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Development of geography in ancient world
How geography influenced the development of greek and roman civilizations
How geography influenced the development of greek and roman civilizations
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When we take a look at why civilizations rise when others fall, the ancient civilization of the Roman Empire stands out as notable, if not particular. Ancient Rome remains one of the most prestigious empires in history due to its geography, specifically how the country of Italy was protected from invaders, the benefit of the Italian land, the civilization being at the center of trade and the diversity of the empire’s population. That being said, the ancient civilization of the Romans was able to succeed as long as it did due to the empire’s geographical advantage of being in the heart of Italy.
Before starting, it is of critical importance that we take an in-depth look at the geography at the heart of the Roman Empire: Italy. The country that
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It’s at this time that the Roman Republic has experienced a radical change under Augustus (Octavian) Caesar, who ushered in what many historians call the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. Described as a “time of peace and prosperity hitherto unknown… that would last for over the 200 years” (Mark), the Pax Romana is vital to understanding how geography influenced the now Roman Empire because we see the empire at the height of its power in western civilization. With the Roman Empire, there are four primary means by which the Romans benefitted from Italy’s geography: 1.) Protection from invasion, 2.) Fertile Land, 3.) Center of Trade, and 4.) Diversity of the …show more content…
Geography, more so the place, of the empire has developed into an important factor in the success of the Romans because history shows us how they were capable of using geography to their benefit and survival. Globalization, similarly, was as much as factor to the Romans due to the spread of the empire itself (see the above figure). Geography in the case of the Roman Empire has shown me how necessary geography is when it comes to survival. If the Romans had not used expertly used geography in the building of the empire, we might not be talking about the success of the Romans, rather their failure. What really surprised me about the factor that geography played with the Roman Empire was how the Romans almost lucked into their so-called success. For instance, if the Alps were not located in at the Northern edge of Italy, thus protecting the Romans from the armies of the Goths and Hannibal, the Romans would have most certainly been destroyed, and their influence in a current perspective would not have as big of a place in our
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” –Marcus Garvey. The U.S. is a combination of many cultures and influences over the centuries and because of this we are alike to many of them. We could name many of these influences: the Greeks, the Chinese Dynasties but the Romans were particularly like us. We might see them as barbaric is some ways but the reality is that the U.S. takes pages from many areas of the Romans, and comparisons could be drawn between both of us. Examples include government, our religions, and in some ways entertainment. The U.S. is much like the old Roman Empire was more than a millennium ago
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London and New York: Routledge, 1995
The Greek and Roman empires were so successful for many reasons. But one of the main reasons was their military powers. Many people think that the military is brutal and has alot of big guns, but its deeper than that. They require advanced weapons, superior strategy, and finally they need leaders to come up with these things. The Greeks came up with these, and then the Romans built upon the Greeks knowledge and fine combed it.
The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. -.
It has been debated by varying scholars as to whether Caesar Augustus’ foreign policy to expand Rome’s empire had more to do with defensive imperialism as a response to encroaching threats, or rather, an aggressive, unprovoked move to claim hegemony over the known world. However, I would like to postulate in support of the former theory that in an attempt to restore and ensure long-lasting security to their empire, Augustus was forced to take proactive measures in order to preserve it. With territorial boundaries normally running along the rivers so as to provide a better defensive posture, he felt it necessary to expand the northern border to the river so as to secure their autonomy and position. Perhaps if he could establish a wide buffer of room along Roman lands, he could ensure the safety of the people, the cities, and most of all—the government.
There are so many powerful countries and governments today, but have you ever wondered what were the most powerful ancient empires and what happened to them over the years. The Roman Empire was at once a very flourishing and thriving place to live, but then all of a sudden it began to fall and decline until it was a weak and vulnerable empire. Historians debate the issue of why it declined and eventually fell. They ask themselves the question, what are the main reasons for the fall of Rome? The main reasons for the fall of Rome were their military struggles, political problems, and the disasters they encountered during that time period.
One factor that made Rome so great was its geography; it is located in Italy which is a peninsula that is located in the middle of the Mediterranean. Rome lies on the Tiber River which aided trade. Rome has two mountain ranges the Alps and the Apennine, which helped protect the country. Once Rome declared their independents from the Etruscans they created their own constitution. This constitution created a series of checks and balances. They formed a government for the public that was divided into three branches, the magistrate, the senate and the assemblies. The magistrate’s were elected officials in ancient Rome who took over the power and ran the government from day to day. The magistrates had two limits, the first being the Principle of Collegiality, which was the idea that no 1 person was ever going to have complete control. The second limit was that a person could only have one year in console. The senates were most important. They were made up of influenced families and citizens in Rome. They passed no law but just offered their opinions to people, opinions everyone listened to. The only two things that involved the senate were money and war. Assemblies were composed of all Roman citizens. Th...
