empires

At the time, Rome was a republic. Government was based on a complex system of election, but its political institutions gave some importance to birth and wealth and society benefited from slavery. The forces of Rome established a network for trade between the states that had once been part of Alexander’s empire. In the middle of the first century BCE , under Julius Caesar, a high-born military commander, this ‘Roman Empire’ was extended to present-day Britain and Germany.

Latin (spoken in Rome) was the main language of the empire, though many in the east continued to use Greek, and the Romans had a great respect for Hellenic culture. There were changes in the political structure of the empire from the late first century BCE , and it was substantially Christianised after the emperor Constantine became a Christian in the fourth century ce. To make government easier, the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in the fourth century CE . But in the west, there was a breakdown of the arrangements that existed between Rome and the tribes in frontier areas (Goths, Visigoths, Vandals and others).

These arrangements dealt with trade, military recruitment and