4a Roman Republic

The History Teacher, 1979

Overview This course will examine the history of Rome from its foundation in 753 BC, to its transformation into an Empire by AD 14. We will look at the idealism of the Republican political structurean idealism borrowed in 1776 to create the American Constitutionand we will trace Rome's transition from an insular polity concerned with local affairs to its undisputed mastery of the Mediterranean. The course will focus on key events in Republican history which came to define Rome's militaristic, aggressive identity, such as the Second Punic War. We will also look to more recent events as we discuss the role of corporate greed, failures in political morality, debt, and economic issues in triggering the collapse of the Republic and the emergence of a dictatorial monarchythe Empire. The continuation of this course is CLCV HIST 2905A, The Roman Empire, which will be offered in the Winter of 2016. Main problems, questions and themes These are some of the questions and problems we will consider throughout this course. Keep them in mind for your tests and essays. Rome. What did it mean to be Roman at various points in history? How did the Rome of 500AD differ from the Rome of 100BC? In what ways was the late Republic different to the early Republic? How did this affect peoples' perceptions of themselves as "Romans"? What is the legacycultural, political, legal, etc.of Rome to the world today? Historians and historiography. This course places a certain amount of emphasis on the writing of history. How do we evaluate the testimonies, histories and accounts of the Roman Republic? What are some of the main problems? How have pictures of Rome been skewed by other concerns, in both modern and ancient historiography?

2019

… but apart from that-the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health-what have the Romans ever done for us? Monty Python Life of Brian Students of International Relations (IR) have paid little attention to the Roman Empire. They have tended to think of Rome as ancient history and of empires as scarcely relevant for interstate relations. Yet, a walk around the capital cities of the West suggests otherwise: Colonnades, triumphal archs and imperial eagles in London, Paris, Berlin, Washington indicate that the Great Powers have been deeply affected by the example of Rome. It's symbols, at least, are alive and well-those of the Republic as well as those of Empire. This chapter will linger a bit on the concepts of Republic and Empire. Both terms are still in common use. But they are often bandied about with little regard for their origins and their substance. Let it be clear at once: both terms are of Roman origins. 'Republic' refers to a mixed form of government. 'Empire' is derived from the Latin verb imperare which refers to the right of command; most particularly military command. This right was explicitly given to Augustus around 30 BC for having introduced order and peace to Rome after a series of civil wars. Thus, he could call himself 'emperor' and refer to his realm as an 'empire'. This right to command is ancient. It is much older than Augusts. And this simple fact provides the vantage point for this chapter: the bulk of the Roman Empire was conquered militarily long before Augustan times. Most of the imperial expansion, in other words, took place under the Republic. In fact, once the Empire was formally declared, expansion slowed significantly down. It more or less ground to a halt after the death of Emperor Trajan in AD 117. This chapter, then, eschews the standard historical narrative of Rome's evolution from Republic to Empire. It begins with the premise that Rome was (almost) always an empire, but not always a Republic. It argues that the importance of Rome-the Republic as well as the Empire-is greater that routinely assumed by IR-scholars, because the Great Powers of the West evolved their systems of administration and governance in the shadow of Rome's example. And since European states are built around systems of Roman law and administration, the study of Rome ought to given more attention

Lexham Bible Dictionary, 2014

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2022

Republican political institutions appeared in Rome in 509 B.C. They have their origin in the institutions created by the Ancient Romans, who were conservative, proof that they cared about its values. Therefore, they sought to preserve the old institutions, which they considered to be of divine origin. Being, at the same time, pragmatic, they sought to adapt the existing institutions to the new realities, taking them, practically, to the last consequences. They applied this principle not only in the field of Private Law, but also in that of Public Law.

Rise and Decline of the Roman Civilization. (2012). Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 3(9), 179. https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/11300, 0

Rome expanded across the Mediterranean and grew into a huge, diverse empire. By the end of the fourth century B.C.E. Rome was already the dominant power on the Italian Peninsula. For five centuries thereafter Rome's power steadily increased. Rome's destruction of the powerful North African City of Carthage united the entire Mediterranean world and made the Mediterranean itself a "Roman Lake". Rome began as a small city state in Italy. The Romans were an Indo-European people who settled along the Tiber River in small villages. Their neighbors, the Etruscans, ruled much of central Italy, including Rome. After the Romans threw out the hated Etruscan king in 509 B.C., they resolved never to be ruled by a monarch again. Instead they set up a republic, a government in which officials are chosen by the people. At first, the most powerful people in government were Patricians, or members of the landholding upper class. Eventually, commoners, or Plebeians were also elected to the Roman Senate. Military victories put the Romans in control of busy trade routes. Incredible riches flooded into Rome faced and this causes a series of civil wars. Eventually, a powerful Roman general named Augustus restored order. Under Augustus, who ruled from 31 B.C to A.D.14, the 500 year old republic came to an end. A new age dawned-the age of the Roman Empire. Augustus laid the foundation for a stable government and undertook economic reforms. The 200 years span that began with Augustus ended with emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is Known as the Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace". During the time, Roman emperors brought peace, order, unity and prosperity to the lands under their control. Rome acted as a bridge between the east and the west by borrowing and transforming Greek and Hellenistic achievements to produce Greco-Roman Civilization. The Romans greatly admired Greek culture. They took Greek ideas and adapted them in their own ways. Roman sculptors, for instance, used the Greek idea of realism to reveal an individual's character in each stone portrait. Probably the greatest legacy of Rome was its commitment to the rule of law and to justice. These shape western civilization today. After the death of the emperor Marcus Aurelius in A.D.180, turmoil rocked the Roman Empire split into two parts, east and west, each with its own ruler in the west. The foreign invaders marched into Italy and, in 476, took over Rome itself. But the Roman Empire did not disappear from the map. The eastern Roman Empire prospered under the emperor Constantine. In time, the eastern Roman Empire became known as Byzantium. It lasted for another 1,000 years. The article discussed on overall Roman Civilization-the rise and fall of Roman Empire with its political changes and the prosperity of Romans during their rule.