omans
had begun to interfere in the affairs of Greece, which easily fell
into their hands, and thus prepared the way for their inheritance
of Alexander's empire.

This, in the main, was the work of the first century before our
era, when the expansion of Rome became practically concluded. This
was mainly the work of two men, Caesar and Pompey. Following the
example of his uncle, Marius, Caesar extended the Roman dominions
beyond the Alps to Gaul, Western Germany, and Britain; but from
our present standpoint it was Pompey who prepared the way for Rome
to carry on the succession of empire in the more civilised portions
of the world, and thereby merited his title of "Great." He pounded
up, as it were, the various states into which Asia Minor was divided,
and thus prepared the way for Roman dominion over Western Asia and
Egypt. By the time of Ptolemy the empire was thoroughly consolidated,
and his map and geographical notices are only tolerably accurate
within the confines of the empire.

[Illustration: EUROPE. Showing the principal Roman Roads.]

One of the means by which the Romans were enabled to consolidate
their dominion must be here shortly referred to. In order that
their legions might easily pass from one portion of this huge empire
to another, they built roads, generally in straight lines, and so
solidly constructed that in many places throughout Europe they
can be traced even to the present day, after the lapse of fifteen
hundred years. Owing to them, in a large measure, Rome was enabled
to preserve its empire intact for nearly five hundred years, and
even to this day one can trace a difference in the civilisation
of those countries over which Rome once ruled, except where the
devastating influence of Islam has passed like a sponge over the
old Roman provinces. Civilisation, or the art of living together
in society, is practically the result of Roman law, and this sense
all roads in history lead to Rome.

The work of Claudius Ptolemy sums up to us the knowledge that the
Romans had gained by their inheritance, on the western side, of
the Carthaginian empire, and, on the eastern, of the remains of
Alexander's empire, to which must be added the conquests of Caesar
in North-West Europe. Caesar is, indeed, the connecting link between
the two shells that had been growing throughout ancient history. He
added Gaul, Germany, and Britain to geographical knowledge, and,
by his struggle with Pompey, connected the Levant