Term Paper on the Rise and fall
of the Roman Empire
The
Rise of the Roman Empire
Rome, apart from being the largest city in Italy is also its capitol. It is
perhaps one of the oldest cities in the world. The twin brothers Romulus and
Remus built the city of Rome. Remus fought with his brother and was murdered
before the city was completed. Kings ruled Rome for a long period of time after
which Rome was conquered by Etruscan and the kingship ended. The rules of the
Tarquins and a dynasty of princes were then established. This divided the
inhabitants of Rome according to their social and political status. The two main
sects were the slaves and the patricians. The slaves had no rights in the Roman
society. After the defeat of the Tarquinius a new form of government was
established. Two executives known as consuls replaced the King and a group of
men was assigned to oversee the workings of the government which was later known
as the senate. The Roman history is full of conflict, war, and the human
cruelty. The Romans were notorious for their selfish, arrogant and often cruel
nature. The Roman culture changed through the ages and introduced a middle class
society along with aristocrats and slaves.
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Buildings
Architecture played a great role in the Roman Society. Rome had some of the most
famous buildings and monuments in the world. The Romans were famous for their
beautiful and different architecture. The Romans were accomplished architects
developing the masonry-vaulted buildings. Early Rome was the city of all
religions. This was evident in the many types of religious structures built
throughout the city. Perhaps one of the structures best known to modern man is
the Colosseum, constructed in 315 A.D. The massive structure was similar to an
auditorium. The Romans used the Colosseum for their great gladiator fights.
Art
Throughout history Rome has been well known for its exceptional sculptures,
paintings and magnificent works of art. Ivory carvings, paintings, murals,
mosaic, and stained glass windows were among the many types of art forms found
during the era of the Roman Empire. Silverware, Jewelry, Enamels and other form
of metal works and embroidered tapestries were also found commonly. Roman art
was extremely diverse as it adopted its style from the many tribes and cultures
it conquered during the rise of the Roman Empire.
Entertainment
The Romans were famous for their gladiator fights, chariot races, and various,
rather violent, events held in the Roman Colesseum. Roman life was full of
rituals, both religious and political. These rituals were often marked by
ostentation celebrations. Initially there were very few religious festivals
although a few of the original celebrations did survive to the end of the pagan
era. As time passed new festivals marked the naturalization of the new gods. At
one point in Roman history there were so many festivals that the festival days
on the calendar outnumbered the working days.
The Warriors
The Romans were a powerful military strength. From 264 B.C., when they rose
against Carthage for control of the Mediterranean, they continued their pursuit
to conquer all who stood in their way. The Punic wars that followed gained Rome
full control of the Mediterranean. As war waged on the Romans became more and
more greedy and cruel. In less than a century, the Empire expanded and extended
from Spain to Syria. For a long time Rome thrived as a cultural, military and
religious leader. But soon barbarians, Christianity, taxes, and internal strife
brought the Empire to its knees.
Fall of the Roman Empire
Economic Decline
Many great scholars agree that the primary reason for Rome's decline and
eventual fall was the decline of the great Empire's economic might and the
social consequences that accompanied it. This economic crisis is said to have
affected nearly every aspect of the Roman life, from the decline of the
population to the lack of maintenance of infrastructure. One of the primary
causes for the weakening of the economy was the lack of circulating currency in
the Western Empire. Two reasons for the lack of funds are wholesale hoarding of
bullion by Roman citizens, and the widespread looting of the Roman treasury by
the "barbarians". These two factors, along with the enormous trade insufficiency
with Eastern Regions of the Empire stopped the growth of wealth in the west.
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The changing rainfall patterns and climate in the Mediterranean are also
believed to be the cause economic problems encountered by the western empire. As
the climate became unstable, it began to change annually between cold rainy
seasons and hot droughts. This decreased the crop yields and forced the Romans
to start widespread irrigation projects on land, which had formerly been
self-sufficient. The huge amount of water needed for this project had to be
stored in large reservoirs. This standing water became stagnant and became a
breeding home for the mosquitoes, the carriers of malaria. Malaria began
manifesting itself at epidemic levels, weakening and killing a large percentage
of the population.
