Explain Two Ways In Which The Roman Empire Adapted To Its Geography

The Roman Empire is known as the longest lasting empire in recorded history, with an existence period of about 700 years. Starting with the governmental format of city-states with the structure of a monarchy, over time, the system of the Roman territory gradually shifted to an empire. Beginning in the first century B.C., Rome was able to extend its power from the Italian peninsula to the entire Mediterranean world and north into Europe. In order to achieve this great feat of a large expansion of territory, the Roman Empire had to adapt to its geography. The major two ways in which the Roman Empire adapted to its geography was through the usage of the bodies of water and roads for multiple uses, such as transportation.

The first mode of transport

that the Romans conformed to its geographical location is through water. According to the map of Roman Trade Routes, large bodies of water were used as a source of trade throughout the Roman Empire, and multiple goods were traded, such as gold, iron, copper, and timber (Document 1). Scanning an excerpt by Robert Snedden in the work ‘Ancient Rome’ written in 1998, the same mode of transport is being discussed (Document 2). However, the author focuses more on the innovations that were built around the idea of the improvement of transference, such as the Corbitas ship that would carry cargo weighing between 70-350 tons, deep harbors at key locations, such as the harbor set at Ostia, and lighthouses that were built to guide sailors. Both documents stress upon the mode of water as a way that the Roman Empire adapted to its geography.
The second way that the Roman Empire adapted to its geography is through the construction and improvement of roads. Observing a map of Roman Roads as of the year A.D. 14, almost the entirety of the empire has roads spread throughout, with roads leading out of the empire into nearby territories, such as modern-day England (Document 3). The documents that combine to form Document 4 talk about the specific construction of these roads. What is especially important is the fact that the roads that the Roman would find were often ‘simple mud and grass tracks’. The Romans improved this simple design into straight, durable roads to meet the needs to their thriving empire, allowing troops and supplies to be quickly sent during times of war, but also increased trade and taxes in times of peace. To conclude, through the information in both Documents 3 and 4, roads were a way that the Roman Empire conformed to its geography.
As a thriving and large empire, it indeed is logical that the innovations that the Romans would have would meet the wants of that age. Therefore, the constant improvement of inventions in their territory ensured that the empire would last for a long time, and, throughout all of history, this same practice of adaptation has been constantly repeated because of geographical location. The information received is sufficient enough to tell some ways that Romans reformed to their environment. However, a document from a construction worker on their retellings of how certain inventions were constructed, for instance, the Corbitas ship, would give observers a new viewpoint from that point in time with the technology that was available. To conclude, the two main ways that the Roman Empire conformed to its geography is through bodies of water and roads.