Notes 3/10/10

• Augustus runs a principate form of government
• He is very modest
• Famous statue of him: Prima Porta
• It portrays him as a god
• Augustus is son of Julius
• Terrible battle at beginning of his reign where he lost two of his legions
• On his chest plate, there is the story of how they got their standards back
• Governments look back at Romans for sources of propaganda
• http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm
• Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, Nero
• Augustus dies without an heir.
• Tiberius succeeds Augustus, he is somewhat of a cruel leader.
• After Tiberius, comes in Caligula. he was a whack job, he had sexual relations with his own sister.
• Gaius was assassinated. Claudius now becomes the leader.
• Claudius is shy and socially awkward. his reign doesn't last long and Nero becomes ruler.
• Nero, as Gaius was, is a whack job himself. He was an obese, sickly looking man. He burned 2/3 of the city because he wanted to build a park. He eventually killed himself.
• Vespasian follows after a year of no ruler. He is the exact opposite of the past ones.
• Titus, Vespasian's son, follows. He built the Flavian Amphitheatre. It's called this become he was of the Flavian family. It is usually called the Coliseum. Titus got rid of Nero's statue.
• Emperors had arches built to commemorate their war victories.
• Lot of tension between Romans and Jews. After awhile, Titus invades Jerusalem and sacks it.
• Domitian is the next emperor after Titus. He sent up the Roman baths, which were "health clubs" of their time
• All Roman cities had a bath house.
• After Domitian was the starting of the "good emperors'
• Nerva (96-98), Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138), Antoninus Pius (138-161), Marcus Aurelius (161-18)
• Nerva changed the way that the emperor was decided. This was by the emperor choosing the next one.
• Trajan came after Nerva. He was one of the greatest military generals
• Trajan has a column built after defeating the Dacians
• Two major libraries were built on either side of it. They were two of the major libraries in Rome
• Trajan choices Hadrian. He is considered to be one of the greatest Roman Emperors
• He was a poet, philosopher, world traveler, and loved the arts.
• He wanted to be seen as a Greek philosopher King, and that's why he had a beard.