VERY BASIC OUTLINE OF ROMAN HISTORY

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1 VERY BASIC OUTLINE OF ROMAN HISTORY THREE ERAS OF ROMAN HISTORY: MONARCHY (753 BCE to 509 BCE) a period of kings, some Etruscan, some Roman (legend tells us of seven kings: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus) (one of main sources of information about the early days of Rome: Livy, a Roman historian who lived from 59 BCE to 17 CE he wrote ABOUT the Monarchy DURING the Empire) Three classes of Roman society: patricians, the upper class held the political power equites or equestrians, the middle class became the economic power plebs or plebeians, the lower class most numerous - originally, it was illegal for a patrician to marry a plebeian - middle class developed last - the Senate, the ruling body of Rome word comes from senex, old man originally the advisory body for the King its power was advisory only; the king did not HAVE to follow their advice - two assemblies of the people: Comitia Curiata, the voting assembly (original); added later: Comitia Tributa after the office of tribune was created to represent the people (veto power) REPUBLIC (509 BCE to 27 BCE) the time period with which we are concerned this year, since it is the era of both Julius Caesar and Marcus Tullius Cicero. The Twelve Tables first codification of Roman law (written by the decemviri) The Punic Wars a series of 3 wars between Rome & Carthage, a Phoenician colony in North Africa, directly across from Italy and Sicily 1 st 264 BCE 241 BCE (Rome for the first time became naval power; consolidated all of Italy) 2 nd 218 BCE 201 BCE (Battle of Cannae: major Roman defeat - Hannibal) (202 Battle of Zama Scipio defeats Hannibal) 3 rd 150 BCE 146 BCE (total defeat and obliteration of Carthage) names to remember: Scipio, Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal, Cato Time of the Gracchi brothers 133 BCE 121 BCE two patrician brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, who tried to work to improve the life of all Romans, particularly the plebeians. Reformers; murdered one big issue was the re-distribution of land among the poor. This era marks the beginning of a long period of internal/civil strife. Time of Marius & Sulla 108 BCE 78 BCE time of incredible civil war Marius represented a new order: not a patrician, not sponsored by any old, patrician family; came to power and prominence through his own merit; man of the people Sulla: patrician, supported by senators These two traded off being in power over this period of time; murder & proscription were rampant Social Wars 91 BCE 88 BCE fighting to give Italians full citizenship rights Results: no one had any real certain power anymore; senate was a mess; Marius and Sulla were dead; a power vacuum: ready for a strong man to step in JULIUS CAESAR: 100 BCE 44 BCE

2 JULIUS CAESAR: 100 BCE 44 BCE Spartacus & the Slave Revolt 73 BCE 71 BCE 70 BCE Pompey and Crassus were consuls Pompey had several major military commands Catiline and his thwarted political hopes turn to conspiracy & rebellion 61 BCE formation of the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar 59 Caesar elected consul Caesar conquering Gaul, etc triumvirate falls apart; rioting, anarchy; Pompey elected sole consul Civil War Caesar & Pompey Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus 44 BCE March 15, the Ides of March Caesar assassinated on his way to the Senate Important writers of the Republic: Lucretius (De Rerum Natura), Catullus (poetry), Horace (poetry), Sallust (history), Vergil (poetry) (his greatness runs into the Empire), Cicero (political and legal speeches, letters, philosophical essays), Julius Caesar (Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, Civil Wars) Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 BCE 43 BCE 63 Cicero was consul & exposed the Catilinarian conspiracy in a series of 4 speeches 58 exiled 57 recalled 43 invited to be part of the Second Triumvirate; he was a Republican purist & declined, which led to.. 43 murdered (political proscription) The Rise of Octavian 44 BCE 31 BCE Marc Antony tried to step into power vacuum created by the death of Julius Caesar SECOND TRIUMVIRATE 43 BCE Octavian, Marc Antony, Lepidus The army of the triumvirs defeated the army of Brutus & Cassius and the conspirators at Philippi in 42 BCE Triumvirs divided up the power and the empire: the division was unequal & there was unrest Final showdown between Octavian and Antony: 31 BCE the Battle of Actium Octavian won 31 BCE 27 BCE Octavian consolidated his power under the guise of Restoring the Republic EMPIRE 27 BCE 476 CE Rome did NOT fall the city of Rome declined in importance as the major business of the Empire was shifted East to Constantinople. In 476 CE, yet another barbarian invasion swept into Rome. In 476 CE, the Vandals sacked Rome. Literature: Vergil (the Aeneid), Horace (odes & satires; he, too, straddled the Republic & the Empire), Pliny (history & letters), Livy (history) Ovid (poetry: Metamorphoses, Ars Amatoria, Amores) Rome is built on seven hills: Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Esquiline, Quirinal, Viminal, Caelian Palatine: first settlements; hut of Romulus Capitoline: highest hill, fortified

