Western Civilization

towns and cities had their own traditions long before

the arrival of the Romans. Their common language was

Greek, not Latin, and many people outside urban areas

spoke neither Latin nor Greek. Even more important

than geography in determining the degree of Romaniza-

tion, however, was class status. By 200C.E., the upper

classes everywhere in the empire had become Roman-

ized, sharing a common culture as well as similar eco-

nomic and social interests.

ROMAN LAW AND ROMANIZATION As Roman citizenship

spread in the cities, new citizens themselves became

subject to Roman law, which in itself became an impor-

tant instrument in the process of Romanization. The

early empire had experienced great progress in the

study and codification of law. The second and early

third centuries C.E. witnessed the “classical age of

Roman law,” when a number of great jurists compiled

and classified basic legal principles that have remained

extremely valuable in the Western world. Most jurists

emphasized the emperor as the source of law: “What

has pleased the emperor has the force of law.” The

identification of the law of nations with natural law led

to a concept of natural rights. According to the jurist

Ulpian (d. 228), natural rights implied that all men are

born equal and should therefore be equal before the

law. Although that principle was not applied in prac-

tice, the Romans did establish standards of justice

applicable to all people, many of which we would im-

mediately recognize today: a person was regarded as

innocent until proved otherwise; people accused of

wrongdoing were allowed to defend themselves before

a judge; and a judge was expected to weigh evidence

carefully before arriving at a decision. These principles

lived on in Western civilization long after the fall of

the Roman Empire.

For Roman citizens, Roman law provided a uniform

system of principles by which they conducted their

affairs and led their lives. After Roman citizenship was

extended to all free persons in the empire in 212C.E.,

Roman law became an even more significant factor in

binding the entire empire together.

Prosperity in the Early Empire

The early empire was a period of considerable prosper-

ity. Internal peace resulted in unprecedented levels of

trade (see Map 6.2). Merchants from all over the empire

came to the chief Italian ports of Puteoli on the Bay of

Naples and Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber. The impor-

tation of large quantities of grain to feed the people of

Rome and an incredible quantity of luxury items for the

wealthy upper classes in the West led to a steady drain

of gold and silver coins from Italy and the West to the

Eastern part of the empire.

Long-distance trade beyond the Roman frontiers also

developed during the early empire. Developments in

both the Roman and Chinese Empires helped foster the

growth of this trade. Although both empires built roads

chiefly for military purposes, these arteries also came to

be used to facilitate trade. Moreover, by creating large

empires, the Romans and Chinese not only established

Rome in Germany.The Roman army

helped bring Roman culture and

institutions to the provinces. Local

production and trade grew up around the

military camps to meet the soldiers’ needs,

and cities often developed from the bases

themselves or from colonies located

nearby. Pictured here are the remains of

the imperial thermal baths in the Roman

city of Augusta Treverorum (modern

Trier). Trier became the headquarters of

the imperial procurator of Belgica and the

two Germanies and flourished as one of

the most significant cities in the Western

Roman Empire. Public baths were a

prominent feature of any Roman city.

ª

DeA Picture Library (M. Borchi) /Art Resource, NY

The Early Empire (14–180) 127

Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

`ˆÌi`Ê܈̅Ê̅iÊ`i“œÊÛiÀȜ˜ÊœvÊ

˜vˆÝÊ*ÀœÊ*Ê

`ˆÌœÀÊ

/œÊÀi“œÛiÊ̅ˆÃʘœÌˆVi]ÊۈÈÌ\Ê