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Exploration of the Political Structure of the Roman Empire

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Exploration of the Political Structure of the Roman Empire
Exploration of the Political Structure of the Roman Empire The public sphere of Rome, which included religious norms, social settings, as well as some other cultural divides, has been known to greatly affect the Roman political system throughout, from its inception to its fall. Our world has seen many great empires and perhaps the most popular one by name is the Roman Empire. A great number of books have been written on this subject, many movies have been made, and the Roman Empire remains rich in our minds to this date. The Roman history involves some great moments as it recounts such great leaders as Julius Caesar (see Picture 1)[1], the birth of Christ and his exploits, and then the setting up of the Church and the Vatican by Constantine. Just like any other state or empire, the Roman Empire was also much affected by the people that were its subjects. These people had their own religion throughout the various epochs of the Empire, and these people had their own norms and practices. The Roman citizen was instantly recognized by his toga (See Illustration 1)[2] and the Roman army by his uniform (See Picture 2)[3] The political structure of the Roman Empire was affected by the way that its citizens had behaved during the various times, including their religion, their social structure, gender relations and economics. This paper shall follow the course of the Roman Empire through history, from its inception to its decline and fall and relate how the various factors were able to influence the Empire in different ways. It is also important to realize that the Roman public was able to influence the political structure of the Roman Empire. The culture of the Roman Empire was influenced by many factors. The Roman Senate declared Augustus (See Picture 3)[4] as the Emperor of Rome in 27BC. This was the beginning of the Roman Empire that was destined to last for the next five hundred years, adding more and more territories to its name. The diversity in the Roman Empire


Cited: Aurelius, Marcus, Meditations Book II, Part 1, London: Modern Library, 2003 Ovid, Allen Mandelbaum, The Metamorphoses of Ovid, New York: Harvest Books, 1995 MacMullen, Ramsay, Romanization in the Time of Augustus, Yale University Press, 2000. Veynw, Paul, editor, A History of Private Life: I From Pagan Rome to Byzantium Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992 Wikipedia, “Culture of Ancient Rome,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_culture (Accessed November 28, 2005) Pictures and Maps Portrait Gallery, Online, http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/laterep-gallery-index.html (November 21, 2005) Reenactment Event at Corbridge, Online, http://www.cavazzi.com/roman-empire/diverse/reenactment-corbridge-2002.html (November 21, 2005) Rome: Map of the Empire, Online, http://intranet.dalton.org/groups/Rome/RMap.html (November 20, 2005) Wikipedia, “Caesar Augustus,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus (November 21, 2005) Wikipedia, “Constantine I,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_%28emperor%29 (November 22, 2005) Wikipedia, “Marcus Aurelius,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius (November 22, 2005) Wikipedia, “Roman Culture,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toga1.png (November 21, 2005) Web Gallery of Art, “Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel,” Online, http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/m/michelan/3sistina/1chapel.jpg (November 22, 2005) ----------------------- [1] Portrait Gallery, Online, http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/laterep-gallery-index.html (November 21, 2005) [2] Wikipedia, “Roman Culture,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toga1.png (November 21, 2005) [3] Reenactment Event at Corbridge, Online, http://www.cavazzi.com/roman-empire/diverse/reenactment-corbridge-2002.html (November 21, 2005) [4] Wikipedia, “Caesar Augustus,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus (November 21, 2005) [5] MacMullen, Ramsay, Romanization in the Time of Augustus, (Yale University Press: 2000) [6] Wikipedia, “Culture of Ancient Rome,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_culture (November 28, 2005) [9] Ibid [10] Rome: Map of the Empire, Online, http://intranet.dalton.org/groups/Rome/RMap.html (November 20, 2005) [11] Ovid, Allen Mandelbaum, The Metamorphoses of Ovid, (New York: Harvest Books 1995) [12] Wikipedia, “Marcus Aurelius,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius (November 22, 2005) [13] Aurelius, Marcus, Meditations Book II, Part 1 (London: Modern Library, 2003) [14] Wikipedia, “Constantine I,” Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_%28emperor%29 (November 22, 2005) [15]Veynw, Paul, editor, A History of Private Life: I From Pagan Rome to Byzantium Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992

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