...today. However, its’ history is also filled grave mistakes we can learn from. So take a dive into the past; into the history of the Romans - a diverse culture that is the foundation for society today. Geography: Though the Roman empire’s territory was vast, the capital and most important location was the city of Rome and the surrounding areas. Rome and the surrounding areas...
Words: 1126 - Pages: 5
...recognition and support of Christianity was one of the most important moments in world history. Moving the government of the Roman Empire to Constantinople and founding New Rome was one of the most significant decisions made by a Roman ruler. This is just one indication of his importance in history and the honor in which he was held by his people. Constantine was born in Naissus, a town in Serbia, on February 27 probably sometime in the 270’s CE. His mother was named Helena who would later become a Christian. Because of her good works, she was made a Christian saint after her death. Constantine’s father was a career military officer named Constantius. Constantine was married at least twice and had four sons Crispus, Constantine II, Constantius, Constans. Constantius, his father, was in charge of the Roman Province of Britannia. When Constantius died Constantine, was immediately proclaimed emperor by the army. However, it took many years of political struggle and actual civil war before he could consolidate his power. Constantine finally became the ruler of the Roman Empire in 323 CE. Constantine’s major accomplishments, the most important were his recognition of the Christianity. In 313 CE, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which allowed full freedom for Christians to practice their faith. The edict made Christianity equal to the religion of the Roman Empire. The Edict of Milan also ordered the return of all church and personal property that had been taken during past persecutions...
Words: 1194 - Pages: 5
...areas of similarity when contrasting the United States with the Roman Empire. The greatest nation on earth today is the United States. The main factors supporting this are that the U.S. is the economic leader in the world. At this time, the U.S. has the strongest military of any nation. There is relevance with what is happening in the United States today and what occurred during the fall of the Roman Empire. One common and provable fact is that in many ways history does have a tendency to repeat itself. Not only on a worldwide scale does this happen, but in the lives of individuals as well. After all, governments and their political entities are made up people. And as part of human nature, people are prone to make the same mistakes again and again, as the Roman Empire and the U.S. similarities and differences in the functioning of the state. The Roman Empire established a connection between the state and the people. The people were subjected respectively by pride in their country. Their pride was extremely strong in a nation who offered a stable and profound class society. They government’s hierarchy included a military emperor or Sacrificial King, senate, consuls, and the forum. The Romans also enacted a class society of peasant farmers, patricians and plebeians, who were among the higher level in the class society. Ruled by a dictator, the Roman Empire was under strict control. The early and late Roman Empire was a powerful dominating group in its time. It conquered many other...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire Christina Kapua ARTS/100 April 18, 2013 Taurie Kinoshita Roman Art – The Identity of an Empire The Romans ingeniously display majestic art while incorporating function and purpose to build an empire. The Romans had many forms in which they created art. They adorned their city, homes, and palaces with paintings, sculptures, and grand architectural structures. Rome admired and emulated the artistry of the Greek, Egyptians, and Celtic designs. They learned engineering techniques from the Etruscans that has developed Rome’s historical development and style. With its influence of other cultures, Romans have established its own characteristics of ancient classical Rome, which has carved a pathway to many forms of artwork in the past and present time. The different genre that Rome has influenced is two-dimensional arts, sculpture, and architecture; with significant contributors, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti and Gian Lorenzo Benini. Historical Development and Evolution of Style Influenced by the Etruscans and inspired by the Greeks, the Romans artistry evolved to display realism and power. Romans learned practical and advanced engineering techniques from the Etruscans that began the groundwork for the vast buildings built to serve the needs of a growing population. After the overthrow of Greece majority of their artwork, and sculptures were brought back to Rome to adorn their city and palaces. Many Greek artists migrated to Rome to impart...
Words: 2078 - Pages: 9
...The Roman Empire Websearch I. The Roman Empire: a. The Roman Empire was both a place of “mixed sophistication and brutality” because Roman emperors were hungry for power and strength. Many emperors would abuse their power and as a result became corrupt. This corruption angered the citizens and many times an emperor would be assassinated due to his unlawful acts. II. Emperors: a. Hereditary rule is the appointment of an emperor solely because he is born into the royal family. When an emperor died, his oldest son would take his place and rule the empire. This usually resulted in tyranny and dictatorship. b. Being an emperor at this time was a very risky job. As an emperor you had to satisfy your people. If the military grew upset with the...
Words: 799 - Pages: 4
...Folks The hunter has now become the hunted. For centuries during the age of the Roman Republic and Empire, citizens of Rome knew that north of the Alps resided longhaired, thick-bearded, untamed races of Germanic peoples that Romans, both pleb and aristocrat eloquently referred to as barbarians. These naked savages to the north had shown they could defeat the mighty Roman Empire repeatedly by using tactics the Roman legions were not accustomed to, and superior knowledge of their home terrain. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forrest and the failed conquest of Briton perfectly illustrate the capability of these so-called barbarians. In addition, as the empire declined, the Germanic tribes to the north made a habit of brutaly raiding and pillaging Italian towns and cities. However, after the Western Roman Empire collapsed the people of Gaul and Germania, once enemies of Rome, became its heirs. Over three centuries following the fall of Rome, the once “barbaric” tribes that had occupied Western Europe now seemed domesticated. The Carolingian dynasty, predominantly under Charlemagne, formed a new Holy Roman Empire, and the modern states of France and Germany were begging to take shape. This along with a widespread devotion to the religion of Christianity, intermarrying of Romans and Franks, an increase of literacy rates, and an improving climate saw the Western Europeans become as civilized as the Romans had been. Putting it simply, they got soft. At this time a new horde of raiders from...
