Introduction

Emerging out of the Etruscan experience, the inhabitants of Rome developed a republic by the late sixth century B.C.E. Over the next one thousand years, the civilization there developed into an empire the likes of which the world has not seen since. It was an unplanned empire shaped by circumstance and by practical, pragmatic administrators, military leaders, and politicians who were great admirers of classical values of the Hellenized world. In the process of moving from republic to empire, the Romans changed their society and culture, assimilating and diffusing as they conquered civilizations from Britain to Bethlehem.

The Romans had great writers, poets, historians, and scientists. But their real genius lay in law, administration, engineering, and military prowess. Their empire provided the incubator for the growth of a new religion, Christianity, which would survive even the Romans. In the end, the world's most famous empire, which represented a high point in human political achievement, would collapse and wither unceremoniously away, leaving us to ponder the reasons why and to reflect on Roman contributions to future generations.