Study Guide for HIS/THE 4413
Roman Imperial Civilization and
the Early Church
Unit I

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1. The Regal Period, 754-509 BC.
   • How the Romans Saw Themselves
   • Growth of the State under Kings
2. The Republican Period, 509-27 BC.
   • Origin of the Republic
   • Struggle of the Orders
3. The Ongoing Process of Creating Empire. .
   • How Rome Acquired an Empire
     • Small Beginnings: The Latin League
     • The Northern Neighbors: The Etruscans
     • The Southern Neighbors: The Samnites
     • Pyrrhus, the King of Epirus and Magna Graecia
   • Traditional Policies and Results

4. The Roman Administration of Empire.
   • Outreach Beyond the Coasts of Italy
   • The Corruption of Wealth
   • Rome Becomes a Cosmopolitan, Complex City
   • The Erosion of Society
5. The Roman Revolution (133 to 27 BC) to 65 BC
   • The Gracchi Brothers, Marius and Sulla
   • The Ambitious Warlords, Pompey, Crassus and Caesar
   • Another Generation of Ambitious Warlords

1. Era of Near Eastern Empires Before the Rise of Macedonia, 750-350 BC.
   • The The Assyrian
   • Sait Egyptian
   • Chaldean or Neo-Babylonian
   • The Lydian
   • The Medean
   • The Persian

2. The Macedonian Empire in the Making, 350-323 BC.
   • The Rise of Philip of Macedonia
   • Hellenistic but not Hellenic
   • Philip and his Hellenic Neighbors
   • Alexander Succeeds Philip
   • The Conquest of Persia
3. Alexander's Empire Ripped Asunder after 323 BC
   • The Successors Fight over the Kingdom
   • The Hellenistic Kingdoms
   • The Antigonids, the Seleucids, the Ptolemies and the Attalids
   • The Transplanted Hellenic Polulations among their Hellenistic Neighbors
4. A quick overview of The Jews in this Early Hellenistic Age to 106 BC.
   • Early Hellenistic period
     • The Jews Under the Antigonids
     • The Jews Under the Ptolemies
     • The Jewish Scholarly Tradition in South Syria (**)
     • The Jewish Scholarly Tradition in Alexandria (**)(**)
   • The South-Syrian Jews under the Seleucids from c. 200 to 75 BC
     • Antiochus IV and the Jews
     • The Maccaebean Rebellion and the Hasmonaean Dynasty

5. Developments in Syria and the Advance of Rome, c. 125 - 64 BC.
   • Seleucus V, 125-124 BC, and Antiochus VIII Philomater (Grypus), 124-96 BC.
   • Independent Judea under the Later Hasmonaean Kings, c. 100 - 76 BC.
     • King Judas Aristobulus, 104-103 BC
     • King Alexander Jannaeus, 103-76 BC
   • The Rise of the Arabian Peoples
     • The Itureans
     • The Idumeans and the Nabataeans
   • The Fragmentation of the Seleucid Realm, 96-69 BC
   • Advancing Presence of Rome in Asia Minor
   • The Armenian Conquest of North Syria, 83-69 BC
   • Queen Salome Alexandra in Judea, 76-67 BC
   • The Final Seleucid Spasms and Rome's Arrival in Syria, 69-64 BC.
   • King Aristobolus II, 67-63 BC
6. The Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt, 116-43 BC
   • Fragmentation of the Ptolemiac Realm, 116 to 80 BC
   • The Reign of Ptolemy XII, Auletes, and his Family 80 to 51 BC
   • The Rule of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII, 51 to 47 BC
   • Pompey and Caesar come to Egypt, 48 to 47 BC
   • Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIV, 47 to 43 BC

7. Judea in the Context of Roman Developments, c. 63 BC to 27 BC
   • The Arrival of Roman Authority in Jerusalem: 'Conquest' by Invitation
     • Antipater of Idumea and the Nabataeans
     • War between Hyrcanus II and Aristobolus
     • Pompey's Action and Roman Developments
     • The Recognition of Jewish Religion
     • Meanwhile Back in Judea...
   • Forty-four BC: New Beginnings at Rome
     • Arrangements in the Roman East by Marcus Antonius, 42 to 31 BC.
     • Arrangements in the Roman East by Octavianus Augustus, 31 to 27 BC.
   • Herod as King of Judea
     • Herod, the Hasmonaean Lineage and the High Priests
     • Herod's other Activities and Policies (down to and including the paragraph beginning "After giving Marcus Agrippa ...")

1. Rome's New Government -- Octavian Caesar and the Foundation of the Principate.
   • The nature of Octavian's government as Princeps.
2. Conditions of the Empire in the First Century.
   • Romanization
   • Government in the Provinces
   • The Military Establishment in the Imperial Provinces (down to and including the paragraph beginning "Another traditionally old ...")

• The Prevailing Civilization of the First Century AD
  • The Hellenistic Civilization
    • Where did the Hellenistic Peoples Come From?
    • People in the Great Cities of the First Century AD
    • Indigenous Rural Cultures in the First Century AD
  • The Roman Presence Across the Empire
• The Roman Contribution to the Empire
  • The Roman Legacy
  • Rome's Traditional Policies Encouraged Cultural Diversity
    • An Example of Roman Cultural Flexibility: Calendar Chaos
      • How Many Days in a Month?
      • When will it be Tomorrow?
      • Traditional Weeks
      • The Astral Week
  • The Roman Realm
  • The Price of Empire
  • Provinces, Client Kingdoms and Cities
  • Citizens and Subjects
  • Roman Administration in Theory and Practice
  • The Heavy Hand of Taxation

