How did the Romans obtain and control such a vast empire? In its time, the Roman Empire was the largest empire the world had ever seen. The fact that the Romans were able to control and obtain an empire of this size was due to plenty of factors, but the main ones are the Roman army, the Roman roads, Pax Romana, the borders of the empire, and the benefits of the barbarians who became ruled by the empire. On their own, these factors wouldn’t do much at all, but such a combination brought great success. The Roman Army was the most important factor that led to the Romans maintaining such a large empire. The army was very well organised into many groups, and the whips kept by the group leader ensured that the army would be obedient and …show more content…
To this day, many paths that these roads followed are still being used, which proves that a lot of time and effort were put into these roads to achieve such a high quality and durability. As well as the Roman Army and the Roman roads, the Pax Romana was another factor that led to the empire’s great success. Pax Romana, Latin for “Roman Peace”, was the peace established by the Romans in their empire, where the inhabitants benefitted from the law and order that was enforced by the Romans, and no more land was to be conquered. The Pax Romana was one of the most stable periods of the empire. This brought relative civilisation across the empire and kept the peasants happy, which was essential to keeping the empire under control. Crucial to protecting the empire, the borders the Romans had surrounding them were excellent; whether they be manmade or natural. Hadrian’s Wall was a good example of a manmade border. Issued by Emperor Hadrian in around 122AD, the wall was located in Northern England and was the most fortified wall built by the empire. Hadrian decided that they had conquered enough land, and was afraid that he wouldn’t have full control of the empire if he conquered more land, so this wall was built to keep out the Scottish people and to discontinue further growth of the empire. The Rhine River proved to be an exceptional natural border for the Romans, as
The Roman Empire was one of the most impregnable empires at it’s time. It conquered the Mediterranean Sea and was a well organized and blooming empire, at first. Many problems began to hit Rome straight in the face, three of the main problems that ended this magnificent empire were the economic problems, the weakness and vulnerability of their army, and the fallibility of the leaders and politics.
The Roman Empire was increasing in size as they kept conquering more and more countries, and eventually the empire was over 5,460,000,000 yards at its peak.(Doc 2 and OI) It was incredibly difficult to defend, especially with the military problem, of under-population of soldiers.(Doc 5) Many barbaric tribes such as the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Northmen, invaded the Roman Empire, and since, at times, some tribes would attack at once, the Roman soldiers couldn’t defend the empire. (Doc 6)
Sea lanes provided a lot for the Roman Empire. It helped expand the empire and encourage interaction. Trade, also took place mostly through the waters
Borders were patrolled by legions so the city was free of invasion. Augustus organized 150,000 to be border security. The large number of
Pax Romana is Latin for Roman peace. The Pax Romana lasted approaching two centuries beginning toward the end of the BC period and extending almost halfway into the second century AD. For the Roman Empire, this was a period of peace and saw little military action or expansion. Caesar Augustus, previously known as Julius Caesar commenced the Pax Romana after Rome was no longer considered a republic and the civil wars within Rome ceased. Yet another event that marks the commencement of Pax Romana was the defeat of Marc Antony by Octavian Augustus at the famous battle of Actium. The Pax Romana, like any form of social change, was not immediate, but a feat that was accomplished over time. While there may have been peace in Rome, battles continued in the Alps and areas that are now known as Spain. There were many benefits to the Pax Romana and the paper puts focus on those, which are economic. The paper also references Plutarch, a prominent figure during this period, indicating a relationship between the Pax Romana and social mobility.
Their empire stretched from Britain to Egypt, and it was an empire that lasted. The Roman government, despite its internal quarrels and changes, was remarkably durable and normally kept the territories it conquered. The Romans had connected the ancient world through an interdependent economy, public works, and it’s military.
For a long period of time, Rome seemed like an unstoppable empire. It conquered the majority of the land surrounding it, including Greece, Turkey, Iraq, and many of its other neighboring countries. It seemed as though Rome would conquer the entire world, as it was the center of it, until it began to decline in 476 C.E. The very aspects that made it so successful were the ones that caused its collapse. Various political, religious, and economic reasons caused its downfall. The fact that the entire economy of Rome collapsed and money became worthless was a major reason for the empire’s collapse. In addition, the loss of a common religion and lack of efficient ruling in relation to its vast territory affected the empire. The Roman
The Roman Empire was successful because of their strong willed leaders that helped shaped their country until the very end. One of the leaders was Marius, who properly organized the Roman army to be known as the most strongest army the earth has ever known. With Marius's fighting spirit leading and motivating everybody on, they were able to stop an invasion from barbarians that ultimately saved Italy and Rome from destruction. He also knew how to pay back to his soldiers and people. Veteran soldiers of the legion were given land to thank the soldiers for serving him and Rome. To help the people, Marius made it possible for non-Roman citizens to enlist in the army, making them citizens and giving them a chance to fight for their country.
The legions of Rome were one of the biggest factors in Rome's success as an empire. They conquered vast quantities of land, and were often used by the government to improve the morale of people living in cities, which often had parts that were cramped and unsanitary. The legions were set apart from contemporary armies due to their level of organisation and especially as they fought as a unit and not as individuals, as many tribes did.
With Augustus Caesar began the two centuries of the Pax Romana. During this time all of Rome became a collection of states rather than conquered provinces. The only threats that ever came were from the unorganized barbarian tribes who's conquest brought nothing to the Empire. (Mahoney, 2001)
Between approximately 509 BCE and the third century CE the Roman empire continually expanded and became one of the largest in history. While this expansion was due to many reasons, not the least of which was greed, to a great extent it was made possible because of Rome's overwhelming military and its combination of a democratic and republic government. (Lee) (Ferril)
The Roman Empire was one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. The power and size they managed to obtain has been a constant subject of interest for historians and all those who are interested in history. Julius Caesar’s ascension to power marked the time from where the Romans steadily expanded their territory and by the time the Roman Republic dissolved and the Roman Empire emerged, the Empire had become so big that the Romans had then to face the problem of maintaining their empire. The Roman Empire maintained its power by
The Romans were also known to be a dominant and warlike group and this dominance which was key in the construction of this vast empire (Backman, Cultures of the West, p.172). One way Romans were able to grow so large was by successfully integrating the conquered people into society. (Jones, Rome, Podcast 1). Even with the changes to come over the course of the next century a lot of Romans were actually opposed to change (Jones, Rome, Podcast 1). Romans were a traditional society
As can be seen, the Roman Empire was great for its time in more ways that one, with its undefeatable strength and size . It was greater than the empires before it
The Roman empire is considered one of the most powerful and longest lasting empire of all time by most historians. At its peak the Roman empire managed to take control and rule nearly the whole inhabited world at the time. Though their military achievements were outstanding the Romans also excelled at legislature. The Romans ran a governmental system which was most like a republic which the power was in the hand of the senators and patricians. The senators and patricians were mostly extremely rich elders of the community who linked themselves to gods. Though the people were the ones who voted for the senators the rich always voted who they wanted because they were the first to vote which made the senate corrupt since the lower classes barely got a say. Although the Roman empire was extremely successful historians are always doing research to figure out what elements led to its collapse. However, the Roman legislature, use of propaganda to sway public opinion, military power to conquer lands, and philosophy were essential reasons for the extended survival of the Roman empire.