An Empire That Changed the World

The history of Rome is the history of how a small city came to become one of the greatest empires of Antiquity. It developed over more than a thousand years, from 753 BC, the date of the founding of Rome, until AD 476, when the Western Roman Empire fell into the hands of the so-called “barbarian” peoples, mainly of Germanic origin, although it would continue in the East until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

In this video we are going to explain the location and extent of the Roman Empire, the three major stages of its history, the organization of society, religious beliefs, from mythology to Christianity; its great works of engineering and architecture, and finally the cultural legacy that Rome left in the West, known as “Romanization.”

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT OF THE EMPIRE

Roman civilization spread across the Mediterranean Sea, which the Romans called “Mare Nostrum” (our sea), since all its coasts eventually came under their control. In the 2nd century AD, at the height of its greatest expansion, in addition to Italy, it included the province of Hispania (present-day Spain and Portugal), Gaul, which included the territories of present-day France, Belgium and Switzerland, Britannia (present-day England) and Germania (parts of Germany); Greece and Asia Minor (Turkey and Syria), Judea (Israel and Palestine), and to the south Egypt, Africa Proconsularis (Tunisia and Mauretania).

The peoples living outside the Empire were called “barbarians,” which initially meant “foreigner,” although later the term evolved to mean “uncivilized.”

THE STAGES OF ROMAN CIVILIZATION

The history of Roman civilization developed in three major stages: Monarchy, Republic and Empire, which differed, among other things, in their form of government.

The Monarchy lasted from the founding of Rome in 753 BC until 509 BC. During this period, Rome was ruled successively by seven kings who held broad political, military and religious powers. The first king was Romulus, considered the founder of Rome, and the last was Tarquinius “the Proud,” whose son violated the patrician Lucretia, who committed suicide to save her honor, contributing to the fall of the Monarchy. Although the king held great power, he was advised by the Senate, made up of members of influential families.

The abuses of power and corruption of the Monarchy gave way to the Republic, which lasted nearly five centuries, from 509 BC until 27 BC. The government was organized around the figure of the Consuls, who were elected annually by the Senate and the popular assemblies called comitia. It was a period of great expansion throughout the Mediterranean following victory in the Punic Wars against Carthage, whose general Hannibal crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps with elephants, causing panic in the city of Rome itself, but was ultimately defeated by Scipio Africanus at the Battle of Zama. Rome’s victories were due to the great effectiveness of the Roman legion, whose great reformer was Gaius Marius, who transformed it into a perfectly trained and disciplined professional army.

Internal struggles for power, which culminated in the assassination of Julius Caesar, general and consul, and victor over Pompey in the Civil War, gave way to the third stage, the Empire, which would last almost five centuries, from 27 BC to AD 476. Octavian, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar, was named emperor under the name Augustus. During this stage, the Empire reached its greatest splendor and territorial extent, nearly five million square kilometers, during the reign of Emperor Trajan, of Hispanic origin.

In AD 395, Theodosius divided the Empire into two parts to facilitate its defense: the Western Roman Empire, with its capital in Rome, which in addition to the Italian Peninsula included Hispania, Britannia, Germania, Gaul and Africa Proconsularis; and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, which included Asia Minor, the Balkans, the Near East, Egypt and part of North Africa.

The Western Empire came to an end in AD 476 with the invasion of the so-called barbarian peoples, such as the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks and Saxons, who conquered Rome. The Eastern Empire disappeared in 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople (present-day Istanbul).

THE ORGANIZATION OF SOCIETY

The social structure of Rome was divided into three groups during the Republic and the Empire.

During the Republic, society was structured into three groups:

The patricians: they were the wealthy families who held power. They owned most of the land and occupied the most important political positions.

The plebeians: they constituted the largest group, made up of peasants, artisans and merchants.

The slaves: they were considered objects owned by their masters. They were usually prisoners of war or descendants of other slaves. They could obtain their freedom by buying it from their owner, thus becoming freedmen.

In another classification, the Roman population was divided into two groups: citizens and non-citizens.

