Roman Empire the History of the Roman

Roman Empire

The history of the Roman Empire has long been a topic of discussion amongst those who are interested in ancient political and social structures. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the subject of the Roman Empire and the impact of this empire on historic events in the world. More specifically the essay will focus on the development of Roman religious and family values and how they were impacted by the introduction of Greek culture and philosophy into Roman society after 200 BC. The research will also explain the factors that lead to the Roman Revolution of 133-31 BC. In addition, the causes, conduct and results of the Second Punic War will be investigated. Lastly, the research will focus on the development of the Roman Army from its early days as a citizen militia to the professional armies of the 1st century BC.

Greek Influence on Roman Religious and family values

As it pertains to the impact of Greek influence on Roman Religion, there were many changes that occurred after 200 B.C. According to a book entitled A History of Rome, Greek influence on Roman religion was most noticeable as it pertained to the introduction of New Gods and temples. The book explains that "under Graeso-Etruscan influence, old Italic deities were transformed. For example, Liber Pater, god of fruitfulness, who, assimilated to the Etruscan Fufluns and Thracian Dionysus, became Bacchus, god of wine and resurrection." In addition, other gods were assimilated in much the same way. The author explains that many temples were built and a national religious developed throughout the Roman Empire. Greek philosophy also became quite pervasive following 200 B.C.

Prior to 200 B.C. men and women within the context of the family, played very traditional roles as it pertained to. However, after 200 B.C. gender roles within the family began to change as a result of the introduction of Greek culture. One of the major differences occurred in the area of divorce. Following 200 B.C. The number of divorces increased significantly. In addition, the book also reports that Greek influence brought about changes in the ancient values associated with Rome.

Roman Revolution of 133-31

The Roman Revolution began in 133 and ended with the fall of the Roman Republic. The Roman Revolution also marked the beginning of the Roman empire and the ascension of Caesar Augustus. There were several reasons why the Roman Revolution took place. Prior to 133 the Roman Republic acted as a type of democracy. Within this democracy the wealthy aristocrats had a great deal of authority but the people of Rome also had a great deal of authority over the laws that governed the society. This republic structure in Rome was successful for many years. Until the actions of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and his subsequent death. Gracchus was an aristocrat but unlike other wealthy people who enjoyed his social status, he was extremely concerned with the plight of the poor within the republic.

As a result of his concern he proposed that poor people in the empire be given land that wealthy Romans occupied. Although this idea was radical, what was even more radical was the manner in which he went about attempting to ensure that poor individuals would receive the land. Gracchus did not follow the protocol as it pertained to getting legislation passed. Instead of going to the senate he offered the proposal to the people to vote on, essentially cutting out the middle man. This action resulted in the passing of the proposition.

Although Gracchus was popular among the people he was ultimately killed by his fellow lawmakers when he attempted to serve an additional term as a tribune. His death was the catalyst for the revolution. His actions and politics were instrumental to the revolution because he challenged the way the Roman Republic distributed wealth. He challenged the treatment of poor people who were often overlooked in the society. In addition, Gracchus also shed light on the ability of leaders to abandon the political rules associated with the power and control lawmakers were allowed to possess when decided to run for tribune after he had already served the designated year. His desire to serve again made many nervous that certain men in political positions would also want to serve longer terms and this could threaten the balance of power because they would want to have increasingly greater levels of authority over the republic and its people. His led to a revolution in which the political structure of the Rome was forever changed.

Second Punic War

In addition to the aforementioned events and circumstances associated with the Roman Empire, the Second Punic War was also a significant event that occurred in the Roman Empire. The Second Punic War took place from 218-202 B.C. In 221 the Ruler Hannibal came into power in Carthaginian Spain. The Romans and the Spanish city of Saguntum had become allies after the first Punic war. The city of Saguntum had promised not to expand into other areas of Spain but this promise was broken. As a result Hannibal declared war on Saguntum and won. This put Rome in a difficult position because Saguntum was an ally to Rome and as such was obliged to help the city. Rome could not convince Carthage to remove Hannibal from power and so a war ensued. Hannibal had an extremely powerful and well equipped army and was able to defeat most of northern Italy. Although Hannibal won many battles, he was ultimately defeated and was never able to seize Rome.

The Roman Army

Like most armies, the Roman army did not began as a mighty force instead it developed over time. According to a book entitled Roman Warfare the Roman army was unique in that it utilized soldiers from territories that it conquered. The army would simply absorb the armies of conquered territories. In doing this, the Roman army was able to grow significantly. In addition, because the soldiers were from different regions, they had diverse skills. In many cases these were For instance some were skilled in archery. According to the book even though there were many years in which the Roman Army experienced a great deal of expansion, the Roman conquest began to dwindle as did the Roman Army. After Augustus died the army stopped expanding.