Monday, October 16, 2006
Emperors had four main responsibilities:
1. Protect and expand the territory of the empire
--First major setback in 9 A.D.: Arminius ambushes Varus in the Teutoburger Forest
2. Administer justice and provide good government.
3. Supreme religious leader or High Priest of the empire.
4. Symbol of unity for the whole empire.
--"Cult of the Emperor"
Four major imperial dynasties:
1. Julio-Claudian
(Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Caligula, Nero)
--Tiberius and Claudius: sober and fairly successful
--Caligula and Nero: dangerous and probably insane
---Revolt of Boudicca and the Iceni in Britain (ca. 60 A.D.)
69 A.D. : Year of the Four Emperors
2. Flavian Dynasty founded by Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian)
--Vespasian and his son Titus were responsible for putting down a major Jewish revolt in Judea between 66 - 70 A.D.
Army chooses Nerva as new emperor in 96 A.D.
3. Beginning of Antonine Age / Antonine Dynasty (lasts until 192 A.D.)
-Trajan
--Conquered territory between 113-117 A.D. that took the empire to its greatest extent.
-Hadrian (r. 117-138)
--Limes and Hadrian's wall in Britain
Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180)
--philosopher king; Stoic; wrote The Meditations
-Commodus (r. 180-192 A.D.)
--cruel and eventually insane; strangled by a group of senators
4. Septimus Severus, senator from North Africa, founds the Severan Dynasty, lasting 25 years
-After the last of the Severan Dynasty, Rome is plunged into civil war;
-A time of economic and military crisis lasting nearly 50 years.
