Roman Legacy
A time of peace and prosperity for the Roman empire
What is Pax Romana?
By the 3rd century CE, Rome faced food shortages, severe money shortages, high taxes, and inflation; all signs of this type of trouble weakening the empire.
What are economic problems?
Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, This Eastern half of the Roman Empire survived nearly 1,000 years after the fall of the Western half, keeping Roman traditions alive
What is the Byzantine Empire?
Born in Judea in the 1st century CE, this teacher preached love, forgiveness, and the coming of God’s kingdom before being crucified by the Romans.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Celebrated Byzantine leader he ruled from 527 to 565 CE, made a new legal code, built giant churches and forts and reconquered much of Western Rome's territory
The language of the Romans gave rise to modern tongues such as Spanish, French, and Italian, collectively known as these languages.
What are Romance languages?
Rome wasn’t just threatened from outside; rival general and armies fighting over the throne caused this kind of internal struggle that further weakened the empire.
What is civil war?
At the Battle of Adrianople in 378 CE, this Germanic tribe delivered a crushing defeat to the Roman army, signaling the empire’s growing vulnerability.
Who are the Visigoths?
After Emperor Constantine’s conversion in 313 CE, this religion spread rapidly and eventually became the dominant faith of the Roman Empire
What is Christianity?
This empress was Justinian’s wife and closest advisor, using her influence to expand women’s rights in the empire.
Who is Empress Theodora?
This legal legacy, a principle first used in ancient Rome, reminds us that a person cannot be imprisoned without evidence
What is "innocent until proven guilty"
From the north and east, groups like the Visigoths and other Germanic tribes pressed into Roman lands, contributing to this type of crisis.
What are invasions?
In 395 CE, this Roman emperor permanently divided the Roman Empire into two separate territories, Eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire, setting the stage for two separate histories. (2 pizzas)
Who is Emperor Theodosius?
Before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE, Constantine reportedly saw this symbol in the sky, along with the words ‘In this sign, conquer." He had the soldiers paint it on their shields and they went on to win the battle, prompting Constantine's conversion to Christianity.
What is a cross?
Completed in 537 CE, this massive domed cathedral in Constantinople was the jewel of Byzantine architecture and the largest church in the world when it was built
What is the Hagia Sophia?
Historians use this term to describe a place where different cultures meet, trade ideas, and influence each other
This Emperor tried to save Rome by dividing it into two halves, in a reform designed to make ruling more manageable. (1 pizza, two halves)
Who is Diocletian?
In 410 CE, this leader of the Visigoths shocked the Roman world by sacking the city of Rome itself
Who is Alaric?
This 313 CE decree by Constantine made Christianity legal and ended the empire’s persecution of Christians.
What is the Edict of Milan?
This collection of laws, re-organized under Justinian, influenced legal systems in Europe for centuries.
What is the Code of Justinian?
Thanks to Roman aqueducts, this essential feature of modern life—bringing clean water into our homes and carrying waste away—owes much to their engineering genius
What is modern plumbing and water systems?
In 330 CE, this emperor moved Rome’s capital to Byzantium and gave it a new name that would echo through history.
Who is Constantine?
In this year, the Germanic general Odoacer, ended the Western Roman Empire by conquering Rome and overthrowing its last emperor, marking a key point in history.
What is 476 CE?
In 325 CE, Constantine called this meeting of Christian leaders to settle important questions about beliefs and unify the Church
What is the Council of Nicaea?
this deadly disease swept through the Byzantine Empire, killing millions and weakening Justinian’s armies and ambitions.
What is Justinian's Plague?