In the history of the Mediterranean, in effect in the history of the Western World, there are two major ancient historical periods: the Greek Period and the Roman Period. One may look at the heritage of both civilizations as an East/West tradition; the Greek civilization influenced the eastern Mediterranean, and the Roman the western region.
The western debt to Rome is immense. Although not as spiritual as the Greek world, Rome founded a world policy, gave its citizens the Pax Romana as a symbol of universal peace, bequeathed a vast administrative and bureaucratic tradition, the tradition of Roman law and the Latin language, and left all its rich literature. Finally, it must be remembered that the later Roman Empire bridged the gap between the ancient and modern world with the Roman Church and all its traditions. The famous scholar Macaulay put it this way, "The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human civilization. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian Amphitheatre" (Osborn 14).
Rome has fascinated scholars for centuries. Even today, scholars debate the causes for Rome's rise and fall, and the masterful multi volume work by Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, continues to be a popular book for both the scholar and lay reader. In order to effectively evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman Empire, present a brief explanation of the reasons Rome fell, and understand its legacy to the modern world, it is necessary to overview the rise of Rome and the consolidation of Roman rule. Then, the decline and fall of Rome will be reviewed, as will the strengths and weaknesses of Rome, with special emphasis on the internal problems and their effect on Rome's decline. Finally, this essay will conclude with a brief r...