Change over time: Roman Empire

During the classical period Rome underwent many changes both politically and culturally. Political changes were major. The capital changed, the empire was divided, and a series of invaders attacked. The cultural changes included religious views, craftsmanship, and education; religious views such as the introduction to Christianity, going from prosecuting Christians to making it an official religion. Craftsmanship was changed as trade routes were opened and nations went through cultural diffusion. Education was also a major change, as there was a language change. However, the value of education remained the same.

A major change in religion between 100 CE and 300 CE was the spread of Christianity. Christianity reached and spread through the Roman Empire, attracting many converts, which established many Christian communities. Also, later on, Christianity was a continuation during the massive cultural change during the collapse of the Roman Empire. After the division of the Empire, Constantine, eastern half, made Christianity a legitimate religion, followed by another Emperor making it the official religion. Before the split of Rome, Christians were being prosecuted. Another change in religion is how Christianity was modified and integrated with Platonic thought. This is both a continuation and a change. The continuation is that Platonic thought was present before Christianity spread. Another cultural change is trade. The Roman Empire was especially popular for its glassware, gold, and silver. However, with the opening of the silk roads, silk was introduced to Byzantine, later becoming a major industry. That is not to say however, that the roman crafts were destroyed, in fact, roman glassware, silver, and gold were prominent in trade. A third cultural change is the value and system of education. Education continued to have high value in the Roman Empire. However, the official language went from Latin to Greek as the Byzantines began examining and emphasising the importance of Greek traditions.

Between 100 CE and 600 CE there were many major political changes. One change was that the trade routes that linked the Roman Empire to Asia, Africa, and china were opened up. However, due to the exposure to many different areas and regions, and due to the easy access between regions, epidemic diseases spread. The bubonic plague, small pox, and other diseases killed almost one fourth of the population. This led to economic downfall, weakening the Roman Empire. Other changes were internal conflicts. Series of generals seizing the throne and too many emperors began weakening the Roman Empire. Another major change was the split of the Roman Empire. Diocletian divided the empire into two parts, east and west. West suffered from Germanic invasions, which Roman officials tried to keep out. This is a change because the Roman Empire was known for its toleration. However, during its collapse, the Roman officials tried to keep the nomadic tribes out of Rome. The Huns attacked Europe, and the west Roman Empire fell. Constantine built Constantinople, and the center of the Roman Empire moved to the east, another change. This empire had a strong centralized government. Another change was when Justinian and Theodora, roman emperor and empress, codified the Roman law. Finally, with the emergence of the Islamic empire, The Byzantine (roman) empire was weakened and many parts of it conquered.

Political and cultural changes took place in the Roman Empire during the classical period, this lead to the collapsing of the empire as well as the flourishing of it. While the Western Roman Empire fell, the eastern empire flourished.