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Similarities And Differences In The Rise Of The Roman And Mayan Civilizations

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Similarities and Differences in the Rise of the Roman and Mayan Civilizations
Between 600 BCE and 600 CE, the Mayan Civilization in Mesoamerica and the Roman Civilization rose to the height of their power. Rome was rapidly growing as a Republic and then Empire, creating a legacy throughout Europe and Asia that would leave a lasting impact for centuries. The Empire conquered land by use of political force, religious unity, and maintaining power through a strong economy. The Mayans were heavily based around religion. It was used as a motivation to expand their civilization, gaining political power and a strong economy. However, they were not considered an Empire due to decentralization of government. The rise of the Mayans and the Romans differed…show more content…
The Mayan political system was divided into city-states, where each had their own government, similarly to Ancient Greece. During the rise of the civilization, a social hierarchy was created, with religious figures and priests at the top granting them political power. This allowed for society to be dominated by religion, and for political figures to use religion to monopolize power and support. The Mayans expanded their civilization to gain more human sacrifices, or in the name of their religion, opposed to the Romans who expanded for political power. However, the Romans had very centralized systems of government. During the rise of the Republic, the new ideology of democracy and the defeat of the Persian Empire in the Persian War allowed for a societal belief in a strong government to rise. The Roman people believed that they have a strong centralized government, and people became increasingly greedy for power. Change occurred in Roman political power during the rise of the Empire. When Alexander the Great expanded the Roman Empire to the height of its political control by conquering nations throughout Europe and Asia, the greed for power is evident. The centralization of the Roman government allowed for expansion of the Empire through economic and religious growth, monopolizing control of trade throughout its territory and spreading religious ideology through the enforced religious unity and the Hellenistic
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