The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Roman Empire Read Online Free PDF Page A

human rights and held a philosophically unusual view of time.
“Rome” can mean many things—a city, a state, an empire, a religious center, a concept.
Roman history divides primarily into the “Republic” and the “Empire,” with the “Principate” of Augustus providing the transition between the two.
Roman literature developed long after Greek literature, and although it was highly influenced by the Greeks, it quickly took on a character of its own.
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Chapter 2  Rome FAQ: Hot Topics in Brief
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In This Chapter
Four good reasons for Roman conquest
A quick stab at Roman games and spectacles
Roman slaves and slavery
Looking at women and women’s lives
Theories for why Rome fell
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    Okay. You have a basic understanding of Roman history and literature. What now? Since we’re covering a broad range of times and topics, this book is primarily organized chronologically. But, you know, sometimes you don’t want to wade around in three periods of Roman history to find a quick, basic answer to something you’re interested in. This chapter helps out by providing brief overviews of Roman topics that people most frequently want to know about.

How Did They Do It? Conquering the World
    What are the Romans most famous for? In a word, conquest. The Romans had a gift for conquering people. Without it, we wouldn’t be reading about their other qualities and contributions to history. In fact, it is largely Roman skills in winning andmaintaining an empire that made the rest possible. Their ability to martial forces and materials, to execute a campaign, to adapt to circumstances, and, above all, to persevere is profoundly impressive. Frighteningly impressive.
It’s Their Job
    The Romans saw themselves as destined by fate and the gods to conquer and rule. Their literature, architecture, and art make it clear that they believed Roman rule of the world was the natural order of things. They seemed to realize that this role had limitations (they didn’t think that Romans were best at everything ), but accepted them as the necessary burdens of those who were responsible for carrying out the practical duties of governance.
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    Â  Lend Me Your Ears “Others will hammer out bronzes so gracefully that you would think that their statues breathed, and bring out the living features of a face from stone. They will plead cases better, better trace out the wanderings of the heavens with a compass, and name the rising stars. But you, Roman, remember, these are your skills: to govern the peoples with power and to establish the habit of peace; to be sparing of the vanquished and to crush the arrogant in war.”
    â€”Virgil’s Aeneid 6.847–853
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Conquering and Cooperation
    The Romans not only conquered well, they also successfully integrated conquered peoples into their system. Being a part of the Roman world had distinct advantages that conquered peoples (especially the elite) came to value. In fact, some of Rome’s problems stemmed not from people wanting to escape but from people wanting more rights within the system that they served.
Organization, Organization, Organization
    The Romans were incredibly organized, disciplined, and determined. In war, as long as they had space and time, and especially in the area of siege warfare, they werewithout equal. Because of their tendency to be deliberate, the Romans were sometimes surprised or caught off guard by quicker and more mobile enemies. But Roman organization and tenacity generally triumphed.
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    Â  Roamin’ the Romans You can visit the spectacular site of a Roman siege at Masada along the Dead Sea. King Herod fortified the site, perched high upon the cliffs, in the first century B . C . E ., and Jewish insurgents took refuge there against the Romans after the fall of Jerusalem in C . E . 69. After waiting at the bottom of the cliffs for two years, the Romans began piling dirt until they built a ramp