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The Rise of Rome

The overthrow of the Roman monarchy led to an aristocratic republic that came to dominate the Mediterranean world.

Phases of Roman History

The Monarchy of Rome (753510 B.C.) The Republic (50927 B.C)
Early Republic, Romes expansion in Italy (509264 B.C.) Middle Republic, Romes expansion in the Mediterranean (264 133 B.C.) Late Republic, period of civil war and upheaval (13327 B.C.)

The Augustan Age (27 B.C.A.D. 14) The Empire (A.D.14235) The Late Empire (235476 A.D.)

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Geography of Italy
Location
Position in Mediterranean Mountain barriers Moderately divided

Important regions
Latium, Etruria, Campania

Resources
Fertile agricultural land Metals

Population
Large population base
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Early Latium and Rome

Latin settlement Heavily influenced by more advanced Etruscans to the north and Greeks in Campania Threatened by mountain peoples such as the Sabines Romes site
Ford of Tiber River Border zone between Latium and Etruria

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The Origins of the Roman State

Prehistoric Rome
Advantageous site: seven defensible hills at the Tiber ford Mixed burials: Latin, Sabine, and other early settlers Rich, agricultural territory in the center of Italy

The Early State

Early villages coalesced and chose a rex, or king The heads of the old Latin families, the patres, constituted an advisory body, the senatus (body of old men or elders)

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The Value of Legends

Few substantial written documents survive from the earliest period, and there are no native histories Nevertheless, later Roman writings preserve early legends that account for the founding and early history of Rome Sometimes religious and archaeological evidence supports elements in these legends

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Aeneas and Italy (Liv. 1.1-2 = packet, 90-92)

Evander and Romus
Anchises = Venus

Attempt to tie Rome with the Homeric epics and Greek legends Creusa = Aeneas = Lavinia

Aeneas and the Trojans

legendary son of Venus (Aphrodite) and the Trojan Anchises Escaped the destruction of Troy and migrated to Italy Perhaps associated with the Etruscan founding figure Ainas In Italy allied himself with the Latins and became the ancestor of the Romans
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Ascanius (Iulus)

Silvius

Alban Kings

Romulus and Remus (Liv. 1.4-7 = packet, 93-95)

Native Italian Myth featuring twins that were sons of a Latin princess, Rea Silvia, and the god Mars Saved from exposure by a shewolf (a lupa), they were raised by Faustulus and Acca Larentia
Later freed their mother and grandfather from their wicked granduncle Numitor Rea Silvia = Mars Acca Larentia = Faustulus Amulius

Built a city as a refuge for vagabonds and homeless from across Italy
Fought over who would give his name to the city and be considered its founder
Rome and not Reme!

Romulus

Remus

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Rape of the Sabine Women (packet, 95-96)

Romulus city was settled by all men! The Sabines were invited to a festival and encouraged to bring their sisters and daughters At a given sign, the Romans snatched (rapio) women for their wives Later the Sabines declared war to get their womenfolk back
The women, now mothers, intervened, and the two groups founded one state This may explain the dual Latin-Sabine origins of the original settlement
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Jacques-Louis David, The Battle of the Romans and the Sabines, 1799

Roman Monarchy
Beyond the Legendary Evidence
The Latin Rex
Elective but held office for life All religious, executive, legislative, and judicial power A warlord with imperium Traditional kings: Romulus, Numa, Tullus Hostilius, and Ancus Marcius

Etruscan Rome
Sudden urbanization and cultural advances coincide with the advent of Etruscan power in Rome Military reforms Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus

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Etruscan Architecture

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Etruscan Art

Far Left: Apollo from Veii, late 6th cent. BC. Above: Tomb of the Reliefs, Cerveteri, late 4th cent. B.C. Bottom Left: Etruscan Cinerary Urn, late 5th cent. B.C. 10/12/2005 19. Rise of Rome 12

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Etruscan Rome
Fortifications
Servian Wall

Draining and Paving of the Forum

Cloaca Maxima

Capitoline Complex
Temple of Iuppiter Optimus Maximus

Circus (hippodrome)

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The Res Publica

Typical move from monarchy to aristocracy
Lucretia story gave the justification, not the reason (packet, 98-100) Rex replaced by a pair of magistrates, first praetors, later known as consuls (packet, 94-95)

Res publica, 509 B.C.

public thing or commonwealth constitutional government based upon law
lex, any thing that the people order or establish > RULE OF LAW

Assemblies
The sovereign people organized to elect magistrates or enact laws

Magistrates
2 Consuls Dictator (emergencies only) Quaestors and other officials

Senate
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The Struggle of the Orders

Patricians
Old Latin noble families claimed extra privileges because of their traditional religious roles
Led to the Struggle of the Orders early in the republic

Patricians versus Plebeians: not just rich versus poor!

