The Roman Empire
Background
The city of Rome is in modern-day Italy. Rome began as a kingdom. In 509 BCE, it became a republic. It was somewhat democratic. In 27 BCE, the Roman Republic was replaced. Caesar Augustus became Rome’s first emperor. Rome became the Roman Empire.
A map showing Roman conquests during the Republican period. Rome had an empire well before Julius Caesar was even born. Public domain.
Formation
Augustus had total control over Rome. His policy reforms marked the beginning of the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). The emperors who followed him gained more power, too. The emperor became central to Roman political life. His image was on coins. He was thought to be related to the gods.
You know you’ve made it big when your face is on money. This Roman coin carries the image of Augustus, and the inscription, “DIVVS IVLIVS” means “Divine Julius.” By Classical Numismatic Group, CC BY-SA 2.5.
Administration: Human resources
The Roman Empire expanded through war. This made military service important. Men could gain political power and wealth.
The wars brought enslaved people to Rome. They worked on plantations for wealthy Romans. They could buy their freedom. Their children could become Roman citizens.
The Roman Empire controlled 2 million square miles of land. The Romans built hundreds of miles of roads to connect the empire.
A Roman aqueduct in southern France that carried water to the city of Nîmes. By Benh Lieu Song, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Religion and culture: Beliefs that travel
A relief of Mithras killing a bull. The Cult of Mithras was popular among soldiers, which is part of why it spread so quickly through the empire. By Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Romans generally did not force their religion on others. Some Romans learned religions from other parts of the empire. They took these beliefs back to Rome.
Early Christians faced oppression in Rome. This changed in 313 CE. Emperor Constantine decided that Christianity should be allowed in the Roman Empire. By 380, Christianity was the empire’s state religion.
Trade networks: Silk and more silk
Many Romans wanted luxury goods from afar. There were many trade networks to bring in goods. Merchants brought in silk from China. There were also spices from around the Indian Ocean. All this trade also brought diseases to Rome. There were several plagues that spread along the trade routes.
A fresco from Pompeii depicting a maenad in silk dress. Maenads were mythical figures who went to parties thrown by Bacchus, the god specializing in excess and debauchery. Public domain.
Women in society
Rome had a patriarchal society. This means it was controlled by men. There were laws that regulated how women should act. Augustus passed laws that punished women who didn’t marry. Women lacked full legal rights. They couldn’t vote or hold political office.
Many women still were able to have some power. Some wealthy women advised their sons and husbands.
Decline and fall: Sort of
The Roman Empire is said to have fallen in 476. This is not really true. By this time, the empire had split into two. The Western Roman Empire was based in Rome. It fell to Germanic tribes in 476.
There was also an Eastern Roman Empire. Its capital was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). The Eastern Roman Empire grew powerful and expanded. It lasted another 1,000 years. Some historians call it the “Byzantine Empire.” The people who lived there called themselves Romans. These Romans continued to be the most powerful state in the Mediterranean world.
A map of the Eastern Roman Empire after Justinian reconquered Italy and other lands in the west. By Tatatryn, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Sources
Ball, Warwick. Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire. New York: Routledge, 2016.
Bentley, Jerry. Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Harris, W.V. Roman Power: A Thousand Years of Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Liu, Xinru. The Silk Road in World History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry. A Concise History of the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Bennett Sherry
Bennett Sherry holds a PhD in History from the University of Pittsburgh and has undergraduate teaching experience in world history, human rights, and the Middle East at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maine at Augusta. Additionally, he is a Research Associate at Pitt’s World History Center. Bennett writes about refugees and international organizations in the twentieth century.
Image credits
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 except for the following:
Cover: Augustus of Prima Porta - Portrait of the emperor Augustus Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus) (63 BC-14 AD) - Marble sculpture, 20 AD, from the Villa of Livia (Livia Drusilla also known as Julia Augusta, 58 BC-29 AD) at Prima Porta, near Rome - Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums, Rome © Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images.
A map showing Roman conquests during the Republican period. Rome had an empire well before Julius Caesar was even born. Public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expansion_of_Rome,_2nd_century_BC.gif#/media/File:Expansion_of_Rome,_2nd_century_BC.gif
You know you’ve made it big when your face is on money. This Roman coin carries the image of Augustus, and the inscription, “DIVVS IVLIVS” means “Divine Julius.” By Classical Numismatic Group, CC BY-SA 2.5. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Augustus,_denarius,_19-18_BC,_RIC_I_37a.jpg
A Roman aqueduct in southern France that carried water to the city of Nîmes. By Benh Lieu Song, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pont_du_Gard_BLS.jpg
A relief of Mithras killing a bull. The Cult of Mithras was popular among soldiers, which is part of why it spread so quickly through the empire. By Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Large_polychrome_tauroctony_relief,_from_the_mithraeum_of_S._Stefano_Rotondo,_end_of_the_3rd_century_AD,_Baths_of_Diocletian_Museum,_Rome_(22168758335).jpg
A fresco from Pompeii depicting a maenad in silk dress. Maenads were mythical figures who went to parties thrown by Bacchus, the god specializing in excess and debauchery. Public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenad#/media/File:M%C3%A9nade_danzante,_Casa_del_Naviglio,_Pompeya.jpg
A map of the Eastern Roman Empire after Justinian reconquered Italy and other lands in the west. By Tatatryn, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Justinian555AD.png
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