How did expansion affect Roman society and culture?
BBY THE SECOND CENTURY B.C.E., the Romans ruled much of the Mediterranean world, and tremendous wealth poured into Rome. Roman institutions, social patterns, and ways of thinking changed to meet the new era. Some looked nostalgically back at what they fondly considered the good old days and idealized the traditional agrarian and family-
African AcrobatThis marble statue, dating from the first century B.C.E. to the first century C.E., shows a young African acrobat balancing on the back of a crocodile. Conquest and prosperity brought entertainers of all sorts to Rome, as well as artwork depicting performers. (Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum)