited. Over time, the plebeians elected their own representatives, called tribunes, who gained the power to veto measures passed by the senate.
Gradually, the plebeians obtained even more power and eventually could hold the position of consul. Despite these changes, though, the patricians were still able to use their wealth to buy control and influence over elected leaders.
the roman senate
the roman senate
The history of the Roman Senate goes as far back as the history of Rome itself. It was first created as a 100-member advisory group for the Roman kings. Later kings expanded the group to 300 members. When the kings were expelled from Rome and the Republic was formed, the Senate became the most powerful governing body. Instead of advising the head of state, it elected the chief executives, called consuls.
Senators were, for centuries, strictly from the patrician class. They practiced the skills of rhetoric and oratory to persuade other members of the ruling body. The Senate convened and passed laws in the curia, a large building on the grounds of the Roman Forum. Much later, Julius Caesar built a larger curia for an expanded Senate. By the 3rd century B.C.E., Rome had conquered vast territories, and the powerful senators sent armies, negotiated terms of treaties, and had total control over the financial matters of the Republic.
Senatorial control was eventually challenged around 82 B.C.E. and the Senate's membership was increased to 600 and included many non-patricians. Julius Caesar raised the number to 900 (it was reduced after his assassination). After the creation of the Roman Empire in 27 B.C.E., the Senate became weakened under strong emperors who often forcefully coerced this ruling body. Although it survived until the fall of Rome, the Roman Senate had become merely a ceremonial body of wealthy, intelligent men with no power to rule.
Occasionally, an emergency situation (such as a war) arose that required the decisive leadership of one individual. Under these circumstances, the Senate and the consuls could appoint a temporary dictator to rule for a limited time until the crisis was resolved. The position of dictator was very undemocratic in nature. Indeed, a dictator had all the power, made decisions without any approval, and had full control over the military.
The best example of an ideal dictator was a Roman citizen named Cincinnatus. During a severe military emergency, the Roman Senate called Cincinnatus from his farm to serve as dictator and to lead the Roman army. When Cincinnatus stepped down from the dictatorship and returned to his farm only 15 days after he successfully defeated Rome's enemies, the republican leaders resumed control over Rome.
the twelve tables
the twelve tables
One of the innovations of the Roman Republic was the notion of equality under the law. In 449 B.C.E, the government leaders carved some of Rome's most important laws into 12 great tablets. The Twelve Tables, as they came to be known, were the first Roman laws put in writing. Although the laws were rather harsh by today's standards, they did guarantee every citizen equal treatment under the law.
Laws from the Twelve Tables
Females shall remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority.
A spendthrift is forbidden to exercise administration over his own goods.
it is permitted to gather fruit falling down on another man's farm.
If any person has sung or composed against another person a song such as was causing slander or insult to another, he shall be clubbed to death.
Quickly kill...a dreadfully deformed child.
With respect to the law and citizenship, the Romans took a unique approach to the lands that they conquered. Rather than rule those people as conquered subjects, the Romans invited them to become citizens. These people then became a part of Rome, rather than enemies fighting against it. Naturally, these new citizens received the same legal rights as everyone else.
Twelve Tables: Ancient legislation that stood at the new foundation of Roman law: Twelve tables, Ancient rome, Ancient rome kids. (2021, January 11). Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/397301998351563652/
Writers of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2017, July 10). Punic Wars. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Punic-Wars
the punic wars
the punic wars
The early Roman Republic often found itself in a state of constant warfare with its surrounding neighbors. In one instance, when the Romans were fighting the Carthaginians, Rome was nearly conquered. The people of Carthage (a city in what is today Tunisia in north Africa) were a successful trading civilization whose interests began to conflict with those of the Romans.
The two sides fought three bloody wars, known as the Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E.), over the control of trade in the western Mediterranean Sea. In the second war, Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, successfully invaded Italy by leading an army -- complete with elephants -- across the Alps. He handed the Roman army a crushing defeat but was unable to sack the city of Rome itself. After occupying and ravaging Italy for more than a decade, Hannibal was finally defeated by the Roman general Scipio at the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C.E.
