The Roman Empire

... And to the Empire for which it stands...

Octavian- AKA Caesar Augustus

• begins the pax romana- a period of peace
• built roads, aqueducts, brought water to the cities
• set up civil services to take care of roads, the grain supply, even a postal service
• Augustus died at age 76 in A.D. 14, and passes power

From Jesus to Christianity

• Jesus was a roman citizen 
• at 30 he began his ministry
• preached to poor
• statements like "My kingdom is not of the world" made the romans (And the Jews) nervous, and they began to plan his execution
• the governor of the Roman Province of Judaea, pontius Pilate (prompted by Jewish high priests) Sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion 

The word spreads about the risen Jesus

• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and message
• he travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
• He writes letters to many of those he spoke to- these epistles are a part of the new Testament
• if not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains and obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the world's largest religion

Back to Tiberius

• As Augustus's stepson and adopted son. Tiberius succeeded Octavian 
• although a great general , he was a drunk, somber, reclusive, and reluctant emporor
• he reffered to the Senate as "Men fit to be slaves"
• Germanicus started out as Tiberius' ally, since he quelled a legion mutiny, but when it looked like he would succeed Tiberius, he got paranoid and had Germanicus killed
• died in ad 37 the age of 77 giving way to...

Caligula- Good start...

• In addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great-nephew- putting him next in line for emperor 
• he started off well: Granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a matter ob public record
• all in all, the first seven months of Caligula's region were "completely blissful" (According to the historian Philo)... 

Bad finish for Caligula

• He began to fight with the Senate
• he claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places, including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem
• other examples of cruelty and insanity, he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and priest (At least that's what his critics said) 
• assassinated by his own aides, AD 41(age 28)

Claudius

• Ostracized by his family because he had disabilities (Limp, slight deafness, possible speech imediment - thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when caligula was killed
• he rose to the occasion: he conquered Britiain, he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the circus Maximus
• had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup- so Claudius had them killed

Meanwhile- religious troubles

• Christianity and judaism: monotheistic
• romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewedd as a god
• ad 66: a group of jews called the zealots tried to revel, but roman troops put them down and burned their temple (Except for one wall)