...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...
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...Rome was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, but like all great things, Rome came to an end. Rome was large in size therefore it was very hard to defend from the many enemies who wanted land. There was also corrupted government in Rome and civil wars occurred because certain people wanted power. The size of Rome and the amount of money they spent on military was also a big part in the fall. Overall Rome was a great empire but war, poor leadership, the rise of The Middle East, and the size and spending led to the end of the Roman Empire. The Barbarians were a Germanic tribes who wanted more land. The barbarians crossed the border of Rome looking for more land, this angered Rome and they sent an attack to defeat the barbarians, this attack did not farewell for the Romans because they were not used to the Barbarians ruthless, aggressive attacks. The Barbarians met the leaders of Rome and asked for peace in exchange for some land, the Romans...
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...Rome Changes over time: * Transportation * Population * Culture * Government * Trade Fatma Abbas AlKhaja 201409784 Reem Mohammed AlMehairi 201409017 Salha Abdulla AlMeasam AlFalasi 201409016 Maitha Mohammed Matar 201404552 COL 155-508 Dr. Leena Taneja The lifestyle of the ancient Romans was one in which personal comfort, pleasure and style were very important. The Romans developed traditions and a comfortable lifestyle to fit with their concept of family and community. The ancient Romans had an appreciation for hard work, practical thinking and discipline. Although they were sensible people, they had a desire for comfort and pleasure. The Roman Empire included different people from all different cultures. They formed a society that worked together with very defined motivations. * Transportation: Starting in the eighth century BCE, the ancient Roman road networks that spanned more than 400,000 km of roads, including over 80,500 km of paved roads, were important in maintaining the stability of the empire and its expansion. Despite how crowded and narrow they were, they enabled the Romans to move armies, trade goods and communicate. Moreover, they were intended to carry material from one location to another. Although they had roads, travel within the cities was often done on foot. For other purposes, Roman vehicles can be divided into: coach and cart. Coaches were used to transport parties, whereas carts were used to transport cargo. Growing...
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...he Roman empire was a very big empire. The Roman army consisted of 30 legions. A legion consisted of 4,000 to 6,000 men soldiers. Women were not allowed to be in a legion. This means that the Roman are consisted of about 120,000 to 180,000 soldiers! In their army they also had auxiliary soldiers, these were not Roman citizens but they were most often in the front lines when Rome went to war. Caesar Augustus, who was born in 63 B.C., was one of Rome's finest emperors. Under Caesar's 40 year reign he almost doubled the size of the Roman Empire. One of Caesar Augustus's most famous quote is the one right before he died. He said, "I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble," he then said to the people who had been with him through...
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...The Rise of Christianity in Rome By Cade Lannigan Thesis + Guiding Question ? Constantine played a large role in the rise of Christianity throughout the western world. How did a persecuted cult spread to form a widespread religion within a few hundred years? Persecution of Christians Emperor Nero was one who persecuted Christians brutally with punishments often resulting in death. Emperor Nero killed many Christians by setting dogs loose on them, burning them alive and other horrible methods. Christians were most likely persecuted because the Roman religion saw that Christians did not sacrifice to the Roman Gods. In the eyes of the Roman religious followers this is seen as an...
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...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...
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...Polybius. The Histories: The Constitution of the Mid-Republic Often, when talking about Ancient Rome, images of a vast empire, flourishing cities, loyal citizens, and the most powerful and wealthy state of its time come to mind. While there are many factors that can be accredited to the success of this once grand nation, the most prominent, and impactful still today, would be that of the government—the Roman Republic. Much credit to the success of the Empire lies with the creation of this government that, to this day, is still viewed as ideal. Why though was the Roman government able to produce long periods of prosperity and unity? Perhaps a more detailed look how the government was able to operate functionally and efficiently for long spans of time lies within the Roman Constitution. Probably the first...
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...The Roman Legions: March Towards Empire For many centuries Rome stood as the dominant power in the Mediterranean world and at the heart of its power lay the strength of the Roman Legion. It was through the strength of the legions that Rome began to exert its dominance, and in turn found itself dominated by those same legions. The story of the rise of Rome then is a story of its legions. Evolving from simple citizen levies to the most successful professional army of the ancient world, the Roman Legions were instrumental in shaping Rome from Republic to Empire. Thus it can be argued that the evolution of the Roman Legion not only impacted its military superiority, but directly influenced the evolution of Rome. In the pre republican...
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...lead to Rome.” This proverb, intended to speak upon a universal destination today, holds just as much validity in its literal sense and historical origin. The Roman Empire was the center of all civilization during the height of its reign. Conquering the regions around them as early as 300 BC, the Roman Empire spread from modern day Germany in the east to modern day Spain west of them. Spain, known then as the Iberian Peninsula or Hispania, was vulnerable to the relentless armies of the empire because its geography hindered it from protecting itself on its three exposed coasts. Despite this fact, it would take the empire almost two centuries to conquer the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula. Once it was conquered, however, the culture of Hispania would be greatly affected by the influence of the Romans for the next 600 years. Much of the customs, religious practices, and laws still practiced in Spain are a result of this influence. Famous for their ability to establish an efficient infrastructure, the Romans created roads and bridges during and after the conquering of Hispania. This infrastructure was essential in uniting the peninsula that had since been divided by geographical obstacles. It was also crucial in that it allowed trade to flourish both within Hispania and between other geographic areas within the entire empire. This not only allowed the peninsula to become an economic force, but also furthered the mixing of all the cultures that existed under the vast Roman Empire...
