Primary Source Analysis: Letter from St. Jerome to Principia (412 AD)

"Rome had been besieged and its citizens had been forced to buy their lives with gold. Then thus despoiled they had been besieged again so as to lose not their substance only but their lives. My voice sticks in my throat; and, as I dictate, sobs choke my utterance. The City which had taken the whole world was itself taken; nay more famine was beforehand with the sword and but few citizens were left to be made captives. In their frenzy the starving people had recourse to hideous food; and tore each other limb from limb that they might have flesh to eat. Even the mother did not spare the babe at her breast. In the night was Moab taken, in the night did her wall fall down^. "O God, the heathen have come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have made Jerusalem an orchard. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them."
(Besieged= surround (a place) with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender; lay siege to).

1. AUTHOR - What do you know, or what can you infer about the author?
  - The author saw, or experienced, this famine that broke out in Rome.

2. PLACE AND TIME - Where and when was the source produced, and how does this affect its meaning?

    -The source was produced in 412 AD in Rome. It was during a time of famine, which affects this meaning even more because it shows that the author who wrote the source was able to survive during this tough time.

3. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - What else do you know that would help you understand the source?
    -They are in a time of famine, where there is no food or water. Some were taken captive and others were eating the flesh of other people for food. Dead bodies were everywhere surrounding Jerusalem.

4. AUDIENCE - For whom was the source created and how might this affect its reliability?
    -This source was created for anyone to read, and obtain information about more than what might be known to have happened in Rome. Because it was written during the time of the famine, this source has a higher reliability rate than others.

5. REASON – For what purpose what this source created?
    -This source was created to recall an event that happened in Rome. Rome had good moments, and this source shows that it certainly does have its hard times as well.

6. THE MAIN IDEA – What’s the main idea?
    -The main idea is that in Rome of 412 AD, Rome was surrounded and people went through a famine. Nobody had food, resulting to cannibalism, and death among many people.

7. SIGNIFICANCE - Why is this source important? What conclusions can be drawn from the source, or what questions remain unanswered?
     -This source is important in Roman history, telling us what went down in Rome during that time. We can infer that Rome, at one point, got surrounded and had a decline in the empire which made them enter a famine. A question that remains unanswered would be this: Did the author of this source really have a part in the famine? And if he did, then how did he survive through it?

Commodus

 Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus  (Commodus; 161-192 AD)


Background

- Son of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius; Husband to Crispina

- Commodus was the 10th child out of 14, and the only son to survive. He did have a twin brother, but he passed away at the age of 4 (which in turn had Commodus spend more time with his father).

 - Spent most of his time as a kid with his father doing campaigns against the Quadi and the Marcomanni along the Danubian frontier. 

- His father died, possibly from the plague when Commodus was 19

- Commodus was a Roman Emperor from 180-192 AD. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father from 177 AD until his father's death in 180 AD.

- Commodus became a murderer of senators, ministers, family members, and eventually beasts

Above: The Danube Frontier where Commodus and his father had campaigns 

Achievements

- Listed himself as a gladiator after killing ostriches, a panther, a hundred lions, an elephant, a rhinoceros, and a giraffe in front of the public

- Fought 735 times 

- In 191, a part of the city of Rome burned, and Commodus took the opportunity to rename the city of Rome in his own honor, as Colonia Commodiana.

- The months of the calendar were all renamed in his honor, and the senate was renamed as the Commodian Fortunate Senate. The army became known as the Commodian Army. 

- Got the military troops to like him because he allowed them to carry axes in battle; but was well hated among everyone else for his tyrant behavior

- Was a good emperor like his father, until he heard about people plotting his murder. That's when he turned

Cause of Death

- Commodus died on December 31, in 192 AD. Marcia, his mistress, tried to poison Commodus, but the attempt failed. That's when an athlete named Narcissus went and strangled him in his bath tub.

Historical Significance

- 12 years of tyrancy to everyone; killed many people in excruciatingly painful ways just for the entertainment it brought among himself.

- For each appearance in his fight outbreaks (735), he paid himself such a high fee that a new tax had to be demanded (from the people).

- Pretended to be the 2nd hercules and became a gladiator in his own palace

- Before fighting, he would injure the opponent (if he was stronger) so that he would win

-  He's known for carelessness at the throne

         

Spartacus

1. WHO was Spartacus? 
Spartacus was a gladiator that was used for entertainment. (He was a slave from Thrace)

2. WHAT did he do?
Escaped with gladiators; Triumphed in war with Romans; got trapped in Italy; broke free of Italy; went into war with the Romans again.

