Pump-Up

• How do people respond today during difficult economic times or political instability?

Decline of the Roman Empire

Today’s Vocabulary

• Attila the Hun– His invasions are the immediate cause of the fall of

Rome.

Economy Weakens • Less trade

• Higher taxes

• Inflation– A drop in a value of money

combined with rising prices

• Food shortages– Poor farmers moved to work on

the farms of wealthy landowners.

Military & Political Turmoil

• Soldiers and citizens become less disciplined and less loyal.

• Mercenaries– Foreign soldiers who fought

for money.– Loyal to commanders

• Emperors were overthrown by generals constantly.

Attempted Reform• Emperor Diocletian– Limited personal freedoms– Increased size of the army – Set fixed prices for goods

• Divided the empire into 2 parts– The Greek-speaking East– The Latin-speaking West

The Capital is Moved

• Emperor Constantine gains control.– Moved the capital from

Rome to Constantinople

• Power shifts from the west to the east.

• Ends persecution of Christians.

Western Empire Crumbles

• Asians were pushing Germanic tribes into Roman territories.– Germanic tribes plundered

Rome.

• Attila the Hun– United the Huns and helped

bring about the end of the western Roman empire.

– Never able to take they city of Rome or Constantinople.

Legacy of Roman Art and Literature

• Mosaics – Pictures made up of small

pieces of stone, glass, or tile.

• Frescoes– Bright, large murals

• Virgil– Poet who modeled the Aeneid

after the Greek epics of Homer.

• Tacitus– Historian who presented facts

accurately.

Rome’s Enduring Influence• Latin– More than half of English

words are based in Latin.

• Aqueducts – Designed to bring water into

cities and towns.

• Law– Believed that laws should be

fair and apply equally to all people.• Innocent until proven guilty.

Classwork• Today you will research and asses some of the most

famous Roman emperors. While researching, you will look for the following for each emperor:– What were his achievements?– What was his personality like?– What was his leadership style like?– Do others consider him a successful leader?– Who were his enemies?– What caused his downfall?– Other important information?

• After finding this information, you will choose ONE emperor to create a facebook page for.

Reflection

• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?

Honors Homework• Now that you have researched some of the most

famous Roman emperors, you will write a one page obituary about one of the Roman Emperors. You must include:– Catchy headline– Reason for how he died– Achievements (overly animate)– Short comings (downplay)– Who will succeed him