Roman Civilization

Rome resides in prominence as one of the greatest civilizations ever to be the center of the world. The Romans structure at the household, national, and international levels allowed them to gain and maintain power. They developed relations with the city-states surrounding them allowing peace on the Italian peninsula. Internationally, they recognized the cultures and societies they conquered as part of their own. Aspects of Roman Government, Law, and acceptance of outside cultures aided the Roman Republic in becoming an empire and the pinnacle of civilization for many years following the fall of Rome. Roman civilization thrived because of its political structure that developed out of the format of the Roman familia, or household. The familia in Rome placed emphasis on ancestry and was led by the paterfamilia, or senior male. Several familia made up a gens, usually formed under a common ancestor. Historians equate Roman Civilization to a household with senators taking the role of elders and patricians …show more content…
The importance of the legal structure comes from the idea of Latin Right, its slow development process, and the creation of different branches of law. Latin Right consisted of agreements between city-states on the Italian peninsula and played a crucial role in the longevity of Roman Civilization. Originally, the right pertained to Rome and her neighboring cities but eventually included all populations within the Roman sphere of influence. The Latin Right included a trade pact, called the commercium; marriage between the cities, or the connubium; and an immigration treaty that included full citizenry once an emigrant had resided in a city for one year, called the migratio. Latin Right minimized infighting between the cities of Italy, which had prevented the poleis from unifying as members of a Greek society and any imperial thought (Cole et al. p