Three Different Empires Of The Romans, The Aztecs, And The Incas

Assignment #5

In this essay we would be discussing the rise of three different empires, the Romans, the Aztecs, and the Incas. Also, explaining what an empire is and how it differs from city-states and territorial states. We would also be describing each of the three empires, in what ways each empire was unique, and if any, what characteristics did each empire share with one or both of the others.

“In general, an empire is a super state. It is a state that has conquered and absorbed neighboring states”(Smiley, 1). Like states, empires have a bureaucracy, a standing army, and a strong military. When an empire expands, it extends its control over a large geographic area and incorporates distinct ethnic and cultural groups. All

empires have a bureaucracy, and this bureaucracy collects tribute, taxes, and control of territories. When a state successfully conquers its neighbor, that state gets stronger every time it happens. According to Fagan & Scarre, city states where cities that their population made up the whole spectrum of society, with craftspeople, farmers, and the elite. On the other hand, territorial states where cities where farmers lived in a rural hinterland in small settlements without any walls to protect them. The difference between the empire states and the city and territorial states, is that the empires would conquered its neighbors and city and territorial states wouldn’t. Also, the empires had a military and bureaucracy system that people needed to follow. Something the city-states and territorial states didn’t had.
The first empire that we would be discussing would be the Roman Empire.

“The Roman Empire is heir to nearly three thousand years of development in the Mediterranean basin”(Smiley, 1). The Romans were guided by the Etruscan, a cultural group in central Italy that taught them the alphabet and even their architecture. After being helped by the Etruscan, the Romans rebelled back and defeated Etruria. They completely obliterated all traces of Etruscan society. After being attack by the Gaul in 387 BCE, the Romans rebuilt their city with even stronger defenses. They reorganized their army and introduced new tactics and iron weapons. By the end of the century, the Romans had a strong army and navy. The Carthaginians, a powerful maritime empire in North Africa, also helped the Romans conquered all of Southern Italy and the Greek colonies. However, the Romans turned against Carthage because it was a major sea power. Rome was expanding and wanted to get bigger, so they fought Carthage for control of Sicily over 120 years until in 146 BCE, Rome won. The Romans destroyed the city of Carthage by killing most of the inhabitants, burning the Carthage navy and salting the earth so no crops well ever grow. The few who survive were slaughtered or sold to slavery. “By the mid second century BCE, Rome was the most powerful empire in the Mediterranean. It had a well-trained army and an excellent navy”(Smiley, 1). The conquest of Carthage and Greek territory help Rome become a great

empire.
The next empire that we would be discussing would be the Aztecs.

The Aztec empire was an organized system of tribute flowing into the Triple Alliance. Once a state was conquered, city-state was expected to pay tribute. Also, the Aztecs followed a plan similar to the Romans. “As the Aztec empire expanded, it engulfed local city-states, but allowed the local rulers to go on as before. As long as they paid tribute, there was no problem”(Smiley, 1). The city-states paid tribute two to four times a year. Throughout the empire, exotic goods flourished. Markets were a hallmark of the Aztec society. Chinampas were the key of Aztec farming. They were gardens that seem to flourished in Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. Beans, squash, tomatoes, chilies, and maize all grew well on chinampas because of the fertile. The Aztec created a vast empire between 1325 and 1500. Their capital at Tenochtitlan, being the largest city of the ancient world, rivaled any city in the world but unfortunately the Aztec empire collapse

later.
The last empire being discussed would be the Incas. At its height, the Incan empire encompassed 80 political provinces. “The Incan divided these 80 provinces into four quarters, called suyu. The Incas referred to their empire as the “Land of the Four Quarters”(Smiley, 1). They were the heirs to a cultural tradition that spanned more than 3,000 years. The Inca combined the ruthless military strategies and road system of Wari, the irrigation engineering of the Chimu, and the stone work of the Tiwanaku. With this, the Inca built their empire quickly. The Inca empire stretched north to southern Colombia and Ecuador. The Incas ruler forged an empire ruthless, that resulted in a reign of terror for the independent cultural and political groups throughout the Andes. The growth expansion of the Inca Empire was caused by one critical thing. “The Inca was responsible for supporting his nuclear family and the descendants of his family as long as any descendants were alive”(Smiley, 1). When an Inca died, the family was destined to continued to live off the tribute paid from the lands that Inca had conquered. There was no such thing as inheritance. New Incas needed to conquered their own lands that would support their families and descendants. This is how the Inca empire kept on growing because the Incas kept on succeeding to conquered territories.
Each of the empires had differences between each other, but had characteristic that each of them shared. For example, all three empires were successful during their time of ruling. Another would be, that they would conquered other territories so their empires would grow. The only difference between each empire is that the Inca Empire would conquered territories to be able to support their families and there wasn’t any such thing as inheritance. Also, the Romans and the Aztecs had similar systems of ruling after conquering territories. The Romans, the Aztecs, and the Incas were three different powerful empires that were able to fight and do whatever for their empires to growed.
In conclusion, we were able to discuss what an empire was and the differences between the city-states and territorial states. We were also able to discuss the three empires, the Roman empire, the Inca empire, and the Aztecs empire. Each of these empires were able to conquered territories and expand their empires. However, it wasn’t easy. Each empire had to fought and even betrayed to be able to get what they want.