Problem

The Greek historian Polybius asked: "Who is so thoughtless and lazy that he does not want to know in what way and with what kind of government the Romans in less than 53 years conquered the entire inhabited world and brought it under their rule--an achievement previously unheard of?" With keen awareness Polybius realized that the Romans were achieving something unique in world history. What was that achievement? Clearly it was more than creating a huge empire. Despite frontier wars and provincial rebellions, how did the Romans maintain cohesion in the empire for so long? (You may want to discuss government, infrastructure, army, culture, economics, society, dates, etc.) Evaluate the significance of the Roman Empire based on the readings. You should make at least two references to primary sources found in the chapter in this paper. Briefly say something about how the Roman Republic was transformed into the Roman Empire.

In brief, this essay is asking you to write about your understanding of the history of the Roman Empire from a "macro" point of view, but with frequent references to "micro" evidence found in the resources of this unit. Explain Roman Empire--its success and challenges. You should support your statements with evidence from the text.