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The Rome tribune
All the News Romans Need to Know
August 13, 320 BC
Rome
Memories That Will Last Forever
By: Kylus Sansaricques
Oh, I remember that battle like
refused to end their besiegement. We
it was yesterday. Although it occurred
had another plan, however. We told
70 years ago, I can still picture the
the Clusinians to attack their invaders.
battle in my head. It began as the
They accepted our advice, opened the
Gauls against the Clusinians, but we
gates of the city, and began a battle.
would join the fight soon. Blood, sweat,
One of our ambassadors who was still
tears… so much to the point that we
in Clusium did not shy away, fighting
all rather be dead. It was not fun being
alongside the Clusinians. When King
a Roman, at least not in the beginning.
Brennus saw this, he was beyond
The Gauls were angry. Their leader
angry, as our man had broken the law
was King Brennus’s. His tribe was
of all nations by joining the fight. This
from central Europe but it spread
may have been a turning point,
across the globe in no time. Once they
because King Brennus had now ended
conquered new peoples, they forced
his campaign in Clusium and headed
them to adapt to a new culture. But we
toward us.
would not let this happen.
We couldn’t face defeat…we
The Gauls started by
needed to prepare so we could be on
destroying Etruscan city-states,
top. We fought using a phalanx, just as
pushing towards our base in central
the Greeks did. This tactic included
Italy. I remember, one main
several lines of soldiers. The Gauls’
city-state was attacked…Clusium. The
mindset, however, was exactly the
Gauls besieged the city-state and
opposite of ours…every man for
began taking over. I remember my
himself. That is how Gauls fought and
good friend sent me a letter, saying “I
that might have been the reason for
can’t take it anymore. You need to
their success. They clearly had the
help us, somehow, because I don’t
momentum edge on us. You could see
think we have much time before we
it in our eyes…we weren’t ready to
are under complete control of the
fight. We were in a lot of trouble when
Gauls.” After reading this, I took action.
the Gauls charged us. It was the
I told our general to do something. He
middle of a summer day. I couldn’t
agreed to send several ambassadors
believe what I was seeing and fled to
over to Clusium, with the intention of
Capitol Hill, along with everyone else
persuading the Gauls to leave.
able to get away. The Gaul’s burned
This…was a failure. The Gauls
Rome and killed many citizens, leaving
us in disgrace.
This photo
is of us
fighting off
the Gauls.
It was
probably
taken 80
years ago.
The only reason King Brennus
stopped was because we offered him
gold. This was by far the most
memorable experience of my life. Back
in 390 B.C., I couldn’t think about the
battle without shedding tears but I’m
glad I was able to talk about it today.
Source:
50 Battles That Changed the World
By: William Weir
The Rome Tribune
All the News Romans Need to Know
July 30 , 190 B.C.
Rome
th
My Political Life in Rome
By: Kylese Sansariqese
Being a senator in Rome is very
difficult. Although respected, we have
few powers. We are, however,
considered powerful men. There are
so many positions in the government
that we are looked down upon and are
seen as the weak ones. We have gone
through many different types of
government including a monarchy, a
republic, and an empire. The different
types of rulings bring different powers
in the government, but we still never
have much power.
One pair of people with a
higher rank than us are the Conuls.
They are the chief administrators of
the government. But they’re not the
only ones. Praetors were the ones who
filled in for the Consuls when they
were absent. Most of the time, they
have a bigger responsibility than we
do as Senators. The Aediles are
another group of officials with more
power than the Senate. They have
several duties such as supervising
weights and measures, enforcing
traffic, etc. Quaestors also have an
important role in government…well,
at least more important than our job.
They are the primary treasury officials.
They move along with the army.
Those are most of the main jobs in
government.
Others include tribunes of the
people, which are mostly in charge of
protecting the interest of the
plebeians. They, too, have much more
power than the Senate. Tribunes of
the People have the ability to veto
anything that may be harmful to
plebeians. This is actually one of the
bigger tasks in politics. The tribunes
can also propose laws, which makes
them one of the most important
groups in the government.
The Censors are another group
who are superior to my colleagues and
I. Censors watch over most of the
government and basically “govern”
the government. Now, let’s not forget
the Chief Legislative Body who votes
on the laws. This is one part of
government that really ticks me off.
Some of these laws are absurd and if I
could vote, I would veto them in a
heartbeat.
The Twelve Tables is a book of
laws that all Romans MUST follow.
These are the twelve
tables that became the
basis for our
government.
Several laws in Table IV are absolutely
crazy, in my opinion. For example, “A
dreadfully deformed child shall be
quickly killed.” I can’t imagine
someone being cruel enough to vote
on this. This is why I am going to fight
for power in the government, so I can
be able to vote on laws and get ones
like these vetoed.
Source:
Daily Life of the Ancient
Romans
By: David Matz
www.fordham.edu/halsall/anci
ent/12tables.asp
This is a photo
of some of us
senators
discussing
issues in a
conference.
