An excellent example of writing assignment #1 on Rome in the Middle East

Kennedy-   Why was Rome interested in the Middle East?

 

The answer to this question is layered, many reasons exist for Rome having had an interest in conquering or controlling this region.  During the Roman Empire, the region known as the Middle East was ripe for significant conquest.   By this I am referring to the fact that the Arabian Peninsula was largely void of outside influence.   The Roman Empire was well established in the west, while the east was dominated by the pre-Persian, or Parthian movement.   From this two headed monster, history would show us a long road of conflict, a game of give and take which would last until the rise of Islam, a movement which would become the new force within the 7th century Middle East.

 

The interest in the Middle East was built on a foundation of desire, desire for land which when handled properly equaled more power for Rome.Those within the Middle East who were toppled, or overtaken, would become components of the Roman swathe throughout SW Asia.   The Romans knew that this region had its bright spots, such as natural resources which were always in demand.   Also, Rome knew that controlling the Middle East meant expanding the empire, bigger and stronger, a better buffer between Rome and the Persians.  Aside from natural resources, Rome would work to create large centers of power while moving eastward, Carthage and Anatolia for example.

 

With this expansion there existed additional responsibilities, namely the handling of preexisting people, the nomads for example.   When large centers of operation were established, Rome needed to control the population through leadership yet also protect their geographic investment from foreign interruption, Parthians-Persian interests in the same region.   Rome was very water savvy, here too, the ability to take over the Middle East meant that waterways would become part of the equation.   Controlling waterways meant that trade industries which utilized the water could be harnessed for Roman leadership, a monopoly on foreign trade via water links.   The Middle East sits in a most desirable locale, perhaps best described as a pivot point or junction between Africa, Europe and Asia, this included the Far East.   From these other zones of influence, goods and services could be moved great distances, Rome would capitalize on this movement.   The goods could be fabrics, slaves, spices as well as animals and crops.   This meant that movement within the region itself was more user friendly, trade interaction within the Middle East.   So too, the land routes were of significance because areas such as the fertile crescent were diamonds in the rough, many areas within the Middle East are and continue to be non-user friendly with regard to planting and harvesting of crops.

 

Having a base of operations out of Rome, and eventually, Constantinople, the Roman leadership realized that the Middle East provided both a buffer from outside influence, namely the aforementioned Parthians-Persians, while also providing a geographic hub of power.  This power was a see saw affair for Rome, countless leaders within both the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire, would go tit for tat, eventually the upper hand would belong to the newly minted Arab-Muslim movement, this during the 7th century.