The citizens: were the people who possessed all rights. At first only the inhabitants of Rome possessed citizenship, then it extended to the entire Italian Peninsula and later to the inhabitants of the provinces.

The non-citizens: lacked rights. They were foreigners living in conquered provinces, freedmen and slaves.

Both during the Republic and the Empire, women lacked most rights and were under the guardianship of men. Nevertheless, during the Empire they could own property, run businesses and participate in public activities.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY TO CHRISTIANITY

The Romans were polytheists, that is, they believed in many gods, whom they adopted from Greek mythology. They changed their names but maintained their personalities and functions. The most important were Jupiter, Juno, Neptune and Minerva.

When they had to make important decisions, they consulted the augurs, priests responsible for interpreting the will of the gods.

Christianity was born in the 1st century AD in Judea, a province of the Roman Empire, through the preaching of Jesus of Nazareth. During the first centuries, Christians were persecuted because they refused to worship the emperor and the traditional gods. This situation changed in AD 313, when Emperor Constantine proclaimed religious freedom and the persecutions ceased. Later, in AD 380, Emperor Theodosius took a decisive step by declaring Christianity the only official religion of the Empire, prohibiting other cults.

ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND ART

Engineering was one of the keys to the success and expansion of Roman civilization. Thanks to it, they managed to keep united an Empire that stretched across three continents.

Roman roads allowed the rapid movement of troops, goods and messages. One of the most important was the Appian Way, 540 km long, which connected Rome with the port of Brindisi on the Adriatic Sea, the maritime link with Greece and Asia Minor.

Aqueducts transported water from distant sources to cities, facilitating urban growth. One of the best preserved in the world is the Aqueduct of Segovia, with more than 150 arches that still stands almost intact after twenty centuries.

Bridges were essential for crossing rivers and maintaining the continuity of the roads. An outstanding example is the Alcántara Bridge over the Tagus River, in the province of Cáceres, with a length of nearly 200 meters and a height of 50.

Roman architecture stamped the mark of its civilization by designing its cities around two main axes, the cardo and the decumanus, with the forum, baths, temples and administrative buildings.

Amphitheaters were spaces intended for mass spectacles, such as gladiator fights, animal hunts or even reenactments of battles. The most famous is the Colosseum in Rome, a symbol of Roman entertainment that could hold up to 65,000 people.

Circuses were mainly used for chariot races, one of the most popular spectacles. The largest was the Circus Maximus, with a capacity of more than 150,000 spectators.

Theaters hosted dramatic performances, comedies and cultural events. An outstanding example is the Roman Theatre of Mérida, which is still used today for performances.

Baths were complexes of public baths, but also social centers where citizens relaxed, exercised and socialized. The most important were the Baths of Caracalla.

Art in the Roman Empire was strongly influenced by Greek culture, but with a more practical and realistic approach.

Roman painting, especially frescoes, decorated the walls of houses and villas. Particularly notable are those found in the city of Pompeii, depicting landscapes, mythological scenes and everyday life.

In sculpture, the Romans stood out for their realism. Portraits of emperors and citizens reflected expressions and individual features and conveyed the importance of status. One example is the statue of Emperor Augustus found in the Vatican Museums.

The floors of Roman villas were decorated with mosaics made with tesserae, small colored pieces embedded into the surface. An example can be seen in the Roman Villa of La Olmeda in the province of Palencia.

THE LEGACY OF ROMAN CIVILIZATION: ROMANIZATION

The importance of Roman civilization lies not only in its political or military power, but in the enormous impact it has left on Western culture.

The spread of Latin, the official language of the Empire, gave rise to the Romance languages such as Spanish, French and Italian.

Another key pillar was Roman law, which established legal principles such as property, contracts and equality before the law.

In the political sphere, Rome created a political model with concepts such as citizenship, administrative organization into provinces, and the Senate.

In addition to dominating the world for more than ten centuries, the Roman Empire has been one of the most influential civilizations in history. Its ideas, values and way of life have shaped the development of the West and still endure among us today.