II. Of the Union and Internal Prosperity of the Roman Empire in the Age of the Antonines

Those in the outer Roman provinces had freedom to practice their local religions, which were often seen as being merely different expressions of worship of the same basic deities. The philosophers, senataors and emperors generally paid lip service to the religion of the people as it kept them content. Throughout the empire, all essentially had the same privileges as well as the expectation of absolute servitude to the Empire. Anyone of moderate education, of approximately 120 million people covered by the Empire, was generally conversant in both Latin and Greek. Latin was the language of all civic administration. Approximately 4000 Roman miles of straight and well-made roads traversed the Empire. This absolute equality and ease of transport of goods and culture created content minds that fed a slow poison in the empire that helped lead to the eventual decay of this culture.

Advertisements