1. THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE

2. Essential Question: Warm-Up Question:
What factors led to the collapse of the Roman Empire and what effect did the fall of Rome have on the Mediterranean world?
Warm-Up Question:
In the cartoon on the next slide, identify as many Roman achievements as possible

4. The Roman Republic & Empire: A Brief Overview
Rome began as a city-state that was heavily influenced by Greek culture

5. The Roman Republic
By 509 BCE, Rome was ruled by elected Senators who served in the Roman Republic

6. The Roman Republic
During the Republic, Rome expanded by defeating Carthage in the Punic Wars and later under generals like Julius Caesar

7. The Roman Republic
The Republic weakened due to corruption, civil wars, and the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E.

8. The Roman Empire
After Julius Caesar’s death, Rome became an empire ruled by the Emperor Augustus

9. The Roman Empire
Under Augustus, Rome entered an era of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana
Pax Romana

10. The Roman Empire
After 207 years of prosperity during the Pax Romana, the Empire began to decline and was conquered in 476 A.D.
Pax Romana
Era of decline

11. The Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire happened gradually, in three stages
FIRST STAGE: internal problems with politics, the economy, and the military began an era of decline
SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted reforms; however, some of these reforms would help bring about the Empire’s end
THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic “barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end

12. Rome’s Internal Problems
POLITICAL and SOCIAL
By the third century A.D., the Roman military was also in disarray. Over time, Roman soldiers in general had become less disciplined and loyal. They gave their allegiance not to Rome but to their commanders, who fought among themselves for the throne. To defend against the increasing threats to the empire, the government began to recruit mercenaries, foreign soldiers who fought for money. While mercenaries would accept lower pay than Romans, they felt little sense of loyalty to the empire. Feelings of loyalty eventually weakened among average citizens as well. In the past, Romans cared so deeply about their republic that they willingly sacrificed their lives for it. Conditions in the later centuries of the empire caused citizens to lose their sense of patriotism. They became indifferent to the empire’s fate.
The empire was too large for one emperor to control

13. Rome’s Internal Problems
POLITICAL and SOCIAL
Emperors after the Pax Romana were weak

14. Rome’s Internal Problems
POLITICAL and SOCIAL
Citizens experienced a loss of confidence, patriotism, and loyalty to the Roman government

15. Rome’s Internal Problems
ECONOMIC
Outside groups disrupted trade
Poor harvests led to food shortages

16. Rome’s Internal Problems
ECONOMIC
Rome had a trade imbalance (they bought more than they produced)
The government raised taxes and minted new coins which led to inflation
The economic decline left many Romans very poor

17. Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
Germanic tribes from Northern Europe, outside of the Roman Empire, were gaining strength

18. Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
The Roman military was growing ineffective due to poor leadership: generals had their own interests and were challenging the authority of the emperors

19. Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
To save money, Romans found it cheaper to hire foreign soldiers instead of employing more Romans; these “mercenaries” were not truly loyal to Rome

21. The Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire happened gradually, in three stages
FIRST STAGE: internal problems with politics, the economy, and the military began an era of decline
SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted reforms; however, some of these reforms would help bring about the Empire’s end
THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic “barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end

22. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
In 284 CE, Emperor Diocletian came to power; he began a series of reforms that temporarily halted Rome’s decline
To fix the problems of the military, he doubled the size of the Roman Army
Remarkably, Rome survived intact for another 200 years. This was due largely to reform-minded emperors and the empire’s division into two parts.
Diocletian Reforms the Empire In A.D. 284, Diocletian, a strong-willed army leader, became the new emperor. He ruled with an iron fist and severely limited personal freedoms. Nonetheless, he restored order to the empire and increased its strength. Diocletian doubled the size of the Roman army and sought to control inflation by setting fixed prices for goods. To restore the prestige of the office of emperor, he claimed descent from the ancient Roman gods and created elaborate ceremonies to present himself in a godlike aura. Diocletian believed that the empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler. In perhaps his most significant reform, he divided the empire into the Greek speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and the Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain). He took the eastern half for himself and appointed a co-ruler for the West. While Diocletian shared authority, he kept overall control. His half of the empire, the East, included most of the empire’s great cities and trade centers and was far wealthier than the West. Because of ill health, Diocletian retired in A.D However, his plans for orderly succession failed. Civil war broke out immediately. By 311, four rivals were competing for power. Among them was an ambitious young commander named Constantine, the same Constantine who would later end the persecution of Christians.
To help the economy and stop inflation, he fixed the prices of certain goods

23. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
In an attempt to do something about the lack of loyalty and patriotism of many Roman citizens, Diocletian presented himself as a godlike leader
He wanted to boost the prestige of the position of emperor, so he claimed descent from the gods and had numerous ceremonies to glorify himself
Remarkably, Rome survived intact for another 200 years. This was due largely to reform-minded emperors and the empire’s division into two parts.
Diocletian Reforms the Empire In A.D. 284, Diocletian, a strong-willed army leader, became the new emperor. He ruled with an iron fist and severely limited personal freedoms. Nonetheless, he restored order to the empire and increased its strength. Diocletian doubled the size of the Roman army and sought to control inflation by setting fixed prices for goods. To restore the prestige of the office of emperor, he claimed descent from the ancient Roman gods and created elaborate ceremonies to present himself in a godlike aura. Diocletian believed that the empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler. In perhaps his most significant reform, he divided the empire into the Greek speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and the Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain). He took the eastern half for himself and appointed a co-ruler for the West. While Diocletian shared authority, he kept overall control. His half of the empire, the East, included most of the empire’s great cities and trade centers and was far wealthier than the West. Because of ill health, Diocletian retired in A.D However, his plans for orderly succession failed. Civil war broke out immediately. By 311, four rivals were competing for power. Among them was an ambitious young commander named Constantine, the same Constantine who would later end the persecution of Christians.

24. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Diocletian’s most important reform was dividing the Roman Empire into two parts: the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire

25. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Western
Eastern
Diocletian’s most important was reform was dividing the Roman Empire into two parts: the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire

26. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Western
Eastern
The Roman Empire was divided by language: the mostly Latin-speaking Western half and the mostly Greek-speaking Eastern half

27. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Western
Eastern
However, the Empire was also divided by wealth: the East was far richer than the West because it contained more major cities and trade centers

28. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Diocletian’s reasons for the division: he believed that the Empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler
He took the Eastern half for himself and appointed a co-emperor to run the West; however, Diocletian had overall control of the Empire
Diocletian believed that the empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler. In perhaps his most significant reform, he divided the empire into the Greek speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and the Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain). He took the eastern half for himself and appointed a co-ruler for the West. While Diocletian shared authority, he kept overall control. His half of the empire, the East, included most of the empire’s great cities and trade centers and was far wealthier than the West.

29. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE
After Diocletian’s death, there was a power struggle among several men who wanted to rule the Empire
Emerging victorious and becoming the new emperor of the West was Constantine
Constantine Moves the Capital
Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian. In 324 Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler. In A.D. 330, Constantine took a step that would have great consequence for the empire. He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (bih•ZAN•tshee•uhm), in what is now Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Strait, strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between West and East. With Byzantium as its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the east. Soon the new capital stood protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings modeled after those in Rome. The city eventually took a new name—Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. After Constantine’s death, the empire would again be divided. The East would survive; the West would fall.
Constantine continued many of Diocletian’s reforms, but he reversed the biggest reform: he reclaimed the East and the Roman Empire once again had a single ruler

30. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE
Constantine made other changes: wanting to unify Rome and recognizing that Christianity was on the rise and could not be destroyed, he ended persecutions of Christians and made it a legal religion
Constantine later converted to Christianity himself
Constantine Moves the Capital
Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian. In 324 Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler. In A.D. 330, Constantine took a step that would have great consequence for the empire. He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (bih•ZAN•tshee•uhm), in what is now Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Strait, strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between West and East. With Byzantium as its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the east. Soon the new capital stood protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings modeled after those in Rome. The city eventually took a new name—Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. After Constantine’s death, the empire would again be divided. The East would survive; the West would fall.
The emperor after him would go on to make Christianity the official religion of Rome; this would have unexpected consequences

31. Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE
In 330 CE, Constantine made a change that would have far-reaching consequences for the world: he moved the capital of the Roman Empire and his seat of power from Rome to a Greek city called Byzantium
Constantine Moves the Capital
Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian. In 324 Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler. In A.D. 330, Constantine took a step that would have great consequence for the empire. He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (bih•ZAN•tshee•uhm), in what is now Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Strait, strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between West and East. With Byzantium as its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the east. Soon the new capital stood protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings modeled after those in Rome. The city eventually took a new name—Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. After Constantine’s death, the empire would again be divided. The East would survive; the West would fall.

