A ROMAN NEW WORLD

in 37 CE, at the death of Emperor Drusus, the Roman Empire was the undisputed master of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. There was nothing worthwhile to conquer east of the Vistula River, and the Sahara Desert blocked expansion south of the fertile coastal plains of North Africa. Rome established the client kingdoms of Media and Persia as buffers between the Empire and the turbulent empires of the Indian sub-continent. The next opportunity for the development of Rome’s power and influence lay across the ocean. Rome's attention turned west after Phoenician traders reported civilizations across the ocean.