01/20/2014
sRome comes onto the world map around the year 509
The year romans picked as their founding
Rome is just emerging while Greece is already in their heyday
Their half of the Mediterranean was a lot behind, as opposed to the near
east
Emerge around 338
338-290 they have all of Italy
241 sicily Corsica Sardinia
190 spain, parts of Italy
Rome in 1 BC was huge
Mare nostrum
Imperium sine fine, empire without borders
Cultural identity was that they were destined to rule
753-509 BC: Regal Period
509-31 BC Republic
in the concept of rei publicae, all citizens have a share of the empire
the English took this and came up with a term, commonwealth
31BC 476 AD: Empire, Imperial
starting here, there was an emperor
meant general
they created a new kind of rome
Italy
In contrast to Greece, Italy is a great place to start a civilization
Hepatoscopy
Examining the liver
Believed you could tell the future by taking the liver and
interpreting the discoloration
Greek imitations, gorgon, temple
Orientalizing
Influence by anything from the east
Etruscans would trade raw materials for culturally advanced things from
the east
Entruscan tombs : tarquinia
Would bury their dead in sarcophagi
Stick the sarcophagus in a bay
They had images of symposia, wrestling
They probably didnt do this stuff, but there was a valuable market
for greek things
There is a question of whteher greek stuff found in other places reflect
greek or foreign interests
Etruscan depiction of women is very independent to the Greeks
Women on Etruscan tombstones were almost equal in stature
Looked like they were more involved
Villanovans
100-720
found at the city of villanova
culture cremates their dead and buries them in little tiny urns that look
like huts
on the basis of these urns we recreate what earliest rome was like
thatched roofs, no paved roads
they had a particular method of making pots
they
The wife
Comes with property, outside the family
Brings property to the family, but if they divorce, she takes that
property back
3 nights in a row apart is enough to break a marriage contract
Patron and client
Related to the idea of the father figure
When you needed help, you would address someone as a father
figure, patron, to seek help
A real roman would say absolutely!
They wanted to exercise power and authority, part of manliness
The dream was to have people lined around asking for help
Patricians and Plebeians
Influential romans were patricians
The fathers, they loved the father figure idea
Plebians are regulars
Heirarchy and Social Climbers
Theres no way to buy your way in
In the distant past, someone had owned a bakery, generations ago,
but this made them lower than others
They finally made it into the aristocracy,
Finally a descendant was invited to the elite
He shook the hand one of cicero, who said I think I got some flour
on myself to remind him that he is from the business world
Instead of the kings, the new ruling elite is called the patricians
Every year, they will elect two consuls who work together to rule
There were a group of romans as opposed to the plebians
Patricians insisted only they could be priests, officials, hold any
position of responsibility
Only patricians could marry other patricians
In reaction, over 220 years, there was a struggle of the years between
the classes
Secessions
Lower class citizens would just get up and leave the city
They wanted Tribues, whose sole job is to look over plebeian interest
They have veto power 494 bc
They could stop the rule of the consuls
They didnt have any power
Ends in 287, with breakthrough that people are allowed to pass their own
laws
They can come together as a body and vote on their own laws
Plebeian assembly
Laws of the 12 tables and decemvirs
Plebeians can marry patricians
Plebains can be consuls
Plebeian laws binding on all Romans 287
Cursus Honorum, annual and collegial
Had a very status run government
Elected annualy, consul, praetor, aedile, quaestor
You couldnt run for the higher office, unless you were elected for
everything below
Chain of commad
You could only be a dictator or censor if you had already been
consul
Tribune of the plebs
In every one of these offices, there are other people you share
responsibility with
Imperium
2 Consuls, imperium, ware, executes laws, 1 year
2 praetors, legal disputes, back up imperium, 1 year
when the consuls are gone, they have power
eventually they get full control of the law courts
2 aediles, city maintenance, 1 year
4, (8,20) quaestors. Finances, 1 year
accountants, bureacrats, taxes
10 tributes, civil rights, 1 year
2 censors, census, audit, 5 years
every five years Rome has a census, to make sure people who say
they are citizens are
all elected officials have no business connections
you couldnt run for office with any business interests
1 dictator, martial law, 6months
in emergency, consuls can elect to hire a dictator
only as long as the crisis exists
The Fasti
