In the center of the Mediterranean lies Italy, one of the most illustrious empires of the time. The Roman Empire refers to the period of time, beginning with Augustus, when Rome was ruled by emperors. There were differences in the political, economic, religious, architectural, and education aspects in the way each ruler ruled. When Augustus transformed the republic into a monarchy, Rome reigned supreme. The era of Augustus, Nero, and Justinian can be compared and contrasted in these aspects.
Augustus founded and ruled the Roman Empire from 63 BC thru 14 AD. The Roman Empire was peaceful under Augustus’ rule. He encouraged architecture and it is said that he ”found Rome of brick and left it of marble”. He encouraged the restoration of temples and buildings
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Justinian was of a modest origin, and often drew upon counselors and administrators from outside the aristocratic class which caused tension throughout his rule with the Byzantine nobility. Justinian’s policies caused civil unrest in the empire; popular outrage caused the Nika Riot in 532. The riot caused severe damage, resulting in the burning of churches and imperial buildings. As a result of the damage, Justinian was able to do extensive rebuilding of the city. He took strides to initiate architectural achievements and art, employing architects that were skilled in physics, engineering, and mathematics, resulting in revolutionary new designs. Justinian was also responsible for shaping church policies, foreign affairs, art, and architecture. Religion was just as important to Justinian. He took a leading role in the church, extinguishing Greco-Roman Paganism, and coming into direct conflict with the papacy in 543. In foreign affairs, Justinian sought to recover the territory lost to Italy and North Africa, so he was responsible for one of the most aggressive military during medieval
Some of the buildings that was built under his command was the Curia, the temple of Apollo and the Lupercal. He also ordered the construction of a highway that connected Rome to its empire. Augustus was very motivated by art. He loved art so much that he even finished building the incomplete projects left by his father such as the Forum Julium and the Basilica.
Augustus is well known for developing a wide-spread Roman empire that included the provinces of Egypt, Cyprus, Spain, Gaul and Syria. The Egyptian influence resulted from the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C and negotiations with Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. Egypt became a Roman province under the direct control of Augustus. He ruled as the pharaoh in Egypt and called himself, “the offspring of the gods.”
Rome created and maintained its huge Mediterranean Empire in many ways, the way Rome was started was unifying Italy then all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. Rome maintained being a huge Empire because of the expansion in the Mediterranean lands. They stayed at the top also because of the rich farmlands and the pax romana. On page 142 “it says Rome’s central location contributed to its success in unifying Italy and then all the lands ringing the Mediterranean Sea.” Also on page 150 it says “ Commerce was greatly enhanced by the pax romana (roman peace)” This is all important to know for the AP world exam because when seeing how the empire was maintained we can compare what the Romans changed to what brought down the other empires.
Justinian was one of the most influential rulers of Byzantium. When he came into power in 527 AD, he inherited a civilization in disarray. Justinian had a positive impact on the Byzantine Empire. Most notably, he introduced an improved set of laws and conquered many surrounding nations, nearly restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire. In addition to these contributions, Justinian also made advances with the Christian Church and Byzantine architecture.
Through military conquests, architectural innovation, legal code, and transformational endeavors Justinian recreated the greatness of the Roman Empire in the Byzantine Empire. The sole purpose of Justinian was to build a new Rome, to take the example of his predecessors and transform it into the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. Justinian improved upon past Roman laws through the Justinian Code, architecture through structural ingenuity, and religion through the firm foundation of a single faith. The character of Justinian the man, set aside from his various achievements reveals that he possessed similar qualities to earlier Roman emperors and flaws that undermined the Byzantine Empire. The plight of emperor Justinian left a remarkable imprint on the Byzantine Empire in a multitude of ways.
Subsequently, competition for power led to civil wars that paved the way to the growth of a one-man leadership. Gradually, dictatorship replaced republic government, and when Augustus rose to power, he became the sole and undisputed leader of Rome. This marked the beginning of the Roman Empire, where the ruling was carried out through Augustus’ policies. Augustus’ foreign policy focused on the expansion of the Roman Empire. However, scholars have argued as to whether Augustus’ policy was out of aggressive conquest and greediness or simply, defensive imperialism.
A legacy lives on! Principate Imperator Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, took the Roman Empire by force in 44 BC when Julius was brutally murdered. Thrown into the harsh world of politics at only the age of 19 (12), Augustus took Rome by storm and ruled as emperor from about 27 BC to 14 AD (Britannica). Emperor Augustus, a beloved father figure of Rome, influenced the Roman Empire positively. He did this by bringing Rome in to the age of Pax Romana, rebuilding it into an empire of marble and reforming the Roman government.