32. Byzantium, the new capital
Given its location on the Bosporus Strait, the city was also in a more easily defensible position from Northern invaders than Rome was
Byzantium, the new capital
Constantine Moves the Capital
Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian. In 324 Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler. In A.D. 330, Constantine took a step that would have great consequence for the empire. He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (bih•ZAN•tshee•uhm), in what is now Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Strait, strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between West and East. With Byzantium as its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the east. Soon the new capital stood protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings modeled after those in Rome. The city eventually took a new name—Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. After Constantine’s death, the empire would again be divided. The East would survive; the West would fall
Byzantium was perfectly located to be the center of trade between East and West
Rome, the old capital

33. When it was constructed, Byzantium had a strong Greek and Christian influence; the new capital was soon protected by massive walls and later was the home to many great new structures built in the Roman style
Byzantium eventually took on a new name: Constantinople (or “City of Constantine”)

34. After Diocletian and Constantine died, the Eastern half of the Empire continued to grow wealthier and more powerful

35. The Western half, on the other hand, once again began to decline

36. The Decline of the Roman Empire
Reasons why the Western side of the Roman Empire once again slid into decline: political corruption, weakening economy, and terrible plagues
Also, Roman citizens were less concerned with the fate of the Roman Empire and more preoccupied with thoughts of the afterlife (because of the dominance of Christianity)

37. The Decline of the Roman Empire
All of these issues made the Western Roman Empire weak and vulnerable (open to attack)

38. The Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire happened gradually, in three stages
FIRST STAGE: internal problems with politics, the economy, and the military began an era of decline
SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted reforms; however, some of these reforms would help bring about the Empire’s end
THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic “barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end

39. The Fall of the Roman Empire
By 370 CE, “barbarian” tribes from Asia and Northern Europe were attacking both halves of the Empire

40. The Fall of the Roman Empire
The Eastern half was well-protected, organized, strong, and prosperous; it fought off the invaders
The Western half was vulnerable, disorganized, and weak; it could not defend itself from the invaders

41. The Fall of the Roman Empire
A marauding barbarian tribe from Central Asia called the Huns began the invasions
The Huns swept into Northern Europe, conquering all in their path

42. The Fall of the Roman Empire
When the Huns invaded Northern Europe, they were so fierce that they even made the Germanic tribes want to avoid them

43. The Fall of the Roman Empire
To avoid the Huns, the Germanic tribes moved south into the Western Roman Empire’s territory

44. The Fall of the Roman Empire
These Germanic groups (such as the Vandals, Goths, Visigoths, Franks, and Ostrogoths) did not move into Roman territory peacefully
They repeatedly attacked the Western Romans

45. The Fall of the Roman Empire
When a vicious new leader named Attila united the Hun tribes, the Huns also attacked both sides of the Roman Empire
The Eastern side, centered around Constantinople, successfully fought off the attacking Huns
The Western side, attacked at several places by the Huns and Germanic tribes, crumbled and was conquered
ATTILA THE HUN

46. The Fall of the Roman Empire
The city of Rome itself was captured and looted by the Visigoths in 410 CE

47. The Fall of the Roman Empire
The German warrior Odoacer removed the last Roman emperor from power

48. The Fall of the Roman Empire
The weak Western Roman Army could do little to stop the invasions; by 476 CE, Germanic barbarians took over the city of Rome and conquered the West

49. The once-united Western Roman Empire broke up into numerous smaller kingdoms and territories, each ruled over by different Germanic groups

50. The fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of numerous small kingdoms led Europe to the Middle Ages

51. The fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of numerous small kingdoms led Europe to the Middle Ages

52. The Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, not only remained together but survived for nearly a thousand more years
The mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture produced a new culture, called Greco-Roman culture. This is also often called classical civilization. Roman artists, philosophers, and writers did not merely copy their Greek and Hellenistic models. They adapted them for their own purposes and created a style of their own. Roman art and literature came to convey the Roman ideals of strength, permanence, and solidity.
Rome’s Enduring Influence
By preserving and adding to Greek civilization, Rome strengthened the Western cultural tradition. The world would be a very different place had Rome not existed. Historian R. H. Barrow has stated that Rome never fell because it turned into something even greater—an idea—and achieved immortality. As mighty as the Roman Empire had been, however, it was not the only great civilization of its time. Around the same period that Rome was developing its enduring culture, different but equally complex empires were emerging farther east. In India, the Mauryan and Gupta empires dominated the land, while the Han Empire ruled over China.
Be sure to mention other Classical Civilzations: Gupta India & Han China in the conclusions

53. The Importance of the Byzantine Empire
The combination of Greek, Roman, and Hellenistic (the blend of Greek and Asian cultures) achievements are known as Greco-Roman culture
The Byzantine Empire kept alive the cultural achievements of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome at the same time as Han China and Gupta India were creating their own great civilizations
If the Byzantine Empire also fell, it is possible that the great innovations and achievements of these great civilizations could have been lost forever
The eastern half of the empire, which came to be called the Byzantine Empire, not only survived but flourished. It preserved the great heritage of Greek and Roman culture for another 1,000 years. (See Chapter 11.) The Byzantine emperors ruled from Constantinople and saw themselves as heirs to the power of Augustus Caesar. The empire endured until 1453, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. Even though Rome’s political power in the West ended, its cultural influence did not. Its ideas, customs, and institutions influenced the development of Western civilization—and do so still today.
Greco-Roman achievements are the foundation of Western civilization, the culture Americans live in today