More Rome Notes

• Octavian - AKA: Caesar Augustus
• Begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity
• Built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• Set up civil service, grain supply, postal service
• Augustus dies at age 76 in AD 14, and passes power
• Jesus was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• Romans planned his execution when Jesus said that his kingdom was not on this Earth
• Paul tells the world about the death resurrection and message of Jesus
• Caligula- Tiberius grandson
• Started off well, getting rid of treason trials, granted bonus money to those in military, made government spending a matter of public record
• First seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful"
• He began to fight with the senate
• Claimed to be a god and had statues displayed of him
• Became cruel and insane
• Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (age 28)
• Next came Claudius
• Was ostracized by his family because of being limp, slightly deaf, and possible speech impediment: was thought to have cerebral palsy or polio
• Was last adult male in his family when Caligula died
• Rose to the occasion: conquered Britain; built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had a bad marriage to Messalina, who was a bad wife- so Claudius killed her and her other lover
• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at time the emperor was viewed as a god
• Ad 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion
• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion: cult
• Often used to entertainment purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christians grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians