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Establishing the Republic

Establishing the Republic. HUM 2051: Civilization I Fall 2013 Dr. Perdigao October 16-18, 2013. Transference. Shared cultures—Roman names to Greek gods—but, more significantly, cross-cultural contact Zeus Jupiter: father Hera Juno: queen Athena Minerva: wisdom Aphrodite

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Establishing the Republic

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  1. Establishing the Republic HUM 2051: Civilization I Fall 2013 Dr. Perdigao October 16-18, 2013

  2. Transference Shared cultures—Roman names to Greek gods—but, more significantly, cross-cultural contact Zeus Jupiter: father Hera Juno: queen Athena Minerva: wisdom Aphrodite Venus: love Hades Pluto: underworld Hermes Mercury: trade; messenger Poseidon Neptune: sea Ares Mars: war Hephaestus Vulcan: fire; blacksmith

  3. Key Virtues Patria potestas (“father’s power”) in Roman family Virtue (virtus); dignity (dignitas); fame (fama), competition for political power and privilege (Perry 120) Piety toward gods and family, friends, and state Mos maiorum (the way of the elders) Virtus (virtue): courage, strength, loyalty—but also moral purity Faithfulness (fides)

  4. Modeling • Hellenization—adoption of Greek culture (Perry 125) with Greeks coming to Rome • Contact with Greek culture—Formation of Roman culture—science, philosophy, medicine, geography, history, poetry, drama, oratory (Perry 128) • Plautus’ plays—modeled on Greeks’, with Greek characters, settings, style of dress; Catullus as lyric poet; Lucretius, Roman Epicurean philosopher; Cicero, orator

  5. Contexts • 509 BCE: Expulsion of the Etruscan Monarch • 450 BCE: Law of Twelve Tables • 287: End of the Struggle of the Orders • 264-241: First Punic War: Rome acquires provinces • 218-201: Second Punic War: Hannibal is defeated • 149-146: Third Punic War: destruction of Carthage • 133-122: Land reforms by the Gracchi brothers (Tiberius and Gaius) who are later murdered by the Senate • 88-83: Conflict between Sulla and the forces of Marius; Sulla emerges as dictator • 79: After restoring rule by Senate, Sulla retires • 73-71: Slave revolt by Spartacus • 58-51: Caesar campaigns in Gaul • 49-44: Caesar is dictator of Rome • 31: Antony and Cleopatra are defeated at Actium by Octavian (Perry 119)

  6. Contexts • 27 BCE: Senate grants Octavian the title Augustus and he becomes the first Roman emperor; start of the principate and the PaxRomana • 14 AD: Death of Augustus; Tiberius gains the throne • 66-70: Jewish revolt: Romans capture Jerusalem and destroy the second temple • 79: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum • 132-135: Hadrian crushes another Hebrew revolt • 180: Marcus Aurelius dies; end of the PaxRomana • 212: Roman citizenship is granted to virtually all free inhabitants of Roman provinces • 235-285: Military anarchy; Germanic incursions • 285-305: Diocletian tries to deal with the crisis by creating a regimented state • 378: Battle of Adrianople: Visigoths defeat the Roman legions • 406: Imperial borders collapse, and Germanic tribes move into the Empire • 410: Rome is plundered by Visigoths • 455: Rome is sacked by Vandals • 476: End of the Roman Empire in the West (Perry 142)

  7. Changing of the Guard • Foundation of the Republic to counter mythological beginnings, begins with overthrow of Etruscan monarchy by landowning aristocrats (patricians) • Rome established as Republic at end of sixth century BCE (509 BCE) with landowning aristocrats (patricians) overthrowing Etruscan king • Inheritances from Etruscans—road construction, sanitation, hydraulic engineering (Perry 118) • Empire established in 27 BCE with Octavian (Augustus) as first Roman emperor after 500 years of republican self-government (Perry 118)

  8. Changing of the Guard • Over 200 year class struggle, Romans created a constitutional system based on civic needs rather than religious mystery and myth (Perry 121) • Shift away from abstract thought of classical Greek philosophy, grounding ideas of governance and government in the state • Struggle of the Orders: conflict between patricians and commoners (plebeians) • Internal struggles occurring during period of Roman expansion of power over Italian peninsula; class conflict does not result in civil war (Perry 121) • Government based on consuls, Centuriate Assembly, popular assembly controlled by nobility, and Senate; consults, from nobility, commanded army, served as judges, initiated legislation; in times of crisis, ability to nominate a dictator (119) • Plebeians won right to own assembly, the Plebeian Assembly and later Tribal Assembly (119-120)

  9. Foundations Twelve Tables as first Roman code of laws established in 450 BCE (Perry 120), with some protection for plebeians against oppressive patrician officials (120) 287 BCE: Tribal Assembly gave full civil equality and legal protection to plebeians although upper class remained in power (Perry 120); considered to be end of plebeian-patrician struggle but Rome was still ruled by upper class Three stages of expansion: 146 BCE: Rome was the dominant state in Mediterranean world: uniting Italian peninsula helped Rome transform from a city-state to a great power War with Carthage where Rome emerged as ruler of western Mediterranean Subjugation of Hellenistic states, brought contact with Greek civilizations (Perry 122) Idea of cosmopolis founded in and by Rome emerged during this period

