Between 1200 B.C.E. and 300 B.C.E., bronze craftsmen experimented with iron and they eventually developed a long process of smelting iron from the raw ore found in the earth’s surface. Ore, the key ingredient for iron, was much more common than copper or tin which are used to form bronze. This allowed iron to be cheaper and more people could obtain and use the revolutionary metal. The smelting process and iron goods spread throughout the Mediterranean quickly, and soon every major, and most minor, tribes had a supply of iron tools. Iron was also easier to make because metal workers were not binding two different elements together, they were simply melting one down. Iron replaced the objects that had previously been made of bronze or stone. The new tools and weapons were stronger and more resistant to outside factors that might diminish the metal. It could be used for several more years than bronze tools. Although bronze was lighter and more portable than stone and wood, iron was even easier to carry around than bronze. More and more people had access to iron which lead to an increase of food production, life expectancy, and settled groups, however, iron also evened the playing field between tribes. Groups that were ahead during the Bronze Age were being beat by poorer tribes that now had the means to fight back. That lead to more battles and fighting in and between the tribes. Some rose up over …show more content…
During the Roman Republic, Romans create a government based on S.P.Q.R., the Senate and the People of Rome. The senate divided the power between many people with checks and balances so that one person would not obtain and misuse all the power. The senate listened to the Roman people and tried to accommodate for their needs. The heads of the senate were the two consuls who commanded the military and oversaw the Roman economy. The Romans had very few federal laws, but instead let the provinces create their own laws that were dictated by a Roman governor. Individual states and the cities inside them were not self governing, but their laws did differ from other states and cities because Rome recognized the different needs and problems of the provinces. As Rome became an empire, Augustus and his successors slowly accumulated all the jobs of the senate and made them into one major job called emperor. Some emperors led to economic prosperity, where others almost lead to Rome’s downfall. The senate lost it’s importance in Roman culture and the idea of S.P.Q.R. faded as emperors became more and more god-like and all ruling. By the end of the Roman Empire, the senate was merely an idea and something to help keep the people satisfied. Several emperors were horrible leaders and brought on civil wars and internal fracturing within the empire. In the end, this