DBQ Roman Military Expansion With Notes KEY Contextualization Thesis / Topic Sentence Summary of Document Tie Back to Thesis Source of Document Evidence Beyond the Document Reasoning Between 200 B.C.E. and 400 C.E., many states were developing and empires were expanding around the globe Societies grew in strength due to the centralization of power, and across Eurasia many empires were able to expand because their military technology made them superior to their enemies. Imperial expansion has both positive and negative effects, and reaches all levels of societies. This was especially true in the case of the Roman Empire. When the Roman military expanded the empire, it generated a large amount of wealth and increased the amount of foreign luxury items (D1, D4), increased the reliance on slave labor by the Roman elite (D2, D3, D5), and created a massive amount of division and tension between the social classes (D2, D6, D7). As the Roman military conquered more territory and expanded, it generated a large amount of wealth and increase in foreign luxury items (D1, D4). The Roman historian Livy points out in The History of Rome that the army was responsible for bringing in massive amounts of luxury items to Rome. He specifically points out bronze couches, tapestries, and silver salvers. High end
musical instruments like harps were played at banquets and even those who prepared the food for these celebrations were viewed in high regard (D1). Rome would not have had access to any of these luxury items were it not for the expansion by the military and their conquest of foreign powers. As a historian, Livy was a well-educated mid to upper class citizen of Rome. He would have had access and firsthand knowledge of the lifestyles of the wealthy thus making his observation credible. Document 4 reinforces Document 1 s point that the military generated large amounts of wealth. In Document 4, Seneca points out that the Roman generals became wealthy due to their conquests. Marble from Alexandria, mosaics of Numidian stone, Thasian marble, and costly mirrors are just a few of the luxury items they became accustomed to (D4). Without the military successes into these various regions, the Romans would not have the wealth that they did. Seneca s point of view in this document is interesting. As someone who was critical of Nero, one of the most extravagant of all Roman emperors, he may negatively and sarcastically view the elite dependence on lives of luxury. The Punic Wars resulted in Roman expansion into territory in the Mediterranean including Spain and Northern Africa. By defeating the empire of Carthage, the Roman military brought vast amounts of wealth and resources into Rome and helped establish Rome s dominance in the region at that time. The expansion of the Roman military also increased the reliance on slave labor by the Roman elite (D2, D3, D5). In Document 2, the Greek historian Appian describes how the conquests of the Roman army increased the amount of farmable land in Rome s possession. In order to work these farms, the Romans needed more slaves (D2). Appian seems to have a negative perspective in his writings toward the Romans. He uses words like subdued and oppressed the Italian people when referring to the treatment of the Romans. This is because Appian is from a nation long known for its support of direct democracy, so the actions of an imperial government
would be looked down upon. Much like the use of slavery in Document 2, Document 3 shows a carved relief of an upper-class Roman woman being attended to by her slaves (D3). Because the Roman military conquered more and more foreign land, this opened up the opportunity for the wealthy of Rome to move to the outskirts of the empire and where they still required the use of slave labor. This carving is from a tomb located in Neumagen, Germany, which gives us the historical context that the elites use of slavery expanded to the borders of the empire and were not merely located in the capital itself. Pliny points out in Doc 5 that the use of slave labor has led to a decrease in the quality of the farm yields. Army generals used to also be farmers and did their work with a sense of pride (D5). But as Rome expanded through the military, the elites looked to slaves to do their work for them. As a former army commander, Pliny would have firsthand knowledge of how generals turned to the use of slaves and the impact that this had on farm yields. To add to the increase use of slavery, large slave-driven farms called latifundias were developed at this time. Latifunidias drove small and middle size farmers out of business as all of their laborers were slaves. Small farmers could not compete with the latifundias and were driven out of business. Growing Roman military conquests also created a massive amount of division and tension between the social classes (D2, D6, D7). As pointed out in Doc 2 by Appian, certain powerful men became extremely rich and the class of slaves multiplied (D2). Due to the Roman military expansion this division in social class is also pointed out when he mentions the common people being oppressed by high taxes and high poverty rates. In Doc 6, the Roman historian Florus adds to the argument established by Appian Rome s drive for excess created outbursts of domestic strife, referring to the division in social classes. (D6) Civil strife occurred at other times in Roman history, but the military expansion added to it by creating opportunities for the wealthy to get wealthier, thus making the poor poorer. Florus is writing in the 100 s C.E., a time after the reign
of Nero and other poor Roman emperors. He is writing in the historical context of a time when Roman morality was is severe decline and he seems to be very negatively affected by the direction that Rome seems to be heading. The direct effect of dividing the social classes through military expansion can be seen in Document 7. Here, the Roman military is being aided by the common people in their hopes of aid and food in a time of famine. The people do their part to help out the Roman military, but they are not rewarded for their efforts (D7). Due to the greed of the Roman military and leadership, the poor masses violently revolted resulting in the deaths of government officials. The common people saw the elites as enemies. Ammianus Marcellinus was both a Roman soldier and historian, so he could understand the actions of the military and accurately assess its impact on a larger scale. During this time in Roman history, Christianity was growing from a cult status to a major world religion. Christianity stresses helping the poor, and how the rich should use their earthly riches to help those in need. This part of the religion is reflective of the social tensions that existed in Rome at this time. Much like Rome, Han China was an expansionist empire. Like the Roman roads, the Han developed extensive trade routes that allowed for both troop mobilization and merchant travel. The Han expanded their territory into Korea and Vietnam, and built a meritocracy based off of the Civil Service Examination system. Much like Rome, the Han suffered a widening gap between the rich and poor, as well as an over-stretched army in an empire that covered a massive amount of territory. In addition, the Han government became overrun with corrupt officials that eventually destroyed the central government. In the same way as the Romans, the Han were impacted in a number of social, political, and economic ways. In conclusion, the expansion of the Roman military effected Rome in many different ways. While generating enormous wealth and influx of luxury items, it also created a need for a large
number of slaves and created a divide between the rich and the poor. The strength and power of the Roman military made this empire extremely wealthy, but also created a large number of political, economic, and social issues. Rome is a prime example of the development of states and empires and is one of the strongest forces ever seen, not only in the classical era but in the history of the world.