chapter 7 Flashcards
diocletian
- Emperor Diocletian took over a crumbling empire in 284 AD after a series of poor emperors
- divided the empire up to make it easier to manage with two emperors and two junior emperors
- This didn’t last as the empire was back to civil war after his death
byzantium
-eastern roman empire ruled by Constantinople after split (later called the byzantine empire)
-greek but thought of themselves as roman
-an ancient Greek colony founded by a man named Byzas
-Located on the European side of the Bosporus
indo-european
-language family attached to ancient people group
-indo european languages spoken in americas, europe and asia
-descended from latin
julius caesar
-led roman armies
-became dictator
-transformed rome from a republic to an empire
-ally/relationship with cleopatra
silk worm
-silk involves silkworm cacoons
-china kept this process a secret
-women were in charge of harvesting silk
-provided a lot of tax money for han empire
christianity
-religions like Buddhism and Christianity were spread along the silk road routes
- Christianity wanted converts and was often at odds with Rome until it was legalized
-Christianity- the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices.
-constantine legalized christianity
-rome didnt force religion on conquered people
pax romana
- the time of augustus’s rule and peace and prosperity
-roughly 200-year-long timespan of Roman history which is identified as a period and as a golden age of increased as well as sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace, and order
augustus/octavian
-* took the title “princeps” which means first
-developed laws that punished women who did not provide children in an attempt to push the idea of moral Roman family
- also known as Octavian
- the first Roman emperor; -reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14
-*initiated pax romana
-considered one of the greatest leaders in human history
cleopatra
-last active ruler of egypt
-allied with caesar during civil war
celtic
-branch of indo-european
-found in north-western europe
-celtic territories became part of the roman empire
-relating to the celts
cohesian
-when rome separated into east and west (few land connections)
why do empires collapse? : Other times the empire no longer has cohesion (the people groups are just too dissimilar)
constantinople
-capital of eastern roman empire
-constantine won civil war after death of diocletian and create capital (constantinople)
linguist
-person skilled in foreign languages
-rome technical in their linguistics
-latin official language
caucusus
-region between black sea and caspian sea
-the earliest speakers of indo-european language originally lived around Ukraine and neighbouring regions in the Caucasus
princeps
- Augustus took the title “princeps” which means first and took sole authority of the Roman Empire.
attila the hun
- ruler of the huns
-Rome would be cut off from the North African grain supply by the Vandals and Germanic tribes entered Italy while hoping to flee Attila the Hun
plague
-one reason why empires fall
-the antonine plague
effects of the exchange: In the 100s AD, the plague killed 10 percent of the Roman population and historians believed t originated in China
tiber
- Rome itself was founded along the Tiber River in a place that was easily crossable with the defensible hills.
- a river in central Italy, rising in the Tuscan Apennines and flowing south through Rome to the Tyrrhenian Sea.
germany
- In 476 AD Germanic tribes invaded Rome
- Wars with the Germans and other people groups had crippled the Western Roman Empire
-germans thought they were being mistreated for not getting citezenship
rome location
- on the tiber river in the center of italy
republic
-second period of rome (very successful )
-aristocracy ran republic
greek influence
-Roman religion was based on the greek gods, although the Romans brought in many other gods from other societies
- influenced architecture and religion
division of rome
-after diocletians rule, he separated empire in to eastern and western
-western portion fell because of germanic invasion
-eastern collapsed in late 400 ad
rome trade
-spices and silk flowed west
-metal, glass, and weapons went east
-Romans wanted luxury items (silk )
religion spread
-at first rome was polytheistic
-Christianity was spread along the silk road routes and during pax romana
- constantine legalized christianity
causes of falling empires
- Many factors generally contribute to an empires fall
- Sometimes empires become too costly to run efficiently
- Other times the empire no longer has cohesion (the people groups are just too dissimilar)
- As groups become independent, part of the tax base leaves
- Wealthy elites could become corrupt and selfish and no longer care about what is best for society
- Both factors worked in tandem with each other
- Fluctuation of the population often contributed as well
- A fact increases or decreases in peasantry was damaging
size of roman empire
- The Roman Empire spanned 3 continents and it’s thought some 60 million people lived within its borders
-1/3 population was slaves
democracy
rome’s wealthiest families, the patricians, held power
han dynasty
- Merchants linked Rome to the Chinese Han empire, often trading silk along what would be known as the Silk Road
- production and sale of silk provided a lot of money in taxes for the Han Empire
- Both Rome and Han China fell for similar reasons
- The Chinese Han empire was fighting the nomadic Xiongnu
empire
-when augustus proclaimed himself emporer
-post republican period
fall of rome (written response)
COULD NOT MAINTAIN SIZE
- The Roman Empire spanned 3 continents and it’s thought some 60 million people lived within its borders
- After 117 AD, the empire slowly started to decline.
- It was difficult to keep the extent of its bordered as the Parthinas and Germanic tribes moved into Roman Territory
INTERNAL ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL STRUGGLES(kept falling and being revived)
- Emperor Diocletian took over a crumbling empire in 284 AD after a series of poor emperors (so it began to crumble before but it was revived )
- Diocletian divided the empire up to make it easier to manage with two emperors and two junior emperors
- This didn’t last as the empire was back to civil war after his death
- Constantine would win the civil war and create a new capital at Constantinople in modern turkey
- Matters would not get better though as there were often child emperors guided by generals made decisions and trade networks fall apart
EXTERNAL ATTACKS LEADING TO FINAL COLLAPSE
- Rome would be cut off from the North African grain supple by the Vandals and Germanic tribes entered Italy while hoping to flee Attila the Hun
- The western half of the roman empire would then fall in the late 400s AD
effects of silk road (written response)
- The production and sale of silk provided a lot of money in taxes for the Han Empire
- Other valuable items like spices and slaves were also traded along the same routes.
- Cultural ideas also passed through trade
- Disease also easily spread through the trade routes vv
- the plague killed 10 percent of the Roman population and historians believed t originated in China
- Religions like Buddhism and Christianity were spread along the routes
