The Roman Empire is called the stage of Roman history, in which Rome was ruled by emperors. These established absolute government, concentrating in one person all powers:political, administrative, religious and military.
This stage began in the year 29 B.C. with the government of Augustus (Octavio) and concluded with Romulus Augustulus in the year 476 AD.
The territory of the Roman Empire spanned three continents:southern and western Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Within its limits were:Britain, Gaul, Spain, Switzerland, the countries located south of the Danube River, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Asia Minor and North Africa.
1. Establishment of the Roman Empire
After defeating Antonio in Egypt, Octavio He was the absolute owner of the Roman world. I triumphantly enter Rome and in August of the year 29 AD. he closed the temple of Janus, peace reigned after a century of conquests and civil wars. The people and the Senate paid him great honors and gave him the following titles:Imperator, Grand Pontiff, Prince of the Senate, Augustus (persona grata) and finally Cesar , name of his adoptive father.
Consequently, Octavio became the first emperor of Rome with the name of Augustus , assuming all the powers and strengthening the domain of the Roman Empire. His time was known as The Age of Augustus .
Augustus he reigned with success, prudence and justice, taking into account the interests of the people and the bourgeoisie. He likewise cared for the Senate and of the Assemblies .
2. Works of the government of Augustus
Augustus undertook the great task of reorganizing the Roman Empire, introducing great reforms.
2.1 Reforms in the Political Aspect
The Emperor It was the highest political, religious and military authority in the Roman Empire. The Senate gave him all the powers.
The Senate he obeyed the orders of the Emperor, You win them or you exterminate them was what Augustus used to say. The year 28 AD he purged the unworthy and appointed himself Prince of the Senate.
To ensure effective administration, some provinces were ceded to the Senators. These were called Senatorial Provinces .
The Prefectures they were the institutions responsible for ensuring the welfare of the population.
2.2 Reforms in the Social Aspect
The Nobility As always, he continued to have power, but not politically.
The Middle Class had disappeared. On the other hand, the commoner class increased, the vast majority were unemployed and were satisfied with the donations that the government gave them, in money, cereals, water, games and public shows.
Augustus won the sympathy of the bourgeoisie, giving them positions in the Senate, financial inspectors, governors of minor provinces and prefectures.
The slaves they had increased by the constant conquests. They were dedicated to domestic services, agriculture, mining, handicrafts and large constructions.
2.3 Reforms in the Economic Aspect
Latifundia ruined agriculture, because landless peasants emigrated to Rome. For this reason wheat began to be imported.
Mining I prosper thanks to the conquered provinces, rich in minerals and the availability of large numbers of slaves in the markets.
Trade intensified with the construction of the port of Ostia, where products from the West were unloaded, and in the port of Pozzoli for products from the East.
They imported; metals from Spain; amber, perfumes, spices, silks and precious stones from the Far East; etc.
3. Cultural flourishing in the Roman Empire
It is called Century of Augustus to the cultural flourishing that Rome had during the government of Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD). Writers and artists exalted the ancient virtues, traditional religion and customs.
Under this period of peace, architects and artists transformed Rome, turning it into an imposing city. All this was possible thanks to the government of Augustus and the support of the protectors of culture, such as Agrippa and Patron . Augustus once declared I found a city of brick and left a city of marble .
The century of Augustus in Rome has been compared to the Century of Pericles in Greece . The Greco-Latin cultures, as a whole, constitute the Classical Culture of Antiquity .
3.1 The letters
During the Augustan Age the Romans excelled in Poetry, History, Philosophy and Oratory.
a. The poetry
Publio Virgilio Marón called Mantuan Swan , was the greatest Latin poet. Protecting from Augustus and Maecenas, who inspired him to sing a hymn to the Latin fatherland, he was the author of three important poems:The Aeneid , in which he sings about the origins of Rome. The main character is the Trojan hero Aeneas . It is a national epic, extolling the glory of Rome and Augustus, descendants of Aeneas, and his imperial mission. The Bucolicas or Eclogues in which he sings the life of the country and the home and the The Georgics , a poem in which he praises agricultural tasks, forgotten by the exercise of arms.
Horace Latin poet. Like Virgil, he was a friend and protégé of Maecenas. He is the poet of love and happiness; of the pleasures of friendship. He wrote the Odes , an important work in which he sings of the greatness of Augustan Rome, the virtues of the ancestors and the peace of country life. He also wrote other poems the Satires and the Epistles .
Publio Ovidio Nasón , it was a verse. His works were The Art of Loving , which consists of a code of carnal love; The Heroids , letter of verses written by the mythological heroines to their lovers; The Metamorphosis in whose verses he sings the story of the gods and heroes of fabulous times; The Fasts and The Sad Ones in which he reflects his own feelings.
b. The Story
Livy Titus , is considered the best Roman historian. He was born in Padua. He wrote his masterful work titled History of Rome in which he narrates the origins of Rome, the episodes and actions of the characters that determined the successes and failures of Rome.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus , Roman historian. He wrote Stories and The Annals conceiving history as a political intrigue:Germania and Comments on the Civil Wars .
