A change over time essays

A change over time essays At its peak the Roman Empire was roughly the size of the United States. This is due to the huge expanison during the years of 31 BC to 180 AD. The expansion took over not only land but a vast arrangement of peoples and their cultures. The Roman empirs was one of the most diverse empires to date, and while most assimilated to fit Roman standards, just as many kept their heritage. It is because of this diverse heritage and large expansion that caused the Romans to go through many economic, political, social, and religious changes throughout a three hundred year stretch. Between the years 100 AD and 400 AD the Roman empire would go through continuous change that would eventually be its own demise. Some people will argue that the Roman empire thrived because of its large cities and merchant trading. However, in all actuallity most of its important citizens were small independent farmers spread throughout the countryside. As time went on and Roman aristocrats became greedier and power hungry, small farms joined to make large estates ran by slaves. Slaves became the backbone of the Roman economy. Many slaves came from war, some because they were abandoned, but all worked with litttle or no return. That is why there were vital, they produced vast amounts of agriculture while costing nothing. However, when wars started dwindling and disease started spreading, the number of slaves available began to decrease as well. This was the beginning of the coloni, or land leased to peasants by the aristocrats to be worked on in return for foood and shelter. Even these workers slowly began to resemble semi-slaves. Taxation was also a big money supply. In the beginning only those wi th the right blood line was a citizen of the empire and were also the only ones taxed. This changed when it was declared that any free person was a citizen to the empire, therefore broadening taxation to all. Taxation veared its head most dramatically betwee...