Provinces of the Roman Empire, The

Mommsen argues that the true destiny and drama of the Roman ideal was enacted in the provinces, rippling out from the city through Italy and into the whole Mediterranean world. Roman ideals of civilization were realized through conquest and expansion, creating a two-way street in which Roman law and custom were tempered and changed by outside contact. Describing the widening sphere of Roman influence, he first examines the acquisition and control of Gaul, Spain, Britain, Greece, and Asia Minor. Then he discusses Rome's more difficult domination of the present-day Middle East, N. Africa and the frontiers along the Euphrates.