Introduction
Being a soldier with a loving family in the Roman Empire would be a very exciting thing to be in. The Roman Civilization started in 27 B.C. and grew to prominence until 1453 AD. The characteristics that describe the Roman Civilization are what make it survive for many years. The following paragraphs describe the characteristics of the Roman Civilization (Ando 5).
Characteristics of the Roman Empire
The Characteristics of this civilization include its unique cultural heritage. The people’s daily preoccupation would revolve around the metropolis. The Roman Civilization had seven hills and large architectural assignments. The people would love to spend their time at the Colosseum. The coliseum spectators would loudly cheer as human warriors called gladiators to kill the lions, wild animals, or other human beings. This was the main entertainment of the Roman Civilization. The City of Rome has built the very high Pantheon as well as the Forum of Trajan. The city had set up theaters and well gymnasiums, brothels, baths, and taverns to make life pleasurable. The houses were constructed modestly or as country villages. There were also many imperial residences scattered around Palatine hill (Franz 154).
Further, Roman Civilization was the largest during its time. The population back then had surpassed the one million mark. The Roman Civilization was led by many emperors like Julius Caesar. The story of Julius Caesar being murdered has been made into a movie immortalizing the Roman civilization during Caesar’s leadership (“Julius Caesar; the Roman” B08). The people of this time used chariots to travel from one part of Rome to Another. And, one-fourth of the people resided in the urban centers. There were also many military establishments guarding the entrances of Rome. Many of the Roman towns had a forum where people could meet. The Roman civilization used excellent transportation to ferry the food supplies from the sources to within the city’s homes. Also, the countryside of Rome was covered with farms.
In addition, the farm owners bought slaves to till their fields. Some landlords cheerfully freed their slaves and even pay their wages to encourage them to work harder and longer during their brief stay with the farm owners. Many people wanted to immigrate to the Roman civilization because it was the best place to be. Life at this time focused on the people’s right to purchase slaves. The slaves were usually the defeated prisoners of Roman war campaigns.
The people could freely buy slaves at the public market. The Roman law at this time branded the slaves as the PROPERTY of the slave owner. However, many kind-hearted slave owners felt that they could free the slaves as a reward for doing their job descriptions well. I addition, the slaves could also save enough money to pay for their freedom. This is allowed by Roman law back then (Nimis,1).
Also, the time of the Roman emperor, Augustus, was characterized by Greek slaves teaching young Romans how to cook, how to decorate, how to be secretaries, how to be doctors, and even how to be hairdressers. The city was adorned with many Greek works of art. The Roman art form focused on the Arch and the Dome. The people during this period were very interested in Portraiture and the Arts. The Roman civilization’s culture continues to survive until today because life back then had been immortalized in books written by Virgil and Ovid. The Roman Empire had a culture that fits the description of classical art (“The Great Houses of the Roman Empire” 311).
In addition, the Roman society at this period was also characterized by the presence of Plebeians. They had no right to own property or enter into contracts. However, they were not classified as slaves. In terms of political life, Roman citizens were allowed to vote. The voters included the Plebeians and the Patricians. The women, the children, and the slaves had no right to choose their leaders because only the male adults were allowed to vote for their leaders (Behrendt,1).
The residents of the Roman civilization were segregated into five different groups based on their property ownership. The Roman civilization was divided into different communities. Each community had only one vote to use when deciding which strategic plan to implement and maintain during their day-to-day politically inspired Roman life. In addition, the people during the Roman civilization used a primary language to communicate the fields of science, religion, and Christianity. Likewise, the center of community life in Rome focused on the family. Here, the father is unquestionably the head of the family (Behrendt,1).
Reason For Choice
The Roman Empire is the best civilization because it symbolizes power and religion. The Roman civilization has survived many years of strife and attacks from neighboring enemies. The Roman civilization still exists today. The Vatican, which is within Rome, is the ‘headquarter’ of the Roman Catholic Church. Many countries have Roman Catholic members living within their territories.
And, living in a Roman civilization would be a very happy thing to do. The water then was well-engineered so that all the homes would have their regular supply of this thirst-quenching drink. The people would not go hungry because the Roman government took extra care to ensure that there was a steady supply of fruits, vegetables, fish, and other food products. The people believed that the family was the center of community life. Also, the father was considered the unquestionable king of the house. This is also similar to our current society where the father is the man of the house. Many people living in our current community also believe that the family is the center of community life.
Conclusion
Being a soldier with a loving family in the Roman Empire would be a very exciting thing to be in. The reasons given above prove that the Roman civilization was best in terms of government, family life, and community life. Conclusively, it is nice to personally see many of the slave owners believing inequality back then. For, some of the slave owners happily freed their slaves for working well on the farms. Some of the slaves were also paid wages so that they would have enough money to pay for their freedom. Lastly, I want to be there and personally feel the rage, the danger, and the anger when a gladiator defends himself against a lion in the Colosseum.
Most importantly, Rome will always be remembered as the largest city during its time. The more than one million population data proves that living in Roman Civilization is a very happy event to be in. In addition, Roman Civilization has been immortalized by the story of the treacherous murder by Brutus of his best friend Julius Caesar. The story of Julius Caesar being murdered has been made into a movie immortalizing the Roman civilization during Caesar’s leadership is the sad but true historical account of a flourishing and successful Roman civilization.
Works Cited
Ando, Clifford. Imperial Ideology and Provincial Loyalty in the Roman Empire. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000.
Behrendt, Dennis. “How Immigration Destroyed Rome. Oxford Historian Peter Heather Has Reexamined the Fall of Rome. His New Book, the Fall of the Roman Empire Holds Many Lessons for Today.” The New American. 2006: 33+.
Cosgrove, Peter. Impartial Stranger: History and Intertextuality in Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press, 1999.
Franz, Michael, ed. Order and History: The Ecumenic Age. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2000.
“The Great Houses of the Roman Empire.” Architectural Science Review 47.3 (2004): 311.
“Julius Caesar; the Roman Emperor Who Fascinates to This Day.” The Washington Times. 2006: B08.
Nimis, Stephen. “Egypt in Greco-Roman History and Fiction.” Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics (2004): 34+.