Ancient Rome

From around 500 to 300 B.C.E, in Ancient Greece, the area had many contributions to modern Western civilization. Ancient Greece influenced Western civilization politically and socially. Ancient Greece influenced Western civilization with the spread of democracy and impacted Western civilization socially with its style of architecture using columns and the ancient Olympics.

Many centuries before the birth of Christ, the city of Rome grew, prospered, and developed into a thriving Republic. As in most cultures, Rome's buildings became more elaborate and impressive. They developed fantastic building technologies and ideas. The feats of Roman engineers were groundbreaking, and many structures built by this culture still stand today. With knowledge borrowed from the Greeks, Rome made impressive architectural achievements, these were namely major attributes of buildings, colossal structures, and a legacy that would influence later buildings (Cornell and Matthews 11).

In looking to the innovations of ancient Rome and comparing them to what we here in America have advanced and still use today, the innovations I find most interesting are concrete, roads and highways, and welfare.

What kind of technology in the Roman Empire affect its growth the most? I will be investigating from the start of the Roman Empire in 753 BCE to when the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE. This investigation will have a broad scope while investigating and include things from the Roman Legion to aqueducts and concrete. This investigation will not include technology that was not widely used to better the Roman Empire. The research question will answer my question by conducting research on how different groups of technology made the Roman Empire better based off of their potential uses and different contributions to Roman society.

The Roman Empire, which was centered in the city of Rome, was the most extensive western civilization of ancient times. With its major advancements and prosperity it is hard to believe that the Roman Empire suddenly collapsed and fell into a time known as the Dark Ages. After a period of struggles for the Roman Empire, the empire gradually fell.

Ancient Greece and Rome are some of the most famous time periods in the world, but what influenced them? Ancient Greece lasted roughly from 1000-400 B.C.E while ancient Rome was from 753 B.C.-476 A.D (Cole and Symes, 75). The Greek alphabet was influenced by Phoenician sea traders and their art was mostly influenced by Egypt and western Asia. On the other hand, Rome was influenced by the Greek and derived the alphabet, many of their religious beliefs, and much of their art (Cole and Symes, 147). Ancient Greece and Rome were influenced by the Ancient Near East sedentary societies through art, religion, and architecture.

Since its collapse, historians have attempted to explain the struggle for power and control over both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire that followed. To explain the complexities of the Roman Republic, the Empire, and their political complexities can be a daunting task. For nearly ten centuries Rome would rule most of the known world before the fall of the Western Empire (Byzantine) in 476 C.E. Before that fall occurred, a fundamental change would take place that would transform the original Republic into the Roman Empire. Many factors would be directly and indirectly responsible for this transition. These would lead

The Ancient Roman’s had a wicked idea of entertainment. The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it is the largest amphitheater ever built and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering. The Roman Colosseum, constructed in 79 AD, is a visual representation of the importance of physical strength and military proficiency in Ancient Roman civilization, this is because it was constructed to revel Rome’s military accomplishments and to provide entertainment for Roman citizens. Many events prompted the construction of the Roman Colosseum.

Rome in the 3rd century AD was a “nation” in crisis. During this period we see a shift from the old, Italian dominated, ancient ways of antiquity into a new, more modern commonwealth where a vast number of its peoples were considered citizens, and could even aspire into prominent positions that were once reserved to leading Roman families. Initially, some of the changes that came to the Roman Empire sound good; indeed, I’m sure many Romans sometimes felt that way. However, when looking at the overall changes and the hardships that in brought on some of its people, one begins to see a very different picture develop. In order to better understand how the 3rd century contrasts from others one needs to take a small look at what life in the Roman Empire was like for people in early and late antiquity, under the republic and early empire and especially in the 2nd century. Without going into too much detail, the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire were dominated by Senators and Emperors that only came from dominating Roman/Italian families. Roman citizenship was a privilege that not everyone was able to enjoy. Rome was expanding its territorial power and beginning to define itself as the central power of the Mediterranean region. The 2nd Century AD was a golden age for the Roman Empire. In fact, this is the time period that is referred to as the happiest age known to man in Edward Gibbon’s book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Rome was in the middle of what is

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterized by government headed by emperors, and large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The 500 year old republic which preceded it was severely destabilized in a series of civil wars and political conflict, during which Julius Caesar was appointed as perpetual dictator and then assassinated in 44 BC. Civil wars and executions continued, culminating in the victory of Octavian, Caesar's adopted son, over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the annexation of Egypt. Octavian's power was now unassailable and in 27 BC the Roman Senate formally granted him overarching power and the new

However, numerous aspects allowed the Byzantine Empire to stay in power for a 1000 years after the end of the Roman Empire; primarily the emperors were focused on the political, culture and economic affairs from top to bottom. This triangle strategy of the empire backed by a greater strategic communication and well-designed political warfare against their rivals enabled the empire to stay stable and secure.

Ancient imperialism reached its high point under the Roman Empire, the eastern part of which lasted until late into the middle Ages as the Byzantine Empire. In Western Europe no true empire arose to replace Rome; the Holy Roman Empire was more than a confederation of princely states so imperialism did not exist that long in this particular empire. However, imperialism remained an important historical force in places like North Africa, the Middle East, the Arabs and years later the Turks who all constructed large empires. In the east if unstable, empires of the nomadic Mongols and others arising out of Central Asia, were long-lasting and complex imperial organizations exemplified by a number of Chinese dynasties.

Historians have always used great structures from the ancient world to find out information about the kind of lives they used to live. The Colosseum in Ancient Rome, Italy was one of the most famous structures. The Colosseum in Rome gives historians a number of insights to the type of civilization that existed during the time of the ancient empire, through the gory battles and violent games that took place. This can be proven by the purpose of the Colosseum and the context surrounding its construction, the political and economic benefit of the Colosseum to the empire, the types of games which were held in the arena and the values which the structure suggests were important to the civilization at the

Since its collapse, historians have attempted to explain the struggle for power and control over both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire that followed. To explain the complexities of the Roman Republic, the Empire, and their political complexities can be a daunting task. For nearly ten centuries Rome would rule most of the known world before the fall of the Western Empire (Byzantine) in 476 C.E. Before that fall occurred, a fundamental change would take place that would transform the original Republic into the Roman Empire. Many factors would be directly and indirectly responsible for this transition. These would

Ancient Mesopotamia is part of the world called "the Fertile Crescent." This area includes the modern day countries of Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, Palestine and Egypt. Because of the relative ease to grow food these farmers began settlements that eventually developed into villages and then into cities.