Essay - Wari and Tiwanku - the Definition of Empire the Word...

Wari and Tiwanku - The Definition of Empire

The word empire has many implications. Immediately, the ***** conjures images of the Roman, Inca, ***** Aztec civilizations, their extreme rulers, great landmasses, and thriving civilizations, as well as their disastrous decline. A glimpse at these empires allows one to conjure a *****er underst*****nding of what an empire actually is. Probably the most famous of all empires is the *****. Surprisingly, however, the Romans began not as an impressive series of emperors with advanced construction and planning, but instead as a conglomeration of impoverished peoples crammed into hovels (G. ***** Smiley, 2005: 8). In fact, the ***** depended on their predecessors the Etruscans to give ********** the knowledge they needed to build the sprawling, powerful empire that would take up so much room in the history books. Among the *****formation granted to the Romans from the Etruscans was literacy and ***** alphabet, as well as the architecture that would eventually distinguish Rome from its contemporaries (G. and Smiley, 2005: 8*****9). Rome's move from hut-dwelling illiterates to Mediterranean power also came with ***** *****ing up and use of military *****, such as the army and the navy. Paired with a rebirth of ***** intelligence ***** new military technologies, these developments were able to lead Rome ***** ***** height as an ***** (G. and Smiley, 2005: 9). Thus, the example of ***** epitomizes the cliche, "Rome w***** not built in a day." Indeed, the example of ***** Roman ***** suggests that empires take careful planning ***** many years of development before they can be called empires. This example also suggests that ***** are also characterized by their ***** might, as well as their socio-political effectiveness.

***** the Romans, the Inc***** did not have a sophistic*****ted system of writing. They did, *****, have a form of recordkeeping and organization through quipus. These strings of ropes ***** k*****s on the end could not ***** interpreted ***** archeologists, ***** obviously helped the Incas achieve a system of reliable organization ("The Rise of the *****"116). Like ***** Roman *****, the Incan empire was filled with rulers who ***** sometimes mixed with legendary hero. Regardless of this, however, ***** proved their ability to defend ***** empire against foreign attack. In addition to this, they embarked on monumental conquest and oversaw the completion of magnificent architecture ("The ***** ***** the Incas" 120-121). As political rulers, ***** Incas were ***** able to establish a system of rule in which they could distribute labor, and they showed an ability to exp*****d their kingdoms via conquest ("The Rise if the Incas" 122-123). ***** the Romans and the Incas, ***** Aztec empire also exhibited a mix of ***** and military strength. A powerful alliance allowed for regional conquest. The empire was organized in a ***** of city-states. Conquered cities ***** expected ***** pay tributes to the Aztec *****. Unlike ***** Roman and Incan empires, however, which were *****, for the most part, under a single *****r, ***** Aztec empire was organized in a more