Join Now: https://join.hsslive.in/group Downloaded from www.Hsslive.

in ®

1 Sajeevan K C GHSS Kallachi Kozhikkod

Theme 3
An empire across three continents

1) A number of sources are available to study the Roman empire .Discuss

Historians have many sources available to reconstruct the history of Rome.They can be
divided into three categories .a) Texts b) Documents c) Material remains
a) Texts
Histories written by contemporaries (annals ),letters,speeches,tratises,laws etc
b)Documents
Documentary sources include mainly inscriptions and documents on Papyrus scrolls
Material remains
Material remains include buildings,monuments,coins,pottery etc
2) The history of Roman empire is divided into two phases ? Explain briefly
The history of Roman empire can be divded into two phases
a) Early Empire – The period up to third century
b) Late empire (Late antiquity )- The period after third century
3) How Roman empire was different from Iranian empire ?
• Roman Empire had a diverse population as compared to that of Iran.
• The Parthians and Sasanians dynasties that ruled Iran in this period, ruled largely over the
Iranian population.
• Whereas the Roman Empire was a variety of territories and cultures bound by the common
system of govt.
• Many languages were spoken in the Roman Empire, but for the administrative purposes
only Greek and Latin were used. The upper class of east spoke Greek and those in the
western part spoke Latin.
• All the people in the Roman Empire were subjects of single ruler, the emperor, irrespective
of where they lived and what language they spoke.
4) Augustus Caesar is considered to be the first Roman emperor. Describe
• The Roman republic lasted for about 500 years. During the last stage of the republic the
military leaders like Julius Caesar began to establish their domination over the empire.
• Octavian, the adopted son and successor of Julius Caesar overthrown the republic and
seized power in 27 BCE
• He adopted the title Augustus Caesar and became the first emperor of Rome
• The regime established by Augustus was called the Principate.He ruled the empire with the
title of Princeps,meaning leading citizen
5) Senate had an important role in the history of Rome .Explain
• The senate had existed in Rome for centuries as a body representing the aristocracy and land
owners.
• Senate occupied the next position to the emperor in administration.
• Most of the Roman histories were written by people from senatorial back ground .The
emperors were judged on the basis of their behaviour towards Senate.Those who were
hostile to Senate were pictured as worst emperors
6) Army was one of the most important institutions in Roman empire. Explain
• The most important institution next to the emperor and senate was the army.
• The Romans had a paid professional army. The army was the largest single organised body
in the empire.
• It certainly had the power to determine the fate of the emperors
7) The third century is referred to as a period of crisis in Roman history.Examine the validity of the
statement
• The Roman empire showed the signs of internal strain in the third century
 Join Now: https://join.hsslive.in/group Downloaded from www.Hsslive.in ®

2 Sajeevan K C GHSS Kallachi Kozhikkod

• The emergence of Sasanian dynasty in Iran in 225 CE raised a serious threat to the Roman
empire.
• In a famous rock inscription,The Iranaian ruler Shapur 1 claimed he had annihilated a
Roman army of 60,000 and captured the eastern capital of Antioch
• The Roman empire also confronted the invasions of barbarians.
• The Germanic tribes such as the Alamanni,the Franks and the Goths invaded the Roman
provinces. The Romans were forced to abandon much of the territories beyond the Danube
• The rapid succession of emperors in third century (25 emperors in 47 years) is obvious
symptom of the strains faced by the empire in this period
8) Slavery was a tradition deeply rooted in ancient Roman world. Explain
• Slavery was a tradition in the Mediterranean and in the near East.
• During the republican period,the slave labour was used in most parts of the empire.Under
Augustus,there were 3 million slaves.Then the total population was 7.5 million
• But slaves were not used in all parts of the empire .In many parts,wage labour was used for
doing works.
• Slaves were considered as an investment.The upper class of society showed no mercy
towards them
• Romans usually kept prisoners of war as slaves
9) The Roman agricultural writers and employers paid great attention to the management of
labour.Describe
• The Roman agricultural writers and employers (Eg.columella,a first century writer ) paid
great attention to the management of labour.They gave utmost importance to the supervision
• Employers believed that supervision was important to get works done
• Some times workers were grouped into gangs or smaller teams inorder to make supervision
effective
• Pliny the elder,the author of the famous book’ Natural Historia’ condemned the use of slave
gangs
• The measures adopted by the employers for the managementof labour were rigid and cruel
like draconian laws
10) What is meant by Draconian laws ?
• Draco was a Greek law maker who lived in Athens in 6 th century BCE.He prepared a code
of law.
• Its provisions were harsh and rigid
11) Analyse the political economic and cultural transformation of Rome in Late Antiquity
• The final phase of the Roman empire was called Late Antiquity (Late Roman Empire ).It
refers to the period from 4 th to 7 th centuries
• The period saw considerable changes in cultural, economic, and administrative levels.
Changes during the period of Emperor Diocletian
• The emperor Diocletian abandoned territories with little strategic and economic importance.
• He fortified frontiers, recognised provincial boundaries and separated civilian from the
military functions.
• He granted greater autonomy to the military commanders who became powerful.
Reforms of Emperor Constantine I
He introduced Solidus,a coin weighing 4 % gm of pure gold.
The creation of a second capital at Constantinople.
Changes in the economic life.
The late Antiquity period witnessed considerable change in economic life.
Monetary stability and an expanding population stimulated economic growth.
 Join Now: https://join.hsslive.in/group Downloaded from www.Hsslive.in ®

3 Sajeevan K C GHSS Kallachi Kozhikkod

Archaeological record shows investments in rural establishments, including industrial installations

like oil presses and glass factories, in newer technologies such as screw presses and multiple water-
mills.
The period also saw a revival of the long- distance trade.
Changes in the religious life.

• Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as official religion of the Roman empire.

• Seventh century was associated with the rise of Islam
• The other religion in the empire was Judaism .
12) What do you know about the religious beliefs of the Romans ?
• The Roman people were polytheists and used to worship several gods and goddesses.
• Their popular deities were Jupiter,Mars,Juno and Minerva
13) Explain the social and economic condition of early Roman empire
The Roman empire was a vast empire.It covered most of Europe.The Roman empire embraced
many local cultures and languages.
Gender, Literacy, Culture
Structure of Family
• There was widespread prevalence of nuclear family. Adult sons did not live with their
parents and it was exceptional for adult brothers to share a common house hold.
• Slaves were however included in the family.
Status of women
• The women enjoyed considerable legal rights in owning and managing property.
• They were married off in the late teens or early thirties.
• Arrange marriage was the general norm
• women were often subjected to domination by their husbands
• Wives were even beaten up by their husbands.
• Women remained a primary heir to father's property after marriage. They could become
independent property owners after their father's death.
• Divorce was easy for both men as well as women.
Literacy
• The rate of literacy varied greatly between different parts of the empire.
• Literacy was widespread in army officers, estate managers and soldiers
• There was a wall in Pompei which carried advertisements and graffiti, which indicates high
level of casual literacy.
Cultural diversity
• There was a vast diversity of religious cults and local deities, the plurality of languages that
were spoken, the styles of dresses that were worm.
• The food the people ate, their forms of social organisation and their types of settlement, all
reflected cultural diversity.
• Different languages were spoken in different areas.
• As late as fifth century, Armenian began to be used as written form of language.
• In other areas the spread of Latin displaced the other widespread written form of languages.
Economic activities of the Ancient Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire had substantial economic infrastructure of harbours, mines, quarries,
brickyards,olive oil factories etc.
• Goods for trade consisted mainly wheat, wine and olive oil and they came from Spain, the
Gallic provinces, North Africa, Egypt and Italy. These areas had conditions best suited for
these crops.
• Spanish olive oil was a vast commercial enterprise that reached its peak in the years 140-
160.
 Join Now: https://join.hsslive.in/group Downloaded from www.Hsslive.in ®

4 Sajeevan K C GHSS Kallachi Kozhikkod

• The Roman Empire included regions that had a reputation for exceptional fertility.
E.g.Compania,Italy, Sicily, Fayum in Egypt, Galilee, Byzacium (Tunisia), southern Gaul,
• Trans humance was widespread in the country side of Numidia(Modern Algeria)
• As Roman estates expanded in North Africa, the pastures of those communities were
drastically reduced and their movements more tightly regulated.
• Even in Spain the north was economically much less developed. In these areas peasantry
who were Celtic-speaking lived in hilltop villages known as Castella.
• In the Roman Empire water power was very efficiently used around Mediterranean and
there were advances in the water powered milling technology, the use of hydraulic mining
techniques in Spanish gold and silver mines.
• Well organised commercial and banking networks existed.
• Widespread use of money indicates that the Roman Empire had sophisticated economy.
14) What are the social groups in Roman society described by Tacitus ?
• Tacitus, a Roman historian has described the social hierarchy of the early empire.
• Senators were at the top in the early Roman Empire
• Next were the leading members of equestrian classes.
• Respectable section of the people who were attached to the great houses was next in the
social order
• Then was the untidy lower classes and slaves came to the bottom
• In the fourth century by the time of Constantine I, the Senators and equities had merged in to
an expanded aristocracy
• Like Senators, most 'knights' were landowners
• Next in the social hierarchy was the middle class. It consisted of persons working in
bureaucracy and army, prosperous merchants and farmers.
Important words and terms
Annals-records of events year by year
Mediterranean -heart of Roman Empire - A sea connected to the Atlantic ocean
Aramaic-The language spoken by a large group of the North East
Coptic- The language spoken in Egypt
Punic- The language spoken in North Africa
Berber- The language spoken in North Africa
Celtic- The language spoken in Spain and North West
Dressel 20-A container carried Spanish olive oil
Amphorae-Large container used to transport wine and olive oil
Augustan age-The reign by Augustus from 27 BCE to 14 CE. His reign is remembered for peace
Gaul,Numidia,Tunisia,Macedonia etc-- Provinces of Roman Empire
The Emperor,The Senate, The army—Three Main players of the political history of the Roman
empire
Tiberius-adopted son of augustus-ruled
Transhumans- Seasonal movement of herdsmen between mountain and lowland pastures