Did the Roman Empire "fall"?

The Roman Empire was a huge period in Rome but the question is did the Roman Empire fall and how did it fall. There are many theories and controversies of how the Roman Empire fell and why it fell. Historians have supported many different theories of how the empire fell and it is still unclear exactly how the Roman Empire fell. The Roman Empire was “An empire that succeeded the Roman Republic during the time of Augustus, who ruled from 27 BC to 14AD. At its greatest extent it encompassed territories stretching from Britain and Germany to North Africa and the Persian Gulf. After 395 it was split into the Byzantine Empire and the Western Roman Empire, which rapidly sank into anarchy under the onslaught of barbarian invaders from the north and east. The last emperor of the West, Romulus Augustulus (born c. 461), was deposed by Goths in 476, the traditional date for the end of the empire.” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Roman+Empire) The Roman Empire did fall, but it fell for a number of reasons and there are many historians that back up these different reasons.
The Roman Empire began with the Julio- Claudians in 27BC. These were a number of different emperors that started the Roman Empire. The first Roman empire was Augustus. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roem/hd_roem.htm) After him there were a lot more emperors and the Roman Empire was doing very well for a long time. The Roman Empire then started to decline and it is said that it fell in 476 AD.

The people living outside of the Roman Empire were known as Barbarians and the Roman army was having trouble stopping these Barbarians from coming into Rome. Because of this the Romans had to make a bigger army which meant that they had to raise taxes to pay the large army. A lot of the people were not able to afford these high taxes and it became a big problem. There was also a terrible plague which caused almost 5,000 people a day to die. (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ROMbarbarians.htm) With all the people dying from starvation and the plague, there were less people to join the army and protect the city from Barbarians. There were also more people becoming Christians and some citizens became monks and they would not get married and have children. Since the rate of people having children went down even more of the population decreased. Then the Germans also started attacking and Rome and this lost even more of the Roman Empire. At this point the Roman Empire was declining a lot and eventually just died in 476AD.
There were also many theories describing how the Roman Empire fell. One theory was that the rapid growth of the Empire led to the Roman Empire’s decline. Since the Empire was so big they had to pay for more things like roads and water. And they also had to pay for the armies so the taxes were raised so much that the economy started to crash and the Roman Empire fell. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire#Theories_of_a_fall.2C_decline.2C_transition_and_continuity)
One man, Arther Ferrill, had another theory for the fall of the Roman Empire. He stated that since the barbarians were allowed to settle so close to the Roman Empire that it caused friction and decreased the size of the Roman Empire’s borders. There were also a lot of German recruits which caused the Roman army to decline in military skill. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arther_Ferrill)
Some historians like Arnold J. Toynbee and James Burke said that Roman Empire was a completely rotten system and that it wasn’t going to last long anyways. William H. McNeill said that it was the wave of many diseases that caused half the population to decrease. This made the army to large to support which led to the economic decline and eventually killed the Roman Empire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire#Theories_of_a_fall.2C_decline.2C_transition_and_continuity)
One interesting theory of the fall of the Roman Empire was lead poisoning. The Romans would simmer sapa and defratum, a type of grape syrup, in lead lined pots and kettles. Then the sapa was mixed with the wine they drank to make it taste better. Since they simmered it in lead pots this caused them to get lead poisoning and caused a lot of Romans to die which effected the fall of the Roman Empire. (http://everything2.com/title/Lead+Poisoning+and+the+Fall+of+the+Roman+Empire)
There are still many theories about the fall of the Roman Empire and to this day people are still trying to learn more about it. Most of these theories are probably true in affecting how the Roman Empire fell. The Roman Empire did not fall for just one reason it was an array of reasons that made it fall.

sources:

"Arther Ferrill -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arther_Ferrill

"End of the Roman Empire." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ROMbarbarians.htm

"Lead Poisoning and the Fall of the Roman Empire@Everything2.com." Welcome to Everything@Everything2.com. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://everything2.com/title/Lead+Poisoning+and+the+Fall+of+the+Roman+Empire

"Roman Empire - Definition of Roman Empire by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Roman+Empire

"The Roman Empire (27 B.C.393 A.D.) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roem/hd_roem.htm

Early Christian and Byzantine Art

Early Christian and Byzantine portraiture represent both a continuation and break from them past. In the past during the Roman Empire there was a lot of art but once the empire began to fall the art also stopped. Then the early Christians and the Byzantines brought back the art but in a different way. They continued the same art but they made it look different in many ways but it was also a break from the past because the art stopped but they brought it back differently. The Byzantine art showed differences between the Roman Catholic religion, which developed in the Western Roman Empire, and the Eastern Orthodox religion, which developed in the Byzantium Empire. The Byzantine art made the figures seem more flat and one dimensional and the faces had a somber look with starring eyes. They didn't attempt to make the faces seem very real. The early Christian art also didn't attempt to make everything detailed and real looking. They would make their art show more of the spiritual significance. It was to be more of an icon to visual Christian concepts then of art showing beauty.

sources:

"Byzantine Art." World History by History Link 101. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.historylink101.com/lessons/art_history_lessons/ma/byzantine_art.htm

"Early Christian - Early Christian Art." Oil Paintings Reproduction - Canvas Oil Painting Reproductions For Sale. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/medieval/earlychristian.htm

Was Rome better off as an 'empire' than as a republic?

