Well here Lona and I are again. And I know that Lona's really been fascinated by the fall of Rome. I've been teaching her all about it, and all the ephemeral emperors, and all the hard times. And you just find it absolutely fascinating don't you? You like hearing about the fall of Rome? You could just see that, the emotion in her face. It's just incredible. Okay. Well why don't you go sit down for awhile, and daddy will finish talking about it. So today we're gonna talk about Roman late antiquity. This is actually the last formal lecture that I will give but I'll introduce the last lecture and a quite a bit of film that we will be seeing next time. But today we're gonna, kind of talk about what happened to the Roman Empire. Well as the Roman Empire lurched into the early 4th century CE. Maximian and Diocletian, the two Augustus's, were senior ruling tetrarch's. Retired so that their chosen successors, Galerius and Constantius, could move up from being Caesars to being Augustus. Well, that was the plan. But these two Caesars didn't get along. And as with individuals who are filled with egotism and ambition, they perform their new roles amid an atmosphere of distrust. Furthermore, Constantius son, Constantine harbored dreams of his own of becoming an emperor. Under Diocletian's system, the positions of Caesar and Augustus, were to be awarded through merit and arranged with the consent of the principal rulers. But in times when many sought to carve up the fading empire, and slice off a piece of it for themselves, Diocletian's plan seemed, well naive. When Constantius died suddenly at York, in England, leaving no time for negotiation and arrangements for the future of the empire. A whirlwind of troubles was set in motion. Maxentius, the son of Maximian, declared himself emperor. So did Constantius' son, Constantine. Severus had been declared Caesar. But had now to raise troops to defend himself. Licinius, the friend of Galerius, claimed the rule of the Western Empire. With no trust among the claimants to the thrown, the tetrarchic system was doomed. When the dust settles by 312 C.E. Constantine was the victor. Defeating runner up Maxentius in particular, the son of Maximian at the famous Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Leaving Italy essentially under Constantine's control. And Rome as well. Since the later Antonine era of unrest, Christianity had been on the rise. And Constantine has been hailed as the first Christian Emperor. Although it's still debated just how Christian he was, with all of the intrigues and murders, and broken treaties, and bloodshed associated with his family and his court. Nonetheless, he is famous for issuing the Edict of Milan, providing freedom from religious persecution. To all of the subjects of the empire. Constantine soon had defeated all of his rivals, and gained control, full control of the Roman world. Rome had experienced what might be called the mini revival, in the time of Diocletian, Maximian his son Maxentius and Constantine. Dyaclecian erected the magnificent baths that bear his name, that today are a church and a museum. Maximian had made Rome his power center, and Maxcentius had become a powerful figure in Rome and put up a monumental basilica, called the basilica nova. Which was finished by Constantine after the death of Maxcentius. And in which Constantine installed a giant image of himself. Constantine also provided large baths, and his famous arch by the Roman Forum. The Basilica Nova is partly preserved today. Constantine's basilica. It had a massive triple groin vaulted central hall or naive. With three communicating rooms on either side. The western end of the central hall ended in an apse, where the colossal Constantine status was placed. Although recent scholarship suggests that the statue may have been placed there only after Constantine's death, or even later, in the fourth century. The basilica, and particularly the apse, may have been used by judges serving Rome's city Prefect, who began holding frequent public hearings here, we know in 384 CE. The basic plan of the basilica, with long side naive and apse, had been present since at least the time of Domitian, at the end of the first century AD, or CE, in his palace on the Palatine Hill. Constantine's extensive use of this forum, this basilical forum, and his promotion of Christianity, paved the way for this forum to become the prototype for the basilica church forum. Such as the one found in old St. Peter's Basilica, which featured a columnated gathering place or forecourt, a narthex or entrance area. Which could be used to block access to the main church or limit it. A naive, side aisles, and an apse. In churches, one would find images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, or other Christian figures. And perhaps supporters of them in the apse. But here it is Constantine who appeared, perhaps some 30 feet high, with a bare chested body made of various white marbles, and bronze drapery across the legs. The magnificent head done in the popular art style was of Pentelic marble imported all the way from Athens. And it shows an iconic looking individual, with piercing over large eyes that seem to communicate with a higher plane of reality. The eyebrows are like ropes. The bangs rigidly stylized. The eyes deeply drilled. The face smooth and bilaterally symmetrical, so that it's hard to see in this, an individual's portrait. Let's just take a moment and sum up what was going on in the third, and early fourth century CE in Rome. And take a look also at Constantine's finishing up, of Maxentius Basilica.
