Rome's empire was based on their devotion to imperialism and not anything else. So having sustainability was militaristic more so than anything else.
The Roman Empire spent a heck of a lot of money and effort on their people though. Don't forget that in those times you could give a f*ck less about being royalty. If you were in the protected zones of the Romans you were already winning.
To Romans living inside the protected lands, the 'outside world' looked cold, harsh, and barbaric. So, you could put up with inequality as long as those aristocrats were making sure that there were roads, aquifers, and soldiers! :P
Also, slaves could eventually attain freedom and citizenship. So, while it was not a good life it still had potential to become a decent one.
Now, there were uprisings against the Romans by people who benefited from years of Roman protection and decided later on 'to plot their own course'. But that story is old/new. Happened to the Brits, Persians, Mongolians, etc.
The Roman Empire spent a heck of a lot of money and effort on their people though. Don't forget that in those times you could give a f*ck less about being royalty. If you were in the protected zones of the Romans you were already winning.
To Romans living inside the protected lands, the 'outside world' looked cold, harsh, and barbaric. So, you could put up with inequality as long as those aristocrats were making sure that there were roads, aquifers, and soldiers! :P
Also, slaves could eventually attain freedom and citizenship. So, while it was not a good life it still had potential to become a decent one.
Now, there were uprisings against the Romans by people who benefited from years of Roman protection and decided later on 'to plot their own course'. But that story is old/new. Happened to the Brits, Persians, Mongolians, etc.