The Roman Empire In 27 BC, Augustus became the first emperor of Rome, thus creating a strong leader figure, which could shape and mold the Republic system into what was best for the empire or themselves. During the reign of the emperors, the political policies for Rome would vary according to, which emperor was in power. Not only were politics shaky, but there never was a clear-cut method of succession for the man who controlled those politics. Rome had created the position of emperor in hopes that men like Augustus would continue to lead her into prosperity, however the office of emperor struggled in attempting to find great men to lead Rome. The office never truly evolved into something greater than when it had been created, but rather the office varied according to the personality of the man in the position.
...4 AD, one month away from his 76th birthday. Augustus’s ultimate legacy was the peace and prosperity the empire was to enjoy for the next two centuries under the system he started. Augustus’s patience and his tact all played a part in re-establishing Rome and directing the future of the empire down many lasting paths.
As the story goes, Rome was founding in 753 B.C. by two brothers Remus and Romulus who were raised by wolves. The two brothers started fighting over the leadership of the land. Eventually Romulus killed Remus and took control own his own. The city was only a small settlement at that time. As the civilization grew, the Etruscans took over. The Romans drove out the Etruscans in 509 B.C. By this time Rome had become a city. As the empire came to its peak it included lands throughout the Mediterranean world. Rome had first expanded into other parts of Italy and neighboring places during the Roman Republic, but made wider conquests and made a strong political power for these lands. In 44 BC Gaius Julius Caesar, the Roman leader who ruled the Roman Republic as a dictator was assassinated. Rome descended into more than ten years of civil war. After years of civil war, Caesar's heir Gaius Octavius (also known as Octavian) defeated his last rivals. In 27 B.C. the Senate gave him the name Augustus, meaning the exalted or holy one. In this way Augustus established the monarchy that became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic, which lasted nearly 500 years, did not exist anymore. The emperor Augustus reigned from 27 BC to AD 14 and ruled with great power. He had reestabl...
Keeping not only the Senate on side, but also the people, and the military happy, throughout his 40 plus years of reign. It is obvious that Augustus was highly successful in the extent of keeping his power. Vergil, a Roman poet during Augustus’ period states “Augustus Caesar, kindred of Jupiter. He brings a golden age.” Which clearly is true as this source corroborates with source B, written by Paul Zanker, Professor of Classical Archaeology, states that “Rarely has art been pressed into the service of political power so directly as in the age of Augustus. Poetry and art filled with the imagery of a blessed word, an empire at peace under the sway of a great ruler.” Augustus made such an impact throughout Rome’s history that when he died, the whole empire mourned for him, showing that he clearly was an unbelievable ruler for
The Pax Romana lasted two hundred years during the empire that was founded by Emperor Octavian who used the title of Augustus. Augustus ruled in the place of the Republican government. Using his political power power he was able to have reformed the army, fight against corruption in the local provinces, keep the peace, build roads and other public services. By providing these policies, Pax Romana was widely accepted due to a majority of it helping the common Roman citizen. Building roads improves the daily to and fro of the Roman citizens. As a resultant keeping the peace and fighting against corruption on a local level Augustus was able to improve the political and social lives of those on a local level. Pax Romana was not limited to only
The Roman Empire is known as the longest lasting empire in recorded history, with an existence period of about 700 years. Starting with the governmental format of city-states with the structure of a monarchy, over time, the system of the Roman territory gradually shifted to an empire. Beginning in the first century B.C., Rome was able to extend its power from the Italian peninsula to the entire Mediterranean world and north into Europe. In order to achieve this great feat of a large expansion of territory, the Roman Empire had to adapt to its geography. The major two ways in which the Roman Empire adapted to its geography was through the usage of the bodies of water and roads for multiple uses, such as transportation.
From Rome’s start on the banks of the Tiber to its fall a millennium later, Rome slowly developed into a socially diverse nation. In the Roman Empire that stretched across the entire Mediterranean, there existed many different peoples with differing ideals. Even so Rome experienced few dramatic societal changes and instead developed by slow growth over the course of several centuries.
“The Etruscans were the most important and powerful people in Italy before the Romans” (Throp 6). “According to the legend, Rome was founded by the twin sons of the god Mars Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf. Romulus supposedly killed his twin and made himself the first king of Rome in 753 B.C.E” (Throp 6). A little bit of sibling rivalry went on during that time. “The Roman Empire lasted for over hundreds of years, from 49 B.C.E when Julius Caesar came to power, to 476 CE” (Throp 7). “By 264 B.C, all of Italy south of Cisalpine Gaul was under the leadership of Rome” (Italy). Around 2,000 B.C, Indo-European people started migrating into Italy” (Italy). “In the early 1300s, the Renaissance in Italy began and reintroduced ancient Greek/Roman ideas about art and culture” (Throp 8).