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Roman Times 2nd century B.C. All the News Romans Need to Know Rome, Italy Obituaries Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus By Arianna Flamer Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, sons of Sempronius Gracchus and Cornelia, were Roman brothers who attempted to reform social and political structure to help the lower classes, in the 2nd century B.C. The loss of their lives will be felt by many. The Gracchi came from a prominent and wealthy family. Their father, Sempronius, was a governor of Spain and was elected twice as consul. He is known for his outstanding victories over the country’s enemies. His wife, Cornelia, was the daughter of the famous Scipio Africanus, a Roman general who defeated Hannibal, Rome’s archenemy. When Sempronius died, he left Cornelia, a widow and raising twelve children on her own. Ptolemy, the ruler of Egypt asked to marry her, but she refused. Only three of the twelve children made it to adulthood; a daughter, Sempronia, and two sons, Tiberius and Gaius. Cornelia with the Tiberius and Gaius Born between 169 and 164 B.C, Tiberius was nine years older than his brother Gaius. Tiberius’ demeanor was more calm and controlled of the two. When he gave public speeches, he was gentle yet persuasive; Tiberius was well spoken. Tiberius wanted equality and rights for the common people. He sought to do this by establishing a policy of humanitarian aid. His first active duty began in 147 B.C, when he served as a junior officer in Africa for one year. Tiberius’ second major assignment began in 137 B.C when he was sent to Spain to serve in battle. The Spaniards felt that they could trust Tiberius because of his father’s good deeds when he ruled in 133 B.C. Tiberius was elected as tribune, which meant that he could veto laws that he felt violated the rights of the people. He redistributed land among the poor and established a commission which would carry through a land reform bill. This bill would limit the amount of land one family could own. Rome was becoming a land divided between the rich and poor and Tiberius fought to close this gap. Unfortunately, in 133 B.C, Tiberius, along with 300 of his supporters were killed during a riot. Their bodies were thrown into the Tiber River. Gaius Gracchus was born between 160 and 153 B.C. At the time of his brother’s murder, Gaius was in his early twenties. It is said that he was more fiery and emotional than Tiberius. According to Plutarch, Gaius had a servant named Lincinius, who stood by him with a pitch pipe. If Gaius became too abusive or too loud, Lincinius would blow a soft note on the pipe which would alarm Gaius to calm down. Gaius did not immediately involve himself in political affairs, but he did keep an eye on the commission on his brother’s land reform bill to see its execution. In 123 B.C, Gaius became tribune and had similar goals as his brother. Not only did he plan to enact land reform bills, but he wanted to change prices, the military, and he also wanted to establish colonies. Furthermore, he wanted to end all injustice in the provinces. Some of his accomplishments included giving the equites power to put provincial governors on trial. He evenly distributed the amount of wheat in Rome. He also promoted the creation of self-governing colonies in Italy, as well as overseas, like Carthage. Gaius argued for a change in the laws regarding the rights of Latins and Italians. He wanted to offer voting privileges to non-Roman Italians, but this weakened his support from the lower classes. Voting rights was an important aspect on having political power. In 121 B.C, riots broke out and more than 3,000 of Gaius’ supporters were executed. Once Gaius found himself with no other option, he had his slave kill him rather than being captured. Even though Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus never saw the success of their reforms, they have exposed the faults and cracks of the Roman constitution. This is only the beginning of positive changes for the social classes. They have become heroes of Rome and will be greatly missed. Sources: Ancient Romans by Rosalie F. & Charles F. Barker III The Romans by Kevin M. McGeough