Pax Romana refers to what?

• A. A long era of civil wars.
• B. A period of expansion of naval power.
• C. A roughly 200-year period of relative peace and prosperity across the Roman Empire.
• D. The decline of trade across the Mediterranean.

Answer: (C)

Pax Romana is Latin for Roman Peace, referring to a roughly 200-year stretch of relative peace and prosperity across the Roman Empire, from about 27 BCE to around 180 CE. After the era of civil strife, Augustus established stable governance, secure borders, and efficient administration, which reduced major internal conflicts and opened the way for thriving trade, travel, and cultural exchange. This period is defined by political stability, economic growth, and infrastructural and legal developments that connected the provinces. It isn’t about ongoing civil wars, nor is it defined primarily by expanding naval power, and it isn’t about a decline in trade—trade generally prospered during this time.