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212
All Free Men Living in the Roman Empire are Declared Citizens (212)
~The edict allowing this was issued by the Roman Emperor Caracalla. It declared that all free men in the Roman Empire would be given citizenship and that all free women in the Roman Empire were to be given the same rights as Roman women.
~The law was for people in the Roman Empire.
~It was important because citizenship was treasured by Romans and came with many good responsibilities such as the right to vote, the right to make contracts, and the right to contract a legal marriage. -
450
Twelve Tables of Roman Law are Written (450 BCE)
~10 men were appointed to write the laws. They wanted to write them because of the long social struggle between patricians and plebeians.
~They sent an embassy to Greece to study their legislative system in Athens.
~This is important because it was the earliest attempt by the Romans to create a code of laws and is also the earliest piece of literature coming from the Romans. They were also considered pillars for Roman law today. -
Julius Caesar is Assassinated on the Ides March (44 BCE)
~He was killed in Rome next to the Theatre of Pompey.
~Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.
~This was important because according to the senators who killed him he was gaining too much power and they wanted what was best for Rome. -
Julius Caesar Seizes Complete Control of Rome as a Dictator (49 BCE)
~Upon his return to Rome after defeating Pompey, Caesar was made dictator for life.
~He was dictator of the Roman Empire.
~It was important because as dictator of Rome he had many accomplishments. He ended the republic, reformed the calendar, and is also known to have never lost a single war. -
Great Fire destroys much of Rome. Nero accuses Christians of starting the fire. (64)
~During the night of July 18 64, a fire started in the merchant area of Rome. Because of the summer wind, the fire quickly spread through the Imperial City. The fire continued for 6 days and 7 nights and took down everything in its path. It left 70% of the city in ruins.
~People accused the Emperor of Nero of starting the fire but the rumors were never confirmed.
~This was an important event because it destroyed most of Rome and changed the way it looked. -
Vesuvius Explodes in Pompeii (79)
~Mount Vesuvius was right near Pompeii Italy. It wiped out the whole town and left it covered in volcano ash.
~Thousands of people were killed during the eruption. There were only 2 eyewitnesses to record any information from the eruption: Pliny the Elder and Pliny then Younger.
~This was important because it wasn't until about 1700 yrs after the eruption that Pompeii was discovered, by accident. It was one of the worst volcanic eruptions of all time. -
Roman Colosseum is Built (80)
~The Colosseum was built in Rome on the site that was once the lake and gardens of Emperor Nero’s Golden House.
~It was built by architects Vespasian and Titus, as a gift to the Roman Citizens. They also used it to stage various forms of entertainment, and to showcase Roman engineering techniques to the world.
~It was important because it showed the Roman's impressive architectural knowledge, wealth, and power and was very important to Roman city life. -
Roman Empire is Officially Split Into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (395)
~Diocletian became Emperor of Rome and realized the Roman Empire was too big for one person to rule effectively. He decided to split it in half and have it ruled by 2 people. He chose a military officer named Maximian to rule the Western half.
~There were 2 sides, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.
~This is important because the Roman Empire and the changes it underwent left a legacy that continues to affect the way people live today.