The variation in temperature and climate also had more direct effects on the
populous. Humans operate most effectively when their environment is at a stable
temperature. This ever-changing environment had a negative effect on the average
Roman's intellectual and physical stamina. Huntington believed that this was
such an overwhelming phenomenon that he writes, since the mental and physical
capacities of the average citizen were lessened, and the ground less fertile,
the economy suffered as a result. Some scholars maintain that the Roman Empire
met its end because of its decaying infrastructure. Rome's buildings were
harshly worn throughout the years by time and nature. The rivers surrounding
Rome had highly irregular courses. This resulted in frequent flooding, which
damaged and destroyed all buildings situated below the hills of Rome. Since
Rome's currency was being accumulated by citizens and stolen by the barbarians,
the empire lacked sufficient funding to repair its crumbling structures.
The Roman Empire crumbled due to insufficient economic power, which came about
for a variety of reasons. It lacked the necessary resources to keep such a vast
empire intact. The empire reached such a point that it could no longer support
itself, becoming top heavy, and crashed down like a tower that had grown too
high for its own foundation.
Military Decay
The Roman Empire was known for its strength and stability provided by its army.
It is commonly believed that the fortunes of Rome were directly tied to the
expertise of her military. Many scholars believe that in the later period of the
Empire, Rome's military strength gradually declined for a number of reasons. In
the end it was this lack of security, which allowed the barbarians to bring down
what had once been the mightiest empire in the world.
The destruction of Roman military power in the fifth century A.D. was the
obvious cause of the collapse of Roman government in the West. The massive Roman
army, with about 200,000 men, ultimately disintegrated into an unorganized mob.
The most obvious factor in the falling apart of the army is the abrasion
received in the numerous conflicts with the Barbarians. Added factors such as
the fragmentation of the soldiers' loyalty to numerous power centers, reliance
on mercenaries, and lack of incentive for Roman Citizens to enlist, combined to
destroy the Army as a practical unit.
One of the most important factors in the ruin of the military was the lack of
recruits from Roman backgrounds. One problem was the granting of citizenship to
all free men within the empire. Originally, non-citizens who served in the Roman
army were granted citizenship at the end of their enlistment. It was this
longing of the provincials to acquire Roman citizenship that accounted for the
fact that during the first two centuries voluntary enlistments sufficed to keep
the armed services up to establishment. Undoubtedly the army would not have
remained at full power if it relied on volunteers from those who already
possessed the Roman citizenship since they showed a notable unwillingness. Rome
was also experiencing a population decrease during this time. As the population
decreased, the available manpower also decreased. The widespread disease, war,
starvation, and forcible deportation had negative results on the military
establishment.
Due to factors such as the "free citizenship" which was offered by Rome and the
lack of available manpower, Rome's army, which had been the symbol of its power,
was left unorganized and nearly useless. Seizing the opportunity, the Barbarians
began to infiltrate the Empire, first as small groups of settlers and
mercenaries, but eventually in whole tribes. They detected the military weakness
of the Romans, and exploited it to establish their own kingdoms. Thus the
political entity known as the Roman Empire came to an end, and the Germanic
kingdoms of Western Europe began to flourish.
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Gradual Transformation
Another theory that has been devised about the "Fall of the Roman Empire" is
that the Empire never really fell in some remarkable course of events, but
instead gradually transformed itself into an elementary form of what we would
call "Medieval Europe". Indeed the actual decline of the Western Empire as a
political formation was simply the last step in a long period of social changes.
The Empire had become less and less "Romanized" as time passed, and the Germanic
people that had been the Empire's neighbors slowly incorporated themselves.
Scholars point to the persistence of Christianity, Roman law, and the
maintenance of the Eastern Roman Empire in the form of Byzantium, as well as
other examples. Since the time of the Emperor Constantine, Christianity became
the official religion of the Roman Empire. The church, with regal support, began
to set up its own arrangement and hierarchy. The church added a new dimension to
Roman society, in which spiritual matters began to take precedence over their
political counterparts. Indeed the theologians preached doctrines that minimized
the importance of serving the state.
Some scholars say that the Roman Empire thrived economically, politically, and
culturally even during the periods of barbarian invasions. They claim it was the
rise of the Islamic faith in the east, which culturally divided the empire and
led to its eventual breakup. They maintain that the empire ended sometime during
the seventh or eighth century when Islam shattered the unity of the
Mediterranean and turned it into a Moslem lake. During this time, the disunity
of the Roman Empire left it immobilized against this movement. The Roman history
is full of war and the human cruelty. The Romans were notorious for their
selfish, arrogant and often cruel nature. In summary, scholars have argued that
the Roman Empire did not end suddenly for a specific reason, but rather
underwent a steady alteration. These scholars see change as unavoidable and look
at "The Fall of Rome" as simply "time running its course."
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