Augustus, or Octavian, was my topic of interest this week. Octavian ended a century of civil war, declaring himself "first citizen". His other names were Caesar, and Augustus, his more common name. Rome entered a period of economic prosperity, called the Pax Romana, under Augustus's reign. He established gold and silver currency, making trade easier and bringing Rome to its highest point of wealth. Augustus also picked government officials not based on social status but skill level and efficiency. He then removed the selfish, inefficient men in the ranks and replaced them with officials who knew what they were doing. Fire, police and postal services, along with building programs are among many of the other aspects Augustus established. He strived for social and moral reform, believing that was the answer, but failed in the end. Trying to achieve morality without God is like driving a car without a steering wheel; you will ultimately fail.
What I thought to be interesting in the weeks readings was the character of Octavian. He tried to stop corruption in the government; he even tried to increase the virtues of his people with morality. He was also a very good ruler, during part of his rule he brought complete prosperity to the Mediterranean that lasted from 31BC to AD 180.
One of the most interesting things that occurred during Rome’s conquests was how they absorbed various cultures, and especially that of the Greeks, instead of inserting their own, like they did with the many other nations they conquered. Most religions are very opposed to change, so it is strange that the Romans would have incorporated the Greek deities and myths into their believe system, as well as using the Greek philosophies of Epicureanism and Stoicism.
I noticed on the syllabus that we are supposed to prepare our social presentations this week. I just did mine last week. Do we all have to do one this week?
What I found to be interesting in this weeks textbook, was reading about the change in Rome's literature. It starts with Cicero, the master of Latin prose, to Virgil, the "Homer of Rome" as a result of his work, The Aeneid. From Virgil's death, we meet his close friend Horace. Who wrote comedic satires. Horace became the "Poet of the Augustan Age." Ovid's poetry, though was quite different from Horace's. Ovid wrote about mythology and love. Also in the Augustan Age was our old friend, Livy. Live was a historian and wrote in a narrative form. Following Livy, came the later Roman writers. These included the poet Juvenal, who wrote, as opposed to Horace, bitter satires. Also, Tacitus was a historian as well. He favored the old republic over life that was under the self-centered emperors. So the change most drastic change that I noted was from Horace's comedic, rural satires, to Juvenal's bitter, loose moral satires.
This week I was struck by how lost people can become without the love of Christ. In Ancient Rome, people didn’t know God or his love. Yet people have an innate longing for hope and godliness, as Paul says in Romans 1-2. Thus the Romans filled this void with their own false religions, which turned out just as hopeless as before. Their pantheon of gods were selfish, divisive and irate, not loving or desiring any personal relationship with the peoples of earth. Then if they embraced Epicureanism, it degenerated into mindless living for pleasure. Finally, if a Roman was a Stoic, he had to follow strict rules.It usually encouraged a spirit of asceticism, and there was no purpose to following these rules but to ‘be a better citizen.’ No hope, once again. Only through God can we find true happiness: he gives us a reason to live, hope for the future, and a purpose in life. .
I find it funny that even though Nero was the pupil of Seneca the most renowned stoic, his life reflects the opposite of what stoicism taught. Instead of pursuing the virtue of simplicity of life Nero surrounded himself with extravagance, anything Nero wanted Nero got. Instead of pursuing dignity Nero would dress as a slave and torment the public, or would dress up as a wild beast as he would personally kill Christians.
What I found interesting was how much the Romans were influenced by the Greeks. Why the Romans adapted Greek customs and architecture is unbelievable! If Romans had not adapted to the Greek culture we would not have the artifacts or the history that we have of these two civilizations. However because of the Romans we have the history and the artifacts of the Greeks.
We also learn about the Greek gods and stories of the gods because of the Romans. The Romans just switched the names of the Greek gods to call them their own. The Romans also kept the stories of the gods, but they told the stories using the names that they had given to them. Without the Romans we would not have the in-depth history of the Greeks.
In this weeks reading what I found interesting was how they used the Colosseum not only for gladiator fights, and animal fighting, but they actually used it for naval battles,by flooding the middle area. They performed reenactments of naval battles, the actors were usually captured people or criminals I am also surprised the admission to the Colosseum was free, all were able to come as well. Another thing that I found interesting was how when the volcano erupted, and the lava covered over people's bodies, there was air pockets left where the bodies were once covered. Scientists filled the air pockets with plaster and when they got rid of all the ash, there was models of peoples dead bodies.
Many people seem to think that the Romans were unimaginative people who only took the art forms of the people they conquered. This is only partly true, however. The Romans imitated the art of their subjects, predominately the Greeks, but they also improved them. The Romans learned from the nations they conquered, adding their own ideas to create a unique culture.
Greek culture influenced Rome immensely, particularly in the creative areas. In terms of art, many Romans copied Greek statues because Greek art became so popular. More independently of Greeks, Romans were realistic instead of optimistic. They included warts, scars, and wrinkles in their sculpture, instead of depicting the ideal individual. Romans also used new and adapted building techniques. The famous roman arch, along with vaults and domes were only some of their developments. They built aqueducts to transport water from city to city. And to add to Rome's functionality, roads, bridges, baths, and amphitheaters, were built.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
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18 comments:
Augustus, or Octavian, was my topic of interest this week. Octavian ended a century of civil war, declaring himself "first citizen". His other names were Caesar, and Augustus, his more common name. Rome entered a period of economic prosperity, called the Pax Romana, under Augustus's reign. He established gold and silver currency, making trade easier and bringing Rome to its highest point of wealth. Augustus also picked government officials not based on social status but skill level and efficiency. He then removed the selfish, inefficient men in the ranks and replaced them with officials who knew what they were doing. Fire, police and postal services, along with building programs are among many of the other aspects Augustus established. He strived for social and moral reform, believing that was the answer, but failed in the end. Trying to achieve morality without God is like driving a car without a steering wheel; you will ultimately fail.
