Focus

1. Focus Discuss Julius Caesar’s reforms.

2. Continuation of the Roman Emperors The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

3. Augustus' Legacy • Augustus left nothing to chance, and over time, was involved in every facet of Roman life • To that end, he was able to pass legislation that would ensure his rule of the people for a long time. • He set up a government that was able to maintain a peace for many centuries.

4. Cont… • The significance of this peace was that through the cunning actions of one man, who took steps to ensure his own power would remain, a system of imperialism was put forth that lasted for centuries. • His actions, whether intentional or not, brought about a change in the Roman government that was to last until the fall of Western Rome in 476.

5. The extent of the Roman Empire in 133 BC (red), 44 BC (orange), 14 AD (yellow), and 117 AD (green

6. Tiberius 14-37 A.D. • Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, succeeding Augustus on his death in A.D. 14 . Stepson of Augustus. • Often remembered as cruel and abusive of his power. • Roman World did prosper, however. • By the end of his life, he had murdered his own son and was basically leading Rome through letters before he died.

7. Emperors of the the Empire • Nero-was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. • As he grew older, his desire for power increased; he had his mother and tutors executed. During Nero's reign, there were a series of riots and rebellions throughout the Empire: in Britain, Armenia, Parthia, and Judaea. • During his reign, a great fire burned for one week and the city of Rome partially destroyed.

8. Cont… • The confused population searched for a scapegoat and soon rumors held Nero responsible. The motivation attributed to him was intending to immortalize his name by renaming Rome to "Neropolis" • It is entirely unknown who or what was the cause of the fire. Although our ancient sources (and scholars) favor Nero as the arsonist, it is worth pointing out that fires were common in ancient Rome

9. Cont… • Nero had to engage in scapegoating of his own and chose for his target a small Eastern sect called Christians. He ordered known Christians to be thrown to the lions in arenas, while others were crucified in large numbers. • Nero committed suicide, and the year 69 (known as the Year of the Four Emperors) was a year of civil war, with the emperors Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian ruling in quick succession. By the end of the year, Vespasian was able to solidify his power as emperor of Rome.

10. Cont… • Claudius had long been considered a weakling and a fool by the rest of his family. He was, however, neither paranoid like his uncle Tiberius, nor insane like his nephew Caligula, and was therefore able to administer the empire with reasonable ability.