Explain Why Was Rome Successful

Chapter 5: Ancient Rome

1. Why were early Rome’s conquests so successful?
The Romans were great diplomats. They were firm when necessary and smart about granting citizenship. They also let citizens participate in domestic affairs. Their military was made up of strong, persistent soldiers. If a substantial amount of men were lost in battle they wouldn’t just surrender, but instead recruit new soldiers. They would build up new armies so that they could keep fighting. The Romans were also good strategists. By the year 264 BCE Rome had established colonies in strategic spots throughout Italy. By connecting these settlements with roads, they built a military and communication network that helped them rule more effectively. By getting military help from allies, they mobilized Italy’s military
manpower. 2. What were the Punic Wars, and why were they so important in the development of Rome?
The first Punic war made Sicily the first Roman province. The Romans wanted to conquer Sicily, but realized that they couldn’t win the war without a navy. The developed a massive navy which defeated the Carthaginian naval fleet off Sicily, ending the war. The second Punic war lasted from 218 to 201 BCE. Carthage tried to gain more land to make up for the loss of Sicily. Rome got Carthage’s allies to revolt against them and Carthage fought back. Carthage wanted to bring the fight to Rome and defeat them in their own territory. The Romans lost several thousand men during battle, but they never gave up. They built a new army and reconquered Halian cities that had gone over to the enemy’s side. Rome’s strategy was to undermine Carthage’s empire in Spain. By 206 the Carthaginians were pushed out of Spain and the war was taken to Carthage. A peace treaty was signed in 201 and Spain became a Roman province, making Rome the supreme power in the western Mediterranean. About fifty years after that, Carthage broke the treaty by going to war with some of Rome’s allies. Rome took this opportunity to destroy Carthage in 146 BCE. 3. What was the role of women in Roman society?
The heart of the social community in Rome was family- the paterfamilias. Like in so many other societies, men were dominant. Women needed male guardians because of the sex’s weakness. The fathers arranged his daughter’s marriage. If a marriage was done “with legal rights” then the husband gain legal control of his wife, however, a marriage could be done “without legal rights” and the wife would remain under her father’s legal control. If the father died she would have independent property rights that could be translated into power in and outside the household. Some upper-class girls got an education, whether through a private tutor or by going to a primary school, but at the age that a boy would be going to secondary school, a girl would be getting married. The legal minimum for marriage was age 12, but age 14 was more common. Doctors advised against early pregnancy because it could harm the girl, but early marriage still happened because girls died young. By the 2nd century CE, husband’s utter authority was gone, and by the late 2nd century females no longer needed a male guardian. Upper-class women had more freedom and independence. They had the right to have, inherit, and dispose of property. Wives weren’t separated from males. They could go to the theater, races and events at the amphitheater, although, they did sit in different sections at the theater and in the amphitheater. Women weren’t allowed to be involved in politics but they could influence such things through their husbands. 4. What were the foundations of early Christianity and how did its rise transform Rome?
Roman persecution made Christians become more organized.
They made bishops/clergy separate from normal members of the church and creating structure. Rome responded to this with more systematic persecution, but this approach doesn’t work. Christianity became too strong to defeat with force. Christianity had a lot to offer, such as the promise of salvation for people in all different roles of society- rich, poor, aristocrats, slaves, men and women. They had an emphasis on equality. The religion was also familiar. It was another religion offering immortality thanks to the sacrifice of a savior-god, but it offered more. Jesus was relatable because he was also human. Christianity fulfilled the need to belong and created communities. People could express love by helping one another, the poor, sick, widows and orphans. It offered women new roles and friendship with other women. Some women fostered the religion in their homes and preached to townspeople. Some even died for their faith. Constantine was the 1st Christian emperor. In 313 he used the Edict of Milan to officially declare the tolerance of Christianity. Theodosius “the great” made it the official religion of
Rome. 5. What did the Roman and Han empires have in common and in what ways were they different?
Both Rome and the Han Empire controlled large areas of the world during the beginning of the 1st millennium CE and lasted for centuries. Both grew into areas with different languages, ethnic groups and ways of life. They carried legal and political institutions, technical skills and languages throughout their empires. They created centralized control with great success. They built complicated road systems, relied on provincial officials and towns/cities as administration centers. Architectural features in capital cities were found in providential towns on a smaller scale. Their settled conditions allowed for high agricultural production. In both empires, family was the heart of social structure and the men were in charge. Duty, courage, obedience and discipline were values that strengthened their empires. Wealth deepened on agriculture and free peasants were the backbone. There was a gradual conversion from peasants to tenant farmers. However there were some differences. Social mobility was greater in Rome, merchants were in higher regard and they were more dependent on military force. China had a more stable government because of things like the Mandate of heaven. Both suffered from overexpansion, protected its borders with wall and forts and were overcome by nomadic people. Xiegnu overtook the Han dynasty and Rome was overtaken by Germanic peoples. There is one major difference. The Chinese imperial tradition, class structure and values that were a part of the Han dynasty lived on, but the Roman empire only lived on as an idea.