By the Third Punic War, Rome was ready to end the Carthaginian threat for good. After a successful several-year siege of Carthage, the Romans burned the city to the ground. Legend has it that the Romans then poured salt into the soil so that nothing would ever grow there again. Carthage was finally defeated, and the Roman Republic was safe.
Directions: After reviewing information on the Roman Republic complete the Roman Republic Review slides in your NOTEBOOK.
lesson activity: building context
lesson activity: building context
Julius Caesar
Page 7
Julius Caesar's military might, political savvy, and diplomatic genius made him supremely popular among the Roman citizenry.
julius caesar
julius caesar
The first conspirator greeted Caesar, then plunged a knife into his neck. Other stabbers followed suit. One by one, several members of the Senate took turns stabbing Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.E.), the dictator of the entire Roman Empire.
Stunned that even his good friend Brutus was in on the plot, Caesar choked out his final words: "kai su, teknon?" ("You too, my child?").
On the steps of the Senate, the most powerful man in the ancient world died in a pool of his own blood.
Directions: The video above provides more information about the life of Julius Caesar. View the video and then complete the video guide in you NOTEBOOK.
About "Et tu, Brute?"
In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, the title character manages to utter "Et tu, Brute?" ("and you, Brutus?") as he is slain. This is not historically accurate. According to the 1st century C.E. Roman historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar spoke mainly Greek and not Latin, as was the case with most patricians at the time. In his history about the life of Julius Caesar, Suetonius writes that as the assassins plunged their daggers into the dictator, Caesar saw Brutus and spoke the Greek phrase kai su, teknon, meaning "you too, my child."
There is still a debate whether or not it was shouted in shock or said as a warning. On one hand, Caesar may have been amazed to find a close friend like Brutus trying to kill him; on the other hand, he may have meant that Brutus would pay for his crime in the future for this treachery. Either way, the words were Greek, so leave "Et tu, Brute" for Shakespeare.
Long before Julius Caesar became dictator (from 47-44 B.C.E.) and was subsequently murdered, the Roman Republic had entered a state of rapid decline. The rich had become wealthier and more powerful as a result of Rome's many military successes.
Meanwhile, life for the average Roman seemed to be getting worse.
In addition, slavery was on the rise, and violent slave revolts were commonplace.
A Revolting Development
Spartacus (109-71 B.C.E.) was a captured soldier who was sold into slavery to be a gladiator. But he escaped his captors and formed an army of rebel slaves. Against great odds, Spartacus's slave army defeated two Roman battalions.
Spartacus wanted to leave Italy, but his army and supporters of the slave revolt urged him to attack Rome. A Roman army led by Crassus finally defeated Spartacus and his men.
Over 5,000 men from Spartacus's army were crucified along Rome's main road, the Appian Way, as a warning to other slaves not to revolt.
Finally, a new practice developed in which the wealth accumulated through military success was passed down to soldiers as a payment in gold or land. This caused a change in the motivations of the army. Soldiers no longer fought for the good of the Republic but fought instead for tangible rewards. Gradually, soldiers became more loyal to the generals who could pay them than to the Roman Republic itself.
Julius Caesar was a man of many talents. Born into the lower patrician class, Caesar was intelligent and driven but had to prove himself worthy of better patricians sponsoring his education and career. An excellent speaker, he possessed a sharp sense of humor, charm, and personality. All of these traits combined helped make him a skilled general and politician.
Caesar was a military genius. His many successful military campaigns gained him broad support and popularity among the common people. Caesar also won the undying loyalty of his soldiers.
Julius Caesar began his rise to power in 60 B.C.E. by forging an alliance with another general, Pompey, and a wealthy patrician, Crassus. Together, these three men assumed control of the Roman Republic, and Caesar was thrust into the position of consul (leader). Historians have since dubbed the period of rule by these three men the First Triumvirate. Over time, however, the triumvirate broke down. Crassus was killed in battle, and Pompey began entertaining ideas of ruling without the dangerously popular Caesar, While Caesar was fighting in Gaul (modern-day France), Pompey and the Senate ordered Caesar to return to Rome, without his loyal army. Caesar chose instead to march his army across the Rubicon River in northern Italy. Pompey and the Senate saw this as an act of invasion and a civil war began between Caesar's army and the Senate. Caesar defeated Pompey and entered Rome in 46 B.C.E., triumphant and unchallenged.