Wealthy plebeians wanted social, religious, and political equality Middle class plebeians were the backbone of the army Poor plebeians needed relief from debt, particularly the practice of debt slavery

Plebeian Advances
Plebeian tribunate established by 471 B.C.
TRIBUNES COULD VETO LAWS AND THE ACTIONS OF MAGISTRATES

Gradually gain right to be elected to all magistracies, join all religious colleges 287 B.C. lex Hortensia
Plebiscites binding, equivalent to leges TRIBUNES GAIN POWER TO LEGISLATE
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Roman Expansion
Monarchy (753-509 B.C.)
Rome became the major power in Latium

Early Republic (509-264 B.C.)

Rome expanded in Italy Organized a successful confederation
Citizenship extended in varied forms to about half the Italian Communities The other half of the Italian states became socii, or allies

Middle Republic
Period of Roman expansion in the Mediterranean
Began with the seizure of Sicily from Carthage
Extension of citizenship ended, Sicily became Romes first oversea province

Gained Spain and then north Africa from Carthage Dominated the eastern Mediterranean
Fought the great Hellenistic states one after another When Rome failed to maintain a balance of power in the East, she organized it into provinces and client kingdoms

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Roman Expansion in the Middle Republic

The Eastern Kingdoms Fall . . .

Above: Macedonia, after fighting four wars, became a Roman province along with Greece. Right: the Seleucid Empire lost most of Asia Minor to Roman provinces and clients. Upper right: The last king of Pergamum left his kingdom to the Roman people; it became the province of Asia.
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Culture and Literature

First surviving examples of Latin literature, comedies written by Terence and Plautus, date to this period Much was still done by Greeks or even by Romans in Greek Greek influence increased as the Romans expanded into the east and began to absorb Hellenistic states The most important history of the period was written by a Greek named Polybius

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Art and Architecture

First marble temples built in Rome The Circus Maximus, an Etruscan-era racetrack, was restored and enlarged The Romans continued to excel in road building and town planning (as exemplified in their many colonies) Early phase of Roman sculpture

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Early Roman Art

Above: Capitoline Wolf, early 5th cent. B.C. (Romulus and Remus are Renaissance additions!). Right to left: Mars from Todi, 4th cent. B.C.; Tomb Painting, Paestum, mid 4th cent. B.C.; Esquiline Tomb Painting, late 4th cent. B.C.

Head of Brutus
c. 350 B.C.
Influenced by Roman death masks (imagines) Began the practice of portrait busts (head and shoulders only, the Greeks usually represented the whole body) Reflected the Roman ideal of gravitasseriousness and dignity

Right: Statue of Aulus Metellus, 2nd cent. B.C.

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Roman town planning, based originally on military camps

Polybius
Tradition of universal historyrejection of Thucydidean model Issue of fate/Fortune (tyche) Polybius preface (packet 61-62)
Self-conscious of predecessors Didactic purpose of history Polybius Achaean league conquered The Greek viewthe problem of the success of Rome
Rome compared to the various Greek states and empires
Polybius ignores Athens!

Can anyone be so indifferent or idle as not to care to know by what means, and under what kind of polity, almost the whole inhabited world was conquered and brought under the single dominion of the Romans, and that too within a period of not quite fifty-three years?

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Polybius and the Roman Constitution

Romes institutions made her supreme Types of constitutions (packet, 63-66)
Overly influenced by Aristotles political theory
monarchykingship/tyranny rule of the fewaristocracy/oligarchy rule of the manydemocracy/mob rule

Romes mixed constitutionMonarchy (consuls), Aristocracy (Senate), Democracy (Popular Assemblies) (packet, 66-70)

Polybius mistakes
Problem with his assumptionsthey are too influenced by Greek philosophic models Consuls were not kingselected annually and always in pairs Assembly of the people had little real power Rome was essentially an oligarchy controlled by the leading families of the senatorial nobility
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