Download A brief history of Rome

A brief history of Rome
The city of Rome was built on a number of small hills beside the river Tiber some 15 km from the sea, where a small island meant
the river could be easily crossed. The hills gave protection from floods and enemies, and herds and flocks could be pastured there
above the swamps of the surrounding plain.
Archaeological evidence suggests the hills were inhabited
by farmers as early as 1000 BC, but according to
tradition the city was founded by Romulus in 753 BC
and was ruled by kings for nearly 150 years. During
these years, Rome became dominant over much of the
surrounding plain of Latium, and though farming was
still the primary occupation, trade also contributed to the
growing prosperity of the settlement.
The Roman king had many duties - as chief judge, chief
priest of the Roman religion and as army commander.
To assist him, a council of the most prosperous
landowners, called the senate, would meet, deliberate,
and give advice when consulted.
Romulus and Remus
The mass of the people also met from time to time in a
tribal assembly, but had little real power. To the north of
Rome lived a culturally more advanced people, the
Etruscans, who encouraged trade and passed on to the Romans many of their own religious and cultural customs. During the 6th
century BC Rome was governed by Etruscan kings, and the wealthy Roman families came to resent the predominance of a single
family. In 510 BC they conspired to expel the current king of Rome, and Rome became a republic. For nearly 500 years, till
Augustus took control of Rome as its first emperor soon after 31 BC, Rome would be ruled by two consuls, elected each year with
equal and supreme powers, and by the senate.
The wealthy families, called patricians, at first kept and shared the king's powers amongst themselves. Only patricians could stand
for office and hold religious or judicial posts. The mass of the people, called plebeians, were small farmers, merchants or craftsmen,
and when some became wealthy they demanded and eventually gained the right to hold magistracies, including the top job of
consul, which entitled them to join the senate. They then became as reluctant to share privileges as their patrician colleagues, and
throughout the years of the republic, wealth was always a prerequisite for political power.
After the republic was established, the Romans continued to add to the territory they controlled.
By the middle of the third century BC the Romans controlled most of Italy; by its end they had defeated the great Carthaginian
general Hannibal in Africa and possessed overseas provinces, including Sicily and most of Spain.
By the middle of the 2nd century BC, Rome had totally destroyed its main rival Carthage, controlled much of North Africa and
Greece, and was beginning to move into Asia. Throughout the 2nd century BC, wealth from conquered territories poured into
the city, in the form of war booty slaves and taxes, and most of it went directly into the hands of Rome's rulers.
By the beginning of the 1st century, an enormous and increasing gap had opened up between rich and poor, and though some of
Rome's old families survived and considered themselves 'superior by birth', the true basis of social divisions was wealth.
For most of the republican period, the families which ruled Rome had been content to share both wealth and power among
themselves, but during the 1st century, individual members began to want a greater share. They were prepared to use the armies
they controlled for their personal gain, and the Romans endured a series of civil wars, until Julius Caesar defeated the senatorial
army under Pompey in 48 BC and subsequently declared himself 'dictator for life'. Resentful senators, deprived of power,
assassinated him in 44 BC, creating a power vacuum in which civil war again broke out.
The Roman Empire in the time of Augustus
Caesar's heir and great-nephew, the young Octavian, and Caesar's chief lieutenant, Mark
Antony, united at first to defeat the conspirators of the senate, but then fought each
other. Finally, Octavian defeated Antony and his Egyptian wife Cleopatra in a naval battle
at Actium in 31 BC, and took control of the Roman world. In 27, he was given the
honorary title Augustus, and from that time on Rome was ruled by emperors.
Roman social life in the late republic and early empire concentrates on how the Romans
lived in the 200 years from approximately 100 BC to AD 100; but you need to remember
that at any given time, social class structures, conditions and customs are a product of
class structures, conditions and customs occurring decades and even centuries before. It
should also be kept in mind that although Rome controlled a vast empire, and left her
mark throughout in areas such as language, law and engineering, she was also influenced
by the varied cultures of the people in the provinces.
Augustus
The city of Rome was the centre and hub of the empire and the heart of the city itself was
the Forum Romanum, once a marketplace but in the period we are discussing occupied
by temples and public buildings. It was political and religious centre and the meeting place
for most of the population most days of the year.
Questions
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Where was Rome built?
What type of people were the Romans in the early years? What type of government did they have?
What was the senate?
What group of people came to rule the Romans?
How was the republic ruled?
Who had the power in Rome? Who didn’t?
Who was Rome’s main rival during the time of the Republic?
Discuss how Julius Caesar came to power
Who succeeded him and how did he retain power?