Rome (600BC-600CE)

Rome as an empire that grew through a strong military and central governance. Emperors were assigned to rule the people of Rome. One famous Roman empire would be the Byzantine emperor, Justinian. Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora ruled from 526 to 565 AD. Justinian had tried to conquer new territory but much of the empire was already fragmented into self-sufficent states. He created a code of laws that regulated his people called, Justinians Code. This code of laws certified the power of the government. It was based off of the Twelve Tables of Rome which certified right such as the rights for defendants. The political power was not just given to the emperor but power was also distributed to the consul, senate, and tribunes. Patricians and plebeians were two separated political powers. Patricians were the top elites of Rome and the plebeians were the poor, peasant class of Rome. Military generals influences much of the political power. Military generals were assigned to go out and expand the territory of Rome. They assimilated people to their Greco-Roman culture but eventually the attempts at expansion caused the economic balance to shift. Barbarian invasions and the vastness of the empire due to too much expansion caused the empire to eventually fall because of increasingly high taxes and unequal land distribution.