The list of every single person who was elected consul
It took a LOT for the roman people to challenge the paternal authority
Early Roman Religion
Before contact with greeks
Sky god, war god, etc
Numina: animism
Believed in spirits
Related to Numa
Believe that things are animated, such as a grove, spring, etc
Traditional, typically human worship
Most early cultures are mono-theistic
Theres Etruscan influence
Predicting the future, looking at entrails
When the greeks conquered the Romans, the romans quickly adopted it
Original roman literature, gone
Religion, philosophy, theatre disappears largerly
Replaced by Greek stuff
Sky god turns to Jupiter, war god turns into mars
Names are changed, but gods are superimposed onto the roman
The conquered greeks conquered the romans
Ancestors; Pietas
Looked at strange phenomena, tried to divine things
Flamens
Priests to specific gods
Carried out the actual ceremonies
Vestal Virgins: the home fire
Great honor, were virgins for a period and lived at the temple of
vesta
Goddess of the hearth, fireplace
Kept the fire
If you wanted to depositi your will, put in temple
It was very safe
Roman Syncretism
Romans were very open to outside cultures and ideas
If they saw practicality, theyd adopt them
Piety was combined with pragmatism
When they were told they must do something because of piety, they took
a very pragmatic attitude and usually agreed
Magna mater temple
Even though it seemed bizarre, they maintained traditions
Because of this acceptance of things for piety, eventually isis, other gods
all had temples in rome
Became the religious centre of the world
Totally ok to be superstitious, believe in magic
Mystery Religions
Roman religion previously discussed had manual code
They believed however that if you prayed to gods, when you made a
mistake they would grant stuff maybe
The romans came into war with the other cities in latium
Rome vs. the rest of the latins
This war lasted 5/6 years
Cassian Treaty
Cassius, in the battle against other latins offered them a deal
Rome would alternate leadership with other cities, rome then the
latins,
Band together to attack outsiders
Rome gest half the spoils
All cities have free trade, marriage, and immigration
Similar to the delian league
Like a merger/acquisition
Incredibly effective
Professional army: 405
Rome decides to pay its soldiers
As a citizen, in most other cities you wouldnt have compensation for your
service
Rome decides to give compensation
You still have to fight, but pay
Opens to the idea that soldiers have a right to something in return
Big benefit, soldiers can afford to be away from home
So they can hire someone who hasnt been conscripted to maintain
their farms
Can be away for long periods of time on military duty
Economically feasible for extended military campagins
4 battle lines
velites, skirmishers, youngest, light armor, create confusion
hastati spearmen 2nd youngest,
principes leaders fresh men, older, experienced
triari third guys last resort
Thinking about winning battles decisively
They can crush them without waiting for the enemy to approach
Because these armies are divided, each manipul was made up of 2
centuries
Each had a centurion, commander
General for each, easier to maneouver
Easier because of chain of command, less running back and forth
Roman manpower
Even though they lost, they had a lot of men
For every legion rome raised, the allies would have to raise one too
Romans could double their army just by having allies
Would get allies to supply cavalry
Rome used all its resources
An Army of Half Asses: Marius Reforms 107-101
Reorganizes cohort from manipole
When it breaks off to fight its larger
Pilum, throwing spear
Gladius hispaniensis Spanish sword
Sharp on both sides and tapered
o 17-46
o up or down in emergencies
property qualifications then nothing
service of 16 seasons, with maxmimum of 6 consecutive
o you didnt fight every year necessarily
if there was emergency, you would be put into an emergency pool
state paid for you under service
o compensation
Army became a business, especially a livelihood for some
Wars become longer, further away
o Army carried everything they could individually
o Expected to live off the land
o Marius mules
o Before, armies had baggage trains
o More mobile, effective
Allies and Italians wanted better treatment for service after a while
Discipline and Training
Strict, had to be very disciplined
Trained through experience until marius time
You were expected to build stuff
o Everynight you had to build a fort
o Engineering and building
o Roads, permanent fort, aquaducts, etc
The roman senate was strongly against roman interaction with the
east
Senate gave this up willingly, persuaded the people to agree to this
Equites
Aristocrats not in the senate
Could conduct business
Publicans
Serve a public service, and get paid
Tax collection was the most notorious
Could offer loans, at awful rates
A lot of these equites reap the benefits
