Notes on Late Antiquity & Early Christianity:

1. This is the end of the Roman expansion
2. Commodus takes over and he is awful, we see cracks the government.
3. He is a little crazy, and dressed up like Hercules.
4. Septimius Severus was the first African ruler of Rome.
5. His son, Caracalla is a brutal man.
6. Crisis of the 3rd century - age of the soldier emperors: series of roman armies each trying to take over Rome. This cycle is monotonous and it is a dark time for Rome.
7. Terrible time for Rome; so many men declare themselves empeor.
8. Diocletian was the next stable emperor after several years of disorder.
9. Dominate sets up the Tetrarchy. It is a rule of four.
10. Maxentius and Constantine: the two who are the strongest. They go head to head in the Milvian Bridge battle in the year 312 BC. Constantine WINS. He saw a vision; CHI RO...and he made Christianity legal in Rome.
11. "Constantine's victory gave him total control of the western Rome empire paving the way for Christianity…" -Paul K. Davis
12. Constantine wants to move the city of Rome to Constantinople. Present day Istanbul.
13. Constantinople become the seat of the Byzantine Empire.
14. Elements of Late Antiquity: Era of soldiers emperors & Crisis of the 3rd century , rise of Diocletian and Dominate, rise of Constantine, and move of Rome to Constantinople.
15. 476 BC ROME FALLS.

Early Christianity:

16. Christianity was illegal until Constantine made it legal
17. Mass was held in secret in the catacombs
18. Iconography & art of "Jesus". You needed to be knowledgeable in the code to understand.
19. Byzantine Empire runs through a city named Ravenna. Ravenna was a temporary capital.
20. The church is strong and the army is strong, therefore to become powerful you need the Church and Army on your side.