The Roman Empire was one of the greatest societies in human history. For thousands of years it flourished, having it's troubled times, but mostly succeeding in setting a precedence for all future societies. Many of the ideas and systems created in the Roman Empire are with us today, especiall...

The Byzantine Empire While Caesar Augustus was establishing Rome's greatness, Christianity was beginning in the Roman province of Judea. After 476 A.D., the end of the Roman Empire in the West and the start of Germanic rule, a new Christian Rome emerged in Byzantium. Christian leaders after...

The Byzantine Empire is sometimes referred to as the East Roman Empire. The word Byzantine, in fact, comes from "Byzantium," which is the Greek name for a city on the Bosphorus. It was established with the foundation of Constantinople, the capital. The Empire included parts of both southern and Ea...

Though on the surface, the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty seem very different, they have a surprising number of similarities. Their differences are in a broad range of categories. First of all the Hans were for the most part ethnically homogeneous, whereas the Roman Empire extremely heterogeneou...

Ancient Greek and Roman civilization have made many lasting contributions to western civilization. Contributions such as law, religion, sports, and trade are present in western civilization because of Greece and Rome. Justinian's code was Roman law that was introduced by Justinian...

The human species is one that is heavily based on tradition. Most of our kind subscribe to the idea of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This simple statement embodies the most basic of principles we as humans live by. Our empirical outlook on life is what has led us to wher...

The decline of the Roman Empire began after Marcus Aurelius' death. The leaders took control of the empire but they were weak leaders. Many candidates who wanted to get the position. The military in the empire was strong but they did not cooperate with the ruler. Therefore, the Romans hired Ba...

The Decline and Fall of Rome The Roman Empire stood in great power for many decades. For an extensive period of time Rome was considered the center of civilization. For the empire was beautiful and attracted many invaders, the walls surrounding the empire and of course the powerful army served as...

ANCIENT (3,000 BC – 476 AD) -Egypt & Sumeria – roots of Western Civilization -The Greece – Golden Age -2 periods: Hellenic & Hellenistic (Alexander the Great & followers) -Sophisticated culture–math, philosophy, etc. -Eventually conquered by Rome -2 periods: Roman Republic & Roman E...

The Collapse of the Roman Empire Many factors contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire. The challenges from barbaric tribes threatening the fourth and fifth century Romans were intensified by a Roman tendency towards an autocratic centralized monarchy. Barbarian attacks and inflation for...

In 476 AD, the fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. However, before its fall, the empire was divided into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. In 476, the "Western Roman Empire" fell, while the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital became Constantinople, prese...

In Edward Gibbons, DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE he argues that the reason for Rome's fall is because of Germanic invasions, a decline in public morality, and the rise of Christianity. With all of the above statements I would agree that Edward Gibbons is correct. They all help in the fal...

Through out history rulers and those in power have often sought greater control and attempted to secure more authority. During the Middle Ages power was usually obtained by either being victorious in battle, inheritance, or by entering in some sort of contract. One of the most powerful of all rule...

Battles and Battle Techniques Many battles happened during Rome's reign over it's Empire. Although many, I will only name a few as well as some of their techniques that helped them ensure a victory. Probably Rome's most famous battles came from the Punic Wars. A revolt...

Introduction Carthage is an ancient city in the Mediterranean that was under Roman Rule and Christianity was spreading past; it had a vast history and many wars with Rome. It is located on the north shore of Africa at the tip of a peninsula near the city that is now known as Tunis, Tunisia. Phoenic...

Christianity's history is filled with division, controversy, and conflict. One of the most important people who contributed to the lasting success of this diverse religion was Constantine. While legalizing Christianity in Roman society, he founded the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, Con...

Ostrogoths The Goths were Germanic people who probably migrated from Southern Scandinavia some time before the time of Christ. By the third century, the Goths had settled in the areas around the Black Sea. Those who settled in the area of the modern Ukraine came to be known as Ostrogoths. ...

Justinian's Reign Emperor Justinian ruled from 527-565. He was born in an Illyrian village to a peasant family and joined the army at an early age. He quickly rose in rank, as his uncle Justin was the emperor at that time. He married an actress named Theodora and shortly before his uncle die...

Peter Brown's The World of Late Antiquity The Late Antique period is recognized from AD 150 to 750. For many historians, the central focus of this era revolves around decline and fall; however, this is not the case for Peter Brown, author of 1971's The World of Late Antiquity. Brown ...

The Crusades One great theme of the middle ages would have to be the crusades and how they changed history in many different ways. The crusades changed a lot of things about society in that day including helping trade and also sparking interest in other cultures which paved the way for the renaiss...

Einhard, in his The Life of Charlemagne, makes clear the fundamental integration of politics and religion during the reign of his king. Throughout his life, Charles the Great endeavored to acquire and use religious power to his desired ends. But, if Charlemagne was the premiere monarch of the wes...

Constantinople: The Gateway City Constantinople was built in 330 CE, by the first Christian emperor, Constantine. Constantinople ruled much of the deserted Roman Empire many years after Constantine's death. Constantinople can be described as a Gateway City by its geographic features, the cult...

Constantinople: The Gateway City Constantinople was built in 330 CE, by the first Christian emperor, Constantine. Constantinople ruled much of the deserted Roman Empire many years after Constantine's death. Constantinople can be described as a Gateway City by its geographic features, th...

Collapse of Rome The Roman Empire is possibly the greatest Empire ever in the history of the world. For over a thousand years the Romans ruled and dominated the area around the Mediterranean as well as most of what is now Europe as well as Asia Minor or the Middle East. In Rome was found one of ...

Emperor Justinian revived the Byzantine empire through his military triumphs, legal work, ecclesiastical polity and architectural activity and creating the Justinian Code. He was the sixth century emperor, and the only one who established an aristocracy by choosing men of humble birth as his closest...