The Roman Empire
From the second century BC Rome began to expand outwards. When the Roman Army conquered a region, it expelled the defeated people from the best land and made preparations for Roman settlers to take over the area. These settlements were called colonies.
Land surveyors would arrive from Rome and divide the land into units. The size of the units would depend on the land available and the number of people needed to defend the territory.
Next to the farming area a town would be built with a protective wall round the outside. A start would also be made on a road that linked the colony with Rome and other colonies. As well as helping trade this would enable Rome to send extra troops quickly if a local rebellion took place.
Some of the land was given to wealthy Romans who had lent money to the government to pay for the military campaign. The rest was usually distributed free to retired members of the Roman Army. This strategy had two main purposes: it provided a reward for loyal service and ensured that the territory would be protected by experienced soldiers.
Soldiers in the Roman Army were not allowed to marry. Once they became settlers, they often married local women. Their children were brought up as Romans and therefore increased the number of people loyal to the empire. The fathers would also train their sons to be good soldiers.
After the Punic Wars Rome began forming colonies outside Italy. Some of these colonies were over a thousand miles away from Rome and so it was more important than ever to establish a good transport system. The building of roads linking Roman colonies was always given top priority.
Roman walled towns followed the same pattern wherever they were built. At the very centre would be the Forum. Close by would be public buildings such as a basilica (serving as a law court), a curia (where the local senate met) and a variety of Roman temples.
Aerial view of the remains of the Roman city of Timgad in Africa.
Roman colonies were linked together in groups to become a province. A senator would be sent from Rome to become governor of the province. The governor was responsible for protecting the province against foreign enemies, administering the law and making sure that the local taxes were collected.
With the rapid expansion of the Roman Empire in the first century BC it became more difficult to find enough retired soldiers or Roman citizens to populate the colonies. When
