The Roman Empire Describe the major achievements of the Romans. Explain who Augustus was and his significance in Roman history. Define and explain Pax Romana. Explain the importance of good rulers to the growth and expansion of the Roman empire. List examples of Rome’s advanced civilization.

The Pax Romana When Rome became an empire, it would be ruled by emperors or rulers of an empire. Rome, by far, was the world’s most powerful empire. Augustus ruled from 27bc to 14ad. He bought stability and order to Rome. He centralized the government. He improved the economy. He started Rome’s fire brigade and a police force. He added new territories to Rome.

A Long Period of Peace During Augustus’ rule, Rome experienced a long period of peace. Trade and business grew. Life improved for most people. This period of peace, known as The Pax Romana, lasted for about 200 years. The Roman army became the world’s most powerful fighting force. Roman soldiers were very well trained In addition, to weapons, they carried tools. They used tools to build forts, roads, and canals.

The Roman Empire

The Good Emperors and the Bad Caligula was cruel and mentally unstable. He tried to make himself a god and tried to have his horse made a senator. He was assassinated by his bodyguards. Claudius returned artwork that had been stolen by Caligula. He granted citizenship to more people in the Empire and improved Rome’s laws. Nero was a bad emperor. He poisoned his stepbrother, murdered his wife and his mother. After his death, civil war broke out.

The Five Good Emperors After the Civil War, Rome entered a more stable period. The Five Good Emperors brought a long period of peace and prosperity. Perhaps the greatest of these was Marcus Aurelius.

Marcus Aurelius

Government and Law The Roman Empire covered a huge area of many different groups of people. It stretched from Britain and Spain in the west and to Iran in the east. People spoke many different languages and followed many different religions. Rome offered citizenship to all of its people. Besides their own language, many people also spoke Latin. They traveled on Roman roads, used Roman measures, obeyed Roman laws, and were defended by Roman armies.

Roman Laws All free people have equal rights before the law. A person must be considered innocent until he or she is proven guilty. Accused people should be allowed to face their accusers and defend themselves. Judges must interpret the law and make decisions fairly. People have rights that no government can take away.

Entertainment Rome celebrated many holidays. The holidays were marked by plays in theatres and religious ceremonies. Thousands of Romans gathered into sports arenas to see organized battles. The most famous arena is the Colosseum. It could seat 500,000 people. The most popular events involved gladiators, or professional fighters who were usually prisoners or slaves. Often the gladiators fought to their death.

The Colosseum

The Gladiators The gladiators would enter the arena to the cheers of the crowd. They raided their weapons to salute the emperor. As they fought, spectators cheered the victors and booed the defeated. At the end of a battle, blood covered the arena. If a losing gladiator fought bravely, his life would be spared, if not the crowd would stretch out their arms and turn their thumbs toward the gladiator. This signaled a death sentence.

Roman Arts The Romans took great pride in their skills as builders. Sports stadiums today resemble the Collosseum. The Romans build elevated or raised aqueducts that brought fresh water to Roman cities. Many cities were discovered during the Roman times. Language helped to unite the Romans. When they conquered lands, the Romans brought their language with them. Latin is the basis for many European languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian.

Roman Aqueducts