  10. Roman Conquest(s) • Carthage—North African city founded by Phoenicians in 800 BCE, commercial center (Perry 124) • Wars with Carthage: Punic Wars (264-121 BCE) • Began with Rome’s fear that Carthage desired Sicilian city of Messana, tried to combat threat (124) • First Punic War 264-241 BCE, Rome was victorious: Carthage surrendered Sicily to Rome, Rome later seized Corsica and Sardinia, helped Rome to become an empire • Second Punic War 218-201 BCE • Hannibal (247-183 BCE) commanded Carthaginian army; after Hannibal’s win at Cannae, defeating largest army Rome sent out (60,000 soldiers), Rome experienced its “worst days”; Senate ordered women and children to stay indoors • Hannibal, unable to attack fortified city, after returning to defend homeland from Roman attack, eventually defeated by Scipio Africanas in 202 BCE in battle of Zama to end Second Punic War (Perry 124-126)

  11. Roman Conquest(s) • Second Punic War left Rome as greatest power in western Mediterranean • Philip V of Macedonia had joined Hannibal; Rome started First Macedonian War, won in 205 BCE (Perry 126) • Roman imperialism: Third Punic War in 146 BCE to annihilate Carthage, unnecessary display of power (Perry 126)

  12. Developments • After the threats from Carthage and Macedonia had receded, Cato the Elder’s questioned “What was to become of Rome, when she should no longer have any state to fear?” (qtd. in Perry 132) • Internal conflicts; collapse of the Republic due to class tensions, poor leadership, power-hungry demagogues, and civil war (132) • Senate’s means of handling opposition: from the Gracchi brothers to Caesar, political violence (134) • Marius became consul in 107 BCE; his military policy helped lead to decline and destruction of the Republic, turned to volunteers rather than property holders (Perry 135) • Senate gave command to Sulla; Marius’ supporters had order and command restored to Marius • Civil war over command • Sulla in struggle with Mithridates • After Marius’ death, Sulla became dictator; violence and terror in the Republic (136)

  13. Developments • First Triumvirate formed in 60 BCE to take over control of Rome: Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar (Perry 135) • Caesar, politician, Pompey, general, Crassus, wealthy banker • 59 BCE: Caesar’s campaign in Gaul, established role as military leader • Senate feared Caesar’s control over troops, power in Rome • Dissolution of triumvirate; Crassus’ death in 53 BCE, split between Pompey and Caesar, Pompey’s alignment with Senate • Senate ordered Caesar to relinquish command but he instead marched on Rome • Caesar crossed the Rubicon River into Italy in 49 BCE, civil war in Republic • Senate appointed Caesar dictator for ten years • Rule to create “order out of chaos” (137)

  14. Developments • Caesar lowered taxes; extended citizenship; created public works program which provided employment and beautified the city, gave veterans and members of the lower class land; reorganized town governments in Italy; reformed the courts; planned to codify the law (Perry 137) • Rome’s ruling class feared Caesar’s power and reacted when temporary dictatorship became lifelong office (137) • Threat to Republic and senatorial government in favor of monarchy • General and orator Marcus Junius Brutus as conspirator in assassination of Caesar on March 15, 44 AD (the “Ides of March”) • From assassination, renewed civil war

  15. The Next Chapter Mark Antony and Lepidus, Caesar’s lieutenants, joined Octavian, Caesar’s great-nephew and adopted son, against Brutus and Cassius Struggle for power in Rome between Antony and Octavian Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra to emerge master of Rome and then first Roman emperor (Perry 138) Move from republican institutions to dictatorship (Perry 136); expansion and disintegration End of Roman Republic attributed not to foreign invasion but “internal weaknesses”: “the personal ambitions of power seekers; the degeneration of senatorial leadership and the transformation of political rivalry into violence and terror, in which opponents were condemned to death and their property confiscated; the formation of private armies, in which soldiers gave their loyalty to their commander rather than to Rome; the transformation of a self-reliant peasantry into an impoverished and demoralized city rabble; and the deterioration of the ancient virtues that had been the source of the state’s vitality” (138).

  16. The Next Chapter Next era—Octavian—move to peace as Augustus (backdrop for Virgil’s text) (27 BCE-14 AD) Octavian merged military monarchy with republican institutions, holding “absolute power without abruptly breaking with his republican past” (142) Octavian as princeps (first citizen) and his rule the principate rather than dictator as Caesar had done, although he still followed autocratic rule (142) Senate honored Octavian with semireligious and revered name Augustus: “most revered one” End of Roman Republic and beginning of Roman Empire Termination of senatorial rule and aristocratic politics and emergence of one-man rule (142) 200 years of Pax Romana, Roman peace (145)

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