Rome's Decline: Economy, Military, and Legacy

1. The Economy • One of the reasons why Rome fell was the economy. • Rome’s empire grew so vast that it pretty much eliminated any opportunity to trade. They conquered and took over everyone with whom they traded.

2. Expansion caused another problem • Romans lacked new sources of gold and silver, so they began minting their own money • The Romans hoped that the new system of money would work with the same amounts of metal  They were wrong • Suffered Inflation (drop of money’s value)

3. The Military • Like the times before Julius Caesar, Roman soldiers lost their loyalty to the Empire and pretty much became mercenaries • Mercenary: Soldiers who fought for money • Many wealthy Romans created their own armies and fought for the Roman throne.

4. Diocletian divides Rome • In A.D., 284, Diocletian became the Emperor of Rome • He noticed the problem with Rome  It became to large for one person to rule over. • Diocletian divided Rome into two halves • East: Greek speaking • West: Latin speaking

5. Diocletian took control of the east and appointed a co-ruler in the west. • Diocletian retired because of ill health in A.D. 305 • Civil war broke out almost immediately after.

6. In A.D. 312, Constantine emerged out the Civil War as the ruler of the West *Same Constantine that ended the persecution of the Christians • He re-united east and west Rome in 324  became the single ruler of Rome. • In A.D. 330, Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium

7. With Byzantium as the new capital, the power shifted from the west to the east. • Byzantium eventually took a new name • Constantinople: The City of Constantine • Conflicts caused Rome to split again after Constantine’s death.

8. Germanic Invasions • Since the times of Julius Caesar, Germanic tribes attempted to enter into Rome • It wasn’t until A.D. 370 that it became a true problem. • The Romans called the invaders “Barbarians” which meant non-Roman

9. The Germanic people’s efforts became more intense because they were fleeing a brutal wave of destruction. • The Huns. • In A.D. 410, the waves of Barbarians was too much for the Romans to handle. • The Barbarians purged through the Roman Empire, destroying everything in their path

10. The Huns also raided and plundered western Rome. • The last Emperor of Rome was a 14 year old boy named Romulus Augustus • He was killed by a raid of Barbarians in A.D. 476.

11. Western Rome fell with the death of the last emperor, but the East evolved. • Constantinople and the rest of Eastern Rome grew into the Byzantine Empire • This empire lasted until A.D. 1453

12. Under the Roman Empire, hundreds of territories were fused into a single state. • In the second century, Rome conquered and acquired Greece into their enormous empire. • A new culture Greco-Roman culture  Greek + Hellenistic + Roman

14. Roman Arts • Roman artists, philosophers, and writers did not copy the Greek artists, they took the Greeks’ style and created their own. • Roman art was more realistic than the Greeks. • Focused more on detail rather than beauty

15. ROME GREECE

16. Roman artists were particularly skilled at creating mosaics: • Mosaics were pictures or designs made by setting small pieces of stone, glass, or tile into a surface

17. Rome also borrowed much of their philosophy from the Greeks. • Encouraged virtue, duty, and endurance in Roman thought. • The poet Virgil wrote the Aeneid which was an epic **Remember epics? • Similar to Greek epics told by Homer

18. The Romans were one of the first cultures to document historical events. • Livy compiled a multivolume history from its origins to 9 B.C.  Included myths like Romulus and Remus • A more accurate and truthful history for Rome was documented by Tacitus • Tacitus wrote about Roman cruelty. Livy Tacitus

19. Rome’s Legacy • Rome’s legacy is still felt today • Latin (the language of the Romans) remained the language of the west long after Rome fell • The Greco-Roman Culture • The Catholic Church made Latin its official language • Latin is in many of the words of the English language

20. Roman architecture is mimicked and copied today: • The arch • The dome • Concrete

21. One of the most amazing Roman structures that is still used was the aqueduct. • Aqueducts were designed by Roman engineers to bring water into cities and towns. • Also bridges

22. The Romans were also one of the first cultures to have paved roads! • The army built a huge network of roads out of stone, concrete, and sand. • Some are actually still used today.

23. Roman Law • Roman Law is probably Rome’s greatest contribution to the modern world. • The U.S.A. and many other countries modeled their legal systems after the Romans • Some of the most important principles: • All persons had the right to equal treatment under the law. • A person was considered innocent until proven guilty • Proof was up to the accuser NOT the accused • Any law that seemed unreasonable or unfair could be set aside and taken to a higher court.