Cultural Changes And Continuities Essay

1050 Words5 Pages

Cultural and Political Changes and Continuities in Rome from 100-600 CE

Throughout history, Rome is often thought of as a rather consistent classical society with the coliseums, pillars, and chariots. While there were continuities, there were also changes of different varieties throughout history of the Roman Empire. The fall of the Roman Empire caused many political and cultural changes, but there were also many continuities that remained within the empire in the span of 500 years from 100-600 CE. Between 100-600 C.E., the Roman Empire experienced steady decline and eventually a fall, although in the east the Byzantine Empire kept alive many of Rome’s political and cultural traditions. There were many cultural changes that occurred within the Roman Empire during the 500 year span from 100-600 CE. One major change was the shift from Paganism to Christianity, which spread …show more content…

All other religions in the empire began to fade away, becoming “discouraged” at best. This was all due to the Christian missionaries who traveled the region. As a result, a new controversy arose: the classic one of the separation of church and state. The unified Christian lifestyle was very different from the previously religiously-tolerant classical Roman Empire. Another cultural change was in the social system of the empire with the complete disappearance of two classes of Roman people, the equestrian class, and patricians (patricians becoming a title instead of a social class). Finally, the last major cultural change within the Roman Empire during this time was the lack of culture and creativity that had flourished during the height of the empire. In 100 CE, the Roman Empire was at the height of the Pax Romana which oversaw the creation of amazing architecture, art, and law with strong trade and large, thriving cities during this time. After the split of the Roman Empire into