Daily Post 5/23

Today our printed essays were due on the differences between the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic. I switched papers with Megan. I checked her paper while she checked mine. Megan said my essay was pretty good, I was just missing a few commas and semi-colons. Mr.Schick also said I needed a more interesting title under than 'Roman Empire vs. Roman Republic'. So I going to think of a more creative title to grab the readers attention. The final printed copy is due Wednesday because we don't have class tomorrow. The rubic for the essay is on Mr.Schick's blog.

Daily Post 5/20

Today we had a sub because Mr. Schick was sick. He told us to work on our essay. I did a lot of research and continue writing from yesterday. So far, I have 96 words. I'm in the middle of talking about the Roman Republic and its 3 branches of government. Over the weekend, I'm going to finish talking about that and talk about the Roman Empire and the main differences. I'm hoping to be finished by Saturday. I'm going to check over it for grammar and spelling and print by Sunday. I hope the world doesn't end tomorrow!

Finished test ! and assignment

Today we had a test on the Rome PowerPoint. I think I good, probably in the 90.

I study last night and today in class. It had all the same things on it as the PowerPoint, some maybe word-for-word. It also had the emperors on it, such as Augutus, Tiberius, Caliguia, and Cladius. Mr. Schick assigned as a 500 point paper on the difference between the Roman empire and the Roman republic. It's due on Monday and we had time to start it in class. We need to format a specfic way. Which Mr. Schick will put more details on his blog.

Things on test

Today in class we finished writing notes about the powerpoint.
TEST TOMORROW YAY!

4 emperors :
Augustus -
started Pax Romana - period of peace
first emperor
made Rome grow
Tiberius -
the old one
became emperor at old age
good general
wasnt good at his job
Caligula -
crazy one
he was the 'booties'
assassinated by aides
Germanius's son
Claudius -
sick one
made fun of
conquered Britian
revonated Circus Maxium
gave people right and laws
married to Messilia

Jesus and Paul
Preseuting Jews
and PowerPoint

The Roman Empire

Octavian - AKA Caesar Augustus 

• first emperor
• Begins the Pax Romana - a period of peace and prosperity
• Built road
• Set up civil care service to take care of the roads, grain supply, postal service
• Was in power when Jesus came
• Dies at age 76 of old age in A.D. 14, and passes power to Tiberius

Jesus to Christianity 

• Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• At 30, he began his ministry preaching to the poor in the empire, and reaching out to outsiders 
• Statements like "My kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans nervous
• The governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion

The world spreads about risen Jesus

• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and message
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
• He writes letters to many of those he spoke to these epistles are a part of the NT
• If not for the effort of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central

Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History

1. Muhammad
2. Sir Isaac Newton
3. Jesus
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. St. Paul of Tarsus

Tiberius

• As Augustus' stepson and adopted son, Tiberius succeeded Octavian
• Although a great general, he was a dark, somber, reclusive, and reluctant emperor
• He referred to the Senate as "men fit to be slaves", couldn't get along with the Senate
• Germanicus started out as Tiberius' ally, since he quelled a legion mutiny, but when it looked like he would succeed Tiberius, he got paranoid and had Germanicus killed
• Died in AD 37 at the age of 77, giving way to Caligula

Caligula - good start

• 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 

Caligula - bad finish

• He began to fight with the Senate
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple 
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity : he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, too much spending, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest 
• Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 and 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), last adult male in the family
• He rose to the occasion : he conquered Britian; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who had many affairs

Meanwhile - religious troubles

• Christianity and Judaism : monotheistic - one God
• 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 Colosseum (thrown to the lions)
• Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians

Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius

Tiberius

• 2nd Emperor of the Roman Empire
• His step-father was Octavian
•  Emperor form 14 AD to 37 AD
•  Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus, great-uncle of Caligula, paternal uncle of Claudius

Caligula

• 3rd Emperor of the Roman Empire
• Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD
• Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general 
• Caligula means "little boot"
• "There are few surviving sources on Caligula's reign, although he is described as a noble and moderate ruler during the first two years of his rule. After this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, extravagance, and sexual perversity, presenting him as an insane tyrant." 

Claudius

• 4th emperor of the Roman Empire
• Emperor from 41 AD to 54 AD
• Had a sickness when he was a child
• When he grew up, he had problems such as a limp, speech and walking issues
• Many people laughed at him
• But many people loved him because he passes many laws and gave them rights
• His wife, Messalia, had affairs with a noblemen
• Claudius told his men to kill her and her lover

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Today in class we finished watching the movie on Rome. I typed up all my notes I took and posted them. On Wednesday and Thursday when I tried to make a new post, blogger was down. Mr. Schick said he would give us credit for those days since we couldn't blog anything. He assigned us to do research with a partner on Tiberious, Caligua, and Cladius and post it on our blogs.