The Middle Ages.

https://sites.google.com/site/mrnorrisyear8history/3-introduction-to-topic

Dark Ages

The Dark Ages :The Dark Ages is a term used to describe the period between 400 and 1000 AD in Europe.

Early scholars gave the name "Dark Ages" to the period in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period, barbarian Goths, Vandals, and Huns swept down on Europe from the north and east. They destroyed many fine buildings and works of art that had existed during Roman times. During the Dark Ages, knowledge survived only in monasteries, and there were very few schools. Many of the old arts and crafts were lost. This is why the time was called the "Dark Ages."

The eastern Roman Empire was not conquered by the barbarians. There, the arts still flourished. People were still thinking and making fine works of art in other parts of the world. In China and India, great civilizations grew and spread. 

In the 1000s, Europe began to slowly recover from its artistic darkness. The lost knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans was found again. There was a new interest in learning, and the richer life of the Middle Ages began.

The Age of FeudalismDuring the Dark Ages many changes took place.
 Less writing, education, trade (called the Dark Ages)
 Political fragmentation. There were many leaders. The kings had less power because countries were divided into areas controlled by feudal lords. There were many barbaric tribes.
German political traditions differed - People were loyal to a tribe, not to a country. German legal traditions differed - They had laws for individual tribes. German cultural traditions - They had no written literature, and ruins were used for monuments.
 The Church preserved ancient writings and Biblical writings. The Christian Church helped unify people of Europe because of its centralized authority and hierarchical nature. The Church unified the people because it was the only constant.

http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/med_hist.html

So,who was Spartacus?

By far the most famous gladiator in history, Spartacus was a Thracian soldier who had been captured and sold into slavery.  Lentulus Batiatus of Capua must have recognized his potential, for he purchased him with the intention of turning him into a gladiator.  But a warrior’s fierce independence is not easily given up: in 73 BC, Spartacus persuaded seventy of his fellow gladiators—Crixus included—to rebel against Batiatus. This revolt left their former owner murdered in the process, and the gladiators escaped to the slopes of nearby Mount Vesuvius.  While in transit, the group set free many other slaves—thereby amassing a large and powerful following.

The gladiators spent the winter of 72 BC training the newly freed slaves in preparation for what is now known as the Third Serville War, as their ranks swelled to as many as 70,000 individuals.  Whole legions were sent to kill Spartacus, but these were easily defeated by the fighting spirit and experience of the gladiators.  In 71 BC, Marcus Licinius Crassus amassed 50,000 well-trained Roman soldiers to pursue and defeat Spartacus.  Crassus trapped Spartacus in Southern Italy, routing his forces, and killing Spartacus in the process.  Six thousand of his followers were captured and crucified, their bodies made to line the road from Capua to Rome.

http://listverse.com/2013/04/02/10-famous-gladiators-from-ancient-rome/

Famous Romans

Here are some of the most famous Romans of all times. These are by far not all famous Romans. For there are too many to mention. But here are some of the most outstanding figures Roman history created - and who created Roman history.  

http://www.roman-empire.net/children/famous.html

Marius Vatican Museums Vatican City Marius - The great Man of the Army Gaius Marius was the man who organized the army into the most effective fighting machine on earth. At times it appeared nothing could withstand the mighty legions of Rome. It was Marius who changed the way the army organized itself. Men from the provinces could now sign up to serve in the Roman army, and in time become Roman citizens themselves. So too was it Marius who granted land to the veterans of the legions in reward for their services. He also won some famous battles with his new army, most famous of all the Aquae Sextiae and Campi Raudii, where his victories saved Italy and Rome from an invasion of barbarians from the north.

