The rise and fall of the Roman Empire has bewitched many historians, scholars, and archaeologists alike. This period in history would give way to brilliant leaders, a rising religion, technological advances, a stirring economy and robust army. However as the years would past, the once glorious empire would plummet from political turmoil, a deteriorating economy, religious unrest, and vicious attacks from foreign invaders. (Rosenwein 1-56). The history of the Roman Empire stretches over a thousand years with its foundation traced back to a mythical legend, where two twins named Romulus and Remus were left to die in a river. The twins saved by a she-wolf would later overthrow their king and discover the city of Rome in 753 B.C. After killing his brother over territorial control Romulus would become leader and name the fragile city Rome (Slayman).
The Roman Empire’s plight to political dominance and influence was not an easy task it would take many years for the sovereignty to reach its prime. The empire through a series of fierce battles and alliances with neighboring peoples would expand over time making its home along the Tiber River and south towards Campania near the Bay of Naples. Later conquering Epirus, Pyrrhus Kingdom in 280 BC renaming it Epirus vetus. In 295 BC, the Romans would defeat the Samnites and take control of Central Italy. By the 2nd century the Roman Empires population would swell to a massive 60 million spanning across “5 million square kilometers roughly 20 times the area of the United Kingdom” (Kelly 1-14). By the third century they would dominate over the Italian Peninsula and Mediterranean seas. The empire would eventually dominate fully what is now the Middle East, Africa, and Northern Europe (Kell...
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From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
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Augustus created the office of emperor with the Augustan Principate, which was “to have no institutionalized authoritarian power, no perpetual dictatorship such as Julius Caesar had had himself voted early in 44, or anything like it (Stockton, 124).” Despite his wishes the people of Rome ended up giving Augustus eternal office, and powers to control the Senate with the rights to dictate agendas and veto (Stockton, 128). The people of Rome had created a position of absolute power, the exact thing Augustus was attempting to prevent. At the time the people of Rome could not have realized what they were creating in the office of emperor, for Augustus was a great man whose leadership created a great shadow over the shoulder of any future emperor.
As the story goes, Rome was founding in 753 B.C. by two brothers Remus and Romulus who were raised by wolves. The two brothers started fighting over the leadership of the land. Eventually Romulus killed Remus and took control own his own. The city was only a small settlement at that time. As the civilization grew, the Etruscans took over. The Romans drove out the Etruscans in 509 B.C. By this time Rome had become a city. As the empire came to its peak it included lands throughout the Mediterranean world. Rome had first expanded into other parts of Italy and neighboring places during the Roman Republic, but made wider conquests and made a strong political power for these lands. In 44 BC Gaius Julius Caesar, the Roman leader who ruled the Roman Republic as a dictator was assassinated. Rome descended into more than ten years of civil war. After years of civil war, Caesar's heir Gaius Octavius (also known as Octavian) defeated his last rivals. In 27 B.C. the Senate gave him the name Augustus, meaning the exalted or holy one. In this way Augustus established the monarchy that became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic, which lasted nearly 500 years, did not exist anymore. The emperor Augustus reigned from 27 BC to AD 14 and ruled with great power. He had reestabl...
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The development of an empire is a change strongly emphasized in the Archeology as a radical departure from the Hellenic tradition, and consequently a major source of conflict among the Greeks. Prior to the adven...
Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.
The Roman Empire stood for nearly five hundred years as world's strongest empire and is believed to have fallen sometime around 467 A.D. There are many reasons that lead to the Western Roman Empire decline. In this paper I will discuss what issues lead to this great empire's demise.
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