ROMAN EMPIRE WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3

Choose ONE of the five following groups of questions from the Study Questions document. Write an essay of 160–180 words on EACH of the three questions in your chosen group (total word count: 480–540 words). Your essays should reflect information taken from the readings, lectures, and PowerPoints. Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 PM on Saturday July 4.

GROUP 1

1. What are three main factors that contributed to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, and what were their specific effects?
2. Choose one ‘good’ emperor and one ‘bad’ emperor, and explain the factors that contributed to their reputations.
3. How did Christian thinkers adapt the idea of Rome’s eternity to their own purposes between the second and fourth centuries?

GROUP 2

1. What is one major strength, and one major weakness, of the ‘Late Antiquity’ approach in studying the later Roman Empire? Explain.
2. With regard to territorial expansion and the frontiers, pick three emperors and explain how their varying policies affected the well-being of the Empire.
3. What strategy did the Christian bishops adopt in order to assert their authority over ‘unofficial’ movements within the church?

GROUP 3

1. After Augustus, what are three occasions on which there was civil war over the emperorship, and who were the winners?
2. As the Empire faced growing pressures, what was generally the fate of Roman cities in the West? Which cities escaped that fate, and why?
3. What are the main pros and cons of the idea that the Apostle Peter spent the last 25 years of his life teaching and preaching in the city of Rome?

GROUP 4

1. Who are three pivotal emperors in the evolution of absolute autocracy over the five centuries from Augustus to Justinian? Explain your choices. (You may include Augustus and Justinian if you think they’re relevant.)
2. What are three main factors that contributed to the survival of the Eastern Empire in the fifth century?
3. How did the bishops of Rome leverage the prestige of the city and the traditions about Peter?

GROUP 5

1. Who are the three German military commanders who played a major role in the affairs of the Western Empire, and what did they do?
2. What are the characteristics of ‘Caesaropapism’ as exemplified by Justinian?
3. Briefly sketch the history of the destruction of the great monuments of the city of Rome from late antiquity to the Renaissance.