Julius Caesar - General, Politician, and Statesman
Julius Caesar
is one of the most famous Romans of them all. He conquered Gaul and his victories
brought into the empire what should later become one of the most important new
territories to the empire. 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. He took power over Rome as a dictator, a ruler with lots of power. In Egypt he fell in love with the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra VII. Julius
Caesar also reformed the calendar. His is the calendar we use today and July is
named in his honor.
Augustus - The first Emperor
Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. His real name was Octavian but he
was given the name Augustus as an honor for his great achievements. Augustus
defeated Mark Antony with the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra VII, and 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. His rule began the Pax Romana,
a period of peace that began around27 B.C.
Augustus used his ruled wisely and built roads, aqueducts and buildings.
Augustus was most certainly one of the best emperors Rome ever had.
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 the town, 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 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'.
Mark
Antony - Roman General
Antony was born
in Egypt, served in the Roman army in Gaul under Caesar,
and was elected tribune in Rome as Caesar's representative. He supported Caesar in the civil
war with Pompeii. Antony was consul when Caesar was murdered. After assuming control of
the eastern part of the empire he went to Egypt and became Cleopatra's lover. The alliance with Cleopatra
angered his supporters in Rome and Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. The fleet and army of Antony and
Cleopatra were defeated and they committed suicide. Octavian later became
Emperor of Rome, as Augustus.
Roman Clothes…