3. The Birth of Jesus
   • Introduction to the Problem
     • Recorded Celestial Observations
     • The Roman Census/Taxation
     • Governors of Syria
     • The Province of Judea and the Roman Tax of 6 AD
     • Luke 2:2
     • Matthew 2:1-18 (Four paragraphs)
           Skip to the next link
4. The Disposition of Herod's Kingdom
   • Herod's Heirs
   • Herod's Survivors
   • Judea: Archaelaus' Quarter
   • Galilee and Perea: Antipas' Quarter
   • Panias, Ulatha, Gaulanitis, Batanaea, Trachonitis and Auranitis: Philip's Quarter
   • Other Parts of Herod's Kingdom

1. During the Reign of Emperor Tiberius, 14-37 AD
   • Affairs in Judea during the Governorship of Valerius Gratus
   • A Closer Look at Josephus' Book 18
     • Josephus' Dating for Pilate's Tenure in Judea
     • Obstacles to Alternative Dating for Pilate's Tenure in Judea
   • Affairs in Judea under the Governorship of Marcellus
   • Luke's date and other Indicators for Jesus' Ministry, Death and Ressurrection
     • Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene
     • John's Baptism of Jesus
     • Statement about the Temple
     • Report of Jesus Age
     • Considering the Crucifixion
   • Overview and Challenges of the Time Between Jesus' Crucifixion and the Death of Emperor Claudius in AD 54 (down to and including a paragraph beginning "Using the date of ...")

2. During the Reign of Emperor Gaius (Caligula), AD 37-41: The Notorious Gaius
   • Religious Activities
   • His Impact on the Jews (down to and including the paragraph beginning "Gaius never left ...")

3. Claudius. During the Reign of the Emperor Claudius, AD 41 - 54
   • The Early Years, 41-48 AD (down to and including the paragraph beginning "Tiberius Julius Alexander ...")
         Skip to the next link
   • The Last Years of Claudius, 48-54 AD (down to and including the paragraph beginning "At Rome the first ...")

4. During the Reign of Emperor Nero, AD 54 - 68: Nero the Man
   • The Judean Situation Deteriorates under Felix, 52-57 AD (one paragraph)
         Skip to the next link
   • Porcius Festus, 57-62 AD (two paragraphs)
         Skip to the next link
   • Lucceius Albinus, 62-64 AD (one paragraph)
   • Gessius Florus, 64-66 AD (three paragraphs)

1. The Roman Civil War, AD 68-69: A Short Circuit in the Throne Room.
   • Emperor Galba, 68-69 AD
   • Emperor Otho, 69 AD
   • Emperor Vitellius, 69 AD
2. The Consequences of the Jewish War in Judea (down to and including the paragraph beginning "The rebels who escaped ...")

3. The Flavian Emperors: (down to and including the paragraph beginning "Domitian's rule was ...")
   • Vespasian, AD 69 - 81
   • Titus, AD 79 - 81
   • Domitian, AD 81 - 96
4. The Jews and Christians under Vespasian and Titus
5. The Persecution of the Jews Impacts Christians (down to and including the paragraph beginning "There is yet another....")

1. The Empire in the Second Century, AD 96 - 192
   • The Military Presence
   • Provencial Affairs
   • Imperial Administration
   • Imperial Law
   • Grass Roots Imperial Presence
2. The "Good Emperors", 96 - 180 AD
   • Nerva, AD 96-98
   • Trajan, AD 98-117
   • Hadrian, AD 117-138
     • [More Trouble for the Jews (one paragraph.)]
   • Antoninus, AD 138-161
     • [(Policy with regard to the Jews) (one short paragraph)]
   • Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-169
     Marcus Aurelius (alone) AD 169-180
3. Commodus, AD 181-192 (a turn for the worse) (down to and including the paragraph beginning "In the civil war...")

1. The Crisis of the Third Century
   • The Barbarians
2. Key Imperial Personalities of the Third Century
   • The Severi (down to and including the paragraph beginning "After the brief reign ...")
         Skip to the next link.
   • The Barracks Emperors (down to and including the paragragh beginning "Valerian ...")

1. Recovery: The Foundations of the Late Roman Empire
   • The Characteristics of the Late Roman World
2. Imperial Personalities of the Transition
   • Diocletian and the Tetrarchy. (one paragraph)
         Skip to the next link.
   • Constantine the Great and His Dynasty (two paragraphs).
         Skip to the next link.
   • The Constantinian Dynasty (two paragraphs)

1. Constitutional Structure of the Late Roman Empire (down to and including the paragraph beginning "From 480 and following ...")
       Skip to the next link.
2. Barbarians after the Third Century Crisis (one paragraph)
3. The Barbarians Inside the Empire (one paragraph)

5. Imperial Personalities in the Late Fourth Century (four paragraphs)
       Skip to the next link.
6. Fifth Century Emperors of the East (down to and including the paragraph beginning: "Marcian, 450-457...")
       Skip to the next link.
7. Emperors of the West to AD 456 (four paragraphs)

9. The Barbarian Presence Inside and Outside the Empire after c. 350 - 378 AD (five paragraphs)
       Skip to the next link.
10. Refugees from the Hun Empire Seek Security from Rome, 378 - c. 400 AD (five paragraphs)

1. Fifth Century Emperors of the East. Leo to Anastasius (three paragaphs)
       Skip to the next link.
2. The Disappearance of the Western Emperors, AD 456 to 480
3. Barbarian Populations Given Local Power after about 460 AD
4. The Demographic and Geographic Results of Barbarian Activity, c. 375 - 500 AD
5. The Fall of Rome in the West

6. The Italian Region and Ostrogothic Rule after 493 AD (two paragraphs)