"Pax Romana" was Relative Peace in Rome

It is interesting to me that the “Pax Romana” became “a period of peace” in the archives of history because I found a surprisingly large amount of information on the kinds and amounts of conflict that went on in the Empire under Augustus. I suppose that peace is relative because things were much worse before and after this period of time. Augustus must have been a very powerful man to bring so much order resulting in a flourishing legal, social, cultural and economic experience to the Empire.

A.What was the Pax Romana?

The Pax Romana is a Latin term for “the Roman Peace”. It is used to describe the time (between 27 B.C. and 180 A.D.), when “Rome was at its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan” (Wikipedia). It refers to “the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force” (Wikipedia). “Octavian (was a Roman army general (imperator) usurped the throne from Mark Antony and Cleopatra and gained the approval of the senate to rule for life. He was given the title Augustus (the Revered One) by the Senate.” (Fiero p. 156) “He called himself “the first citizen”, shared legislative power but retained the power to veto any new law. He was a military dictator. (Fiero p. 133) When Augustus took the throne, “his reign ushered in and established an era of peace and stability.” (Fiero p. 133) He brought the empire to its “Glorified Prime”. This was “the period which refers mainly to the great Romanization of the Western world.”(Home Page: UNRV)

B.What policies and practices enable it to flourish?

Augustus felt that “it was important to establish border security, and find new pursuits for his 150,000 active legionaries.” (Home Page: URNV) “The Roman military frequently had to quell rebellions. Additionally, both border skirmishes and Roman wars of conquest happened during this period. (Wikipedia) “The Legions patrolled the borders with success, quelled frequent rebellions and had some major conquests. Even so, there were still many foreign wars.” (Home Page: URNV) For the enemies of Rome, the Pax Romana didn't signal peace or tranquility. The legions saw considerable action bringing previously un-pacified territory under control, spreading Roman influence in the Balkans, and attempting expansion in Germania. (Home Page: URNV) “As a result of the numerous foreign wars, Augustus was not finding new recruits easily. In a terribly unpopular, yet necessary move, he was forced to start drawing recruits from freedmen and even purposely freed slaves,” (Home Page: URNV) to again build up his dwindling military strength. “The strain on Roman manpower was beginning to be pushed to the extreme.” (Home Page: URNV) But new events of conflict unfolded “that forced Augustus to call for a complete end to Imperial expansion.” (Home Page: URNV)

“The internal empire was free from major invasion, piracy or social disorder and was relatively free of large scale power disputes.” (Home Page: URNV) Augusts put an end to the civil wars and brought the empire under his control. During the Pax Romana, “Roman commerce thrived, unhampered by marauding enemy troops.” (Wikipedia) “The interior of the Empire remained untouched by warfare. The Pax Romana was an era of relative tranquility in which Rome endured neither major civil wars, nor serious invasions or killings.” (Wikipedia) The Roman Peace prevailed throughout the Empire, and Rome enjoyed active commercial contact with all parts of the civilized world, including India and China. (Fiero p. 133)

“Augustus tried to arrest the tide of moral decay that had swept into Rome: in an effort to restore family values and the begetting of legitimate children, he passed laws (which ultimately failed in their purpose), to curb adultery and to prevent bachelors from receiving inheritances.” (Fiero p. 133) These laws were pretty harsh, allowing the killing of offenders. “The Roman legal system, which forms the basis of many western court systems today, brought law and order to the provinces. Rome’s most enduring accomplishments include the practical areas of law, language and political life. (Fiero p. 156) Augustus’ many projects and policies allowed the Pax Romana to flourish and develop in many positive ways breathing new life into the war torn Empire.

The Pax Romana was a time of artistic and literary productivity. The arts and architecture flourished, along with commerce and the economy.” (Home Page: URNV) “Sculpture, architecture and literature were commissioned. Augustus boasted that he had come to power when Rome was a city of brick and would leave it a city of marble (veneers of marble over brick in most cases).” (Fiero p. 133) “In a city blighted by crime, noise, poor hygiene and frequent scarcity of food and water, Augustus initiated many new public works, such as: three new aqueducts and 500+ fountains along with civic services such as a police force and a fire department.” (Fiero p. 133) “The Romans produced no original philosophy but cultivated Hellenistic schools of thought. Roman literature manifests a practical bias for factual information. The Romans gave the world its first encyclopedia, as well as, memorable biographies, essays, speeches, histories, letters, poetry, critical views of life through satirical verse (most original contribution by Rome to literature) and other artistic forms. Rome’s architectural and engineering projects, including the invention of the arch, techniques of concrete and brick construction, had far reaching influence on future civilization. To the classical style in architecture, the Romans contributed domed and stone-vaulted types of construction that enclosed vast areas of space. Rome borrowed Hellenic models in all of the arts, but the taste for realism dominated narrative relief sculpture, portrait busts and fresco painting. These genres disclose a love for literal truth that contrasts sharply with the Hellenic effort to generalize and idealize form.” (Fiero p. 156) Not only did Rome make life good for the people during Augustus’s reign, but the cultural genres flourished and preserved their accomplishments that are admired and used throughout the world today.

C. How did women and slaves fare during this period?

Women and slaves fared slightly better than their counterparts in Athens. Not many rights, not citizenship, voting, etc.

Works Cited:
1. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10/14/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10/16/08
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_romana
2. United Nations of Roma Victrix. 2002-2008. UNRV 10/16/08
http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/pax-romana.php
3. Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2006.