The Roman Empire began as a small colony, in the city of Rome, and eventually, became one of the largest empires that the world has ever known before its ultimate demise. Because of the vast size of their territory, and the number of cultures they consumed throughout their existence, the Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks and other Hellenistic civilizations. Two different groups of professors argue this point. Professors Matthews, Platt, and Noble argue this influence is reflected by Roman music, philosophy, literature, architecture, art, culture/government, and technology and science; and Professor Weber argues this is reflected in the areas of government/law, the influence and effects of conquests, culture, religion, architecture and art, and philosophy. Both parties make compelling arguments as to why the Romans were heirs to Greek and Hellenistic civilization however, it will be demonstrated that Matthews et al. provide a more thorough argument than Weber.
18: Rome, the massive Empire consumed the Mediterranean and all of the territories that surrounded it. Rome was not only the foundation of artistic, intellectual, and cultural dominance; it also became the main influential reason of genius in so many of the existing societies of the western world. As always we have to take the good with the bad and take the losses with the gains. What no one knew at the time was that the long lasting dominance that the Roman Empire created would eventually fail. With a loss comes an opportunity for a second chance, for a rebirth of sorts that could only be a dream for other civilizations. With the collapse of one of the greatest empires, opportunities surfaced for new and upcoming societies to take advantage of.
The empire that the Roman’s built can be argued to have been the greatest in world history. The Roman Empire controlled the largest land area in European history and influenced a huge region, acting as a cultural center for the entire continent of Europe. Their strength derived from their prowess and skill on the battlefield. The Roman Army was extremely effective and became the basis of our military structure today by utilizing technological advances in strategy and weaponry, and simply having more discipline.
Rome became a powerful empire engulfing much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia and what seemed like this great entity called the Romans were always in the search of more territory and land to conquer and assimilate into their ever growing vast empire. However, this was not always the case, before Rome became one of the greatest empires in all of history, Rome was a republic. They were government consisted of a Senate who much like our country today represented certain classes of the citizens of the Republic. During the growth and rise of the Roman republic conquering neighboring territories and competing for land grabs was not Romans primary objectives. Romans believed in the well being and wealth of Rome, and if that meant the total destruction of a potential adversary, then as history will show that is unfortunately to the detriment of the adversary what happened.
The era of the Pax Romana – though still a period of time filled with civil war and conquests in an attempt to expand the empire – was an overall period of stability for Roman society. During this time the Roman people knew their Emperor was an unwavering political powerhouse with an ability to run the Empire efficiently. In addition to having an efficient political leader, Rome had a strong military force stable enough to protect them from outside forces. The security of the Pax Romana period allowed Romans to focus on politics, culture, and technology providing them the opportunity to progress and flourish as a society.
Trade routes between Rome and all of its surrounding territories were extremely important. They not only brought in food and materials,...
One of the most common causes of the decline of an empire results from having weak military power and martial spirit. In order for an empire to be successful, that empire must present a strong will to fight or sacrifice property and life in order to defend its state. If an empire does not possess this characteristic, it often will quickly diminish. For example, the Roman Empire became successful because of the willingness of the males to defend the state. Shortly after, the males lost their willingness to defend and the empire had to recruit unreliable mercenaries to fight in war. Unlike the successful army of the past, these mercenaries did not have true loyalty to Rome. Because of constant warfare, the Romans had heavy military spending. The Roman Empire had become too large to control effortlessly. Families and soldiers in parts of the Roman Empire adopted local customs. The Roman Empire was made up not only of natives from the Italian peninsula, but it was also made up of barbarians from the conquered lands. The barbarians were very knowledgeable when it came to Roman warfare and military tactics. Corruption became widespread throughout the Em...
The ancient Romans had many contributions that were important to the western civilization. Some of their contributions include the aqueducts, public baths, markets, and juries. The Romans were also the greatest builders of the ancient western world. They created a legacy that proved to be as dominant as it was long lasting and many roman principles are embodied in their modern instructions. The Romans made varies of contributions to the Western Civilization, but a few are the most important of all. Rome was the most important civilization to the Western World. It had left a great legacy behind by paving the road for the spread of Christianity, forming the basis for the republic, and allowing for a widespread diffusion of culture.