The Roman Republic (509 - 27 BC)

from the expulsion of the last king to when Octavian receives title of Augustus

consul

chief magistrate with civic, military, and religious duties; 2 elected each year

senate

former magistrates (consuls); council of elders; advisory board to the consuls; not a representative delegation

Important background…advent of the Republic

1. 509 BC: Kings expelled, last king overthrown by Lucius Iunius Brutus

2. New system - res public (Republic) = literally the “public thing”

3. 2 Magistrates elected every year to lead the government

4. Former magistrates form the Senate

Republican Rome Monuments

1. No major public building until 4th century BC

2. 390 BC: Rome sacked by the Gauls

3. Major rebuilding follows the sack of Rome; WALLS

4. Buildings tied to Republican forms of government and spurred by individual competition

5. Little remains because Republican Rome has been built over by later structures

Servian Wall (380 BC) 

1. misnomer (not actually built by Servius)

2. defense until Rome expands

3. tufo rock

Name three functions of Roman Republic roads…

1. military function —> efficiency 

2. political function —> names / legacy

3. economic function —> trade

Roman Republic Road: VIA APPIA (312 BC) 

1. still survives

2. leads all the way way to Rome (still the fastest)

3. patron: Appius Claudius

Roman Aqueducts

1. take water from springs in the mountains and take it down to city to be drinking water 

2. still used today

3. arches = less brick used

4. Example = PONT DU GUARD, FRANCE (50 AD)

Pompeii (79 AD Volcanic ash layers)

1. has a lot of republican remains

2. Forum of Pompeii

3. Basilica (c. 80 BC) - used for trials and other activities

basilica (Roman basilica)

a public building for legal and other civic proceedings; rectangular in plan with an entrance usually on the long side

1. Basilica (c. 80 BC) - used for trials and other activities

   1. tribunal—>judge’s box

   2. nave

   3. aisles

   4. ionic & corinthian columns (greek influence)

nave

central area of basilica demarcated from aisles by piers or columns

aisle

portion of a basilica flanking the nave and separated from it by a row of piers or columns

Name and describe the four styles of Pompeii (20 BC - 55 AD)

1st / Masonry Style - model stucco to look like fancy marble

2nd / Allusionistic Style - looking through wall ( used fake columns); realistic; allusion of open/bigger room

3rd / Decorative Style - fancy and decorative; no longer realistic

4th / Mixed Style - mixture of 3 previous styles

Roman Forum

1. curia - senate house reconstructed around 300 AD

2. comitium - an open-air public square used for political assemblies

3. rostra - speaker’s platform located within the comitium

4. Basilica Aemilia 

5. religious architecture 

   1. Temple of Saturn

   2. Temple of Castor and Pollux

   3. Lacus Iuturnae - pool built by Romans near a spring or well

chronology of the Late Republic

1. 106-47 BC: Pompey the Great 

2. 100-44 BC: Julius Caesar

3. 31 BC: Octavian defeats Mark Antony

4. 27 BC: End of Republic

Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)

49 BC - crossing of the Rubicon / outbreak of civil war

44 BC - assassination of Julius Caesar

Describe the atmosphere of the late Republic

1. 106-31 BC: Civil wars and powerful rulers

2. Civic institutions developed for governing city-state were overextended in attempt to run the Empire

3. military now dependent on generals rather than state for rewards and their maintenance 

Name 2 important monuments of the Late Republic (hint: they have to do with Pompey and Julius Caesar)

55 BC - Theater of Pompey

51 BC - Forum of Julius Caesar

Describe the introduction of concrete into architecture (around 150-125 BC)

1. made of lime mortar, volcanic sand, water, and small stones

2. places emphasis on carpentry rather than stone carving

3. requires less sophisticated labor force than stone construction

4. permits buildings with curvilinear designs

5. allows construction of larger open spaces

Theater of Pompey (55 BC)

example of barrel vault

Forum of Julius Caesar / Caesaris Forum (51 BC)

1. made for himself!

2. open area surrounded by colonnades with shops

3. temple on one end to Venus Genetrix —> connection to his family

4. curia on other end