The Rome tribune
All the News Romans Need to Know
October 8, 265 BC
Rome
Ancient Roman Soldier Gives Us a History Lesson
Interview between Opruse Winfreyus and a Roman soldier
OW: And now, please welcome Kylus
Sansaricques, a Roman soldier. Hi,
Kylus, welcome to the show.
KS: Thanks for having me, Opruse. I’m
glad I’m here and able to share my
memories with everyone.
OW: Ok then. Let’s get started. What
kinds of weapons and equipment did
you use while fighting?
KS: Our weapons included a scutum or
elongated shield, a short sword, and a
pila (javelin). Less heavy fighters
carried a smaller shield.
OW: How did soldiers protect
themselves in battle?
KS: We wore plenty of armor, mostly
in the front. We had shields, greaves
and helmets. Our helmets were
usually 2 or more segments joined
along a central ridge.
and what kind were you?
KS: In the army, there was cavalry and
infantry. I was in the infantry.
Although we were unable to choose
our position, I was glad I was put in
the infantry because I feel it is easier
to fight on foot than on horse.
OW: Since the cavalry were in
horseback, what kind of equipment
did they use?
KS: They usually carried spears and
longer swords.
OW: Used artillery has been found at
old military sights. Can you describe
some of the artillery the armies used?
KS: We used things like missiles and
metal components from catapults. We
also used slingshots and shot arrows
at our enemies.
OW: What was the center of your
army?
KS: Well, with the cavalry on
horseback, the armored infantry was
the core of our army.
OW: What types of soldiers were there,
These are some of the weapons and
armor Romans used during battle.
OW: Were there auxiliaries in the
Roman armies? If so, did they have the
same equipment as regular soldiers?
KS: Yes, Opruse, we did have
auxiliaries. They usually carried oval
shields and lighter javelins. However,
they were still a big help during
battles.
OW: Was the same equipment used as
years passed?
KS: Some equipment we used in the
later years was the same as the ones
we used earlier. There were some
replacements, thought, including
spears instead of javelins and shorter
types of swords rather than longer
ones.
OW: Ok, that’s all for today. Big thanks
to Kylus Sansaricques for giving us a
great history lesson on the ancient
Rome army.
KS: Thanks, Opruse, it’s really been a
pleasure sharing my experience with
everyone.
Source:
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient
Greece and Rome – Vol. 7
The Rome Tribune
All the News Romans Need to Know
March 17 , 44 B.C.
Rome
th
Looking Back on the Life of Julius Caesar
By: Kyla Sansericy
Today, many are mourning over
the death of the Roman leader Julius
Caesar. He was pronounced dead March
15th, 44 B.C.
Here is a
statue of
Julius
Caesar.
Many are sad, but many are
celebrating now that the leader is gone.
Let’s take a look back on the major
events of Caesar’s life to see why there
are mixed reviews on his death.
Julius Caesar was born on July
13th, 102 B.C., into an aristocratic family
lacking wealth. He earned several
different reputations for himself
throughout his life. In 80 B.C., Caesar
served in Asia Minor and earned a
military reputation for his bravery. He
also earned a name for himself as a
prosecutor in a famous legal case in 77
B.C. This could be the reason why
Romans were happy when he ruled and
are grieving over his death currently.
Later in his life Caesar led an
attack against the Mithradates of Pontus.
This led to him gaining his first elected
office as a military tribune. The most
important event of Caesar’s young life
was the marriage of his aunt Julia and
the consul Marius. This probably
triggered Caesar’s marriage in 83 B.C.
He married Cornelia, the daughter of the
consul Cinna, a friend of Marius. Several
years passed before any noticeable
events occurred in the major leader’s life.
Caesar was elected quaestor in 69 B.C.
After 20-plus years, Caesar reached the
peak of his career. He took over as
dictator and put forth many reforms. One
if these was to reduce unemployment.
But, after all these positive events, here
comes the negative part that many
people forgot about. Caesar gave himself
more power than any other leader ever
did. To gain, power he eliminated his
opponents. Now, as all these people
mourn, would they be just as sad if they
realized how he seized power and how
selfish he was? For now, people can
grieve, but later on they may realize the
kind of ruler Caesar really was and that
it may have been a good thing for Rome
that he passed away.
Source:
Ancient Civilizations Biographies
By: Judson Knight
Review Questions
Battle of Romans vs. Gauls
1) Why did the Gauls stop fighting against the Clusinians and go after the
Romans?
2) How did the fighting between the Romans and Gauls begin? How did it end?
Ancient Rome Weapons and Equipment
1) What types of weapons and armor did ancient Rome soldiers use?
2) What types of soldiers fought for the Roman army?
Roman Government and Law
1) What types of governments did the Romans rule with?
2) What were the twelve tables?
Biography of Julius Caesar
1) What was the most important part of Caesar’s young life?
2) What did Caesar do that no other Roman leader did?