3 The Kingdom of Rome and the Seven Kings of Rome After Romulus, Rome had a further six kings. The last of these, Tarquin the Proud, was deposed in 510BC and so after 250 years of kingdom the Republican age of Rome followed. Each of these kings brought a different facet to the foundations of the future empire. The Seven kings of Rome were: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud) The choice of the first king after Romulus ( BC) was a difficult task but a Sabine, Numa Pompilius ( BC), was chosen to be the second king of Rome. Numa brought 43 years of peace which he used for the establishment of religious worship and cultivation. He created priestly and religious orders to Jupiter and Mars as well as other gods. He created a religious figurehead called the pontifex maximus and to this day that title is still used by the Pope. He had a temple to Janus built which would have its doors open only in times of war and it is to his credit that during his reign the temple doors were always closed. He also improved cultivation, dividing amongst his people the land Romulus had won and in order to enforce his citizen's respect for the boundaries he had laid out on the fields he also erected an altar to the god Terminus - god of boundaries - on the Capitoline hill. The third king of Rome, Tullus Hostilius ( BC), had the temple of Janus doors flung open almost as soon as he took the throne: He employed his reign to teach his subjects the art of war. Looking for an enemy, he picked a dubious fight with Alba Longa. This was to be a moment of particular importance to the Roman people in ages to come: Realising that the fighting would weaken both the Albans and the Romans, making them easy prey to the Etruscans, the two sides agreed to decide the war through a single fight. Three brothers from either camp were chosen: the Horatians (Horatii) from Rome and the Curiatians (Curiatii) from Alba. Horatius of the Horatians was the last survivor and victor. Alba was eventually laid waste and its inhabitants transferred into Rome. Tullus successfully fought other wars but increasingly lost touch with his other duties such as worship of the gods. Popular history has it that Jupiter slew him and burned his house down with a flash of lightning. The fourth king Ancus Martius ( BC) was a grandson of Numa. He left aside any wish to extend his dominions and instead busied himself with strengthening and beautifying the city. He had the rules for proper worship laid out on tablets and set out where everyone could read them. But he also concerned himself with defense of the city as well as prayer: he defended the Janiculum hill across the Tiber river, built a bridge across the river and colonised the river's mouth with a new settlement called Ostia. This opened Rome up to the sea and trading, allowing the city to take full advantage of her unique geographical position. Tarquinius Priscus ( ) was the fifth king of Rome. He was not a Roman Patrician (nobility) but rather an Etruscan come from the north to settle as a merchant in Rome. His rise to power stemmed from his great ability to form high society friendships, culminating in being named guardian of Ancus Martius' sons. When Ancus Martius died Tarquinius convinced the Senate into accepting him as King. He did well. He conquered the tribes round about and even the powerful Etruscans acknowledged him as their king sending him the symbols of power which were to remain engrained in Roman society henceforth. These symbols were: a crown, a sceptre and an ivory chair, an embroidered tunic, a purple toga and twelve bundles of rods called fasces in each of which was an axe. The fasces, carried by twelve men called the lictors, were symbol of his kingly power to judge and sentence to death. Tarquinius is thus also known for having strengthened the social class system following the Etruscan model. The Senate and Government were strengthened and distinctive ornaments and badges were introduced to distinguish officers from the common people. Once he had subdued the enemies of Rome, Tarquinius set about improving the city. Not forgetting the lessons learned from his predecessors he built a splendid temple to Jupiter called the Capitol on the Capitoline hill. He also built an important sewer system called the cloaca maxima which was so efficient it served the city throughout history to come. Apart from its obvious use for refuse, this

