Question

state building: roman empire

initiatives and inventions; and the participants would have have all kinds of exciting stories to tell and disputes to argue. but unlike the story of the development of the republic and the growth of imperial power, which revolutionised almost every aspect of the world of rome, there was no fundamental change in the structure of roman politics, empire, or society between the end of the first century bce and the end of the second century ce.

from mary beard, spqr: a history of ancient rome (new york: liveright publishing corporation, 2015), 335-336.

another historian might best challenge beards argument by showing that

choose 1 answer:

a the power of roman emperors was not really absolute

b there were no “events, battles, assassinations, political standoffs, new initiatives and inventions”

c social structures in the first century ce were very different than in the second century ce

d the same political offices that existed under augustus still existed at the end of the second century ce

Explanation:

Beard's argument is that there was no fundamental change in Roman politics, empire, or society from the end of the first century BCE to the end of the second century CE. To challenge this, a historian would need to show a significant change. Option C shows a difference in social structures between the first and second centuries CE, which challenges the idea of no fundamental change. Option A talks about emperor's power, not directly about structural change. Option B contradicts the text's mention of such events. Option D supports Beard's argument by showing continuity in political offices.

Answer:

C. social structures in the first century CE were very different than in the second century CE