Download Rome was a Republic

For about 500 years…
Rome was a Republic
‘Senatus Populus Que Romanus’
the Senate and the People of Rome
Roman Republic: Government
Consols (2): two of them, one-year term, veto
power
•
Dictator (1): in special circumstances, could
be elected for 6-months
Senate (300): advised, served for life
Assemblies
Patricians & Plebians
Patricians: landholding
upper class
Patricians
Plebeians: farmers,
merchants, artisans,
traders
Plebeians
Slaves
The Struggle of the Orders
Inequality between patricians & plebians
•
Arbitrary exercise of power by magistrates
Importance of plebian soldiers
494 BCE Tribunes, Plebian Council
450 BCE Twelve Tables
445 BCE Intermarriage okay
The Struggle of the Orders
367 BCE Licinian-Sextian Laws
300 BCE Admitted to most important
priesthoods
287 BCE Laws passed by Plebian Council
apply to all Romans
New, more stable nobility; internal peace
Expansion and defense possible
Roman Expansion (in Italy)
Took 200 years
Granted full or
partial citizenship
•
Tax and legal
benefits
•
Developed loyalty
in conquered
Italian areas
Roman Expansion (Colonies)
Strategic locations
Established by treaty
Troops sent when
needed
Customs of the area
left intact
Mostly for trade, with
some military purposes
As they expanded
their control…
…the Romans built
an excellent network
of roads
Their road system is one of the Romans’
greatest achievements
Why do you think they built them?
The Roman Road System…
Allowed easy military transport
Enabled trade and commerce
Helped unify expanding Roman territories
Pattern of Roman Conquest
Roman territory
borders new neighbors
New mutual fears
and/or chances for conquest
Rome eventually
wins those wars
Rome starts or is drawn into
new wars
Romans next came in
contact with…
…the Carthaginian Empire
Punic Wars: Overview
Carthage a former Phoenician colony
Empire in North Africa
Rome & Carthage fought three times
 The Punic Wars
(Punic < Puni/Poeni “Phoenicia”)
First Punic War (264 - 241 BCE)
Fought on land & sea (mostly sea)
Result… Roman Victory!
Carthage has to give up Sicily
But sets up strong base in Spain
Second Punic War (218 - 201 BCE)
Hannibal leads Carthaginian army overland &
into Italy from the north
Defeats Roman armies again and again, but
hesitant to attack Rome directly
Roman army invades North Africa
Result… Roman Victory at Battle of Zama!
Carthage reduced to dependent ally of Rome
Third Punic War (149 - 146 BCE)
Fears that Carthage might rise again
•
“Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.”
Three year siege
Result… Roman Victory!
Carthage’s walls breached,
city burned
After the Carthaginians…
…the Macedonian Kingdoms
Continuing Roman Conquest
Macedon (Antigonid) & Asia Minor (Seleucid)
move to expand their realms (Syria/Palestine
& Greece) worrisome to Rome
Macedon (149 BCE), Greece (146 BCE),
Pergamum (133 BCE) annexed
Treatment becomes harsher
Profit to state, army, and general
Economic Results of Conquest
Brought lots of wealth to Rome
latifundia
Wealthy families bought huge estates,
conquered people forced to work as slaves
Slave labor hurts small farmers  debt, sell
land, move to city for work
Gap between rich and poor widens  riots
and chaos
Changing Roman Culture
Religion
–
influence of East
•
cult of Cybele
•
Babylonian
astrology
Changing Roman Culture
Education
–
Greek influence
•
Language, literature, philosophy, rhetoric
•
Practical, vocational, moral  broad
intellectual training, critical thinking, focus
on ideas, produce well-rounded people
Changing Roman Culture
Slavery
–
Basic element in economy (100s BCE)
•
Latifundia
–
Slave rebellions
–
Gradually declines
Roman Culture: Cicero
Great orator and politician
•
rhetorical model for centuries
Stoic ideas
•
law of state should accord with
natural law
•
everyone citizen of a single
society
Roman Culture: Lucretius
Leading Roman Epicurean
philosopher-poet
•
Simple, serene life
•
Avoid passion, religion,
political involvement
On the Nature of Things
Roman Culture: Playwrights
Plautus and Terence
•
features of 4th/3rd century Greek comedy
•
Plautus more boisterous
•
Terence more polished, refined style
Roman Culture: Catallus
Great lyric poet
Personal themes (love, loss, etc.), witty, no
moral lessons or political issues
You ask, my Lesbia, how many of your kisses
are enough and more than enough for me.
As big a number as the Libyan sand-grains
that lie at asafoetida-bearing Cyrene
between the oracle of sultry Jupiter
or as many stars, when the night is quiet,
and the sacred tomb of old Battus;
see the secret loves of men.
So many kisses for mad Catullus to kiss you
are enough and more than enough,
[kisses] which neither the curious can count
nor an evil tongue bewitch.
Roman Culture: Law
Twelve Tables
•
Praetors interpret and apply
jus civile - “civil law”/“common law” (Romans
only)
jus gentium - “law of nations”
•
jus naturale - “natural law”
Economic Results of Conquest
Brought lots of wealth to Rome
latifundia
Wealthy families bought huge estates,
conquered people forced to work as slaves
Slave labor hurts small farmers  debt, sell
land, move to city for work
Gap between rich and poor widens  riots
and chaos
Economic > Political Problems
Gracchus Brothers
–
Tiberius (133) and Gaius (123) -- tribunes
•
Worked to get the state to distribute land
to the poor farmers
•
Also to give grain to the poor
•
Senate felt they were a threat
 violence, political rifts
More Political Problems
Government changes & evolves  more corrupt
Ambitious politicians (/military commanders)
•
Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Julius
Caesar, etc.
Civil Wars
•
Marius vs Sulla, Pompey vs Caesar,
Octavian vs Marc Antony
Next time…
…the fall of the Republic