3. Octavian  Julius Caesar’s adopted son Octavian ruled as Rome’s first emperor Augustus  Was given the name Augustus which means the revered or exalted one  Put an end to the chaos and power struggles that had occurred within the empire after his father’s assassination  Also expanded the empire

4. provinces  The lands and peoples captured by the empire were organized into provinces, or territories, of Rome.  Maintained peace in its provinces by allowing individuals to continue living and working as usual  Appointed governors to rule the provinces and make sure that Roman law was enforced there Benefits of provinces 1.Territories acted as a buffer zone 2.Produced food and other goods for the city of Rome 3.People of provinces paid taxes which supported the government and the army *Because Rome was strong, the empire was peaceful and stable, which benefited everyone in it. roads *The gov’t built roads that connected the provinces to Rome aqueducts *Also funded the construction of aqueducts *Used to pipe drinking water from wells and springs to the people in the cities Roman Aqueduct #1 Roman Roads #1

5. barbarians  Along the empire’s borders lived tribes of Germanic peoples who were not content to live peacefully with Rome and were called barbarians  Many barbarian men joined the Roman army and helped to defend the frontiers against invasion and received land and a yearly salary in return  Some took refuge within the empire to escape the Huns! Huns  The Huns were a fierce group of nomad warriors who conquered everyone in their path *In addition to barbarians entering the empire there was a struggle for political control *Many generals attempted to take the throne by force, backed by their armies Combination of barbarian invasion and fighting ruined the countryside *ruined land=no food able to be grown= food shortage

6.  Diocletian divided the Roman empire  Diocletian became emperor in 284 and divided the Roman empire into Eastern and Western halves.  Established 4 capital cities, instead of just one  Hoped this division of power, land, and resources would prevent civil wars  Increased the size of the army from 300,000 to 500,000 men

7. Constantine  Diocletian’s successor, Constantine attempted to stabilize the empire  Created a new capital in the city of Byzantium  Byzantium was surrounded by water on 3 sides and mountains on the 4 th and was a major trade center  Completely rebuilt Byzantium to resemble Rome Constantinople  Had the city renamed after himself, Constantinople Theodosius I the empire should be split into 2 separate empires Emperor Theodosius I declared that the Eastern and Western sections of the empire should be split into 2 separate empires *Western Empire= Roman Empire *Eastern Empire= Byzantine Empire

8. Persia, India, & China

9. Armenia  Fought often with Romans over borders and political control over Armenia  Important “buffer zone” between the two empires- as long as both empires had a little control in Armenia, both empires were happy  First country to make Christianity its state religion  Fell under the rule of the Ottomans  Declared modern-day independence in 1991 Who were the Persians?

10. fighters-  Excellent fighters- constantly defending borders  Soldiers fought on horseback and wore armor to protect themselves  Built large walls around their towns and fields which allowed them to be able to maintain possession of their foody supply and shelter whilst under attack traders-  Excellent traders- all trade routes to China, India, and Rome ran through Persia  Established a common currency throughout the country  Maintained the roads and assigned soldiers to patrol them to keep travelers safe  Set up resting places for travelers who came from long distances  Charged a tax on any goods that were carried in or out of the country education-  Excellent in education- they behaved like a “great cultural sponge”  King Khusru Anusharvan studied Plato and Aristotle and had it translated  Welcomed Greek and Syrian scholars and founded the University of Jundishapur  Christians opened up a medical school

11.  Maintained the roads into and out of India  Did not subject its people to heavy taxes and thusly had a decent standard of living  Engaged in prosperous trade with the Eastern Roman Empire, Persia, China, and Southeast Asia  Sold brassware, ivory, jewels, and even monkeys  Profited from this trade by taxing imports and exports  Arts and sciences were given much attention and both painting and writing flourished  Very famous poet, Kalidasa, flourished during this time period  Created a number system, developed the concept of zero, and discovered that the earth rotates on an axis  Were conquered by the Huns in 525

12.  The Silk Road, major overland trade route, ran through northwest China  Chinese junks (ships) sailed to India to trade silk for glass and pearls  Learned the teachings of Buddhism from Indian traders and missionaries they encountered  Imported grapes, beans, and nut trees for their gardens from Middle East & horses from Central Asia  Fought bitterly against the Huns before Chinese generals and upper class families fought each other for control of the country  Remained in state of disunity for 360 years

14.  Christianity was its state religion  In an effort to unite the people, Christianity was forced on non-believers  Emperor Justinian  Emperor Justinian treated Jews and other non-Christians brutally  Not allowed to build synagogues or join in city life  Forbidden to study the works of the rabbis  Force conversions and anti-Jewish massacres  Rebuilt Hagia Sophia with columns and walls of polished marble and mosaics, colored fragments of glass or quartz embedded in plaster  Added a dome- 18 stories high and 108 feet wide Justinian Code  Condensed Roman law into a new, well-organized system known as Justinian Code  Extended the rights of children, women, and slaves  Harsher penalties for crimes- criminals could have their property taken away, lose an eye or a hand, or be put to death  Temporarily defeated by the Persians, but Emperor Heraclius defeated the Persian army and reinstated the Byzantine empire in 627  Remained an important center of commerce, or trade, until 1453 when their empire finally fell