August of 14 A.D. proved a sad time for the Romans; for it was the time when the great leader, Augustus Caesar, passed away. The long lasting peace established by him would however, survive for many years to come. Rome in this time was more politically stable than it would be in future years. The great civil war that the Romans took part in led to the annexation of Egyptian lands and the overall growth of the newly proclaimed empire. Augustus saw the threat posed by barbaric tribes in the annexed lands and thus created a standard military force which he charged with the responsibility of maintaining peace and providing protection for the people. Social reformations and the erection of structures such as aqueducts and roads were put into play.
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During this time, the emperors selected successors who they believed were worthy of leading Rome and as a result, corruption ceased and the government system improved tremendously. Massive expansions reaching as far as Mesopotamia and modern day Great Britain took place. This was primarily accomplished with the help of the new military system established in the Flavian dynastic period and the spread of the Roman language and civilization. in the midst of all this expansion, decentralization occurred and the people moved outward toward other Roman cities. This movement led to barbarian invasions that resulted in warfare. The last ruler of the dynasty, Marcus Aurelius, spent the majority of his reign fighting the war against the barbaric tribes, unfortunately, he would never see the end of the war. His incompetent son, Commodus, succeed …show more content…
This time, the division was permanent and the decline of the empire had begun. The western empire had been reduced to a rural collection of cities surrounded by a large wall. As time progressed, attacks from barbarians increased and the cities shrank and became more and more depopulated and in an attempt to escape the city's authorities, the upper class citizens fled to the country. Communication and trade slowly came to a halt as the Roman living conditions became more and more primitive. The fall of the western Roman empire was drawing near and the government could not convince enough people to join the army primarily because they followed a non-violent christian lifestyle. Other factors that would contribute to tha fall of Rome were outbreaks of Malaria and smallpox which greatly reduced the population and affected the army as well. Rome had no choice but to hire barbarian mercenaries, however, in 476 A.D., their leader, Odoacer, overthrew the emperor and claimed the throne for himself. Suddenly, the great Roman empire, was all but a
During this time, the emperors selected successors who they believed were worthy of leading Rome and as a result, corruption ceased and the government system improved tremendously. Massive expansions reaching as far as Mesopotamia and modern day Great Britain took place. This was primarily accomplished with the help of the new military system established in the Flavian dynastic period and the spread of the Roman language and civilization. in the midst of all this expansion, decentralization occurred and the people moved outward toward other Roman cities. This movement led to barbarian invasions that resulted in warfare. The last ruler of the dynasty, Marcus Aurelius, spent the majority of his reign fighting the war against the barbaric tribes, unfortunately, he would never see the end of the war. His incompetent son, Commodus, succeed …show more content…
This time, the division was permanent and the decline of the empire had begun. The western empire had been reduced to a rural collection of cities surrounded by a large wall. As time progressed, attacks from barbarians increased and the cities shrank and became more and more depopulated and in an attempt to escape the city's authorities, the upper class citizens fled to the country. Communication and trade slowly came to a halt as the Roman living conditions became more and more primitive. The fall of the western Roman empire was drawing near and the government could not convince enough people to join the army primarily because they followed a non-violent christian lifestyle. Other factors that would contribute to tha fall of Rome were outbreaks of Malaria and smallpox which greatly reduced the population and affected the army as well. Rome had no choice but to hire barbarian mercenaries, however, in 476 A.D., their leader, Odoacer, overthrew the emperor and claimed the throne for himself. Suddenly, the great Roman empire, was all but a