Caesar was named dictator and absolute ruler of Rome and its territories. During his rule, he enacted several reforms. Caesar founded many colonies in newly conquered territories and provided land and opportunity for poor Romans who chose to migrate there. He reduced the number of slaves and opened citizenship up to people living in the provinces, greatly angering the Senate and the Patrician class. Finally, he created a new calendar named the Julian calendar. This very calendar, with a few minor adjustments, is the same one used around the world today.
In 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar ordered the Senate to make him dictator for life. Typically, dictators served for a limited time (usually six months), then stepped down. Caesar's actions threatened to end the Republic once and for all. Fearing this change, a group of senators plotted the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March. Although the senators succeeded in ending Caesar's life, they did not realize at that time that the Republic had died with him.
Rome would now become an empire.
lesson activity: Developing a Claim/formative assessment
lesson activity: Developing a Claim/formative assessment
Julius Caesar
Page 8
Directions: Answer the questions below in your NOTEBOOK.
How was government organized in the Republic?
How did social inequality weaken the Republic?
Did Caesar manipulate the system to gain power, or did he operate within the system and simply benefit from it?
What mistakes did Caesar, Pompey, and the Senate make that ultimately led to the end of the Republic?
In what ways did Caesar's dictatorship violate the ideas of the Republic?
Why didn't Caesar's assassination save the Republic?
lesson activity: building context
lesson activity: building context
Pax Romana
Page 9
the pax romana
the pax romana
The term "Pax Romana," which literally means "Roman peace," refers to the time period from 27 B.C.E. to 180 B.C.E in the Roman Empire. This 200-year period saw unprecedented peace and economic prosperity throughout the Empire, which spanned from England in the north to Morocco in the south and Iraq in the east. During the Pax Romana, the Roman Empire reached its peak in terms of land area, and its population swelled to an estimated 70 million people. Nevertheless, Rome's citizens were relatively secure, and the government generally maintained law, order, and stability.
The romance between Antony and Cleopatra has inspired the imaginations of artists for a millennium.
civil war and more
civil war and more
After the murder of Julius Caesar, a period of civil war erupted in Rome. Out of this turmoil emerged the Second Triumvirate, consisting of Lepidus, Marc Antony, and Octavian, who was Julius Caesar's nephew. This new triumvirate ruled Rome for a decade, but as happened with the First Triumvirate, differences among the leaders eventually emerged. Octavian defeated Lepidus in battle and then turned his armies against the more powerful Marc Antony, who had married the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. At the Battle of Actium off the coast of Greece in 31 B.C.E., Octavian's army defeated the navy of Antony and Cleopatra, who both committed suicide after their defeat.
Octavian returned to Rome triumphant and gave himself the title of princeps or "first citizen." Octavian was careful not to upset the Senate by declaring himself dictator as his uncle Julius Caesar had done. Even though Octavian ruled as dictator, he maintained the Senate and other institutions of the republican government. In 27 B.C.E., the Senate bestowed the holy title of Augustus upon Octavian. Augustus, as he became known, ruled for 41 years, and the policies he enacted lay the groundwork for the peace and stability of the Pax Romana.
all roads lead to rome
all roads lead to rome
The 200 years of the Pax Romana saw many advances and accomplishments, particularly in engineering and the arts. To help maintain their sprawling empire, the Romans built an extensive system of roads. These durable roads facilitated the movement of troops and communication. The Romans built aqueducts to carry water overland to cities and farms.
Many of the advances in architecture and building relied upon the Romans' discovery of concrete. Concrete made it possible for the creation of huge round arches and domes. One of the most famous structures built during the Pax Romana, the Pantheon in Rome, has one of the largest freestanding domes in the world to this day.
