cyber day 25

Aftermath to the murder
  •  Julius Caesar's grandnephew - and adopted son - Octavian takes over at the age of 18 with his own triumvirate
                              - Mark Antony is an experienced general
                              - Lepidus is a powerful politician 
  •  This is the second Triumvirate
A doomed alliance
  •  Octavian forces the weak Lepidus to retire
  •  He and Mark Antony become rivals 
  •  Mark Antony partners up with Cleopatra of Egypt
                      - Militarily
                      - Personally
                      - Politically
                      - Economically
  •  Octavian defeats them at the Battle of Actium
Octavian on his own
  •  He is now the unchallenged ruler of Rome
  •  He was given the honorific "Augustus"
                       - "Exalted One"
  •  He was also given the title "imperator" 
                       - supreme military commander
  •  This is where we get the word "emperor"
  •  now Rome is an empire, not a republic
Octavian ain't no Tarquin
  •  40 years of ruling a emperor (27 BC to AD 14)
  • He began a stable era of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana (Roman peace)
  •  Pax Romana was 207 years long (27 BC to AD 180)
Some accomplishments...
  •  Expanded the Roman Empire further into Africa
  •  He set up civil service to run the government/empire
                                   - Building a network of roads
                                   - Collecting taxes
                                   - Establishing a postal service
                                   - Administering the grain supply 
                                   - Building public facilities
                                               ~ Buildings, aqueducts
                                   - Setting up a police department 
                                   - running a fire-fighting organization
  •  Finally died of natural causes
Thus begins the age of the emperors
  •  After Octavian's death, power was passed down to emperors
  •  Some were good, some were horrible, some were completely insane
Tiberius
  • ruled from AD 14 to AD 37 
  • an excellent general, but reluctant emperor
  •  after the death of his son, he exiled himself from Rome and left he prefects in charge
  •  died at age 77
Caligula
  • Ruled from AD 37 to Ad 41
  •  won a power struggle after Tiberius' death 
  •  known for his cruelty, extravagance and perversity - an insane tyrant
  •  assassinated by a group of praetorian guards, Senators, and imperial court, trying to re-established the republic
  •  This didn't work 
Claudius 
  •  Ruled from AD 41 to AD 54
  •  suffered from infirmities: a limp, stammering, shaking, slobbering... possibly because of cerebral palsy
  •  took over because he was the last male in the family
  •  ruled when - built roads, aqueducts, canals, and started the conquest of Britain
  •  died by poisoning - it was his last wife's plan (she wanted her son Nero to rise to power)
Nero
  •  ruled from 54 to 68
  •  emphasized the arts
  •  huge fire in 64 (although he didn't fiddle)
  •  he wanted to rebuild Rome to be more majestic
  •  he hugely overspent, and even raided the temples for money
  •  historians do not look kindly upon him

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