4 system of underground streams allowed him to drain the swamps between the hills. He is also known for having laid out the Circus Maximus, where public games were held. Tarquinius was still guardian to the sons of Ancus Martius (the fourth king of Rome) but an omen convinced him to take particular care of the son of one of his slaves. The ground was laid for some trouble. Ancus' sons had Tarquinius assassinated but Servius was quick to seize power becoming the sixth king of Rome: Servius Tullius ( ). Servius Tullius never forgot his mother had been a slave and became such a friend of the poorer parts of society that he became known as good king Servius. Knowing that his people were made of many different social strata he had a census system put in place so that every five years every person would be counted up with their children and property. He radically changed the military system: Until then the army was only composed of Patricians. Servius included all landowners, which he subdivided by the amount of land they owned. The largest landowners for example could afford a horse, armour and wheapons and would thus form the cavalry. Poorer classes could only afford smaller amounts of armour for themselves and would therefore be in the infantry as foot soldiers. Training of the army would take place in an area of land called the Field of Mars or Campus Martius. The troops were divided into groups of one hundred men commanded by Centurions (centum means 100). The Campus Martius (Campo Marzo) is still an area of Rome today. Servius Tullius then had a defensive wall built around the city, parts of which are still visible today. The end of his reign was rather tragic. His avaricious daughter, together with her husband Lucius Tarquinius a son of Tarquinius decided they wished the power for themselves. Right in the middle of the Forum, Lucius seized the aged Servius and flung him down the steps of the Senate and sent men to murder him. Servius' daughter having heard of the events went to salute her husband as king and had her chariot driven over her father's body. Rome thus had its last king, Lucius Tarquinius or rather Tarquin the Proud (Tarquinius Superbus, BC) also of Etruscan descent. He was perhaps a greater lover of war than his predecessors and together with his three sons managed to subdue many tribes whether by force or trickery. He is noted for having purchased what was to be regarded as one of Rome's greatest treasures: the three Sibyline Books written by a seer know as the Sybil of Cumae. These books were prophecies about the future of the city and were consulted whenever the city was in danger. Tarquin's harsh conduct and nature proved fatal for him and his Tyranny. He and his family were expelled from the city by his nephew. The city was now to become a Republic and it decreed that should anyone speak in favour of a return to kingly rule they should be put to death as an enemy of the state. Comments on the Seven Kings of Rome The seven kings of Rome left behind them an inheritance. A legal system, class structure and geographical division of the city into districts. A census every five years permitted a more just taxation. Indispensable engineering works were also undertaken. Although in the 250 years of kingdom the territorial dominion of Rome had not increased in any significant manner, each of the kings had brought and instilled a different virtue to the people and city of Rome. The last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, didn't leave quietly; summoning up one alliance after another against the Romans in an effort to win back the throne. This gave the Roman garrisons plenty of experience making them a battle-hardened force to contend with as they gained dominance of Italy. The final result constituted a solid foundation for the City-State that Rome had become. Within a further 250 years Rome would subdue the surrounding peoples such as the Etruscans, Samnites and Greek colonies, making herself master of the entire Italian peninsula, warring to control the Mediterranean sea, eliminate piracy and control international commerce.

5 Summary: The Seven Kings of Rome 1. Romulus son of Rhea Silvia and the god Mars founded and consecrated Rome. He attracted inhabitants to the new city, the Sabines and their women came. He won land for his subjects. 2. Numa Pompilius, a Sabine, taught the Romans to cultivate the fields and to worship the gods. 3. Tullus Hostilius overcame Alba Longa. The battle was decided through duel between the three Roman brothers of the Horatii family and the Alban Curiatii brothers. The Alban citizens moved to live in Rome. Alba Longa was razed to the ground. 4. Ancus Martius attended his religious duties but also strengthened the city's fortifications, built a bridge over the Tiber and colonised the river mouth at Ostia. 5. Lucius Tarquinius, an Etruscan, overcame the Etruscans and became their king also. He built the Capitol, the cloaca maxima sewers and the Circus Maximus. 6. Servius Tullius was the son of a slave. He introduced a five yearly sensus and restructured taxation. He restructured the army and society according to land ownership. 7. Tarquinius Superbus son of Lucius Tarquinius murdered Servius. He fought and won war also by treachery. He purchased the Sibylline books, regarded as one of Rome's greatest treasures. His nephew Brutus roused the Romans to expel him and his family and so Rome became a republic.