The Roman Empire
The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BCE.  The government was run by elected officials called Senators, who were chosen from the upper class called Patricians.  The lower class, Plebeians, made up the majority of the population and were generally farmers, artisans, and merchants.

By 270 BCE, Rome controlled all of Italy.  They also soon conquered Carthage, Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Asia Minor. This expansion led to civil war and the end of the Republic when Julius Caesar took power in 48 BCE.  After his murder, Caesar's grandnephew, Augustus, became Emperor, turning Rome into an Empire.  Rome extended it power throughout the Mediterranean world for about the next 500 years. Roman territories adopted Roman culture, the Latin language and alphabet, and supported Rome through taxes and trade.

The Byzantine Empire
When the Roman Empire divided under the Emperor Diocletian in the late 200s CE.  The Eastern half of the empire became known as the Byzantine Empire, as its new capital was built on the site of the old Greek city Byzantium. When the western half was overrun in the late 5th century CE, the Byzantine Empire became supreme. The Byzantine Empire preserved much of the Greco-Roman culture, and helped spread it across a vast region.  Maintaining control over much of the old Roman territories, the Byzantine Empire also spread its power and influence into new areas, such as Russia.  Byzantine missionaries spread the Orthodox Christian religion to Russia, and also adapted the Greek alphabet to provided the Slavic speaking peoples a written language called Cyrillic, after the monk Cyril who helped create it. Russia and Eastern Europe also adapted art and literature from the Byzantines, as well as architecture.  In return, these areas became important trading partners for the Byzantines. 

Byzantine Empire

The Islamic Empire
Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century CE.  It quickly spread throughout the Middle East before moving across North Africa, and into Spain and Sicily.  By the 13th century, Islam had spread across India and Southeast Asia.  The reasons for the success of Islam, and the expansion of its empire, can be attributed to the strength of the Arab armies, the use of a common language, and fair treatment of conquered peoples.

Arab armies were able to quickly conquer territory through the use of advanced tactics and the employment of horse and camel cavalry.  Islamic rulers were very tolerant of conquered peoples, and welcomed conversion to the Islamic faith.  All Muslims must learn Arabic, so they can read the Quran, the Islamic holy book.  This common language helped to unite many different ethnic groups within the Islamic empire.  It also made possible the easy exchange of knowledge and ideas. This resulted in a golden age under the  Abbassid Dynasty, which ruled from the mid 8th century until the mid 13th century. Under the Abbassids, Islamic culture became a blending of Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European traditions.  Islam did not lose power in Spain until the end of the 15th century during the Reconquista.  Throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, while the Islamic Empire of the Abbassid's disappeared, the faith of Islam, and government and society based thereon remain to this day.

The Mongol Empire
The Mongols were a nomadic tribe of herders who lived in Central Asia.  Under their greatest leader, Genghis Khan, they conquered the world's largest empire to date.  The Mongols ruled, at one time or another, Russia and parts of Eastern Europe, China, India, and parts of the Middle East.

Mongol Empire

Yet, little of Mongol culture remained after they have left a region.  Their power was one of control.  During the Pax Mongolia, or Mongol Peace, global trade expanded due to the political stability provided by Mongol rulers.  Silk Road trade flourished as goods and ideas, such as gunpowder, porcelain, and the technology of papermaking were traded with the west. The Pax Mongolia was a time of trade and cultural diffusion  Little or no Mongol legacy exists today.