The Roman Empire

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made of linen or wool. Since the Patricians were on the wealthier side of the scale, they often ate high end food such as cheese, olives, meat. and salad while the poorer Plebeians ate porridge,fish and fruits.

The differences in these two classes caused several problems. The Plebeians had strong feelings of resentment toward the wealthy Patricians due to the unequal opportunities given to the upper classes. The Plebeians grew so tired of the unfair treatment that they threatened to leave the Empire which would be devastating because the Plebeians made up most of the labor force in Rome at the time. In order to prevent that from happening, the Twelve Tables was created to give equal rights to all Roman citizens.

Religion in the Roman Empire changed and adapted to the people as the years went on. In the early years, the main religion was called the Roman Religion. The goal of this religion was to gain the blessings of the gods and in turn gain prosperity for themselves and their family. The Romans believed that in order to gain the approval of the gods they would have to perform religious rituals and the better they would perform, the more blessed they would be.

Judaism in Rome during the early years of the Empire was supported and treated with respect. This ended when the Emperor Caligula gained control of the Empire and demanded that his statue be placed in every temple. The Jews refused to follow his commands and Caligula threatened to burn down every temple and destroy Judaism. The Jews, outraged by these actions, revolted against the Romans, but they were no match for the powerful Roman forces. The Jews were then forced to live in exile as, “The Jewish Revolts, which took place between 66 and 135 CE, marked the last of the Jewish resistance to Roman rule in Palestine” (Sandler 1).

In the early years of the Roman Empire, Christianity was seen as an evil religion and if one was caught practicing it, they could be put to death. The Roman Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for all of the problems within Rome and actively persecuted Christians and performed mass murders. Christians practiced their religion in secret and slowly gained more followers. Everything changed for the Christians when, “Constantine promoted Christianity, and within a century the new religion had achieved preeminence in Roman society” (Ermatinger 3). With the conversion of Emperor Constantine, Christianity soon became the official religion of Rome and churches were built all across the empire.

Prior to the Emperor’s of the Roman Empire, the Roman Republic was lead by two elected Consuls. These men would be elected by the citizens of Rome and would govern for only one year. They would be advised by members of the Senate, who were members of the Roman elite who could not impose any laws. When the Roman Republic fell and was replaced by the Empire, the Emperor took over the role of the Consuls. The governing structure of the Roman Republic helped set the foundation of the Empire because, “The governmental institutions of the Roman Republic evolved over several hundred years and persisted into the period of the empire, when the emperors had effectively reestablished one-man rule” (Aldrete 1).

Since the Roman Empire covered such a large amount of land, the Emperor could not impose rule all over. To solve this problem, the Emperor elected Roman Governors to go to the new Roman territory and impose Roman rule. These Governors would receive orders from the Senate on how to control the new land.

The vast Roman Empire was home to an extensive history, differing social classes, several religions, and a structured government system. This diversity often led to conflict within the empire. All of these things combined helped to create one of the greatest civilizations our world has ever known and left a legacy for civilizations that came after.