The Roman Empire, a period of time in Ancient Roman history when Rome and its territories were ruled by emperors, was established by Augustus Caesar, in 27 B.C, after the decline of the Roman Republic. It was one of the greatest civilizations in history and at its most powerful; the Roman Empire dominated over two million square miles around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa and Asia Minor (Alchin, 2015).
Different from other civilizations, the Roman Empire had their own social structure, religious beliefs and way of life. First of all, social classes in Ancient Rome were mainly divided into lower, middle and upper classes based on its importance, which consist of Emperors, Patricians, Senators, Equestrians, Commons, Freedman and Slaves.
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Regional, inter-regional and international trade was a common feature of the Roman world. Olive oil and wine, which led Italy's exports, were among the most essential products in the ancient civilized world. While the production and transportation of foods are better than the trading industry, they exchanged other goods from all over the world. The well-being of the empire and its citizens initiated a need for luxurious imports. Silks were imported from China and the Far East, cotton and spices from India, Ivory and wild animals from Africa, mined metals from Spain and Britain, fossilized amber gems from Germany and also slaves from all over the world. Because transporting goods by land was slow and expensive, large-scale trade routes were established on land and sea, in which vast numbers of goods were carried along these roads. Additionally, they also used one of the world's most developed coinage systems. Roman coins were greatly précised and of high artisanship, and the Emperors often use it to flow various forms of news and propaganda to the people and the world as well (Ancient Roman Economy,
The Han dynasty and Imperial Rome differed in where they focused in facilitating the trade, outside or inside of the empire. The Romans built roads throughout their empire for efficient trading inside of the empire, while the Han dynasty produced goods for export. Han China had a popular product that they exported-silk, which established the Silk roads and facilitated silk trade throughout Asia. This gave the government political control over the silk revenue. For Rome, the era of Pax Romana brought about the construction of 80,000 kilometers of road throughout the
There are two trade goods that stick out and are well known and those are silk and spices; however many do not know of the other goods that were traded between the two peoples. Ginger and pepper were the main two spices that were transported; pepper was the more popular of the two. Silk came from China and was crafted and decorated by the people of India and then to Rome where it was treasured. Another textile that took Rome by storm was an indigenous plant to India-cotton; this plant was refined, dyed by merchants, then sold to the Western world. While there are two wildly popular traded good, textiles and spices, there are also rather unknown goods. Gems were harvested in India and sold to the Western world along with peacocks. These two goods were both rare and extremely expensive. These two items were a sign of aristocracy and wealth. The last thing is not an object, but instead it is an idea. Knowledge about another culture as well as the record of weather patterns and how they affected international travel is something that had an enormous impact on the
The Roman empire started around 750 BCE, as a spreading empire. They conquered land from modern-day Scotland to Spain, and gained control of the whole mediterranean sea, and established colonies in North Africa, Egypt, the middle east, and Asia Minor. The vast empire had some twists and turns and soon fell mainly because of the natural disasters, economic problems, and most significant of all, the poor military skills.
Both Rome and Han had large and effective trade routes such as The Han Dynasty’s Silk Road and The Roman Empire’s trade routes along the Mediterranean coast lines. Along Rome’s trade route, big or small Empires can trade with each other and Rome traded more broadly than Han China. But in The Han Dynasty, farmlands were more spread out throughout the Empire and farmers had more advanced agricultural tools and techniques which brought them an enormous amount of food, and also China had more natural resources such as salt, silk and gold, as a result, Rome traded more extensively to gain access to natural resources while Han China had enough natural resources for both using and trading so Han did not trade as wide as Rome
“The holy Roman Empire is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. ”That quote was said about the Roman Empire by Voltaire. Rome began around 750 BCE as an unremarkable settlement. The roman army conquered from modern-day Scotland to Spain, the whole Mediterranean sea, and established colonies in North africa, Egypt, the Middle East and Asia Minor. Soon the empire began to go from a republic to more like a dictatorship.
During the fall of the city that would become the world's greatest empire, it all eventually fell and it all began in 750 BCE during an unremarkable settlement. Rome tried to climb up the social class as a society to become the greatest empire ever known, but it all happened way too fast. Rome took over plenty of other empires and it was very easy for them. They took over every empire that they wanted, because their army was so strong that nobody stood a chance.
The Roman empire is one of the greatest empires knew today that started in 750 BCE, it started off as a small city that turned into a giant. Since Rome had such a strong army it made the empire expand extremely, and its government went from a republic to a dictatorship. Over time, the empire had gotten lazy and had been sacked by the outside.Because of the poor government, military problems which lead to foreign invasions, and natural disasters with illnesses Rome fell apart.
Trade is extremely important to any civilization that intends on growing and prospering. There were basically two different kinds of trade routes. The sea routes which incorporated shipping items over water and the land routes where they carted items back and forth, both of which provided items and money into the economy of Rome. Such items as grains, cereals, papyrus, and silk were traded. Control and the efficient use of these trades routes certainly helps a developing nation, but is it the main factor in why Rome grew so fast?
Many of the imports that the provinces supplied were considered high grade. For example, wine from Eygpt was considered to be the best, olive oil from southern Spain was a luxury, and silk from India would have been an item only the rich could afford (Cartwright, M., 2013, December 17). The provinces would also have provided items such as spices, pottery, ivory, and terracotta. Importations of the exotic items would have impacted the Roman economy by raising the values of those items. Olive oil would have been more expensive because it would have a higher value.
Mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and medicine are some of the significant contributions made by the Greeks, and they were also notorious for their cultivated architecture and sculptures. The Greek culture impacted the Roman Empire and several other civilizations; it remains transforming present-day cultures. The Han Dynasty is one of the most remarkable dynasties in Chinese history. This dynasty incorporated about four hundred years of development and strengthening; it coexisted with the duration of the Roman republic and the empire in the West. Momentous developments occurred in the Han Dynasty. Rome advanced form being one of several city-states to being the core of the most magnificent empire in the world.
Trading silver for silk and incense helped lead the Roman Empire to economic ruin. Incense was important for religious and medical matters; silk was used for clothing.
Moreover, while the production and transportation of goods was influential to the trading industry, the Romans were able to expand their empire by conquering distant lands.
An important geographic factor of Rome was its rich farmland. The Roman economic system was based upon their agriculture. Crops such as wheat, olives, barley, grapes, apples and onions were used for Roman consumption as well as a form of tax payment to the government. As expansion occurred and the Romans conquered the Italian peninsula, they were acquiring more resources that would help stabilize their economy such as precious metals.
Using his military power, Augustus expanded the Roman Empire to its largest state of control, which included modern-day Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Asia Minor to parts of the Middle East, including Syria (Britannica Encyclopedia). This empire then stretched to Egypt, and all along the Northern coast of Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, his social reforms built to the culture of the Roman Empire. In addition to ordering the building of many monuments and statues, the Roman coin featured him on the face side, which spread his name and legacy through the Empire and Mediterranean (Ancient Encyclopedia of History). Prosperity began to incline quickly as protected trade became prominent throughout the Mediterranean, as there was no risk of piracy, or the risk of supplies being stolen by passerby ships, which helped the Empire become prosperous throughout Augustus’ latter years (Ancient Encyclopedia of
Because Augustus encouraged trade, many roads and highways were built for convenient traveling. Trading made easier increased trade, which boosted Roman economy even more.