never thought about that bit, more along lines of families personal pwerbases. Military commander not apointed on skill or merit but on political level. A centralised power base of roman emporer, and the senate who deal with dailiy buisness of running the empire (the dark council). Romans where also elistist, you had to earn citizenship if you where not born roman. Also had slaves to do meanial work, but did not see what wrong with that. As well as roman military might, they where good engineers and highly productive. This bit is also like the sith as they had only small base to start with, after hyperspace war yet manged to rebuild into superpower.