Plutarch He was a Greek historian and moralist, born in Chaeronea. He was the author of Parallel Lives , in which he makes a masterful study of the life and works of illustrious characters from Greece and Rome. In Moral Works synthesizes the knowledge of his time.
c. The Philosophy
In Philosophy the Romans were not up to the level of the Greeks; However, they stood out in this field:
Lucius Seneca Roman philosopher, born in Córdoba (Spain). He spread Stoicism in the Roman upper class. The Stoic school it instilled dominance and strength in the face of adversity, compliance with duty and honor to the gods. Here is a famous thought in his Moral Epistles :Proper is of superior spirit, despise great riches and prefer medium to excessive .
He was also a writer of tragedies among which are: Media, Oedipus, Hecuba and Agamemnon .
Marcus Aurelius Roman emperor and philosopher, descendant of a distinguished Spanish family. His most famous work Thoughts , where he reveals his demands for himself, his generosity towards others and his serenity in the face of adversity.
Epictetus , philosopher, was a slave of Nero. He did not write any book. His doctrine of his Stoic character was collected by his disciple Arriano, in two books entitled: Manual of Epictetus and Conversations of Epictetus .
d. The Oratory
He excelled in this field Marcus Tullius Cicero , the greatest orator in Rome. The following two works of his are famous: The Catilinarias , in which he accused before the Senate the conspiracy of Catilina, who aspired to the power of Rome; and The Philippines , he composed it being a supporter of Octavio, to attack and discredit Antonio. When Antony reconciled with his rival, he asked for the head of Cicero, who was eventually killed as he tried to flee.
3.2 The arts
Roman art received decisive influences first from the Etruscans and later from Greece. However, there are contributions from Roman ingenuity and the practical sense that they imprinted on their works.
a. The Architecture
The Romans were great builders. They imitated the Greeks in the use of columns and capitals. From the Etruscans they introduced the arch, the vault and the dome. They used materials such as stone, brick and concrete (a mixture of rubble and lime).
With these elements the Romans built higher and more harmonious buildings than the Greeks. Distinguished by its size and public utility.
They built temples, amphitheaters and theaters, palaces, commemorative columns, circuses, forums or market places, basilicas or places where justice was administered, baths or baths, roads, bridges, aqueducts, sewers, tombs, etc.
Among the main architectural monuments of Rome, stood out:
- The Temples Corinthian-style columns were used, with two rows of achanthus leaves. Among the main temples we have:the Rome Pantheon , intended for all the gods; the Temple of Vesta circular.
- The Amphitheaters and Circuses they were great recounts, circulars built to offer spectacles to the people. The most important:the Roman Colosseum with capacity to hold up to 110,000 spectators; the Circus of Maximus . These had the arena stage for the gladiator fight and later the confrontation of the beasts with the Christians. The stands that housed the public were supported by vaulted galleries. The Colosseum in Rome It had external walls covered by marble plates.
- The Termas they were a set of buildings that had hot or cold baths, a library, a meeting room and concert halls. The main baths were:Caracalla and Diocletian's in Rome.
b. The Sculpture
The Romans began the sculpture imitating the Greeks, but were more realistic and with a marked preference for the portrait. They carved many busts and statues such as the statues of Emperor Augustus and the statue of Marcus Aurelius.
4. Religion in the Roman Empire
The Romans had a religion similar to that of the Greeks, characterized by being polytheistic and anthropomorphic. Their gods were many and represented natural phenomena as well as human activities. They were represented with human figures.
4.1 Cult Classes
a. The Public Cult
The priests celebrated the cult of the gods in the name of the city. Each god was assigned a temple, with particular priests.
Their main gods were:
- Jupiter , god of the sky and celestial phenomena. He was considered the most powerful of all.
- Mars , god of the army.
- Juno , god of city gates and dwellings.
- Juno , protective goddess of mothers.
- Ceres , goddess of the harvest.
- Diana , goddess of wild nature and hunting.
- Minerva , goddess of intelligence and technique.
- Mercury , god of commerce.
- Venus , goddess of beauty, fertility and love.
- Vulcan , god of fire, metals and blacksmiths.
- Neptune , god of the sea.
b. The Private Cult
It was intended for the family gods, administered by the fathers of families in their homes.
- The Manes or souls of the ancestors, who watched over the continuity and prosperity of their descendants.
- The Lares or home protector gods
- The Penates or geniuses who made family provisioning possible.
5. Fall of the Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire began its fall apart from the third century AD. The causes were internal crises, combined with barbarian invasions.
There is a full article on the fall and division of the Western Roman Empire