Roman Civilization
Outstanding in the achievements of Roman
civilization was the practical skill with which it united peoples of widely
varying languages, customs and religions into a political structure which
withstood many shocks for nearly a thousand years. In the first place, Rome
recognized the value of granting citizenship to conquered peoples as a means of
securing their interest and cooperation in the good government and prosperity of
their province in the Empire. A Jew of Tarsus could take a pride in being a
Roman citizen without losing his pride in being a Jew. Then, following the
example of the Persian Empire, Rome recognized the importance of safe and easy
communication between all parts of the Empire. The magnificent system of Roman
roads and viaducts served a double purpose: they made possible the swift
movement of troops to any part of the Empire where disturbance or danger
threatened. They made commerce, postal traffic and civilian travel sure, smooth
and swift and they thus created conditions which were essentials if capital and
provinces were to play their part in relation to each other and remain
prosperous and contented. Finally, the great fabric of Roman law, which had
slowly developed to meet changing needs, embraced the whole of the Empire, so
that a certain in Palestine might appeal to the decision of the emperor and be
sure of hearing. The roads, the viaducts, the orderly Roman villas tucked away
in some remote corner of Britain, the great framework of law, the very
vocabulary of our daily speech, all survive as witnesses of what is meant by Roman
civilization.
No comments:
Post a Comment