By the 2nd century the accumulated impact of 300 years of warfare and an expansionist policy prompted (or was caused by) considerable changes in Rome's internal make-up. Today we will explore those changes.

In the 2nd century,

• what was the role of the Senate?
  • what tensions might arise because of the changing nature of the Senate?
• what was the role of the magistracies?
  • what changes occurred within Rome's magistracies?
  • what tensions might arise because of the changing nature of various magistracies?
• what were the consequences of Rome's creation of empire? Address specifically
  • what transpired in Italian cities
  • how the inhabitants of Italy responded to the spread of Roman culture
  • Rome's reaction to the assimilation of certain cultures
  • how the population of cities changed, both in size and in composition
  • the impact on the economy
  • the impact on the nobiles, the poor and slaves

What do you imagine might transpire in the late 2nd century to alter the Roman landscape?