Rome: From City-State to Empire

The evolution and expansion of the Rome empire was an interesting section to read in Chapter 3. Rome began as a very small poor city-state during the eighth century B.C.E. They were so weak and small that supposedly, "Romans were reduced to kidnaping neighboring women to maintain their city's population" (130). It would have to take a really smart and powerful leader to transform this struggling city into a thriving empire. Though Rome was originally ruled by a King, a republic known as patricians took control. However conflicts arose between the wealthy class and the poorer classes (plebeians). The first change to settle these disputes was a written code of law that gave protection to the lower classes. "The values of the republic- rule of law, the rights of citizens, the absence of pretension, upright moral behavior, keeping one's word-were later idealized as "the way of the ancestors" (130). Their political system is what really advanced the city of Rome. This took more then 500 years, but over time the Roman Empire branched out to be a commanding and successful, enterprise.