The Pax Romana

Roman History 31 BCE-1st Century AD

Augustus Takes Power: 31 BCE

• The title Augustus• 45 year reign• Creator of imperial

state.• Constitutional

monarchy• Stability • Expansion• Pax Romana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Roman_Republic_Empire_map.gif

Pax Romana

• Roman Roads• Roman Law• Literary flowering and

architectural genius

The Aeneid

Aeneid

• The story puts a Roman spin on the Homeric epics.

• Aeneas follows many of the same paths that Odysseus and Achilles follow, putting a Roman spin on things.

Roman Rulers: post Augustus

• Tiberius• Able general poor

leader, disinterested leader.

Caligula

• Extravagant, ecclectic• Assassinated by his

guards, a brutal reign comes to an end.

• “The Horse”

Claudius

• Saved from his nephew’s bloodpurge

• Known for his hiding behind curtains, conquest of Britannia and ‘able’ administration

• Continued ‘bloodpurge’.

Nero• Last emperor of the

Julio-Claudians• Fancied himself an

artist and musician. • Poisoned several

times by his overbearing Mom (Thutmosis III)

• “Mushrooms the food of the gods”

• City of wonder • Religion

Year of the Four Emperors

• 69 AD• Galba, Otho and Vitellius until the final

accession of Vespasian,

Flavor Flavians

• Titus• Vespasian• Domitian• Bringing order to

chaos after the Julio-Claudiuns

Nervan-Antonian dynasty

• Nerva • Trajan • Hadrian • Antoninus Pius • Marcus Aurelius • Commodus • The Five Good

Emperors (and Commodus)

Year of the Five Emperors

• All resulting in assassination in the year 192 AD

• The years after Gladiator should be taking place