HISTORY V101

                                                                     Section 002

                                                                     Dr. Powers

                                                                      Fall, 2008

 

                                                             COURSE OUTLINE

VI. LATE ANTIQUITY

A.    The Late Roman Empire [See “The Third Century Crisis, the Late Roman Empire, and the “Fall of Rome” Power Point Outline]

1.      Diocletian

a.       The empire divided

1)      the tetrarchy

2)      Provinces, dioceses, prefectures

b.      Wage and Price controls and their effects

c.       Forced hereditary careers

d.      Beginnings of serfdom and manorialism

e.       Government by coercion

f.       Military reforms

2.      Constantine

a.       Temporary reunification

b.      Major construction projects

c.       Constantinople

d.      The Edict of Milan

3.      Vast power and prestige to the Emperor

a.       Diocletian's emperor-worship

b.      Christian "God-appointed" emperors

c.       Ceremonial exaltation

4.      Near-totalitarian society

5.      Heavy taxes on the lower classes, exemptions for the upper classes

6.      The barbarians

7.      Theodosius and the divided empire

B.     The “Fall of Rome

1.      Was there any such thing?

2.      What of the perseverance of the East

3.      Barbarian infiltrations

a.       The Huns and their effects

b.      The Volkerwanderungen: Mass migrations of entire peoples

c.       The Federate system

d.      Adrianople

e.       Rome attacked

1)      410: Alaric, the Visigoths, and the Sack of Rome

2)      452: Huns deterred b y Pope Leo I

3)      455: Gaiseric, the Vandals, and another Sack of Rome

4.      476: The Overthrow of Romulus Augustulus

5.      What does it mean? Why did it happen?

a.       Arther Ferrill and the military explanation [See handouts with reviews of Ferrill’s book]

b.      Ramsay McMullen and the corruption issue [See “Corruption and the Fall of Rome” handout]

c.       Jerome O. Nriagu [See “Researcher Says Lead Poisoning One Cause of Roman Empire’s Fall”]

d.      Nicholas von Hoffman [See “It’s Pointless to Dissect the Carcass of Rome”]

C.     The Rise of Christianity [See The Christian Church: Stages of Historical Development in the Ancient World” Power Point outline]

1.      Relatively Open Religious Atmosphere of Rome

a.       Polytheistic Tolerance

b.      Traditional cults

c.       Official State Religion

d.      Imperial Cult

e.       Mithraism and other mystery cults

f.       Judaism

1)      Multiple variations

a)      Sadducees

b)      Pharisees

c)      Essenes

d)     Zealots

2)      The Revolt of 66

3)      Destruction of the Temple

4)      Crushing of Jewish autonomy in Judaea

5)      Forced Diaspora

2.      The Ministry and Message of Jesus [See “Who Was Jesus?” Handout]

3.      Crucifixion and Resurrection [See “Who Killed Jesus?” Handout]

4.      The Pauline Revolution

5.      Slow Spreading in the Hidden Years

a.       Compilation of the New Testament

b.      Development of Hierarchy

1)      Preachers and Presbyters

2)      Bishops and Apostolic Succession

3)      Gradual centralization through growing power of bishops

c.       Agape and Eucharist

6.      Opposition

a.       Christianity seen as immoral

b.      Christianity seen as exclusive and atheist

c.       Fears of Christian subversion

d.      Sporadic Persecution in the Early Empire

e.       The Decian Persecutions

f.       Diocletian's persecutions

7.      Constantine

a.       Personal Conversion - A Christian Emperor

b.      The Edict of Milan and Legalization

c.       Imperial favoritism, great growth

d.      The "Thirteenth Apostle"

e.       The creation of a Christian “orthodoxy”

1)      Persecution and suppression of other Christians

2)      Persecution of Jews

8.      Theodosius and Establishment

a.       Persecution of pagans

b.      Persecution of heretics

c.       The conflict with Ambrose of Milan

9.      Heresies [See “Heirs of Rome” Power Point outline]

a.       Refinement of doctrine and hierarchy

b.      Reflects acceptance of classical culture

c.       Note sometime political associations

d.      Major heresies & responses to them

1)      Arianism

a)      Arius and Athanasius

b)      Council of Nicaea

c)      Homoousian

d)     The Trinity

e)      Effect of Arianism on the Germanic kingdoms

2)      Donatism and Apostolic Succession

3)      Gnosticism

4)      Monophysitism

5)      Nestorianism

6)      Pelagianism

7)      Manicheanism

D.       The Byzantine Empire [See “Heirs of Rome” Power Point Outline]

1.         Continuation of Roman Empire and Traditions

2.         Growth and Shrinkage Over Time

a.         Regaining and Relosing Western Lands

b.         Losses in the East to the new Persian Empire

c.         Yarmuk River and the Islamic Conquests

d.        The Bulgars in the Balkans

e.         Temporary recovery under the Macedonian dynasty

3.         Justinian's Reign

a.         Reconquests

b.         The Building Program: Hagia Sophia

c.         Trebonian and the Codification of the Laws

d.        Procopius

e.         Theodora

f.          The Nika Revolt

4.         The theme system

5.         Greek gradually replaces Latin; the Roman Empire becomes the Byzantine Empire

6.         The Role of the Church

a.         Caesaropapism

b.         Tensions with the Western Church

c.         The iconoclastic controversy

1)        What it was about

2)        Impact

d.        Missions to the Slavs

1)        Cyril and Methodius

2)