What I thought to be interesting in the weeks readings was the character of Octavian. He tried to stop corruption in the government; he even tried to increase the virtues of his people with morality. He was also a very good ruler, during part of his rule he brought complete prosperity to the Mediterranean that lasted from 31BC to AD 180.
One of the most interesting things that occurred during Rome’s conquests was how they absorbed various cultures, and especially that of the Greeks, instead of inserting their own, like they did with the many other nations they conquered. Most religions are very opposed to change, so it is strange that the Romans would have incorporated the Greek deities and myths into their believe system, as well as using the Greek philosophies of Epicureanism and Stoicism.
Mr. Parker,
I noticed on the syllabus that we are supposed to prepare our social presentations this week. I just did mine last week. Do we all have to do one this week?
Thanks
@RW Yes, please see the blog post
What I found to be interesting in this weeks textbook, was reading about the change in Rome's literature. It starts with Cicero, the master of Latin prose, to Virgil, the "Homer of Rome" as a result of his work, The Aeneid. From Virgil's death, we meet his close friend Horace. Who wrote comedic satires. Horace became the "Poet of the Augustan Age." Ovid's poetry, though was quite different from Horace's. Ovid wrote about mythology and love. Also in the Augustan Age was our old friend, Livy. Live was a historian and wrote in a narrative form. Following Livy, came the later Roman writers. These included the poet Juvenal, who wrote, as opposed to Horace, bitter satires. Also, Tacitus was a historian as well. He favored the old republic over life that was under the self-centered emperors. So the change most drastic change that I noted was from Horace's comedic, rural satires, to Juvenal's bitter, loose moral satires.
This week I was struck by how lost people can become without the love of Christ. In Ancient Rome, people didn’t know God or his love. Yet people have an innate longing for hope and godliness, as Paul says in Romans 1-2. Thus the Romans filled this void with their own false religions, which turned out just as hopeless as before. Their pantheon of gods were selfish, divisive and irate, not loving or desiring any personal relationship with the peoples of earth. Then if they embraced Epicureanism, it degenerated into mindless living for pleasure. Finally, if a Roman was a Stoic, he had to follow strict rules.It usually encouraged a spirit of asceticism, and there was no purpose to following these rules but to ‘be a better citizen.’ No hope, once again. Only through God can we find true happiness: he gives us a reason to live, hope for the future, and a purpose in life. .
I find it funny that even though Nero was the pupil of Seneca the most renowned stoic, his life reflects the opposite of what stoicism taught. Instead of pursuing the virtue of simplicity of life Nero surrounded himself with extravagance, anything Nero wanted Nero got. Instead of pursuing dignity Nero would dress as a slave and torment the public, or would dress up as a wild beast as he would personally kill Christians.
What I found interesting was how much the Romans were influenced by the Greeks. Why the Romans adapted Greek customs and architecture is unbelievable! If Romans had not adapted to the Greek culture we would not have the artifacts or the history that we have of these two civilizations. However because of the Romans we have the history and the artifacts of the Greeks.
We also learn about the Greek gods and stories of the gods because of the Romans. The Romans just switched the names of the Greek gods to call them their own. The Romans also kept the stories of the gods, but they told the stories using the names that they had given to them. Without the Romans we would not have the in-depth history of the Greeks.
In this weeks reading what I found interesting was how they used the Colosseum not only for gladiator fights, and animal fighting, but they actually used it for naval battles,by flooding the middle area. They performed reenactments of naval battles, the actors were usually captured people or criminals I am also surprised the admission to the Colosseum was free, all were able to come as well. Another thing that I found interesting was how when the volcano erupted, and the lava covered over people's bodies, there was air pockets left where the bodies were once covered. Scientists filled the air pockets with plaster and when they got rid of all the ash, there was models of peoples dead bodies.
Many people seem to think that the Romans were unimaginative people who only took the art forms of the people they conquered. This is only partly true, however. The Romans imitated the art of their subjects, predominately the Greeks, but they also improved them. The Romans learned from the nations they conquered, adding their own ideas to create a unique culture.
Greek culture influenced Rome immensely, particularly in the creative areas. In terms of art, many Romans copied Greek statues because Greek art became so popular. More independently of Greeks, Romans were realistic instead of optimistic. They included warts, scars, and wrinkles in their sculpture, instead of depicting the ideal individual. Romans also used new and adapted building techniques. The famous roman arch, along with vaults and domes were only some of their developments. They built aqueducts to transport water from city to city. And to add to Rome's functionality, roads, bridges, baths, and amphitheaters, were built.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
What interested me the most about this week’s reading was learning about the colosseum. The colosseum was a lot like a modern day football stadium; it could fit up to 50,000 people. You could even buy food and drinks why you watched the games.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
I found it interesting that Rome really did not have any set laws. Whatever the Emperor or even a governor believed to be right in the eyes of justice could be pulled off. This gave the Emperor and Rome’s governors a lot of power. Yet their power was limited in concern to their subjects as well. If Rome had set laws then people would know what to expect depending on their behavior. In this case the Emperor was the ultimate judge and his word is law.
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