The Roman Empire - MEMO History

• History
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Chapter 3: The Roman Empire

CLIL

1. Join your CLIL-group, please.
2. Put all iPads in your bags, except for one.
3. Listen closely to the following story ...
   

When was Rome founded, according to the Roman myth of Romulus and Remus?

1. 735 AD
2. 735 BC
3. 753 AD
4. 753 BC

What was the birthplace of Romulus and Remus?

1. Rome
2. Tiber
3. Alba Longa
4. Carthage

How did Romulus and Remus survive the trip on the river Tiber?

1. They were placed in a wicker basket
2. They were able to swim to shore
3. They were placed on a raft
4. They didn't survive

Who raised the boys until they were fully grown?

1. A she-wolf
2. A prostitute
3. A shepherd
4. Their grandfather

Which Roman god was envolved in this mythical story?

1. Jupiter
2. Neptune
3. Mars
4. Venus

How many vultures did Remus see?

1. 0
2. 7
3. 14
4. 21

How did Romulus kill his brother Remus?

1. He beat him against the head with a rock
2. He struck him down with a sword
3. He didn't ... his friends did
4. There are many different versions ...

Kf2 - The conquest of a great empire

Question: how did the Romans conquer and rule their large empire?

Firstly, about ruling the empire ...

History of the Roman empire can be divided into three periods:

1. Kingdom (8th century BC - 509 BC): Rome was still a city-state, like Athens. It was ruled by a king/monarch and the senate.
   
2. Republic (509 BC - 27 BC): The king was replaced with two consuls. The senate was still in charge.
   
3. Empire (27 BC - 476 AD): An emperor (imperator) replaced the consuls. He was assisted by the senate (see: Kf 4).
   

Secondly, about conquering the empire

• Read An invincible army (TB pages 55 and 56).

• Which reasons are mentioned in the text for the success of the Roman army?
  

The invincible Roman
army ... why?

Kf4 - Emperors in power

Question: how did Roman emperors rule the Roman empire?

Size of the empire - a problem?!

The republic becomes an empire - what is the correct order of events??

1. The Roman empire grew; farmers had to travel a long way to fight.
2. General Marius found a solution for these problems: a professional army.
   
3. Farmers could not return to their farms in time for the harvest.
4. During the kingdom and the republic, Roman farmers served as soldiers.
   
5. Because the generals paid the soldiers, the soldiers were loyal to them.
   
6. Some generals tried to seize power in Rome; Caesar was one of them.
   
7. Many farmers had to sell their farms and became unemployed.
   
8. The army grew and soldiers had to be paid from taxes.
9. Because of this unemployment, they could no longer fight in the army.
10. Caesar became a dictator, but was killed. His successor, Augustus, became the first Caesar.
    

The republic becomes an empire - the correct order of events

• 4. During the kingdom and the republic, Roman farmers served as soldiers.
• 1. The Roman empire grew; farmers had to travel a long way to fight.
• 3. Farmers could not return to their farms in time for the harvest.
• 7. Many farmers had to sell their farms and became unemployed.
• 9. Because of this unemployment, they could no longer fight in the army.
• 2. General Marius found a solution for these problems: a professional army.
• 8. The army grew and soldiers had to be paid from taxes.
• 5. Because the generals paid the soldiers, the soldiers were loyal to them.
• 6. Some generals tried to seize power in Rome; Caesar was one of them.
• 10. Caesar became a dictator, but was killed. His successor, Augustus, became the first Caesar.
  

Pax Romana

Long period of relative peace in the Roman empire, because of:

• Strong - and happy - soldiers
• Prosperity among the people
• Strong - and popular - emperors
• Lack of strong enemies
• Strong - and sometimes natural - border defence
  

Kf5 - Romanisation

Question: How did Roman culture spread across the whole empire?

CLIL - Sentence stem:
"Roman culture ..."

Roman culture

• What is it?
• Greco-Roman culture
• Concious romanisation
  
• Obligations to defeated peoples, Roman law
  
• Unconcious romanisation
• Presence of Romans in an area, building temples, bathhouses, etc...

Assignments

Make the following assignments:

1 through 5, 7 and 8

Kf6 - Christianity in the Roman Empire

Question: How did the Romans respond to the arrival of Christianity?

So, first of all ...

• Judaism was the first big monotheistic religion in the Roman empire.
• The Romans let the Jews be. They were not a threat to them.
• Jesus, a Jewish man, preached a message of love and tolerance in the Roman province of Judea.
• Romans and Jews considered him to be a problem and a threat, so he was killed.
  

... but in the end ...

• Jesus' followers used the Pax Romana to spread information about Jesus' life and ideas around the empire.
• Christianity grew. This became a problem for the Romans, since they refused to adapt.
• Christians were hunted down and persecuted by the Romans.
• Emperor Constantine realised persecution did not decrease the amount of Christians.
  
• In the end, Christianity became a state religion (Romanisation)!