The Roman Empire

1
The Roman Empire
2
The Result of the Assassination

• After Caesars assassination, three men took
  control of Rome forming the 2nd Triumvirate.
• Mark Antony, a supporter of Caesar and a strong
  general.
• Octavian, Caesars adopted son.
• Marcus Lepidus, a patrician and one of Caesars
  greatest supporters.

3
Reaction to Julius Caesars Death

• Many people were very angry after Caesars death
• The Roman middle and lower classes had respected
  Caesar.
• They were upset that other leaders had killed
  him.

4
First Things First

• The 1st goal of the new Triumvirate was to punish
  the men who killed Caesar.
• The murders thought they were going to be heroes
  instead they had to flea for their lives.
• Antony Octavian set out to kill the murders.
  By 42 B.C. they were all killed or they had
  killed themselves.

5
Octavian Antony

• After the last of the conspirers were killed
  Octavian returns to Rome while Antony continues
  to head east and fight.
• During which time Antony marries Octavians
  sister, Octavia.

6
An Insult

• 8 years later, Antony divorces her to marry the
  queen of Egypt, Cleopatra.
• This was a huge insult to Octavian and his
  sister.
• Antonys behavior led to a civil war in Rome.

7
The Battle

• In 31 B.C. Octavian sends a fleet to Egypt to
  attack Antony. This was known as the Battle of
  Actium.
• Antonys fleet was defeated, but he escapes back
  to Egypt with Cleopatra.
• There they both commit suicide so they wouldnt
  be taken as prisoner by Octavian.

8
Octavian Becomes Emperor

• Octavian becomes Romes sole ruler and over the
  next few years he gains nearly limitless power.
• Octavian used his power as emperor to bring order
  and stability to Rome.
• For this the Senate gave him a new name Augustus
  meaning the Great One
• His naming marks the end of the Roman Republic
  and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

9
Augustus Biography

• What did he do? As the leader of Rome, Augustus
  made many improvements in the city. He created a
  fire department and a police force to protect the
  citys people. He built new aqueducts and
  repaired old ones to increase Romes water
  supply. Augustus also worked on improving and
  expanding Romes road network.
• Why is he important? As Romes first emperor,
  Augustus is one of the most significant figures
  in Roman history. Almost singlehandedly, he
  changed the nature of Roman government forever.
  But Augustus is also known for the great
  monuments he had built around Rome. He built a
  new forum that held statues, monuments, and a
  great temple to the god Mars. In writing about
  his life, Augustus declared, I found Rome a city
  of brick and left it a city of marble.

• KEY EVENTS
• 45 BC Julius Caesar adopts Octavian as his son
  and heir.44 BC Octavian moves to Rome when
  Caesar dies.42 BC Octavian and Antony defeat
  Brutus.31 BC Octavian defeats Antony.27 BC
  Octavian takes the name Augustus and becomes
  emperor of Rome.

10
Romes Empire Grows
11
Based on the map, why do you think the Romans
called the Mediterranean Our Sea?
12
Romes Growing Empire

• When Rome began as an Empire it already
  controlled most of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Later Emperors expanded even more.
• In Romes conquests they gained control of gold,
  farmland, and other resources.
• This control also promoted trade.
• Nearly everyone accepted Roman coins, which
  helped trade grow even more.

13
Pax Romana

• The 1st 200 years of the Roman Empire was
  generally peaceful, helping Rome grow wealthy.
• We call this peaceful period Pax Romana, or Roman
  Peace.
• During this time population grew, trade
  increased, and people got richer.
• This lasted till 180 A.D.

14
EmperorsThe Good, the Bad, the Ugly

• Some of Romes emperors were good such as
  Augustus. Others were very poor leaders.
• Caligula Very cruel. Declared himself a god.
  Tried to make his horse a senator.
• Claudius After Caligula. Returned stolen
  artwork. Improved laws. More citizenship.
• Nero After Claudius. Poisoned step bro, killed
  mom and wife. Thought to burn down Rome.
• Vespasian Created the Colosseum
• Marcus Aurelius Fair ruler. Lowered taxes.
  Sold his own stuff to help the poor. Built
  schools Hospitals.