Upper class will appeal to rome, and be protected by the romans
Now become important as fabulously wealthy businessmen
Through aristocratic connections and wealth in expansion
Make themselves wealthier because government is so small, the roman
government turns to these equites
Veterans
Larifundium, latifundia, slaves
Veterans came home to find they didnt like farming,
Veterans began selling off their farms to equestrians
Then equestrians would set up huge farms, plantations
Farms are moving from small families to wealthy equestrians
Italians and Provincials
Italians in Italy
Provincials living outside Italy
Classical
Very smart people, dedicated to the art
Vulgarizing
Practice is declining
How happy upper class romans were with the system, where very few
cases were criminal
Military success, but social disaster
Citizens are increasingly unhappy with the organization of the empire
This is seen by a fracture in the roman senate
Populares, optimates
Lables upon certain kinds of people
Populares were the first to designate themselves, for the people,
emphasized social reform, attention to the needs of the people
Optimates were a reply to the populares, said the oppulares used the
people
Called themselves the best
Focus on promoting the best of what is rome, sticking to the old
ways
First of the populares are of the Gracchi brothers
Tiberius and gaius Gracchus
Tiberius ran for the lowest office , quaestor, and was snubbed
Senators didnt lend his support, and were unsuccessful
Was twice shut down for public office
Then took the unusual step of running for tribune
As a tribune, you cant undertake anything, you have no right to do
stuff. Its a negative position, but has no active power
Becoming a tribune doesnt allow you to become a senator
Used this position in a very dramatic way
Tribunes push for a public land bill
Anyone who doesnt own land should be given free land by the
roman government
Told the public to show up to work for it
as soon as sulla leaves, all the veterans take up arms and support marius
rules were bent, and gradually it came to this
marius in rome, sulla in the east, marius waiting for sulla
sulla goes east, marches rome in a second time
way pack home, loots every major city to gather funds to invade
rome to fight marius
Dictatorship of Sulla Felix 82-80
Many young romans flocked to Sullas side
Wealthly romans raised their own unofficial armies and joined sulla
When sulla got to Italy, Italians sided with marius because Sulla had lead
the war against the Italians in the social war
Sulla won, in 82 bc held a summit
Believed luck would carry him trhough
Sulla made him dictator for life
Absolutely unconstitutional
Proscription was a list for kill on sight
If you assisted them, you could also be put to death
If you were an enemy of the state, your property would be collected
You would lost your property
Sulla had absolute control, those who supported him also profited
After two years, he left, and never came back to rome
Died 18 months after
Set down his dictatorship
Minimum age before you were elected consul 43
38 before you could have military command
his branch of the family wasnt doing well, but was an aristocrat
his uncle was marius, married a woman who belonged to marius faction
sulla told Caesar at 18, to divorce, refused, fled rome
was exiled
his friends pleaded, to let him come back
sulla said in this young boy there are many mariuses
Julius was kidnapped, said double the ransom
Kidnapped by pirates
Laughed, joked at his poetry
Said hed hunt them and crucify them, they laughed, but then did it
Was a great poet, public speaker, historian
He hadnt accomplished a lot, until he paired up with pompey and crassus
But persuaded them to accept him as an equal
Went into a huuuuuge debt to get himself elected to the highest office
Spent so much money
Set up the first triumvirate
First triumvirate
Pompey, crassus,Caesar
Had enough prestige to challenge the rest of the senate, after they
succeeded,
Caesar, consulship, province of gaul
Crassus in Parthia, pompey stays in rome
Crassus, killed in Parthia
Julia, pompeys wife dies
Caesar in Gaul
Conquered all of gaul
Caesars account is riveting, but is propaganda
Soldiers loved their asshole
Caesar ended the dissent for soldiers fighting gauls by saying
Citizens
Parthians killed crassus, took his army
Pompey becomes a widow, Julia dies
Senate says come to our side, we will make you head of the senate
Pompey agrees
Finally, Caesar is going to end his rule as governor
The elections
In the middle, Caesar says he wants to run for consul again
If hes not re-elected, hes going to be hit with a bajillion lawsuits
Stuck running elections in rome
Makes decision to cross the rubicon, at the edge of his river
As soon as he crosses it, hes committing an illegal act
Alea jacta est
Caesar has many supporters coming
Pompey leaves to Greece where his veterans are
Caesar follows pompey
Pompey keeps waiting for veterans to come