Caesar - General, Politician, Statesman Julius Caesar is no doubt the most famous Roman of them all ! He conquered Gaul in a brilliant campaign which is still used in studies for training generals today. His victories in Gaul brought into the empire what should later become one of the most important new territories to the empire. The conquest of Gaul also brought the border of the empire to the river Rhine, where it should remain for centuries to come. He also led expeditions into Germany and Britain, which were at that time completely unknown to Romans. But his political enemies never stopped plotting against him and tried to take away his power. Caesar famously crossed the river Rubicon (which was the border between the province he ruled and the Italian territories of the Roman empire) and took power over Rome as a dictator. When away in Egypt he fell in love with the legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Julius Caesar also reformed the calendar. With only minor changes his is the calendar we use today. One month, July, is named in his honour. Julius Caesar Museo della Civilta Rome

Augustus Museo della Civilta Rome Augustus - The first Emperor Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. His real name was Octavian but he was given the name 'Augustus' by the senate as an honour for his great achievements. He avenged the death of Caesar together with Mark Antony, before falling out with him. He defeated Mark Antony together with the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra and thereafter, together with the senate of Rome, created a new constitution for the great empire. Augustus stood at the head of this empire as the emperor. He used his ruled wisely and built roads, aqueducts and buildings. Not only was Augustus the first, but he was most certainly one of the best emperors Rome ever had.

Nero - The Madman of Rome Nero is the most notorious Roman of all times. It is most likely that Nero was insane. He came to power because his mother murdered his step-father emperor Claudius. During his rule much of Rome burnt down in the Great Fire of Rome. Helpless to stop the fire, he is supposed to have sung as he watched Rome burn. After this he built himself a magnificent palace on some of the land cleared by the fire. To quell rumours that he had started the fire himself, he blamed the Christians for it and then had many captured and thrown to the lions in the circus. Nero Capitoline Museums Rome

Trajan Museo della Civilta Rome Trajan - The kind-hearted Soldier Trajan is one of Rome's most outstanding emperors. Under his rule the empire reached its largest extent. He famously conquered the rich kingdom of Dacia north of the Danube. Trajan was one of the greatest soldiers among the emperors. But unlike many of the later warrior-like rulers, he was also known for his wisdom and dignity, and his humility when dealing with the senate. Alike Augustus, Trajan's reign was a glittering one, during which many public works, roads and harbours were built. He also set up an imperial fund which should look after the poor, especially the children.

Constantine the Great - Unifier of the divided Empire Constantine the great was the first Christian emperor of the Roman empire. He defeated all the other would-be emperors and re-united the empire, which had been divided between many rulers. He also decided to move the capital of the empire from Rome to a town called Byzantium, which he renamed after himself - Constantinopolis (Greek for: the city of Constantine). He also called together many bishops for the Council of Nicaea at which the exact nature of the Christian religion was defined. It is known today as the 'Nicene Creed'. For his many achievements he is known as 'Constantine the Great' and in the Christian church he is known as 'Saint Constantine'. Constantine Capitoline Museums Rome

Justinian Museo della Civilta Rome Justinian - The last 'Great' Emperor Under the rule of Justinian, the eastern empire (the west had since fallen to the barbarians) enjoyed a last flowering. His great generals Belisarius and Narses reconquered many parts of the empire, including the city of Rome itself. So too is Justinian known to have collected the many Roman laws and created a unified code of laws, the so-called 'Justinian Code'. This code formed the basis of all systems of law in the western world. He also built many great buildings in his capital, the city of Constantinople. His most outstanding building is the great church Santa Sophia, which today is the famous mosque 'Aya Sophia' in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Engineering and Construction

The Romans were excellent engineers and builders. Many of the buildings and engineering projects they designed are still around today and some are still being used. Here are some of the projects that the Romans excelled in:

Roads

Roman Roads were important to the economy and the military of the Romans. They allowed for easier commerce between towns and cities and also allowed the Roman Legions to move quickly around the expanding empire.

The roads were designed to last despite the environment. They were built using many layers of masonry including concrete. These durable roads are still used today. They were also built with a hump making water flow to the edges. This kept the roads from flooding and allowed them to be used in rainy weather.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome is a great example of Roman engineering and construction. The Colosseum was a large outdoor stadium that could seat around 50,000 people for various forms of entertainment such as gladiator games, mock battles, and dramas. The huge Colosseum is free standing and built with multiple arches to give it strength. Much of it still stands today, although earthquakes have knocked portions of it down. It is 615 feet long and 510 feet wide and took around 131,000 cubic yards of stone to make.

Aqueducts

Aqueducts were long channels that the Romans built to carry water into the cities. Many of the Roman aqueducts were below ground. The water that was carried into the cities was used for drinking water, baths, and sewers. It was generally carried to a public fountain where people could then use buckets to get their water. Roman plumbing became so advanced that many of the large wealthy houses had running water.

