THE EMPIRE

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Julius Caesar

Vocabulary words:

Dictator:  is a ruler with complete control. 

Julius Caesar described one of his military campaign by saying "Veni, vidi, vici" which means "I came, I saw, I conquered."

After the 2nd Punic War Rome was a huge and very rich empire, but the Senate did a poor job of running the Republic.  The senate was designed to govern a city, not a growing empire.  The senators often took bribes or were not careful about how they voted.  Many Romans wanted a strong leader, and Julius Caesar was an obvious choice. One of the greatest rulers of Rome was Julius Caesar. He was born around 100 B.C. to a family of the patrician class. He began his career in the army, serving in the eastern empire. He held various political offices. Finally in 60 B.C., he was elected to the highest position in government: consul.  Caesar had many successful military campaigns and was very popular with the people.   The Roman people admired Caesar as a war hero and a strong leader.  They elected him as a dictator of Rome.  (define dictator) Caesar used his power to make many changes in Rome, often without approval from the Senate.  He started the Julian calendar of 365 1/2 days (it is closely related to calendar we use today; the month of July was named in honor of Caesar.  A year after his election as a dictator, the Roman people elected Caesar "dictator for life" Many senators felt Caesar was disrespectful to them and that he was wrong to take the title of dictator. On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the steps of the Senate by his friend Brutus and 20 other Senators. His last words were “Et tu, Brute?” (You too, Brutus?).

THE EMPIRE

After Julius Caesar's death in 44 B.C., many men tried for control of Rome. Caesar's grand-nephew, Octavian, and Mark Anthony were victorious in several battles throughout the empire and soon emerged as consuls. They then divided the empire between them. Antony ruled from his base in Egypt (where he could be with his love Cleopatra) and Octavian ruled from Rome.  (Marc Anthony led the Roman army in Egypt, where he met and fell in love with Cleopatra.  Antony and Cleopatra hoped to rule together and get rid of Octavian.  Neither Octavian nor the Senate, in Rome, would allow Rome to remain split. War was declared against Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Octavian won in 29 B.C. ( The legend has it that after hearing of Antony's death, Cleopatra wrapped an asp around her arm.  Asp was a venomous snake that was a symbol of Egyptian royalty.  The asp's bite ended Cleopatra's life. )  Octavian was now the sole leader of Rome. He refused the title of king and preferred to be called emperor. He restored peace and stability to the land. He made sure that the lands throughout the empire were well run and taxes were fair.   He built massive roads and bridges.  He stopped the civil war amongst the soldiers by giving them money and land. He made many reforms such as concentrating on building roads, aqueducts and reconstructing the buildings in the Forum. To keep the people amused, he built huge amphitheaters, such as the Coliseum. Trade had suffered greatly during the civil wars. Once Octavian took over he provided the provinces with better administration, a uniform code of justice and protection from invasion. With these things in place, trade began to flow and life stabilized. With peace and stability, people had more time for art, literature, architecture, drama and music. The Roman people awarded Octavian with the title Augustus, which means, "respected one." Augustus ruled Rome for 41 years.  Christianity was introduced during this period but was initially outlawed by the Roman leadership. However, the movement continued to grow.  Even though Augustus was very kind and respectful to the the Senators, they knew that he controlled the army and could do as he wanted.  The roman army was so strong that it protected citizens from attack other countries.   The  200 year of peace that began with the rule of Caesar Augustus was known as the Pax Romana. Thus this period, referred to as the "Golden Age," is that for which Rome is most remembered. During this time Christianity was introduced .  (introduce Jesus' birth, death and resurrection). Spend another lesson time discussing Jesus, Christianity and persecution of Christians by Nero---CLICK HERE for Christianity  Learn more about death on the cross used by the Romans, Were crucifixions common in the Ancient World? During the reign of Augustus, the patricians were satisfied living under the illusion that Rome was still a republic. In all actuality, they had traded their freedom for peace and order which Augustus reestablished. It was not until later that the true nature of the emperors emerged: the Romans had sold out their freedom by placing themselves under the rule of one man whose powers could override individual rights. Rome had many emperors after Augustus–some good, some bad. Eventually, though, the checks and balances of the senate/consul system vanished and the emperors emerged as dictators. The empire began to crumble due to a plethora of problems (barbarian attacks, weak government, plague, civil wars.

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