Caligula (bad finish)
- He began to fight with the Senate
- He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (sacrilege!)
- Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what his critics said)
- Assassinated by his own aides. AD 41 (aged 28)
Claudius- Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment - thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
- He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
- He had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup - so Claudius had them killed
Religious troubles- Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
- Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
- AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
- The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
- Half a million Jews died in the rebellion
Persecution of Christians- Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
- Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)
- Often used for "entertainment" purpose in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)
- Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians
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