When Rome was a republic they were run by the people and the people had more of a say in what happened in the government. This republic did bring on a lot of problems though. The Patricians would have more power than the Plebeians which caused a lot of trouble and made the Plebeians mad. Then the Republic started to fall and Rome started to become and empire. I think Rome was better of as an empire because it put most of the power in one person's hands and if that person was good with their power they would be able to run Rome better. Julius Caesar was one of the emperors and while they kept having emperors Rome kept prospering and expanding for years. The bad thing about Rome being an empire was sometimes the emperor was not good or the people would not always agree with their decision but I think that Rome ran better when one person was in power then when everyone had power.

sources:

"Roman Empire -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_empire

"Roman Republic to the Roman Empire." HyperHistory.net. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t2w4rometoempire.htm

Notes

March 8

1. Villas were like country houses- this is where the senators would sometimes come on the weekends
2. Subura- tightly compacted neighborhood in Rome
3. Gracchus brothers- Tiberius and Gaius were tribunes doing the later second century, and they had run on a platform of land rights for plebeians.
4. A battle came up in the senate
5. both of the Gracchus brothers are assassinated in two separate events in the roman forum
6. This marks the beginning of a very bloody century
7. Marius and Sulla- two roman leaders, both had won great battles on the battlefield
8. Marius is involved in the social war
9. The social war takes place around 91-88BC.
10. Troops are loyal to their leaders
11. The first civil war is between sulla's army and Marius's army
12. Marius is going to defend Rome and sulla is going to march on them
13. Sulla wins and Marius has to flee Rome.
14. Dominant political figure of the first century is Julius Caesar
15. Casesar wants to run for political office for the senate
16. Caesar came from the Julii family
17. Romance languages- french, spanish, italian, portugese, romanian.
18. These languages derives from latin and latin is the language of the Romans
19. Caesar becomes popular with the people
20. Casesars party -populares
21. They are all patrician aristocrats but the populares gain their power from the common people
22. Caesar wins
23. Senators don't like this so they go out of their way to make his life miserable
24. They send Caesar to Gaul which at that time is the middle of nowhere
25. Caesar says if I am going to go to gaul I might as well make a name for myself and he sets out to concur all of Gaul and he concurs a lot
26. The senators are nervous about Caesar winning all these battles
27. The Roman senate passes a condemnation of Caesar and it says that his battles in Gaul were illegal because they were done without the authority of the roman senate and they request that Caesar comes back to go to trial.
28. Caesar either go back to Rome by himself and faces trail and has no chance or he could go back to Rome with his army but if he does that he is going to start a civil war.
29. He decides to start the civil war and he crosses the Rubicon
30. Famous quote- the die has been cast
31. When the senators find out that Caesar is coming they freak and they get behind Pompey their lead general and they evacuate the city.
32. Pompey becomes the hero of the senate
33. Civil war one side led by Caesar and Pompey the other side leader
34. Caesar had great respect for Pompey
35. The final battle occurs in Pharsalus
36. Caesar's right hand man is Mark Antony
37. Pompey escapes the battle and goes to Egypt, but when he gets to Egypt he is met by assassins and they decapitate.
38. Caesar creates an alliance with Egypt
39. Caesar is named dictator for life
40. The senators get worried and they plot to assassinate him

