The Growth of the Roman Empire

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The Growth of the Roman Empire Rome was founded in 754 BCE and began as a small village in central Italy. This small town however managed to become the greatest political power of its age, and eventually happened to acquire the entire known world through alliances and war in the years preceding the second century BCE. This included six overseas provinces by the year 150 BCE. (Scullard, 1982: 4-5) Rome's rapid growth was unparalleled in ancient history, and to this day still leaves many historians with unanswered questions. There is an ongoing debate concerning the driving force behind Roman expansion, it is unclear if Rome purposely chose to create an empire, or whether the city's rapid growth was actually a result of defensive measures that resulted in the accumulation of land and wealth. Scholar E. Wheeler states "…whether one accepts Roman motives as aggressive, naïve, or defensive, the empires origins, especially in terms of direct rule, were gradual and without evidence of a master plan." (Wheeler, 1993: 226) Aside from this point there are economic, religious and social examples that can show that the Romans did not initially set out to create an empire. By examining these motives in relation to the wars fought by the city, and analyzing their causes, it is possible to demonstrate that Rome was indeed obligated to enter into many wars, for either her own defense, or for the protection of her allies. It should ... ... middle of paper ... ...hine War. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 75, No. 2 pp. 147-159. 5. Scullard, H.H. (1982) "From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome From 133 BC to AD 68" New York, NY, Routledge. pp. 1-500. 6. Waterfeild, (1999) "Plutarch, Roman Lives" New York, NY, Oxford Press. pp. 1-536 7. Wheeler, E.L. (1993) Methodological Limits and the Mirage of Roman Strategy: Part II. The Journal of Military History, Vol. 57 pp. 215- 40. 8. Wiedemann, T (1993) Sallust 'Jugurtha': Concord, Discord and Digressions. Greece & Rome, 2nd Ser., Vol. 40, No. 1. pp. 48-57. "rome was like one of those neat dinosaur sponges. you just add water, then BAM! expansion. it's as easy as that. rome= sponge dinosaur. perhaps a stegosaurus, i always thought they were super groovy. well, thats my essay!"

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