Roman Aqueduct

Bridges

The Romans built long durable bridges. Many of their bridges still stand today. They used stone and concrete to build their bridges and used the arch as the basic architectural feature to make them strong. The largest Roman bridge ever built was the Trajan bridge over the river Danube. It was over 3700 feet long and 62 feet high.

The Trajan Bridge

Architecture

Roman engineering had a large influence on Roman architecture. Arches were used a lot due to their strength. The Romans also used domes as they enabled them to build large ceilings with wide open spaces.

Fun Facts about Roman Engineering

• The Romans built over 400,000 km of roads including 29 highways that lead to the city of Rome.
• The Latin word for road is via. The plural of via is viae. Roman roads generally had the name via in them, like the Via Appia or the Via Flaminia.
• All the aqueducts in the city of Rome together totaled around 500 miles in length.
• The Romans were among the first civilizations to harness water power.
• It is estimated that the Romans built over 900 bridges in their empire.

 http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_roman_engineering.php

 For more information:
http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/interactive_learning/romanbuildingfiles/yr_7_roman_builbing.htm

Total War

Wars and Battles

 The Ancient Romans fought many battles and wars in order to expand and protect their empire. There were also civil wars where Romans fought Romans in order to gain power. Here are some of the major battles and wars that the Romans fought.

The Punic Wars

The Punic Wars were fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC. Carthage was a large City located on the coast of North Africa. This sounds like a long way away at first, but Carthage was just a short sea voyage from Rome across the Mediterranean Sea. Both cities were major powers at the time and both were expanding their empires. As the empires grew, they began to clash and soon war had begun.

There were three major parts of the Punic wars and they were fought over the course of more than 100 years,

• First Punic War (264 - 241 BC): The First Punic War was fought largely over the island of Sicily. This meant a lot of the fighting was at sea where Carthage had the advantage of a much stronger navy than Rome. However, Rome quickly built up a large navy of over 100 ships. Rome also invented the corvus, a type of assault bridge that allowed Rome's superior soldiers to board enemy navy vessels. Rome soon dominated Carthage and won the war.
• Second Punic War (218 - 201 BC): In the Second Punic War, Carthage had more success fighting against the Roman legions. The Carthage leader and general, Hannibal, made a daring crossing of the Alps to attack Rome and northern Italy. This crossing was made more famous because he also brought a large number of elephants with him. Hannibal was a brilliant general and won several battles against the Romans. However, despite fighting for 16 years, Hannibal wasn't able to conquer the city of Rome. When Rome counterattacked his homeland of Carthage, Hannibal was forced to retreat. The final battle in this war was the Battle of Zama where the Roman general Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal.
• Third Punic War (149 - 146 BC): In the Third Punic War Rome attacked the city of Carthage. After three years of laying siege to the city, the Roman army broke through the walls and burned it to the ground.

 The Battle of Cynoscephalae (364 BC)

In this battle the Roman Legion under Titus Flamininus soundly defeated the Macedonian Army led by Philip V. This battle was important because the successors of Greek leader Alexander the Great had now been defeated. Rome had become the dominant world power.

Third Servile War (73 - 71 BC)

This war started when 78 gladiators, including their leader Spartacus, escaped and started a rebellion. Soon they had over 120,000 escaped slaves and others traveling with them invading the countryside. They successfully fought back many Roman soldiers until finally an army with a full 8 legions was dispatched to destroy them. The fighting was long and bitter, but eventually Spartacus' army was defeated.

Caesar's Civil War (49 - 45 BC)

This war is also called the Great Roman Civil War. Julius Caesar's legions fought against the Senate supported legions of Pompey the Great. The war lasted for four years until Caesar finally defeated Pompey and became Dictator of Rome. This signaled the end of the Roman Republic.

The famous moment in this war was when Caesar crossed the Rubicon River. This meant he was going to war against Rome. Today the term "crossing the Rubicon" is still used to say that someone had reached the point of no return and can not go back.

The Battle of Actium (31 BC)

In this battle Octavian's forces, led by Marcus Agrippa, defeated the combined forces of Roman general Marc Antony and Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra VII. As a result Octavian became the sole power in Rome and would soon become Rome's first Emperor. He would change his name to Augustus when he became emperor. 

http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_roman_wars_battles.php