The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic

509 BCE to 59 or 27 BCE (either could be considered the end of the Republic)

Almost a 500-year-old republic before transforming into an empire

1000-year civilization, half as a Republic and the other half as an Empire

Latin is the Roman language

Latin (aka Roman language) was the written language

Romulus and Remus: the legendary founders of Rome

Origin story

The City of Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus

Myth: Romulus leads the first city

Etruscans

first citizens of the town of Rome

The small town of farmers who settled on the coast

First settled society

Native peoples on the peninsula

Conquest of the Italian and Iberian Peninsulas

509 BCE to 265 BCE

Rome is not a port city but is on/near a river

At some point, Etruscans have enough people to be a relatively prominent city

Start trading with Greeks

Carthage, Greece, and Africa are extremely wealthy and powerful

Rome sent city-states/colonies to the coastline in hopes of also reaching the same success

A lot of maritime trade

roman republic forming

As the city grew larger, became a Republic (509 BCE) Government by Elected Representatives

The government was extremely complicated

Motto of the Republic: For the Senate and the People of Rome (Senatus Populus Que Romanus)

Official Roman flag: Contains the standard roman symbol, an olive leaf crown

Olive leaves show Greek influence

Why/how did the Roman Republic last for so long

(500 years, 509 BCE to 27 BCE)

Republic doesn't collapse for 500 years!

How did it last

Extremely strong and sturdy government

Powerful military

Run by government

Ability to quickly protect (mobile military, roads)

Republican Government Twelve Tablets (written laws)

2 executive consults

Senate

Upper-classmen who voted for themselves

Peoples Assembly

Committee filled with the citizens (aka working class)

All free men and only free men were able to vote

Roman Social Classes

Upper Class, Patricians:

- Landowners of large states

- Estate = Latifundium = Plantation

- Essentially nobles

Everybody Else, Plebeians:

- Working classes

- Farmers

- Merchants

- Landless workers

Extreme Lower Class: Soldiers

- Drawn from plebians (aka citizens)

- Inherently distrusted/seen by the skeptical eye

- Due to their ability to constantly carry weapons

Forced Labour: Slaves

- Prisoners of wars

- The main source of free labor

- Criminals

- Debtors

- Once everything is conquered, the cycle breaks and there is a labor shortage

Patriarchy:

- Women are the property of the nearest male relatives

- Have the same social status as that closest male relative

The Punic Wars

(264 BCE to 146 BCE)

Punic comes from Phoenicia

As the Roman Republic grows, it starts to go on wars of conquest

Wants to conquer coastline colonies (due to their success) and turn it Roman

Control over the entire body of water

Carthage is the ultimate prize/goal

Punic Wars

Rome battling Carthage and trying to conquer them

Rome attacks through water

Carthage is able to see from far away

On and off wars

Constantly changing and repairing everything

Carthage sneaks up on Rome by traveling the long way

Pick up elephants when traveling through northern Africa

Elephants used as tanks

Fighting on Land and on Sea and Elephants

Biream

2 floors of slaves rowing

Used to transport elephants

Could move fast as well as carry cargo

Elephants are not easy to transport

Especially up mountains

Had to be shipped, then traveled over mountains and the Alps

African elephants (used to the hot climate in Africa) were forced up mountains that were extremely cold

This resulted in only three of the elephants making it through the entire journey

It seemed like a good idea... it was not

Rome Wins

(146 BCE)

Burns the entirety of Carthage to the ground

Dumps 5 feet of salt on Carthage

In the city and countryside

Salt kills everything growing

Shows how they did not want Carthage to reappear as a threat

Now Rome is the most powerful city-state on the coast

Thus controls the entirety of the coastline

Access to Africa now

Economy of the Republic

Agriculture

- Main job/source of income

- Latifundia

- Worked by slaves

Trade

- Trade on the Mediterranean

- Easier, faster, and cheaper to trade by boat

- Access to foreign countries' goods

- Thus able to trade foreign goods in Rome

Why Did The Republic Last So Long?

Wealthy, successful economy

Makes citizens happy

Land to buy, jobs, goods, etc

Economy, over time

Problem

Over time, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

Takes a long time for it to accumulate into a huge problem but it is a 500-year republic

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (tribunes) proposed taking land away from the wealthy and giving it to the poor

163 BCE to 133 BCE

End up assassinated