Rome Empire

¶ … Rome's main strengths was its geographic position. poised in the central Mediterranean and linked to the Sea by the Tiber River. Moreover, Rome's fertile terrain is what permitted rapid agricultural development to sustain a growing population. An agrarian society relatively quickly evolved into a monarchy with distinct class divisions, as wealth accumulated into the hands of the patricians. When Rome still operated as a tribal society, patricians were like tribal leaders. When the Senate evolved, the Patricians held office and rule over the plebian masses. Plebians included craftsmen and agriculturalists whose work contributed to the increased wealth of the state. The hierarchical social and political structures of Rome promoted growth because the patricians could regulate trade and productivity, stimulating the early Roman economy. Social classes remained rigidly hierarchical and patriarchal, based on hereditary lines and property ownership ("Social Order").

As the economy grew, Rome became more militaristic. Defending its borders, Rome also preemptively conquered neighboring regions (Hooker 1996). Rome thereby extended its geographic scope to include more of the Italian peninsula. Conquered peoples were assimilated into Roman society, adding to the substantial plebian base and bolstering production of agriculture and crafts. Often conquered peoples were used as slave labor, which also helped Rome's economy blossom. New citizens of Rome rarely rose to the top of the social structure and in many cases, conquered peoples were denied full citizenship rights ("Social Order"). A patronage system permitted some class mobility ("Social Order").

As Rome grew, so did its public infrastructure including Rome's characteristic irrigation and bath system (Aicher, cited in "Watering Ancient Rome," 2000). The large population demanded a centralized system of government that by the 1st century BCE entailed increased reliance on the Senate and later, on imperial rule by the Caesars. Rome's position in the center of the European continent again helped them amass such large amounts of territory. Not only did Rome grow demographically and territorially but also economically: conquered areas yielded their human and natural resources as well as their ideas, religions, and worldviews. These emboldened the Roman Empire and created the period of Pax Romana. However strong the imperial leadership in Rome, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the peace.

2. The fall of Rome cannot be traced to a singular cause. As the empire's boundaries expanded from Great Britain to the Near East, social and political control became increasingly difficult. Conquered peoples often revolted or refused to pay tributes. Inefficient and corrupt centralized government could not maintain political control over distant territories. The spread of Christianity throughout Roman lands threatened the integrity of the empire by calling into question Roman values, social order, and religious tradition. As Rome's tenuous grip on its remotest territories weakened, the empire became increasingly susceptible to invaders: especially the Germanic tribes.