Page 165 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

towns and cities had their own traditions long before the arrival of the Romans. Their common language was Greek, not Latin, and many people outside urban areas spoke neither Latin nor Greek. Even more important than geography in determining the degree of Romaniza- tion, however, was class status. By 200 C.E., the upper classes everywhere in the empire had become Roman- ized, sharing a common culture as well as similar eco- nomic and social interests.
ROMAN LAW AND ROMANIZATION As Roman citizenship spread in the cities, new citizens themselves became subject to Roman law, which in itself became an impor- tant instrument in the process of Romanization. The early empire had experienced great progress in the study and codification of law. The second and early third centuries C.E. witnessed the “classical age of Roman law,” when a number of great jurists compiled and classified basic legal principles that have remained extremely valuable in the Western world. Most jurists emphasized the emperor as the source of law: “What has pleased the emperor has the force of law.” The identification of the law of nations with natural law led to a concept of natural rights. According to the jurist Ulpian (d. 228), natural rights implied that all men are born equal and should therefore be equal before the law. Although that principle was not applied in prac- tice, the Romans did establish standards of justice applicable to all people, many of which we would im- mediately recognize today: a person was regarded as innocent until proved otherwise; people accused of
Rome in Germany. The Roman army helped bring Roman culture and institutions to the provinces. Local production and trade grew up around the military camps to meet the soldiers’ needs, and cities often developed from the bases themselves or from colonies located nearby. Pictured here are the remains of the imperial thermal baths in the Roman city of Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier). Trier became the headquarters of the imperial procurator of Belgica and the two Germanies and flourished as one of the most significant cities in the Western Roman Empire. Public baths were a prominent feature of any Roman city.
wrongdoing were allowed to defend themselves before a judge; and a judge was expected to weigh evidence carefully before arriving at a decision. These principles lived on in Western civilization long after the fall of the Roman Empire.
For Roman citizens, Roman law provided a uniform system of principles by which they conducted their affairs and led their lives. After Roman citizenship was extended to all free persons in the empire in 212 C.E., Roman law became an even more significant factor in binding the entire empire together.
Prosperity in the Early Empire
The early empire was a period of considerable prosper- ity. Internal peace resulted in unprecedented levels of trade (see Map 6.2). Merchants from all over the empire came to the chief Italian ports of Puteoli on the Bay of Naples and Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber. The impor- tation of large quantities of grain to feed the people of Rome and an incredible quantity of luxury items for the wealthy upper classes in the West led to a steady drain of gold and silver coins from Italy and the West to the Eastern part of the empire.
Long-distance trade beyond the Roman frontiers also developed during the early empire. Developments in both the Roman and Chinese Empires helped foster the growth of this trade. Although both empires built roads chiefly for military purposes, these arteries also came to be used to facilitate trade. Moreover, by creating large empires, the Romans and Chinese not only established
The Early Empire (14–180) 127
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a DeA Picture Library (M. Borchi) /Art Resource, NY