Rome 100 To 600 CE: A Comparative Analysis
In 500 years of no nation has everything stayed the same and Rome is no exception. While the economics of Rome managed to stay the same between 100 and 600 CE, and the laws of Rome with it, government and religion in 600 CE would not be recognizable to leaders and civilians from 100 CE.
In 100 CE, the Roman economy was booming. The Roman Roads were used for trade within the empire, and the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean were traveled for imported goods. The government was as it had always been: one emperor, backed up by the Senate. The government’s gods were still being worshipped and Christians were persecuted for their religion. Around the year 280 CE, the emperor Diocletian took power. Before him was a series of 26 emperors in just two short years, 25 of whom died violently. Diocletian split the Roman Empire into two empires, having decided they’d gotten too big. The area north of the Mediterranean Sea was renamed the Western Roman Empire, and everything to the east of the Mediterranean became the Byzantine Empire. Each empire was ruled by two tetrarchs: a co-emperor and his luitenant. The split into two was good for Rome, because it was able to strengthen both the currency and military of both empires. Religion in Rome changed drastically from 100 to 600 CE. …show more content…
However, the empire’s reliance on trade did not change. Roman farmers only produced a select number of crops and the rest the nation imported from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece. Egyptian wheat was a crucial part of the diets of all Romans, both rich and poor. Archaeologists have found artifacts from all over the SIlk Roads in Roman cities, showing rich Romans’ dependance on Syrian wool, Indian gems and jade, and Greek wine grapes. When epidemics struck the nation, and trade routes were shut down, the empire suffered and began to decline. Rome was dependant on exporting and importing products and food for their
In 100 CE, the Roman economy was booming. The Roman Roads were used for trade within the empire, and the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean were traveled for imported goods. The government was as it had always been: one emperor, backed up by the Senate. The government’s gods were still being worshipped and Christians were persecuted for their religion. Around the year 280 CE, the emperor Diocletian took power. Before him was a series of 26 emperors in just two short years, 25 of whom died violently. Diocletian split the Roman Empire into two empires, having decided they’d gotten too big. The area north of the Mediterranean Sea was renamed the Western Roman Empire, and everything to the east of the Mediterranean became the Byzantine Empire. Each empire was ruled by two tetrarchs: a co-emperor and his luitenant. The split into two was good for Rome, because it was able to strengthen both the currency and military of both empires. Religion in Rome changed drastically from 100 to 600 CE. …show more content…
However, the empire’s reliance on trade did not change. Roman farmers only produced a select number of crops and the rest the nation imported from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece. Egyptian wheat was a crucial part of the diets of all Romans, both rich and poor. Archaeologists have found artifacts from all over the SIlk Roads in Roman cities, showing rich Romans’ dependance on Syrian wool, Indian gems and jade, and Greek wine grapes. When epidemics struck the nation, and trade routes were shut down, the empire suffered and began to decline. Rome was dependant on exporting and importing products and food for their