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)
