More notes

Test Review

The first emperor was Caesar Augustus
Caesar began the Pax Romana

Notes

Caligula
-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 matter of public record
-All in all, the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" (according to the historian Philo)..but then..
-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 (sacrilege)
-Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragging about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what his critics said)
-Assassinated by his own aides, AD 42 (aged 28)

Next in line: Claudius
-ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- 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 Britain; 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 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

Persecution of Christians
-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 for "entertainment" purposes in the Colisseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)
-Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly- by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians