Riley P., Zac B.

1/29/18
Honors Geography 9

The Ancient Empire of Rome:

Rome. Rome is perhaps one of the greatest things man has ever seen created. It is a

triumph to mankind and its ingenuity. Its existence spans over hundreds of years and it has been

home to some of the world’s finest moments. With its complex history and intricate way of life,

it has also been one of the most interesting civilizations in the world. Roman history is filled with

many events both amazing and horrific. From its very early start, it was only a small farming

community which looked and acted like many of the other towns around it. In only a few

hundred years, it would become one of the greatest empire in the world. It would stretch across

Europe, filling into Africa and the Middle East as well. In its glory days, Rome was famous for

almost anything it did. Its technology was some of the greatest in the world, Rome’s greatest

minds worked continuously to ensure its rightful spot at the top of the world. Its architecture was

unreal for its time, ancient Rome was able to create magnificent structures that in today’s world

would still be impossible. Society in Rome was full of great innovations. Its society included a

class system, which included many levels, and many other sub levels in them. Roman society

also had a great culture. Its culture was a chaotic one, as it was formed from the city’s violent

beginnings. Trade was also an important part of this society, as it allowed for the empire to

survive and thrive. Religion was also an important factor in society, as Romans were extremely

obedient and loyal to their Gods. And, to protect all of this, one of the largest ancient militaries
ever formed. This military was ruthless, blood lusting, and ready to conquer with many of its

major technological advantages.

In order to fuel such a great empire. Rome had to rely heavily on keeping resources

within it steady. In order to accomplish that heavy task, Rome was involved greatly in trade.

Roman merchants were some of the most common merchants in Europe. These people would

travel vast swaths of land in order to find the resources that they needed. As well as trading on

land, Rome also traded on the water. In the beginning of Rome’s existence, its navy was very

small, only limited to local operations. Rome was able to solve this problem through its

ingenuity. Through its own technological breakthroughs and the observation of other empires,

Rome was able to conjure up a great navy. The navy consisted of a variant of the famous

Mediterranean ship, the Trireme. These ships not only fought in battles, but also traded with

allied regions. These ships were famous for carrying Rome’s major exports. These exports

included fish, meat, olives, leather, textiles, pottery, marble, and slaves. Along with making

money of these goods. Romans also depended on imports which these traders brought in.

Roman society was very advanced for its time. This complex class system consisted of

many groups and many more sub-groups. Although there were many classes, Romans generally

fell into two of the classes. These tow classes were the upper and the lower. The upper class was

one of the more smaller ones, it contained Rome’s elite and influential. The class consisted of

politicians, including senators, people in the republic, the rich, the emperor, and his inner circle.

Although this group was a small group, it was the most powerful of all of them. The second, and

most common, is the lower class. The lower class consisted of everyone else in Rome, this

included citizens, merchants, workers, freemen, and slaves. Unlike in other civilizations, Rome
was very kind with their slave population. Slaves were seen as almost equal and could also even

buy their freedom.

Politics in Rome were very unique and new for ancient times. Rome was one of the first

society to practice democracy. In the beginning, Rome practiced democracy in its most simple

form, but as time moved on, the way it worked changed. Shortly after, Rome implemented a

republic system. This system used representatives from all over the empire in order to make

government easier. Along with these representatives, there were also senators. Senators worked

with representatives and ultimately made final decisions. Finally, towards the end of the empire,

Rome appointed emperors. These emperors with have more power and control over the senators

and could also order commands even without the senates approval. Because of this, Rome’s

government was very fragile like most democracies, even when compared to today.

Finally, one of the greatest things that put Rome on the map were their inventions. Rome

had many useful inventions. Most of them were either military or civilian friendly. These

inventions were mainly used to improve Roman life and protect it. One of Rome’s most famous

inventions were its aqueducts. These waterways transported water for hundreds of miles and

were incredibly built. This invention helped pave the way of many over great Roman

engineering projects. Speaking of paving the way, the Romans were also one of the first

civilizations to create and use concrete. This invention was so good, that even today, we still use

it as a primary building tool, just like the Romans. Other public marvels were Roman newspaper,

which was made out of a combination of early paper and late papyrus and public sanitation

which used sewers just like today. Rome was also very educated, as made created many things

like bound books, the Julian Calendar, and basic surgery methods. All of these were used to help

make Roman like easy and advanced.

 Rome was superior to Greece because of three main things, its age, its military, and its

legacy. Greece was only able to last for about 1,000 years because of many factors which lead to

its collapse. Although Rome also collapsed, it was able to last for abut 1,500 years, which is

much longer. Rome’s military was also superior to Greece’s because Rome was very passionate

about conquest, which allowed for technological breakthrough that caused Rome to control all of

Europe, and some of Africa and the Middle East, while Greece only had its small region. Finally,

unlike Greece, many of Rome’s innovations still leave a lasting impact on today, such as the

republic, civilian projects like aqueducts, and concrete.

Bibliography:

https://www.unrv.com/military/roman-navy.php

https://www.ancient.eu/article/638/trade-in-the-roman-world/

http://mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/ancient_roman_ships.htm

www.crystalinks.com/romeclasstructure.html

http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6a.asp

https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/rome-history/top-10-ancient-roman-inventions/