Download How was Rome Founded PPT

The legends, the truth, and the Establishment of Government

Virgil of Aeneid
 Wrote the myth of Aeneas
founding Rome

Aeneas was the son of
Venus and a man.
 Fought in Troy and escaped
 Landed near what is now
Rome and married a princess
 Fought a war with King
Turnus who wanted to marry
that princess
 Won the right to stay in the
land

Italian origin myth


Twins born to Rhea Silvia, daughter
to the then king Numitor who was
overthrown by his brother

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

Reconciled with the Greek origin myth
of Aeneas
Sons of the God of War, Mars
Set adrift in a reed basket and found by
a she wolf.
Found out their true origins, raised and
army and restored their grandfather
Twins set up city where they
washed ashore

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They choose a hill that Romulus liked
because of a sign from the gods.
During the marking of the city’s
boundary Remus leapt over the area
being carved out
▪
This was an ill omen and Remus was killed
for it
Originally a small town, it
grew in size because of its
close location to the Tiber
 Greek culture influenced the
emerging city

 Also adopted the Etruscan’s
model for trade and urban
luxury

Between the 8th and 6th
centuries the kingdom of
Rome grew rapidly
 Had 7 kings and the last,
Tarquin the Proud was deposed
in 509BCE
▪ Rival, Lucius Junius Brutus, made
the government into the Roman
Republic

There are two social classes who struggled for
power a lot during the first 200 years of the
Republic

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2 Consuls replaced the role of King

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Patricians- privileged class, leaders, important
family names. Major, if not majority of Senate
Plebeians- general citizens, originally excluded in
all of the government offices except the military.
Forbidden to marry the patricians for the first 200
years
Primarily Generals
Senate

Advised both magistrates and the Roman people.
▪

Technically only there to advise but they wielded
the most power over the public votes
Assemblies

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Centuriate Assembly- military focus. Voted on
war and peace and elected all magistrates who
would have military power. Open to all citizens
Tribal Assembly- civilian assembly that elected
magistrates who did not have military power. Did
most of the legislating and sat as a court for the
most serious of offenses. Also open to all citizens.


First written laws in Rome
Allegedly written by 10
commissioners

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Desired for these to be written came
from the Plebeians who wanted their
legal rights written down
Recognition of the rights of the
patrician class


Validity of enslavement for unpaid debt
Allowed for interference of religious
customs in civil cases
Also ensured rights of Plebs who
were threatening to secede from
Rome without these written down
 Now we only have small quotations
of what tables stated, but court
documents show what they may
have said

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Table I- Mandates that when a person is
accused of something, both the accused
and accuser must be present at a hearing or
trial. If one of the sides do not show up the
judge is free to rule in favor of the side that
did
Table III- allows debtors 30 days to pay off a
debt

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Table IV- Allows for a man’s written will to
be binding
Table VIII- lists specific punishments from
certain crimes
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If they do not then the person they owe
money to is free to take them prisoner and
enslave them until the debt is paid
Ex.- if a person is shown to have lied in court
they will be put to death (false witness)
If a person fails to appear as a witness can
never again be a witness
Table IX- specifies capital punishment for
judges who have taken bribes and for
people who commit treason