Peace In The Roman Empire

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Peace is a luxury that has been chased after throughout history. While there have been relative short segments of peace, it has rarely been held for lengthy periods of time. One of these rare instances occurred in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. This time period is called the Pax Romana and was considered a time of peace, calmness, and stability in the Roman Empire. In Latin, Pax Romana means “The Roman Peace”. The emperor during the Pax Romana was Emperor Augustus. Since his reign was characterized by this time of peace, Pax Romana is also referred to as Pax Augustus, meaning the Augustus Peace. Before Pax Romana, Julius Caesar, the maternal great-uncle of Augustus, ruled. He was known for his military endeavors and the expansion of the Roman Empire. This military mindset continued on for years, however, it was due for a collapse, which occurred when Augustus became the emperor.
This transition from military expeditions to relative peace and stability was described in The Aeneid of Virgil, which is a translation of the Aeneid written by Virgil. Virgil grew up during Rome’s transition from Julius Caesar’s reign towards Augustus’ peace. The Aeneid by Virgil describes Aeneas, a legendary Trojan soldier, and his many journeys through war life. Through Aeneas’ many expeditions and experiences, The Aeneid discusses the qualities which were developed and needed for the Pax Romana to occur. Many of these qualities are eminent in today’s society which proves there importance.
One of these qualities is the importance of selflessness, the idea behind sacrificing for oneself to help the community. This theme is recurring in the Aeneid. It is seen when seven ships full of soldiers have not eaten and are famished. Instead of just hunting o...

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...deas, characteristics, and qualities discussed and described in the Aeneid are important features in today’s society. The fact that these different qualities in Pax Romana ended up being part of a distant society showed their importance to a stable, advanced society. These qualities are what makes us all Roman. We are selfless, forgiving, obey and establish laws, are rational, etc. which allows us to maintain order in the present day. The ideas discussed in the Aeneid also show the similarities of society then and now. Augustus’ rule brought about a time of peace and stability for the Roman Empire after years of war, and this was primarily due to the people’s openness to change their old traditions and adopt new ideologies. Rome during the Pax Romana set a model for advanced civilizations and cultures to follow, and their infrastructure has lived on till this day.

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