Looking Back, Looking Ahead

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The period of the Roman Empire was an era rich in both economic and cultural terms. Roman emperors developed a system of government that ruled over vast areas of diverse people fairly effectively. The resulting stability and peace encouraged agriculture and production. Goods and people moved along roads and sea-lanes, as did ideas, including the new religion of Christianity. As the empire expanded into northern and western Europe, the Romans incorporated indigenous peoples into their way of life. Yet during a long period of internal crisis, civil war, and invasions in the third century, it seemed as if the empire would collapse.

The Roman Empire did not disintegrate in the third century, however. Although emperors came and went in quick and violent succession, the basic institutions and infrastructure of the empire remained intact. Even during the worst of the ordeal, many lower-level officials and ordinary soldiers continued to do their jobs. People like this would be key to passing Roman traditions on to institutions that developed later in Europe, including law courts, city governments, and nations.

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ONLINE DOCUMENT PROJECT

Bithus, a Soldier in the Roman Army

How did the Roman Empire turn countless individuals like Bithus into the most powerful fighting machine the Mediterranean world had ever seen?

You encountered Bithus’s story on page 158. Keeping the question above in mind, examine documents on the military’s role in the expansion of the empire.

See Document Project for Chapter 6.