Essential Question: What events and conditions marked the first two centuries of the Roman Empire?
I. The Second Triumvirate
A. Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus
1. Antony and Octavian divided the Roman world
a. Antony took the east
-Antony conquered Syria and Asia Minor
b. Octavian took the west
-Octavian forced Lepidus to retire and formed his own power
-In time, Octavian convinced the Senate to declare war on Antony and Cleopatra
II. Octavian: The First Augustus
A. In 27 B.C. the Senate gave Octavian the title Augustus or revered one
1. This marks the turning point when Rome went from a republic to an empire
2. Under his rule, the Roman empire stretched from Spain in the west to
Syria in the east and from Egypt in the south to the Rhine in the north
3. The reign of Augustus began a period know as Pax Romana or Roman Peace
a. This period of peace would continue for 200 years
III. Pax Romana Expanded and Solidified the Empire
A. The Economic Impact
1. Established a uniform system of government that enhanced trade
a. Common coinage
b. Eliminated taxes on goods as they moved across the borders
c. Improved highways
B. The Social Impact
1. Although many families in Rome were poor, they were still better off
than people in other ancient cities
a. The Roman poor had food and housing
C. The Political Impact
1.Created the civil service which provided government jobs
a. Oversee grain supply, road repairs, postal system
2. Developed standards of justice, which provided a foundation for law in
nations developed in Western Europe
a. If charged for a crime, all facts had to be examined
b. Persons accused of a crime had the right to defend themselves
c. Innocent until proven guilty
D. Religion
1. Roman mythology was based on a Polytheistic religion just like the Greeks
a. Except for the names, many Roman gods mirrored Greek gods
-For example, the Roman god Jupiter had the same traits as the Greek god Zeus
b. Roman mythology explained natural phenomena, human qualities and life events