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...of the Roman Empire | How Christianity played a part in the decline of an Empire | | | | 8/1/2014 | Paper outline 1. Introduction 2. Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire 3. How Christianity played a part in the decline of the Roman Empire 4. The situation after the fall of the Roman Empire 5. The situation in the dark ages 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography “Why did Rome fall?” still remains one the greatest questions of Western history. Many books have been written about this topic and many theories have been advanced about the reason of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Several reasons are issued for the fall. These reasons are issued to be sequacious and interwoven. For example, one of the most influential modern historians, Edward Gibbon wrote “The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire” in 1776, where he stated that the initiation of Christianity was one of the reasons for the decline. The transition of religions in the Roman Empire, from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion, leads to instability within the Empire. (Gibbon, 1782) How Christianity was a factor in the decline of the Western Roman Empire will be discussed more extensively in this paper. In the beginning, Christianity was not more than an insignificant sect of Judaism and began its spread from Roman Judaea during the life of Jesus, but in only four centuries Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire. The rise of Christianity...
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...in the late 8th century republic of Ancient Rome, rising to power through his strategic establishment of allies and his significant military accomplishments. As a member of the advantageous patrician class, Sulla rose to power via the hierarchical Roman political ladder (Cursus Honourum). Sulla was the dominant victor of the Italian social war in 91-88 BCE, conducted war against the Mithridates and successfully headed the first civil war in Roman history against Marius. Through his many victorious military accomplishments, he gained support from the Roman senate, was later elected consul and then transitioned into dictatorship. He became a renowned Ancient Roman dictator in 82 BC where he established...
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...Greek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government Joe Wickenden, Sarah Dowling, Ginger Snyder, Leone Hansen HIS/341 October 27, 2014 Joel Getz Greek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government The definition of citizenship in Greek and Roman cultures can be described much differently than the current democratic definition of contemporary nations. The Roman Empire differed from the Athenian Amphictyony and the Assyrian Empire as well as the sunder later emperors such as Vespasian. There were also structural problems within the government of the Roman Empire. This paper will explore the models of government and citizenship that Ancient Roman and Greek peoples employed along with how well they worked. Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged legal status granted only to un-slaved individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance (Jahnige, 2002). In the Roman Republic as well as later in the Empire, citizenship could be divided into several categories; a male Roman citizen, Roman women, Client state, Freedmen, and slaves; each having their own freedoms that came with their citizenship. Latin Rights were given by the Romans which was an intermediate between full Roman citizenship and non-citizenship's (2002). In other words, the Latin right was the ticket to obtaining full-fledged Roman citizenship. In the days of the Republic, those holding the Latin right had most of the liberties of citizens except the right to vote. Furthermore, only citizens could...
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...Greek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government Joe Wickenden, Sarah Dowling, Ginger Snyder, Leone Hansen HIS/341 October 27, 2014 Joel Getz Greek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government The definition of citizenship in Greek and Roman cultures can be described much differently than the current democratic definition of contemporary nations. The Roman Empire differed from the Athenian Amphictyony and the Assyrian Empire as well as the sunder later emperors such as Vespasian. There were also structural problems within the government of the Roman Empire. This paper will explore the models of government and citizenship that Ancient Roman and Greek peoples employed along with how well they worked. Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged legal status granted only to un-slaved individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance (Jahnige, 2002). In the Roman Republic as well as later in the Empire, citizenship could be divided into several categories; a male Roman citizen, Roman women, Client state, Freedmen, and slaves; each having their own freedoms that came with their citizenship. Latin Rights were given by the Romans which was an intermediate between full Roman citizenship and non-citizenship's (2002). In other words, the Latin right was the ticket to obtaining full-fledged Roman citizenship. In the days of the Republic, those holding the Latin right had most of the liberties of citizens except the right to vote. Furthermore, only citizens could...
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...Ancient Rome Introduction: What civilization endured for nearly a millennium; whose history is shrouded in mystery, and was a time of great reform? What culture other than Ancient Rome? Rome’s unique geography, politics, economics, religion, social structure, and major conflicts are the basis of many useful innovations and ideas we could not think of living without 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...
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...RISE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The invading army touched the boarders of Rome, which had been left totally undefended. In 410 C.E. (common area), the Visigoths, led by Alaric, breached the walls of Rome and ravaged the capital of the Roman Empire. The Visigoths looted, burned, vandalized, and pillaged their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction wherever they went. The plundering continued for three days. For the first time in nearly a millennium, the city of Rome was in the hands of someone other than the Romans. This was the first time that the city of Rome was sacked, but by no means the last. Constantine and the Beginning of Christianity One of the many factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christian religion, which was monotheistic (to believe in one god), ran counter to the traditional Roman religion, which was polytheistic (many gods). At different times, the Romans persecuted the Christians because of their beliefs, which were popular with the poor. This 16th-century medal depicts Attila the Hun, one of the most vicious and aggressive invaders of all time. In 313 C.E., Roman emperor Constantine the Great ended all persecution and declared toleration for Christianity. Later that century, Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. This extreme change in policy spread this rather new religion to every corner of the Empire. By approving Christianity, the Roman state...
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