ABSTRACT

This chapter concentrates on the issue of cultural change. It is also something of a conclusion. It asks the fundamental question of how Rome changed the world. Behind that question is a difficult political and moral issue, which is not one historians often tackle head on. The problem relates to civilisation. It is worth thinking about here because it does affect how people have understood the Roman Empire and how they continue to represent it. The issues are whether the spread of Roman culture meant a spread of civilisation and whether that spread of civilisation was actually a social good.