During the Pax Romana, many of Rome's finest writers (such as Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and Livy) produced literary and poetic masterpieces. Rome became the economic, political, and cultural capital of the entire Western world.
a Not-so-peaceful end
a Not-so-peaceful end
In many ways, the Pax Romana ended with Augustus's death in 14 C.E. Members of Augustus' family succeeded him as emperor. By 41 C.E., these emperors had shown such abuse of power that the Senate was again in opposition to the leadership of Rome and used assassination, as they had with Caesar, to end the rule of tyrannical emperors. Not all emperors were unfit to rule, however. In fact, a series of leaders known as the Five Good Emperors ruled in succession and presided over a prolonged period of peace and prosperity. The last of these emperors, Marcus Aurelius, was the final emperor of the Pax Romana. His reign was followed by the disastrous reign of his brutal son Commodus (160-192 C.E.). By this time, the Empire was struggling to hold off attacking tribes on the frontiers.
EXTRA!!!
EXTRA!!!
Watch the video on the right to learn more information about the time period known as the Pax Romana.
Lesson activity: developing a claim/formative assessment
Lesson activity: developing a claim/formative assessment
Page 10
Directions: You will develop a claim answering the following question:
How did the period known as Pax Romana both exemplify and contradict its name?
You will use evidence from the Pax Romana and outside knowledge to support your claim.
This activity will be completed in your NOTEBOOK.
lesson activity: building context
lesson activity: building context
Roman Empire
Page 11
Directions: Use the map above as a reference. In your NOTEBOOK you will draw the boundaries for the Roman Empire onto the Mediterranean Civilizations worksheet. You will also add this detail to the political features and major civilizations sections of the chart.
lesson activity: Developing a claim/formative assessment
lesson activity: Developing a claim/formative assessment
Roman Growth
Page 12
Roman military conquests added many territories to Roman control. Next, we will examine a few maps that can show us the changes in Roman political geography as a result of their conquests.
Directions: You will develop a claim comparing the growth of Roman lands during the Roman Empire and make connections to previously covered material. As you develop your claim you will address the following questions:
What happened to the Carthaginian Empire?
Why do you think the Roman Empire was divided into Senatorial and Imperial Provinces during the Pax Romana?
What difficulties might arise in governing such a large and diverse empire?
What historical examples could Roman Senators and Emperors reference to determine positive actions for the Roman Empire, or to avoid negative actions?
You will use evidence from the maps as well as the Pax Romana and Roman Republic readings and outside knowledge to support your claim.
This activity will be completed in your NOTEBOOK.
lesson activity: building context
lesson activity: building context
Predicting the Rise and Fall of Empires
Page 13
As the Roman Empire continued to expand, the challenge of maintaining control of such a vast expanse of land also increased. Although a decline definitely emerged in the order and protection of the Roman Empire, some people say it was more of a transformation than the rise and fall of an empire. By exploring the next set of sources, you will be determining your own position to the question:
"Did the Roman Empire Fall?"
Can math predict the rise and fall of Empires?
Pg. 13A
Can math predict the rise and fall of Empires?
Pg. 13A
Two maps are side by side. Both depict Africa, Europe, and Asia in a time-lapse. As centuries pass in seconds, red splotches emerge like bloodstains spreading across continents, signifying the growth of empires. One map is the progression of actual history. The other, a computer's best guess at how and where on Earth empires should emerge, based on a few key assumptions. To the surprise of many, both simulations are incredibly close.
Spanning three millennia (1500 BCE to 1500 CE), the model used these three criteria to run simulations:
the presence of agriculture
the ruggedness of the terrain, and most importantly
the distance from the Steppe geographical area, a belt that extends throughout Eurasia. Many military technologies were invented in this Steppe area, including combat on horseback and metal weaponry. Nomads in this Steppe area developed war tech to pillage nearby agricultural societies. As the centuries pass, these military advancements spread and played a key role in the rise of new powers.
The computer model begins with 2600 small societies. When a stronger society encounters a weaker one, they assimilate the weaker society's culture and an empire begins to grow. Run this scenario a couple of hundred times over 3000 years, influenced by massive amounts of historical data, and a facsimile of human history is recreated!
