Lesson 4 Ancient Rome

欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

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Ancient Rome. Roman Government Extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic#Founding_of_Rome Founding of Rome The tradition supplies several different dates for the founding of Rome, of which the most well-known is that given by the Roman historian and chronographer M. Terentius Varro: 753 BC, but this depends on the extremely doubtful traditional chronology of the Roman kings. There are some archaeological finds older than Varro's date; but the earliest traces of continuous settlement are usually dated to the early 600's BC. According to Roman mythology, after the end of the Trojan war, the Trojan prince Aeneas sailed across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy and founded the city of Lavinium. His son Iulus later founded the city of Alba Longa, and from Alba Longa's royal family came the twins Romulus and Remus (supposedly sons of the god Mars by Rhea Silvia), who went on to found the city of Rome on April 21, 753 BC. Thus the Romans traced their origins back to the Helladic world. Monarchy (Sixth century BC) In the beginning, Rome had kings. The tradition portrays these kings more as culture heroes than as historical figures, each of them being credited with devising some aspect of Roman culture; for example, Numa Pompilius devised Roman religion, and Ancus Martius the arts of war. It also gives most of them reigns of about forty years, which probably owes more to numerology than to history. Other details have been seen as origin stories of various Roman noble houses. There is, however, general agreement that Rome did have a series of monarchs (some of whom were of Etruscan origin; the influence of the Etruscans can still be seen on early Roman art and architecture) and that these kings were displaced by the Roman aristocracy sometime around 500-450 BC. The Republic According to traditional accounts of Roman history, the ancient kings were overthrown and a republic established in 509 B.C. In the republic, Rome was not ruled by a single king but by two men called consuls who were elected annually (every year.) These consuls were usually elected by a group of approximately 300 politicians called the Senate. The Senate was mostly made up of wealthy citizens and the sons of previous senators. Although theoretically anyone could be elected to join the Senate, in reality it was hard for people from poorer families to gain admittance. In addition to electing the consuls, the Senate had many other important roles and exercised a great amount of authority. However the Senate was not given the power to make new laws. This power was instead divided between other groups of people including one group called the Plebian Council, which was mostly made up of common people from poorer families. In this way, the authority of the aristocrats (wealthy people) in the Senate was partly controlled by the common people. This meant that the views of all citizens, rich and poor, could be represented, and this ensured that Rome was governed fairly. The Empire Following a number of civil wars, the most severe of which was sparked by the death of Julius Caesar, the republican system of government collapsed and was replaced by an imperial system whereby Rome was ruled by a series of Emperors. These were individual men who held supreme power over all of the Roman Empire. The first of these emperors was called Octavian (or Octavius). He came to power in 27 B.C. Many aspects of the republican system remained (such as the Senate) but these offices now existed only to offer advice to the emperor. They no longer had any power to make decisions themselves.

欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

Literature Prose Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Cicero was an important member of the Roman Senate. As such, he was an aristocrat (i.e. he came from a wealthy family.) He believed that it was the duty of aristocrats to govern the country fairly, and to ensure that the commoners (i.e. the majority of the population who were much poorer) could live in happiness. Many of his public speeches carried this kind of message, and he always advocated good morals and virtuous behavior. See the textbook for extracts from some of his speeches. He is also famous for writing letters to friends and family, which he wrote in friendly and informal language. The textbook features an extract from a letter where he describes some sports events hosted by a man called Pompey. The attitudes he expresses in the letter show that he felt compassion for the weak, and for animals, and that he took little pleasure in watching them killed for entertainment. Julius Caesar (102-44 B.C.) In his early career, Caesar became famous for being a successful general (army leader.) He is responsible for much of Rome’s conquest of Western Europe, and he was the first Roman general to launch an invasion of Britain. During his time fighting wars, he wrote down many of his experiences, and his writing is characterized by economy (using few words to good effect) and ferocity (using harsh language to create dramatic effect.) After becoming a powerful general, he used his popularity with the Roman army to enter the world of politics. At first he formed an alliance with two other powerful men (Pompey and Crassus.) These three took control of the Roman government and ruled as a triumvirate. Later, Pompey and Crassus were killed, and Caesar took control of Rome and became a single dictator. This made some of his political opponents very angry, and they conspired to assassinate him. He was stabbed to death in 44 B.C. Following his death, a time of chaos and civil war persisted in Rome until Octavian took power and became Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C.

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欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

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Poetry Virgil (70-19 B.C.) Virgil is often described as the Roman equivalent of Homer. He is famous for writing a very long poem called The Aeneid, which is quite similar in style and subject matter to The Iliad and The Odyssey. However, unlike Homer’s works, which were based on traditional legends, Virgil created the Aeneid from scratch (i.e. he made up a new story) for political reasons. During his lifetime, the Roman Republic had collapsed, and the new government was unpopular and unstable. The emperor Octavian asked Virgil to write a poem that would help unite the Roman people once again, instill in them a sense of tradition, and legitimize the new government (i.e. make it seem that the new government deserved to be in power.) In the poem, Virgil tells the tale of a hero called Aeneas who was one of the few survivors from the Battle of Troy (as described in Homer’s Iliad). Aeneas, who is a Trojan, travels to Italy where he founds (establishes) a city called Lavinium. His descendants then go on to found the city of Rome. According to the poem, Octavian is one of Aeneas’ descendants (great, great, great, great grandchild maybe). Of course this was all fiction. None of the story had any real historical basis. However, by creating such a legendary hero as Aeneas, and then saying in the poem that Octavian was related to him, Virgil had created a kind of false history that made the Roman empire seem very strong and heroic, and persuaded people to think that the new emperor deserved to be in power because he came from a heroic family. Because of the political motivation behind the poem, The Aeneid can be described as an early example of political propaganda (literature created to persuade the public or encourage them to hold a particular political opinion.)

欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

A map showing the extent of the Roman Empire at its peak in 117 A.D.

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欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

Three pictures of the Pantheon in Rome

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欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

Two pictures of the Colosseum in Rome

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欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

The Pont du Gard in southern France

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欧洲文化入门 第四节课 Introduction to European Culture

06.11.10 Lesson 4

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A statue of the she-wolf from a legend of the founding of Rome. The two baby children, Romulus and Remus were raised by the wolf and later went on to build the city of Rome.