11 Chapter Roman Empire

How the empire was organised, political forces

• lots of local cultures and languages
• women had better legal power
• economy running on slave labour
• The Romans and the Iranians were rivals

Sources (in blue color)

• text documents material remains - combined to tell a story
• annals, papyrus

The early empire

• till 3rd century, more diverse than iran, mosaic of territories
• parthians then sassanians of iranian
• latin and greek only official, tripolitania latin speaking, Cyrenaica greek speaking.
• all subjects of a single ruler
• Augustus 27BCE Principate, he a leading citizen to respect senate of republic times (most history writers part of it)
• paid army not conscripted like persians, constant agitations/mutinies though (biased?)
• main players: emperor, aristocracy, army
• Augustan age known for peace (also the centuries except 69CE)
• independent kingdoms west of euphrates absorbed, all territory organised into provinces
• through cities govt taxed provincial countrysides, governed by provincial upper classes, became powerful than senators
• Gallienus (253-68) excluded senators from military comands
• A city in the Roman sense was an urban centre with its own magistrates, city council and a territory containing villages which were under its jurisdiction.

The third century crisis

• 225 Sasanians (Shapur 1)
• Barbarians (originally meant non-greek but romans used for everyone)

Gender Literacy and Culture

• Public baths, nuclear families, slaves, wife owns property of natal family and complete legal entity/independence, divorce easy, age gap inequality?
• legal power over death of children
• causal literacy -
• diverse religious cults, local deities, languages, dress styles, foods.

Economic Expansion

• wine and olive oil transported in containers called amphorae

Social groups in which people were divided

Controlling workers

• slavery deeply rooted
• wage labourers preferred coz of ease
• sometimes slaves ran businesses and owned too
• pliny who wrote natural history condemned slave gangs coz they chained, agri labour hated, branded slaves, debt bonded children,
• jewish revolt 66CE destroyed moneylender bonds

Social Hierarchies

• silver mines exhausted gold salary invested in land with corruption
• authoritarian regime
• Roman law tradition from 4th century, bishop like Ambrose could confront emperor #### Late Antiquity
• Diocletian cut backs, duces
• Constantine Solidus
• second capital at Constantinopole (modern day Istanbul), eco growth
• Christianisation, Justinian
• by 642 (decade after) land under Arabs, greatest political revolution in history of ancient world

Exercises

1. Go through the chapter carefully and pick out some basic features of Roman society and economy which you think make it look quite modern.

Answer:

• Urbanisation: Well-planned cities with markets, forums, and public baths.
• Trade and Economy: Extensive trade networks, use of coins, and integration of regional economies.
• Infrastructure: Roads, bridges, and aqueducts enabled communication and supply across the empire.
• Legal System: Codified laws and legal institutions that ensured civil governance.
• Social Stratification: Presence of social classes, though there were mechanisms for mobility.
• Public Services: Public entertainment, food distribution, and civic amenities were provided by the state.