Hi folks! From the historian’s point of view, the third century is when everything went to heck. Is that how the Romans themselves would have perceived it? What do this week’s readings tell us about what it was like during that time, and what it was that changed or remained consistent about being part of the Roman dominion?

This week I read Ammianus Marcellinus "The Luxury of the Rich in Rome". This text illustrates how important wealth changed Rome and its culture. Noble's were starting to have statues made o=to immortalize themselves. Instead of earning their statue with honor and glory. Now glory was measured by material possession and appearance. "Others place the summit of glory in having a couch higher than usual, or splendid apparel". This proves the transition of priorities for Romans. Vice and indulgence were plenty at this time. With buildings meant for learning and studying not being occupied by entertainment. Singers, musicians, and actors were value more than ever. The respect for people in that field increased as well. They were the source of their entertainment so it makes sense. People became a lot more selfish as well with money being the prime motivator for any interaction.

The reading I decided to read was The Lives of Soldiers and Sailors, and the reason I decided to read it is that I wanted to know more about soldiers' lives. What surprised me about this is how human the soldiers were. I would've thought soldiers never showed weakness to anyone, not even their families, but this reading proved me wrong. Many soldiers are homesick and thankful to their parents. I think the author was trying to show how, through time, the Roman army changed over time and what soldiers had to deal with. I think this reading is showing us different times and how the experiences of soldiers vary through time. This reading kind of relates to some of the readings we’ve read. I remember reading about how soldiers used to not only fight but also help civilians. 

I would like to know if soldiers have breaks from their service, or are they forced to be there for a certain period of time? 

For this week’s reading, I chose "How Didius Julianus Bought the Empire at Auction." This passage stood up to me because it illustrates a dramatic moment when the basic principles of how Rome was governed were tested by selfishness and dishonesty. The transformation of the Praetorian Guards from protectors to mercenaries shows a bigger idea about how honesty can break down in a powerful Empire.

One particularly striking detail is when the soldiers stated that the "Empire was for sale at auction." This statement highlights how far the Praetorian Guards had strayed from their original purpose. It demonstrates that power had become a product to be bought instead of a position of respect and responsibility. Moreover, the fact that Didius Julianus was encouraged by his family to take this chance for power, even though it was morally questionable, shows how far people would go to gain influence.

This passage seems to come from a time in Ancient Roman history where values like honor and integrity were being ignored, and ambition was more important than doing what was right.

Moreover, the author was trying to communicate that power is unstable and that letting moral compromises guide political decisions can be dangerous. This kind of corruption can result in major problems for society and a loss of trust in leaders.

Finally, I would like to know how the auctioning of the Empire influenced public perception of leadership and governance.

I chose The Persecution under Decius by Eusebius’s because it vividly portrays the struggles and resilience of early Christians during a time of intense persecution. The story of Apollonia stood out most after brutal torture where she was described as having had her teeth smashed and threatened to be cast into a fire if she didn't denounce her faith, yet she willingly leaped into the flames rather than renounce her faith. Her courage was striking and showed resilience and determination in the Christian community. Eusebius aimed to show the strong faith and heroism of Christian martyrs, showing the endurance of those believers. It shows a time of deep religious tension and state-sponsored violence, where Christians were viewed as inferior and as a threat and thus faced brutal persecution for refusing to conform. This document supports the past readings based on mystery cults specifically with the danger they symbolized as the Romans were constantly described as non understanding of Christians and their faith. At first they had little reason to care but seeing the growing numbers of Christians and seeing their determination they began to fear them and thus reacted with intense violence. My question is, how deep did the Christian faith run in Roman society? It seemed to have been very popular amongst the lower poorer individuals, but was Christianity big on the more wealthy and powerful members of Roman society?

For this week, I chose "The Persecution under Decius" by Eusebius. This reading's subject matter is very interesting Eusebius details the persecution of Christians under Princeps Decius. Eusebius say the hostility towards Christians came from Decius hatred for his predecessor Phillip. Decius began persecuting against the churches making martyrs. One detail I found interesting was when Eusebius states " Then they carried to their idol temple a faithful woman, named Quinta, that they might force her to worship. And as she turned away in detestation, they bound her feet and dragged her through the entire city over the stone-paved streets, and dashed her against the millstones, and at the same time scourged her; then, taking her to the same place, they stoned her to death." Eusebius mentions this to emphasize faith and resiliency these Christian martyrs. I get a sense that Eusebius empathizes with Christian and feels like this is an injustice occurring in the Rome with his admiration for those who died for their beliefs instead of recanting .

For this week, I chose the reading " How Didius Julianus Bought the Empire at Auction/ Herodian". One detail that I thought was interesting was that Julianus was encouraged by his wife, and daughter to pursue the throne. To me this highlights that family members saw a way to seize the emperorship through bribery. Julianus wasn't interested in leadership, instead in his wealth. Julianus also promised soldiers to uphold Commodus' good name as former emperor, however people didn't respect the fact that Julianus bought his way to the throne, Julianus was quickly taken out of power and killed after Septimius Severus marched to Rome. I feel like the author was trying to communicate the idea of corruption and the decline of the Roman Empire. I also think that the author's purpose was to highlight the instability of the Roman political system during that period. Certain figures like Julianus bought their way into power and had no leadership abilities.

What other actions made Didius Julianus unsuitable to be leader of Rome beside using his wealth to buy the throne?

For this week I read How Didius Julianus Bought the Empire at Auction from Herodian, because of how provocative the title is, the man bought the Roman Empire. The Praetorian Guard were trying to sell the Empire to the highest bidder because they wanted bigger coffers after killing the last Emperor. The quote that stood out to me is " The guards therefore in full panoply surrounded him for protection. They were formed in a phalanx around him, ready to fight; they had “their Emperor” in their midst; while they swung their shields and lances over his head, so that no missile could hurt him during the march". This quote highlights that Didius Julianus was the Praetorian's Emperor, not the Roman people's Emperor because Didius Julianus was paying the Praetorians salaries and so had their loyalty. Loyalty didn't last long as the ringleaders who sold the empire were executed for what they did. The document just highlights how Didius Julianus was nothing but a paycheck for the guard, the people didn't want him and the guard was only as loyal as the money was good. Did Didius Julianus really believe he could get away with becoming the Emperor by buying the Empire?