Skip to main content

What was the greatness of the Roman Empire based on?

If greatness can be defined as power, the Roman Empire can certainly be termed great. With its beginning as an average city-state on the Italian peninsula, Rome grew to be the most powerful empire in the ancient world, far eclipsing the Persian and Greek empires that preceded it, among others.


As the city of Rome began to grow in strength and population, it organized itself politically as a Republic, the form of government it perpetuated for...

If greatness can be defined as power, the Roman Empire can certainly be termed great. With its beginning as an average city-state on the Italian peninsula, Rome grew to be the most powerful empire in the ancient world, far eclipsing the Persian and Greek empires that preceded it, among others.


As the city of Rome began to grow in strength and population, it organized itself politically as a Republic, the form of government it perpetuated for approximately 500 years. Even as a Republic, the city of Rome expanded from its location along the Tiber River in the central-western part of the Italian peninsula to conquer and colonize the tribes and towns throughout Italy. Ultimately, Rome's imperial expansion led it to conquer around 20% of the world's known population, with the full extent of its empire reaching a climax around 117 A.D., during the reign of the emperor Trajan.


While conquered people naturally chafed under foreign rule, the first two centuries of imperial rule, after the demise of the Republic, is often called the Pax Romana by historians, a period marked by fairly widespread peace and prosperity. Rome's magnanimous approach to most of the people they conquered was to customarily integrate subject people into the Empire, assuring them the protection of Roman military might and participation in Rome's far-flung economy, laws and customs.


Roman laws were quite sophisticated and forward-looking for their day, and freed many conquered people from centuries of superstition and their attendant crude legal systems. In fact, many laws employed in the modern Western canon can be traced to Roman legal history.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...