Introduction: • Gaius Octavius was born in 63BCE and was the great nephew of Julius Caesar. Caesar took Octavius under his wing, having him elected to the College of Pontiffs and enrolling him in to the Patrician Aristocracy. When Octavius learned Caesar had been assassinated he also found out that Caesar has adopted him and named him his heir. Octavius took on Caesar’s name and became Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius but was known simply as Octavian. • The situation in Rome toward the end of the Republican period was that the country’s senate had lost majority of its power.
at the end of the Punic Wars (Google.com Timeline). In 256 B.C. Rome destroyed Carthage’s fleet, and pursued their enemy in their home in Africa (Bing, 2006). During the Punic war against Carthage, Rome captured provinces (Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily) around 241 B.C. (Roman-Empire.net).
“How Constantine rose to Power” When his father was made Caesar, Constantine was left at the court of the emperor Diocletian, where he was under the watchful eye of Galerius, who was Caesar with Constantius. When Diocletian and Maximian resigned in 305, Constantius and Galerius became emperors. Constantius requested that Constantine be sent to him in Britain, and Galerius reluctantly complied. Constantius died at York the next year. There, his soldiers proclaimed Constantine emperor, but much rivalry for the vacated office ensued.
Roman expansion into Germanic territories was essentially halted and the assimilation of the Germanic tribes was a failure. Later, barbarian tribes from this region will pressure the Roman authority along its boarders. Three hundred years later Emperor Diocletian creates political and economic reforms in an effort to strengthen the empire against growing external threats. He felt that the empire had grown to size that was too large for one to rule. He splits the empire into two halves and implements the rule of tetrarchy.
The Hellenistic Period When the Hellenistic Period emerges in 323BC, Alexander the Great is the reigning conqueror. His father, Philip of Macedon, had united the Grecian states and was driving back the Persian forces out of Asia Minor. As the pressure mounts, he is assassinated during a festival. Alexander succeeded his father’s leadership and
The Roman nobility overthrew the last Etruscan king in 509 BC and instituted their own republican constitution, which included two representatives. An assembly dominated by the nobility elected these representatives. The Roman republic also had a Senate that advised the representatives and ratified major decisions, normally in the favor of the nobility that elected them (The Roman Army). Rome had very little protection in the early years of its sovereignty. Its military was more like a militia made up of Roman men who were basically unarmored, poorly armed, and wore only leather helmets for protection.
Each God represented something or a particular theme. For example, Zeus (in Greek culture) was the father of all gods and men; in contrast, Jupiter was his counterpart for Romans. So, we can deduce that they changed the names of the gods to more Roman sounding names. Another difference is that “Greek religion was much more artistic with festivities. Note that Romans elaborated their religion, but it was much more conservative and serious” (par.
Dr. Gwilym Jones divides Virgil’s work into what he calls the Odysseic and Iliadic halves. In the first half, Aeneas and his companions gather what is left of the ruins on Troy, and they sail around the Mediterranean in search of a land that they have been promised. They land, wage war with the inhabitants and triumph. A hero is a mortal who performs deeds remarkable enough to live on after his death and to become a criterion of excellence against which to judge one’s own life. Ancient heroes stand out in the crowd and exhibit characteristics that permit comparison with modern heroes.
Christianity in the Roman Empire The rise of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire is one of the main contributing factors to its destruction circa 500 C.E. The teachings and morals portrayed in the letters of Paul of Tarsus (135-136) contradicted the Roman culture by preaching to follow the laws set forth by Christ rather than those set forth by the Roman Senate (136). The difference in belief caused tension between the Roman government and its citizens as more and more converted to Christianity and rebelled against Roman persecution. Paul of Tarsus was a very influential character in the story of Christianity. Thirteen letters are attributed to him in the writings that came to comprise the New Testament (134).
Christianity in the Roman Empire The rise of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire is one of the main contributing factors to its destruction circa 500 C.E. The teachings and morals portrayed in the letters of Paul of Tarsus (135-136) contradicted the Roman culture by preaching to follow the laws set forth by Christ rather than those set forth by the Roman Senate (136). The difference in belief caused tension between the Roman government and its citizens as more and more converted to Christianity and rebelled against Roman persecution. Paul of Tarsus was a very influential character in the story of Christianity. Thirteen letters are attributed to him in the writings that came to comprise the New Testament (134).