March 9

1. Octavian
• Nephew of Julius Caesar
• When Caesar died Octavian was named Caesar's air
• In Caesar's will he adopts Octavian as his son
2. Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus
• Form second triumvirate
• They split up the world of Rome amongst themselves
• Octavian gets the west from Italy and over
• Antony gets Greece and Egypt
• Lepidus takes the east
3. Mark Antony and Octavian get in a war against each other
• Enormous sea battle at a place called Actium
• Octavian's right hand man was Marcus Agrippa
• They defeat the forces of Cleopatra
• Cleopatra and Antony commit suicide
• Winning the battle of Actium, Octavian becomes the soul power in Rome
• Senate declares him as Augustus
• Becomes first emperor of Rome and the republic is effectively over
• Becomes the first of the Julio- Claudian dynasty
4. Julio- claudian dynasty
• Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero
5. Augustus
• After he dies his errs were not very good.
6. Suetonius
• Primary resourcer about the julio-claudian
MArch 10
1. Augustus
• Treated the senate not like they were less than him but he was number one
• Did not leave an err
• Wife's name was Livia who had a son from a previous marriage and his name was from the Claudia
• He was cruel
2. Prima porta
• Has no shoes which means they are being depicted like a god
• Cupid is riding on a dolphin and the dolphin is the symbol of Venus
• Presenting himself as having divine lineage
• On breastplate is a roman and a barbarian.
• Standards of Rome- tall bronze rods that have gold emblems on them.
• Image of propaganda
• Born of a divine family
• Roman was experts of propoganda
3. Coligila
• Nutcase
• Had special affections with his sister
• Tried to get his horse to be a senator
• Assasinate
4. Claudius
• Strange guy
• He was deformed and shy
• Overall he was a descent empire because he didn't really do much
• He did not want to be emperor and he was scared
5. Nero
• Nutcase
• Burned down a substantial part of Rome and blamed the Christians
• He wanted a large piece of property for a park and he put up a palace and a giant statue of himself on it
• Forced to commit suicide and when he goes he says the world has lost a great artist
• That ends julius-cladius
6. Vespasian
• Becomes emperor in 69Ad
• He wanted to run things strictly very military style
• Good at getting order back into the empire
• When roman emperors die they were turned into state gods- temple built in their honor
7. Titus
• He completes the Vespasian amphitheatre- coliseum
• The arch of titus and on the inside of the arch it shows a scene with people carrying a menorah because there was roman occupation of Jerusalem
8. Domitian
• Tough guy
• Builds some big public works
• Assasinated
9. Nerva
• Age of "good emperors"- Nervo-96-98; Trajan 98-117; Hadrian 117-138; antimimus pius 138-161; Marcus Aurelius 161-180
• Starts the practice in Rome of choosing who his err is going to be rather than his err just being a blood relative
10. Trajan
• Military genius
• Campaign out into the east
• Trajan's column- center of Rome, wrapped in the story of the campaign
• Expands the empire more
11. Hadrian
• Unlike any empire before him
• He was a philospopher, archetect, statesman, writer, world traveler
• First roman emperor not to be from Italy, he was from Spain
• He grew beard because greeks grew beards and he wanted to be seen as a philosopher

Who was Augustine of Hippo?

Augustine of Hippo was a Romanized Berber philosopher and theologian. He was born in 354 in Thagaste. His parents were Monica and Patricius. Thagaste was provincial Roman city in North Africa. He started at a school at Madaurus. At this school he learned Latin literature and pagan beliefs and practices. When he was 17 he studied at Carthage and learned rhetoric. In 383 he started a school in Rome to teach rhetoric, but this did not last long because when the students had to pay they just left. When Augustine was thirty he won the most visible academic chair of the Latin world. Augustine became Manichean in Carthage but when he moved to Milan he converted into Christianity. When he returned to North Africa in 388 he was ordained and became the bishop of Hippo. He wrote books that had influences on the doctrine of the church. One book he wrote was called the Confessions. This book was a penitential autobiography. Then Augustine died in 430.

sources:

"Augustine of Hippo -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#Death

"Medieval Bestiary : Augustine of Hippo." The Medieval Bestiary. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://bestiary.ca/prisources/psdetail1757.htm

Julio Claudian Flashcards

Buildings of Augustus

Temple of Apollo

It was dedicated by Augustus to his patron god Apollo. It was the second temple that was dedicated to Apollo.

"Temple of Apollo Palatinus -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Apollo_Palatinus

Temple of Divine Julius

This was dedicated to Julius Caesar and was where his body was cremated.

"The Death of a Dictator - Flowers on Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerones/280854287/

Lupercal

It is Romulus and Remus under the wold who raised them and she is nurturing them.

Lupercal -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupercal

The Portico at the Flaminian Circus

It was built by Augustus and dedicated to his sister Octavia.

"Ancient Ruins Portico Di Octavia on Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/45140057@N04/4267132548/

Temple of Jupiter Subduer

It was the most important temple in Ancient Rome and it was located on Capitoline Hill.

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. \http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Jupiter_Optimus_Maximus

Temple of Minerva

It is on the Aventine hill which is for the working class neighborhood.

"File:GuatCityMineraTemple.jpg -." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GuatCityMineraTemple.jpg

Temple of The Great Mother

it is located on the Palatine Hill.

"Samothrace Temple Complex -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samothrace_temple_complex

Theatre of Pompey

One of the first permanent theaters in Rome.

"Theatre of Pompey -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Pompey

Forum of Julius

"Flickr Photo Download: The Roman Forum Courtesy: Model Steel Pakistan." Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeeshan206/2884669544/sizes/s/