Sample Essay On Ancient Rome

While there were many characteristics that led to Ancient Rome’s successful conquest of the Mediterranean, perhaps the greatest is the simple fact that they tried to in the first place. Through trying, each of their conquests in the Mediterranean region put Rome in contact with new, often valuable, neighbors. New resources and opportunities were at Rome’s disposal with each conquest as the armies traveled across Rome, making each battle easier than the last. New battles and wars would arise, of which Rome would be involved. Consequently, more new neighbors would be acquired, and with them, even more new opportunities and neighbors. The conquest, best known as the Punic Wars, began with the battle of Carthage. The cycle continued to repeat itself until the entire Mediterranean region was conquered by the Ancient Romans. The Roman Republic was able to manage the entire army from the center of the empire, coordinating each move the army made with little confusion.
There are also several reasons why Rome was able to build a longer-lasting empire than those living in the Greek city-states. To begin with, geography was prohibitive in the Grecian region. Greece’s geography did not make travel easy on armies or the population, making battles difficult, as well as quick responses to wars difficult. It also caused a problem with unifying the country. Sending messengers to the various city-states took longer in Greece, whereas messengers throughout the Roman Empire could be sent in a fraction of the time. Also concerning geography, the Greek empire was made up of several islands, making unification and the relaying of messages that much more difficult in comparison to the Roman Empire. The Romans also had access to more ports due to their excessive conquests. This allowed them access to more resources, causing their nation to flourish. Greece had access to ports, though not as many as Rome. They had resources, but their stocks were limited.
The Roman’s skeletal formation of government also allowed them to be more successful than the Greeks. The Grecian city-states operated as a divided nation and, therefore, had many different types of government, ranging from oligarchies to patriarchies. Of course, one of Greek’s greatest known rulers was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon during 365 BC Another well known Grecian leader was Leonidas, leader of Sparta. Greece’s scattered government made communication and unification difficult. It made conquering other nations, as well as longevity of the Grecian people impossible. The Romans, however, managed to form one of the world’s first unified government systems, now known as a Roman Republic. Run by men (women were not allowed), called consuls, they government controlled the entire empire’s army, economy, and laws. It made unification and the conquering of other nations very simple. It also made the empire very successful. Well known Roman leaders include Julius Caesar, Spartacus, and Augustus, who is considered the founder of the Roman empire. A final, and fatal, thing that contributed to the Roman’s success and the Greek’s downfall is their timeline. The Greek’s began building their empire in around 336 BC, and it lasted until 127 BC. The Romans, however, founded their empire around 27 BC. While technology was still far behind what we have now, it was still far ahead what the Greeks had at their disposal at the time of their city-state’s emergence. For example, The Romans had the philosophy of Plato and Archimedes, as well as the medical knowledge of Hippocrates. The advanced technology and scientific concepts of the time, as well as the theology and philosophy that had evolved through the centuries was able to benefit the Romans in a profound way that allowed their empire to flourish beyond what the Greeks had ever dreamed. Some of the concepts used by the Romans were even discovered by the Greeks and then expanded upon by the Romans in an effort to improve society.