Words: 1481 - Pages: 6
...emperor because he improved the circumstances of an empire to such a degree. He led many accomplishments creating an advancement in his army, his contribution in the Principate and centralized government. To avoid rebellion in his army, he had his armies spread out near the borders of his empire. This way the army would put all their anger and force upon their enemies. Augustus delicate decisions in ruler government officials showed that he was smart. He was independent and did things his way. In belief of him knowing he had to make reforms to the government in Rome, he granted himself power but reassured his people that they were governed by the senate. Being that he didn’t trust the governments of Rome’s neighboring countries, he allowed to be apart of them. (Secondary Source: Biographies of Augustus) Augustus was indeed the greatest Roman emperor as he had the most difficult job, which was in fact, establishing the Principate. He created an autocracy in addition to a republican party to hide his control. Augustus ruled Rome not through force or coercion but because he was able to recognize Rome to maintain public order. This explained why all of his titles granted republican....
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...The Rise and Fall of Rome The Economics Behind an Empire 4/18/2013 ECO 120 Seb Jaramillo The Rise and Fall of Rome To many people, the ancient world has always been a topic of great interest and study. The ancient world is essentially the explanation for how the world ended up where it is today. Our ancestors laid down the foundation that would help form and mold today’s civilization and the way people live out their lives in modern times. Perhaps no civilization of the past did more for the future than the efforts and contributions of the Roman Empire. For almost a millennia, the Romans controlled the vast majority of the world. Their Empire made it possible to spread wealth and knowledge to the far corners of the world and lay down a base common knowledge that helped pave the path for people to follow. This paper shall look into the background of Rome and see what economic forces helped lead to the formation of such a formidable empire. What allowed these people to become so wealthy and construct a vast territory? Why was it easy for the Romans to do so much while many other nations are still set back in our day and age? The paper shall also look at the forces at work near the end of the Western Empire that brought an end to the glory and majesty of Rome and how this knowledge can perhaps produce a means of prevention of the same fate for the United States. The city of Rome became a Republic around the year 509 BC. By the end of the first century BC Rome controlled...
Words: 3070 - Pages: 13
...! ! “After reading 10 papers by other students – one on each of the assigned books – what was the one main reason why Rome ceased being a Republic and became an Empire? What relevance does this have to modern America? Take the “God and Gold” book into account.” The Roman Republic was doing well from its beginning in 510 BC: it developed a good form of government: the senate, legislative assemblies and the executive magistrates. It had won a lot of its adjacent territory, and had great leaders. These great leaders brought more quality to the Rome Republic but as other great leaders, some of them wanted more. Human beings have always been driven by ambition; it has always existed and always will. This is the instinct that drives people to invent new goods or go through new paths. The ambition of its leaders and the fear of its people lead to the fall of Roman Republic in conjunction with the decisions the Senate made in these times. ! The ambition of Julius Caesar can be seen throughout his actions1. When Britain was invaded by Rome twice in 55 BC, the troops were headed by him. The first time, Caesar was unsuccessful at capturing Britain. Caesar did not give up, his ambition brought him back a second time, making a deal with the king Mandubracius and successfully securing part of Britain for Rome. After this battle Caesar, got to cease power over Rome in a clash against Pompey and the Senate2. Later, he was promoted to “dictator in perpetuity.” This great ambition brought...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...The significant person that I selected is Caesar Augustus because his actions resulted in the restoration of the stability of ancient Rome. The chaos and civil war resulting from the assassination of Julius Caesar caused the Roman Republic to quickly unravel and potentially collapse. After Octavian’s victory at the Battle of Actium against Marc Antony and Cleopatra, the Roman Republic fell; however, Octavian was there to lead Rome’s transition from Republic to Empire. He was then awarded the title Augustus and became the first emperor of Rome. Along with his position as emperor, Augustus obtained other titles such as head of the Senate, leader of the military, and chief priest. His overall goal for the Empire was to re-establish the security...
