What were the main features of the Roman Empire?

There are a number of factors that make the Empire
significant. First of all, the Romans were remarkably tolerant of cultural and religious
differences, and did not force conquered people to adopt Roman religion or even
language. They only required that they make no alliances with foreign powers and furnish
troops to the Roman Army. They were not even required to pay Roman
taxes.

Among its other accomplishments, the Empire
established a codified system of laws which provided that all persons accused of a crime
were innocent until proven guilty; that the accused had the right to confront his
accuser in open court; and that a judge could set aside a law he considered unfair. This
Roman system became the foundation of Western legal
systems.

Agriculture was generally conducted on large farms
known as latifundia, which were operated by slave labor. Crops
grown on these large estates was used for export and thereby enriched the Empire. Profit
from the trade allowed for immense wealth to flow into Rome itself which had running
water and numerous other amenities.

Entertainment was
provided free of charge at the circus maximus and the Coliseum where gladiatorial
battles were often conducted. This was done in part to keep the idle poor pacified and
prevent revolts. The poor were often fed at public
expense.

Finally, slavery was rampant in the empire;
although a slave could expect to be emancipated by age thirty if he had served his
master well. Slavery was not based on race; in fact German and African slaves were
highly desirable.

These are the major elements of the
Empire; much more time and space would be required for a more elaborate
discussion.