The first centuries were almost identical, with early empires forming out of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. The simulation is a slow crawl spreading from this center into Western Europe and Southeast Asia. True history is a little more erratic, with some empires disappearing in one century and reappearing the next. However, the general structure of humanity's social development remains similar between the two.
But is it possible for a computer to account for all the complexities of war? Can it predict the Spartans at Thermopylae or Hannibal crossing the Alps? Well, not yet.
No, math cannot predict the rise and fall of Empires
Pg. 13B
No, math cannot predict the rise and fall of Empires
Pg. 13B
Can math predict the rise and fall of empires? Wow! That sounds amazing. So how did they achieve this impressive result?
Much of the work here is not done by "math," but by understanding what factors contributed historically to the evolution of state formation. The math is used to model how these factors come together in a way that best fits the data. The math is important, but by itself cannot predict anything.
lesson activity: developing a claim/formative assessment
lesson activity: developing a claim/formative assessment
Page 14
Directions: You will develop a claim using information from the two articles found on page 13 and make connections to previously covered material. As you develop your claim you will address the following questions:
What makes an empire?
How does geography impact the fall of an empire?
What role do natural resources play in the growth and decline of empires?
Can the fall of an empire be predicted?
What does it mean when an empire falls?
You will use evidence from the articles "Can Math Predict the Rise and Fall of Empires?" and "No, Math Cannot Predict the Rise and Fall of Empires" and outside knowledge to support your claim.
This activity will be completed in your NOTEBOOK.
lesson activity: building context
lesson activity: building context
Reasons Rome Fell
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8 reasons why rome fell
8 reasons why rome fell
Find out why one of history's most legendary empires finally came crashing down.
1. Invasions by Barbarian tribes
1. Invasions by Barbarian tribes
The most straightforward theory for Western Rome's collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s "barbarian" groups like the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire's borders. The Romans weathered a Germanic uprising in the late fourth century, but in 410 the Visigoth King Alaric successfully sacked the city of Rome. The Empire spent the next several decades under constant threat before "the Eternal City" was raided again in 455, this time by the Vandals. Finally, in 476, the Germanic leader Odoacer staged a revolt and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus. From then on, no Roman emperor would ever again rule from a post in Italy, leading many to cite 476 as the year the Western Empire suffered its deathblow.
2. Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor
2. Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor
Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis. Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms. At the same time, the empire was rocked by a labor deficit. Rome's economy depended on slaves to till its fields and work as craftsmen, and its military might had traditionally provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to work. But when expansion ground to halt in the second century, Rome's supply of slaves and other war treasures began to dry up. A further blow came in the fifth century when the Vandals claimed North Africa and began disrupting the empire's trade by prowling the Mediterranean as pirates. With its economy faltering and its commercial and agricultural production in decline, the Empire began to lose its grip on Europe.
3. The rise of the Eastern Empire
3. The rise of the Eastern Empire
The fate of Western Rome was partially sealed in the late third century, when Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two halves -- the Western Empire seated in the city of Milan, and the Eastern Empire in Byzantium, later known as Constantinople. The division made the empire more easily governable in the short term, but over time the two halves drifted apart. East and West failed to adequately work together to combat outside threats, and the two often squabbled over resources and military aid. As the gulf widened, the largely Latin-speaking West descended into an economic crisis. Most importantly, the strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West. Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was fortified and well guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome -- which only had symbolic value for many in the East -- were left vulnerable. The Western political structure would finally disintegrate in the fifth century, but the Eastern Empire endured in some form for another thousand years before being overwhelmed by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s.
4. Overexpansion and military overspending
4. Overexpansion and military overspending
At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Euphrates River in the Middle East, but its grandeur may have also been its downfall. With such a vast territory to govern, the empire faced an administrative and logistical nightmare. Even with their excellent road system, the Romans were unable to communicate quickly or effectively enough to manage their holdings. Rome struggled to marshal enough troops and resources to defend its frontiers from local rebellions and outside attacks, and by the second century, Emperor Hadrian was forced to build his famous wall in Britain just to keep the enemy at bay. As more and more funds were funneled into the military upkeep of the empire, technological advancement slowed and Rome's civil infrastructure fell into disrepair.
