EVIMPE UNDER THE 1;oMAN EMPIRE. Under Augustus the Roman Empire attained the boun daries which it successfully defended for four centuries. (See Map of the Roman Eirudre, under llomE.) In Europe these were the Rhine and the Danube, and the territory between the upper courses of these rivers. In only two di rections was there subsequent expansion. During the first century the greater part of Britain was subdued ; and at the beginning of the second mil tury the territory beyond the Lower Danube. Dacia (modern Rumania), was organized as a province and held for 170 years. ?Military roads and fortified camps not only faeilitated the de fense of the Empire, but stimulated trade and the growth of cities. Except in the most mountainous regions, the barbarians whom Rome had subju gated gradually accepted the Grfeco-Roman civil ization. In Spain and Gaul and in the British cities Latin supplanted the native languages. From the close of the first century the provinces supplied the Empire with the majority of its civil and military officers and with nearly all its emperors. Through this increasingly homoge neous empire the Christian religion made rapid progress; and when, in the fourth century, Chris tianity became the State religion, the provincials accepted that creed which had finally obtained the recognition of the Imperial Court—the creed formulated by Athanasius (q.v.). Of the bar barians beyond the Roman borders, the peart and most dangerous were the Germans. The almost incessant conflicts which were necessary to hold the line of the Rhine and the Danube forced Rome steadily further into military mon archy, until, under Diocletian, the Empire was reorganized on lines which contemporaries re garded as 'Persian.' The burden of a great
standing army. bad management of the Imperial finances, and an elaborate system of State social ism impoverished the Empire, and its native popu lation diminished. In order that the soil might be tilled and the legions kept at full strength, barbarians, espeeihIly Germans, were imported in increasing numbers. At the time of Augustus the population along the west bank of the Rhine was substantially German. In the following centuries German captives were settled in Brit ain, in Gaul, in Italy, and in the Danubian Provinces, at first as serfs, after the close of the third century as tributary communities. From these and from tribes across the frontier in alli ance with Rome, an increasing proportion of re cruits was drawn, until, in the fourth century, the legions settled on the frontier were largely composed of Germans. After Constantine, Ger mans rose to the highest positions in the army and the central administration, and "the last century of Roman history may boldly be charac terized as the century of German rule"(Brunner). Upon the Germans beyond the frontier the most important effect of these centuries of conflict was the gradual formation of those larger tribal unions which, in the fifth century, overthrew' the West Roman Empire and divided among them its prov inces. The tribes in closest contact with Rome were converted to Christianity in the fourth and fifth centuries. The missionaries who accom plished this work were followers of Arius (q.v.), and the Germans retained the Arian creed after the Emperors and the Church councils had ac cepted that of Athanasius.