236 CONCLUSION
Roman culture was another symbol of the status of a community and its
leading members, many of whom continued to use the vernacular as the
language of common discourse. Roman rule accentuated rather than broke
down the divisions between city and country, rich and poor, local elites and
the urban and rural masses.
V
The limited cultural penetration of Rome, the cultural diversity of the
empire, even in the West, confi rm an important feature of Roman rule. By
tradition the Romans conceived of the role of government as a limited one.
In this regard, there was an essential continuity between Republic and
Principate. Emperors were fundamentally conservative: their administrative
innovations were limited and betray more interest in controlling their
offi cials than in directing the lives of their subjects. The Augustan conquests
were consolidated by the institution of permanent garrisons and the
extension of urbanization. These were also the main mechanisms of change
in the areas concerned, but the pace and extent of change depended crucially
on local initiative. After Rome made its initial impact, Romanization was
largely self- directed, a response of local elites to the prospect of enhanced
status, wealth and power under the protection of the imperial authority.
Finally, soldiers, functionaries and Romanizing elites were not everywhere.
Many inhabitants of the empire had little experience or conception of Rome.