May 6, 2014 (THE DAY BEFORE THE TEST)

Who was the first emperor? Caesar Augustus

Caligula (good start)

• In addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great-nephew - putting him next in line for emperor.

Caligula (bad finish)

• He began to fight with the Senate
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (sacrilege!)
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what his critics said)
• Assassinated by his own aides. AD 41 (aged 28)

Claudius

• Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment - thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• He had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup - so Claudius had them killed

Religious troubles

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
• AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion

Persecution of Christians

• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)
• Often used for "entertainment" purpose in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians

Quote of the Day: "Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy." -Angelina Jolie as Susana Kaysen in "Girl Interrupted"