Name______
Teacher______
Chapter 11 Note Packet
Date Started ______
This packet includes the following pages:
- Title Page
- CSI – Cold Case – J. Caesar
- CSI – Cold Case – J. Caesar
- The Rise of Christianity
- The Fall of Rome Notes
- Fall of Rome Interactive Story
- Fall of Rome Interactive Story
- Bellringers
Essential Questions for Chapter 11
- Who was Julius Caesar and what did he have to do with the fall of the Roman Republic?
- Why would Romans would have had different opinions about Julius Caesar?
- What are the basic beliefs of Judaism?
- What are the basic beliefs of Christianity?
- What is the difference between polytheism and monotheism?
- What important information can be gleaned from specific Primary Sources?
- What casued the Roman Empire to eventually collapsed?
COLD CASE ~ ROME 44 BCE
Exhibit A: Ancient Newspaper Article- Which group loved Caesar?
- What 2 reasons did they love him?
- Why might this upset the senators?
- What does the coin say? What’s it mean?
- What is carved on the tomb? What does it mean?
- Why might Brutus have felt pressured to stop Caesar?
Exhibit C: The Twelve Caesars by Plutarch
- What did Caesar do that insulted the senators?
- What excuse did he give?
- What does Plutarch say about the excuse?
- What does the autopsy tell us about the number and skill of the attackers?
- How many attackers do you think there were? Why?
Exhibit E: Statement by Caesar’s Bodyguard
- Why does Tyrannus think Caesar fired him?
- What did Tyrannus hear from the other guard?
- Why does Cassius believe Caesar no better than him?
- Does Cassius seem angry enough to murder Caesar? Why or why not?
Exhibit G: Various Warnings
- If you had received the same warnings what would you have do?
- Do these warnings seem believable to you? Why or why not?
- What does Dr. Burzstajn think about the note in Caesar’s hand?
- Why does Dr. Burzstaj think Caesar wanted to die this way?
Indictment
What do you believe happened to Caesar?
- The senators assassinated Caesar due to being jealous of his fame.
- The senators assassinated Caesar because they thought he was destroying Rome by making himself emperor.
- Caesar allowed the assassination to happen because he wanted to die a memorable and heroic death.
What stations prove your argument? What do they show?
Exhibit ______Direct Quote(s):
Exhibit ______Direct Quote(s):
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The Rise of Christianity
Directions: Study the following descriptions and beliefs of Christianity. Then number each factor as to whether you think each was:
- A reason why Christianity became popular
- Viewed as a threat to the Roman Empire
- Or both a cause for growth of the religion & a threat to the empire.
Description/Beliefs / 1, 2, or 3? / Explanation
Christians believed that life after death was better than that on earth.
Christianity is monotheistic.
Christianity did not require riches or status to participate.
Christians believe that God is more powerful than the emperor.
The word of the Bible is believed to be the word of God and should be obeyed.
Christianity taught love and tolerance of all people.
Christians believed in helping the poor and sick.
The Fall of Rome ~ Interactive Story
Group Words:Sayings:
Rome“I am the greatest!”
Words:Sayings:
EmpireA territory under 1 rule
Externaloutside
Internalinside
Visigoths (Goths)“I will attack you!”
Huns“From Central Asia”
Barbarians“Bar-Bar-Bar-Barh” or “AHHHHHH!”
Disease“I don’t feel too well.”
TaxesMoney for the gov’t
Corruption Moah! Ha! Ha!
Lead “I’m going crazy!”
Once upon there was the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. It was called Ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was a vast empire that stretched throughout the region of the Mediterranean Sea. In the early CE 100s, the empire went from Britain south to Egypt, and from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Syrian Desert. There are many reason historians believe might have been the cause of Rome falling. Some of the threats were external; in other words, coming from outside the empire. While other threats were internal; in other words, coming from inside the empire. Historians look at both of these types of threats to explain why Rome eventually fell.
First of all, one must look at some of the external threats the empire faced. One threat from outside of Rome was tribes of fierce Germanic warriors attacking Rome’s northern borders. At the same time, Persian armies were invading Rome’s lands in the east by Mesopotamia. Attacks from different groups like the Visigoths (known as barbarians) were attacking the borders and making Romans nervous. The Visigoths were attacking land and caused many Romans living on the border to abandon their land. The Roman invited Germanic farmers to come in and farm their land to produce enough food, and these farmers often came from the groups that were attacking Rome. The Visigoths often appointed their own leaders and completely ignored the rules of Rome. The Huns were also considered a group of barbarians that were attacking Rome. They attacked the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths that were attacking Rome as well. The Goths then headed into Rome for protection from the Huns. The Huns were fierce warriors from Central Asia. Eventually, the western army, with a lot of fighting, was defeated by the Goths or barbarians that had come into their territory. The Romans even paid the Goths to keep them from attacking. In 408 CE, the Romans stopped paying, and the Goths marched into Rome and destroyed the city in 410 CE. Many other barbarian groups attacked Rome as well after this attack. In 476 CE, one of the barbarian leaders overthrew the last western emperor and named himself the king of Italy. Many historians believe that this was the fall of the western Roman Empire.
Next, there were also many internal struggles in Rome as well. The internal threats threatened Rome’s survival. Diseases swept through the empire and killed many people. Many historians believe the diseases may have been an early version of the Bubonic Plague, also known as the “Black Death.” Disease made the population drop, which could also affect the number of soldiers present to defend Rome. Another internal threat was raised taxes. The Romans raised taxes in order to have more money for the protection of all of Rome’s land. The size of the empire was also too large to manage. The empire was so vast, communication from one side to another was nearly impossible. The empire had grown too large for the emperor to govern efficiently. Also, corruption affected the Romans. Corruption is bad. Corruption is the decay of people’s values. The government became corrupt or full of corruption. Corrupt officials and leaders used threats and bribery to achieve their goals and didn’t worry about the common people of Rome. Instead, they were full of corruption because they wanted to line their own pockets with Rome’s riches. In some ways, they could be seen as acting like barbarians! Also, many wealthy Romans didn’t worry about the government and made their own armies for protection. Also, by 400 AD, Rome was a changed city. The population decreased, school closed, and taxes and prices soared, making many Romans poor. Some even believed that the wealthy of Rome were going crazy from lead poisoning. Lead was used by many Romans in their food and drink, causing birth defects and possible mental illness among the elite or aristocratic classes. Basically, Rome was falling apart from the inside.
Whether it was from external or internal threats, Rome fell. The eastern empire lasted a lot longer that the western empire. In the end, historians don’t know the exact reason why Rome fell, but it could have been: external threats, internal threats, the attacks of the Visigoths and the Huns, the size of the empire, taxes, corruption, the other barbarians, and possibly disease and lead poisoning. In the end, Rome fell and forever changed the ancient world…and Europe entered the “Dark Ages.”
The Decline of the Roman Empire PowerPoint Presentation
Problems in the Empire
External Threats
Internal Threats
Other Problems
Division of the Empire
Chapter 11 Note Packet, Page 1