5. Government corruption and political instability
5. Government corruption and political instability
If Rome's sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. Being the Roman emperor had always been a particularly dangerous job, but during the tumultuous second and third centuries it nearly became a death sentence. Civil war thrust the empire into chaos, and more than 20 men took the throne in the span of only 75 years, usually after the murder of their predecessor. The Praetorian Guard -- the emperor's personal bodyguards -- assassinated and installed new sovereigns at will, and once even auctioned the spot off to the highest bidder. The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their leadership.
6. The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes
6. The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes
The Barbarian attacks on Rome partially stemmed from a mass migration caused by the Huns' invasion of Europe in the late fourth century. When these Eurasian warriors rampaged through northern Europe, they drove many Germanic tribes to the borders of the Roman Empire. The Romans grudgingly allowed members of the Visigoth tribe to cross south of the Danube and into the safety of Roman territory, but they treated them with extreme cruelty. According to the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman officials even forced the starving Goths to trade their children into slavery in exchange for dog meat. In brutalizing the Goth, the Romans created a dangerous enemy within their own borders. When the oppression became too much to bear, the Goths rose up in revolt and eventually routed a Roman army and killed the Eastern Emperor Valens during the Battle of Adrianople in A.D. 378. The shocked Romans negotiated a flimsy peace with the barbarians, but the truce unraveled in 410 when the Goth King Alaric moved west and sacked Rome. With the Western Empire weakened, Germanic tribes like the Vandals and the Saxons were able to surge across its borders and occupy Britain, Spain, and North Africa.
7. Christianity and the loss of traditional values
7. Christianity and the loss of traditional values
The decline of Rome dovetailed with the spread of Christianity, and some have argued that the rise of a new faith helped contribute to the empire's fall. The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313, and it later became the state religion in 380. These decrees ended centuries of persecution, but they may have also eroded the traditional Roman values system. Christianity displaced the polytheistic Roman religion, which viewed the emperor as having a divine status, and also shifted focus away from the glory of the state and onto a sole deity. Meanwhile, popes and other church leaders took an increased role in political affairs, further complicating governance. The 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon was the most famous proponent of this theory, but his take has since been widely criticized. While the spread of Christianity may have played a small role in curbing Roman civic virtue, most scholars now argue that its influence paled in comparison to military, economic, and administrative factors.
8. Weakening of the Roman legions
8. Weakening of the Roman legions
For most of its history, Rome's military was the envy of the ancient world. But during the decline, the makeup of the once mighty legions began to change. Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Roman citizenry, emperors like Diocletian and Constantine began hiring foreign mercenaries to prop up their armies. The ranks of the legions eventually swelled with Germanic Goths and other barbarians, so much so that Romans began using the Latin word "barbarus" in place of "soldier." While these Germanic soldiers of fortune proved to be fierce warriors, they also had little or no loyalty to the empire, and their power-hungry officers often turned against their Roman employers. In fact, many of the barbarians who sacked the city of Rome and brought down the Western Empire had earned their military stripes while serving in the Roman legions.
Andrews, E. (2014, January 14). 8 Reasons Why Rome Fell. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.history.com/news/8-reasons-why-rome-fell
Directions: As you read about the reasons the Roman Empire Fell, complete the "Fall of the Roman Empire T-chart" in your NOTEBOOK.
lesson activity: Summative assessment
lesson activity: Summative assessment
Page 16
Directions: You will write an argumentative paragraph that answers the following prompt: "Did the Roman Empire suddenly fall or transform?"
Remember to include specific claims and relevant evidence from contemporary and historical sources while acknowledging competing views.
we have reached yet another end to a wonderful topic in ancient history. Let's go to Unit 3 Topic 6.
we have reached yet another end to a wonderful topic in ancient history. Let's go to Unit 3 Topic 6.
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