Words: 819 - Pages: 4
...Jotham Kim Crusader Essay 9-3 Word Count:1,452 In ancient Europe, around the 11th century, there were three major kingdoms/empires. The three major kingdoms/empires were the Catholic kingdom, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphates. The Catholic kingdom was located in Western Europe. In the Catholic kingdom, religion was very important and organized. First, their religion was the Catholic Christianity, and in the church hierarchy, there were different classes. The highest class was the pope, the second was the bishops, and lastly was the priests. Basically, the pope was considered to be the ruler of the Christian world (Ellis 193). Just how the Catholic religion was organized, so was the feudal system in Western Europe. The feudal systems contained social hierarchy, and the highest class was the king. After the king, the next powerful class was the lords, knights, and then finally the vassals (peasants and serfs)(Ellis 188). Although the conditions of the king’s and lords’ environments were luxuries, the vassals’ environment was really poor. They had to live in a manor, with less food, and hard labor (Ellis 190). The most beneficial advantage for the vassals was to live near the river (Class notes December 17, 2013). The reason is because they can catch fish at sometimes, and have additional food than others. Most of the vassals were serfs (slaves that were bound to the land, and can be sold and bought). Other vassals were peasants (people with rights that got...
Words: 1481 - Pages: 6
...To what extent did emperors successfully manage to elect a successor during the period 31 BC to AD 96? Nominating a successor was definitely a focal problem with every emperor recorded in Roman history, and doing it successfully was undeniably a problem that needed a solution for the Roman Empire, as no one was ever happy about what had been decided. However, it was a much more complex issue for all the emperors of the period 31 BC to AD 96; nonetheless there was no single solution to this problem. However not every appropriate successor elected meant that they would be successful in becoming the next definite emperor, as many died even before the emperor of that time did, or they were challenged and then under suspicious circumstances, murdered. The central reason of all the convolutions involved in trying to find an adequate successor, was mainly due to the Roman belief that family praise and glory were the most important things any Roman with authority should consider. And it by no doubt dominated the Romans on how they behaved. Augustus had introduced laws that the princeps or the title of the emperor could not be passed down like a monarchy, but could only be approved by the senate, but it eventually became inheritable. The senate had historically been allowed to pass on their status to their descendants, and so succession within the family was by no doubt acceptable, we can prove this by highlighting the fact that Augustus himself wanted to choose a successor who had...
Words: 3321 - Pages: 14
...hero archetype, the villain archetype, and lastly a character that is not classified as a general archetype, but simply one meant to push the story forward. Maximus Decimus Meridius, being the classic hero archetype and the protagonist of the film, is a man who possessed the ability to push through all the challenges and directly face the truth of the situation in an arduous attempt to actualize his idealistic world. This becomes one of his greatest traits and one of his flaws leading to his death. Commodus, the villain of the film, is a man who is opposite of Maximus in the manner he is emotional, petulant and self indulgent; and it was due these traits coupled with his need for approval and desire for power, led him to making rash mistakes in attempts to creating his idealized world, and this eventually...
Words: 2204 - Pages: 9
...Aeneid, Aeneas’ and his brother are on their way to Rome. After fighting in the Trojan War, Aeneas’ was destined to begin a new Roman Empire. As they were continuing on there way this is where they ran into Dido and have found the shores of the city of Carthage. At this point in the book is where we find out who is to blame for Aeneas departure from Carthage and Dido committing suicide. I would not blame Aeneas for his departure or the Dido committing suicide; the gods are the ones to blame for the death of Dido and Aeneas departing from Carthage. Just like in the Greek era, the Roman gods were very powerful figure and have considerable influenced to the Roman people. Everyone devoted his or her life to the gods. Even though the gods did have control over Aeneas’s fate by leading him to Rome, but I still think they are going about it the wrong way. Juno, the queen of the gods, had the major role in causing all this to happen. Juno does not like Aeneas and is making his journey to Rome harder than it ever should be. To prove my point Venus had stated to Juno, “this was all pretense, a ruse to shift the kingdom of Italy onto Libyan shores,” (131) Venus is describing want Juno had setup for Aeneas to change direction. This is prefect example that Juno is doing everything she can just to stop Aeneas from conquering his journey to Rome and to start a new empire. Juno just so happens to have Aeneas change his direction and land on the shores of Libyan. The quote even says that there was...
Words: 978 - Pages: 4
...Augustan Today, we have many resources of arts and buildings left over by Roman people. Most significantly, these resources handed over by Roman period was distinctively survived really long time, and people still think they have outstanding values for today’s studies. It brings me an attention to write this paper on the great Augustan period when it is better known for the Golden ages of Roman era. First empire begins with many civil wars within the empire by people of republicans and the great leaders like Julius Caesar. At the Caesarian time, people were greatly pleasured with wealth and strength of nation. However, when the many of nation’s senates set up an assassination of Caesar, and bring the nation back to republican nation, the nation, again, shakes in civil wars and fights amongst themselves. Therefore, heroic character rises into this chaotic time of Rome, C. Octavius. He is stepson of Caesar who was inherited in power by Caesar. By it means, people had much interest in him, and he was served in people’s favor. One fact that he is well known for many of his work in the beginning of Roman empire, I was driven to his life and accomplishments. “At a time when the whole world is still facing after-war prob-lems of rehabilitation, material and spiritual, and in the bewilder-ment of chaos needs light from every source, it occurred to me that it would be of value to review the great period of Roman reconstruction, the Augustan age, to see if from the problems it faced, its...
Words: 2271 - Pages: 10
