Creating Columns to Evaluate Roman Emperors
Assignment to hand in: Roman Emperor Column & Notes on Ancient Roman Emperors & Comprehension Questions (at end)
Step 1: Introduction: Look at the picture below and read the following text:
By 44 B.C.E. the power held by the aristocracy of the Roman Republic was threatened by the rule of one man: Julius Caesar. Beginning in 49 B.C.E. the Roman Senate and the Roman people had granted Caesar more and more power, including making him dictator for a 10-year period. The measures Caesar instituted earned him wide support from the common people. For example, Caesar reformed farm laws, distributing lands to soldiers who had fought with him and to many poor people. He also halted the extensive use of slavery in rural areas and provided jobs for poor people by passing a measure requiring that a third of the ranch laborere be Roman citizens. Because of his actions and resulting popularity, the aristocracy - especially the members of the Senate - feared they were losing their power to Caesar. They believed that he was on the verge of declaring himself king and establishing a dynasty for his heirs. Thus a group of senators - led by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius - decided to plot Caesar's murder, in the name of saving the Republic. On March 15, 44 B.C.E., the assassins struck. As Caesar entered the Senate building, a group of senators attacked him with daggers, stabbing him 23 times and killing him instantly.
In the aftermath of Caesar's murder, no one man was able to seize complete power. Instead, three men - each of whom had been close to Caesar - came to share power. These three men were Marcus Antonius, better known as Mark Antony, Caesar's most loyal supporter; Marcus Lepidus, one of Caesar's loyal generals; and 19-year old Gaius Octavius, called Octavian, Caesar's grandnephew, adopted son, and - as Caesar's closest male relative - his designated heir. The three men avenged Caesar's murder by executing the assassins and their supporters, and divided up the Roman Republic among themselves. Octavian controlled the western half, Mark Antony the eastern half, and Marcus Lepidus became the ruler of some distant Roman provinces.
Eventually, Octavian and Mark Antony pushed the weaker Marcus Lepidus aside, and began a struggle for control of the entire empire. Mark Antony ruled his part of the empire from Egypt, where he joined forces with Egypt's queen, Cleopatra VII. Although Antony and Cleopatra's troops presented a strong opposition, Octavian and his forces defeated them at the Battle of Actium, in western Greece, in September of 31 B.C.E. In 29 B.C.E. Octavian returned to Rome in triumph, hailed by the people and the Senate as the conqueror of Egypt and savior of the republic. Two years later, the Senate bestowed more honors on him and gave him a new title: Augustus, meaning "highly respected." With his new honors, and the exceptional powers he now held - including head of state and supreme military commander - the Roman Senate now became little more than a rubber stamp for Octavian's orders. Augustus's assumption of power as sole ruler marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. From this point on, the fortunes of the Roman people depended on the manner in which Rome's rulers - called emperors - used their powers.
Emperor Trajan's Column - Roman emperors, such as Trajan, often had columns built to commemorate their rule and promote the emperor's reputation. The emperor has sculptures, reliefs, and inscriptions engraved on the pillars of these columns to chronicle his accomplishments. Roman citizens occasionally expressed their political views by scrawling drawings and epigrams - graffitit - on the walls of their cities.
In this assignment, you will create columns similar to the one in the picture above, though on paper instead of stone. You will write inscriptions commemorating the emperor's accomplishments on the pillar of the column. Then you will write your political graffiti at the base of your column rather than on a wall.
Step 2: Choose and Research Your Emperor's Column: Look at and choose from the descriptions of the four Roman emperors below. Once you've picked one to focus on, read the description carefully, circling the words or phrases that describe their accomplishments. On the other hand, underline the words or phrases that describe his failures.
Step 3: Creating Your Emperor's Column: Download and print out the Emperor's Column Graphic Organizer Handout and the Guidelines for Creating Columns for Roman Emperors Handout. Read the guidelines carefully and fill out your column. For more guidance, look at this EXAMPLE of a column for Julius Caesar (There are only two positive accomplishments and one criticism in this example). You need to provide at least three positive accomplishments and two criticisms (failures) on your column. You may do more, of course.
Step 4: Notes About Ancient Roman Emperors: Download and print out the Notes About Ancient Roman Emperors Handout. Fill out this graphic organizer by reading through each Information Handout for the four Roman emperors above. You should have at least 2 accomplishments and 2 failures for each emperor.
Step 5: Comprehension Questions: Answer the following questions on a lined piece of paper in paragraph form.
1. What were the most impressive accomplishments of these four emperors?
2. What were their most serious failures?
3. Which of the four emperors would you consider to be the most effective leader? The least effective leader? Explain.
4. Why did the quality of life in the Roman Empire depend greatly on who the emperor was?
5. Why do you think the ancient Romans relied on emperors to govern their empire for so long?