3. WHY did he do it?
He did everything that he did in an attempt to get to freedom

4. WHEN did it happen? 
It happened from 73 BC- 71 BC

5. WHERE did it happen? 
Capua --> Mount Vesuvius (pompeii) --> Metapontum --> Mt. Garganus --> Mutina --> Sicily

6. HOW did it end?

Spartacus died in war and his people were killed (crucified on the cross); Got defeated by Crassus (rich guy in Rome). 

 

7. WAS HE A HERO OR A VILLAIN?
He was a hero because he attempted to give the gladiators freedom; but then again, he did start a war and get them killed or enslaved 

264-146 BC: The Punic Wars

A war between the Romans and the Carthaginians. The war happened due to them being so close together, and a fight for territory. The romans wanted to have war on land while the Carthaginians wanted it out at sea. 

73-71 BC: Spartacus's slave Revolt 

Spartacus was a gladiator, a slave that was used for entertainment. He wanted to get to freedom, and he did just that. Spartacus freed all the other gladiators and had them follow him throughout Italy. They fought in many wars along the way, in numerous places.

100-44 BC: Julius Caesar historical Significance

Julius Caesar was well known for freeing people and attempting to lead them into freedom.    He led the slave army into war against Rome, and gets wiped out. Julius Caesar began a career as a military tribune after serving in the army. 

306-337 AD: Constantine 

Constantine was the son of a high ranking army general. He claimed the throne after winning a civil war for absolute rule over a split empire. Constantine was the first Christian emperor, which happened after he supposedly saw Christian symbols in the sky. He was known for "accidentally" killing his wife and son. 

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

- One reason that the Roman Empire collapsed was due to over-expansion. Over-expansion lead to owning lots of territory that needed to be protected, and that couldn't happen without more soldiers to help. This caused them to spend more money on their military, and in turn the economy declined.

-  Another reason that the Roman Empire collapsed was disease. An extended amount of travel and trade between different people and places caused many diseases to intrude within high population densities. Malaria, smallpox, and many plagues spread throughout the people, and lead to their death. Without the people, their military was disappearing, and nothing was getting done. This created a decline in the Roman Empire.

 

- Inflation is another big reason why the Roman Empire didn't last. Emperors spent lots of money on monuments, palaces, and armies which brought them to the point of diluting coins with non-precious metals. This made the coins worth less, and when prices went way up, people weren't able to buy the things they needed. The economy declined because of this.  

 

- Barbarian mercenaries in the Roman Army was a big deal. Barbarian Mercenaries were hired soldiers who fought for Rome. This caused such a huge fall in the Roman Empire because the hired soldiers would eventually turn on Rome and use their war experience against Rome. Because the Romans became unresponsive with their own wars, these guys had to be hired. They weren't Romans, which only made them un-loyal to Rome and its emperors. An example would be the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which happened during the time of 9 AD.  

 

 

 

 

Roman Culture

Food

- Rich Romans got to eat more exotic food, that being meats like fowl (birds), beef, poultry, lamb, pork, and fish. 

- Poor Romans stuck with eating the Mediterranean Triad, which consisted of the basic items like olive oil, wine, barley, vegetables, and fruits

- To the rich people, flavor didn't matter. The level of exoticness and complexity to make was what mattered



Clothing

- wore togas or tunics 

- The more markings on the toga, the higher the status. Poor Romans didn't have any markings 

- Only male citizens were allowed to wear togas 

The Punic Wars

1. Who was Rome's enemy? (Describe the group of people and important leaders) Rome's enemy was the Carthaginians. They 

2. Why did it start? They collided with what they did. The carthaginians wanted war at sea while the Romans wanted it on land. They were just too close together. 

3. Where and when did the wars take place? First Punic war was in                                           218 BC: second war began 

4. How was geography a factor? 

The Alps Mountains made it easy for Hannibal, the leader of the 2nd attack, to surprise attack them 

5. What key events took place? (2-3)
The war between the Romans and the Etruscans

6. How was technology a factor?  
They had the best ships. Instead of 3 rows of rowers, they had 5 which allowed them to move faster. 

7. What tactics or strategies were used?

8. How did the end result impact both sides? 

In the end, 

Government of the Roman Republic

Roman governtment powerpoint from raenbarcelon