Classics Final Exam

Urbus Aeterna

Meaning the Eternal City in Latin (Rome)

Length of the Roman Empire

753 BCE to 476 CE (ca 1200 years)

Monarchy

753 to 509 BCE

• Seven kings ruled

Republic

509 to January 16 27 BCE

• 2 chief magistrate called consults

• Annually elected, then must take 10 years off politics

• Huge bribery problem

• Two censors elected every couple years to protect from corruption

• Emergency Dictator

  To enter politics:

• 10 years in the military

• Quaestor (30), Aedile (36), Praetor (39), Consul (40, for aristocrats) (42, for plebs)

Principate (Empire)

27 BCE - 476 CE (west)

—> Princeps: “Emperor”

Vergil’s Aeneid

Origin story of Rome (pre 753 BCE)

• Began during the Trojan War (1200 BCE)

• Is an ancient source but ISNT fully a primary source

• Aeneas runs from Troy carrying his father (cant walk due to sleeping w/ Venus), with his wife (who dies) and son as it burns down and is raided

• Diomedes and Aeneas fight, and is saved by Venus his mother

• King Latius is told by and oracle that his daughter, Lavinia, should marry a stranger and not her fiance

• Aeneas (the stranger) marries Lavinia

• He fights with the ex-fiance, Turnus

Aeneas’s epithet

“godess-born” as he is the son of Venus

Two first major sources of the origins of Rome

1. Vergil

2. Livy

Livy’s Abe Urbe Condita

• Origins of Rome

• Mars rapes a vestal virgin of Rhea Silvia

• She gives birth to twins, Romulus and Remus and is put in prison

• The king wants to get kid of the twins so leaves them beside the Tiber river in a basket

• They drift to shore and a she-wolf hears their cries and feeds them

• Fautulus and Larentia find them and take them in

• Larentia = Lupa? (prostitute)

• The twins decide to find a place near the Tiber to found rome, they find seven hills

• They fight about which hill they should choose so decide to use augury to let the gods decide

• Romulus kills Remus and baptizes the city in his brother’s blood

• April 21 753 BCE

Augury

A practice where they interpreted the will of the gods by studying the flight patterns of birds (ex: the number) to make decisions.

When was Rome founded?

April 21 753 BCE

by Romulus

The beginning of Rome’s Monarchy

• Romulus is the first of seven kings

• He selects 100 prominent men to form his senate

• Due to a shortage of women, they cant grow → the rape of the Sabine women

• Romulus dies by lightning bolt and is turned to a god (apotheosis)

Apotheosis

Turned into a god after death (e.g.: Romulus)

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

• “Superbus” meaning haughty

• Etruscan in origin (many infiltrated rome due to their abundance of wealth)

• He married the previous king’s daughter, Tulia, and then killed him to take the throne

• His son Sectus raped Lucritia who tries to report him to his father, the king but he ignores her so she kills herself

• Lucius Junius Brutus starts a revolt in light of her death and uses her knife to kill Superbus

• He swears that nobody will be allowed to rule Rome again

• Starts the republic (509 to 27 BCE)

Roman Currency

• One side Romulus and Remus the other the emperor

• As (1 bronze coin)

• Sestertius (4 in orichalcum)

• Denarius (10 in silver)

• Areus (25 in gold)

Cursus Honorum

• Meaning “of honors”

• The sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians

Pomerium

wall/boundary around the city of Rome and cities controlled by Rome. Livy implies a meaning referring to a single side of the wall, but was originally an area of ground on both sides of city walls

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

• Briefly an emergency dictator (16 days)

• Gave back power with no issue

Punic Wars

• Three wars

• 264 to 146 BCE

• “Punic” → Phoenicia

• Rome captures Carthage and Corinth in 146 BCE

• Hannibal uses elephants (2nd war)

Gaius Julius Caesar

• 58 BCE

• Claimed descent from the goddess Venus

• Named Dictator Perpetuo in Jan/Feb of 44 BCE

  (Wants to be in control forever)

• Receives backlash and is assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE at a senate meeting

• Plutarch says that Ceasar died without saying anything

• Suetonius says that Caesar spoke: “Kai su Teknon” in greek meaning “And you my son?” to Marcus Inius Brutus, one of his killers

Roman Army

25 legions, 125k to 150k soldiers

• All soldiers had to win and not deformalities

• Probatio (4 months) → after passing receive the tattoo

• Legion: Range-weapons like Pilo (Jalvins) designed to bend

• Contuberilum (“tent-mate”)→ 8-10 soldiers

• Deanus (“chief of ten”): section commander

• 10 contuberlium → a century

• Lead by centurion

Miles (p. milites)

Roman foot soldiers

Funditores

Armed with sling that shoot glandes plumbeae (lead acorns) sometimes engraved with insults

• Epigraphic evidence

e.g. “Hey Octavius, you suck, 10th cav.”

Praetorian Guard

• Private guards who protect the emperors

• Often end up killing them

• e.g. Caligula humiliated his guard and got murdered

Gaius Marius

• Standardized the army

• “Marius’ Mules” named after him

Caligula (Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus)

• Roman emperor killed by his guard

• As a kid his father took him to the war camps and the other soldiers made him a little costume

• got him the nickname Caligula “Little boots” from Caliga (an army sandal)

Castra

War camps later turned into towns/settlements

Roman War process

Start with javelins being thrown, archers fire, animals, darts all to create chaos before contact

Gladius Hispaniensus or the Spanish short sword: light, easy to make, used for stabbing for maximum efficency

Vexillarius and Vexilum

Flag holder and flag

Centurion

Leader of a century

Sword in the left

Wear elaborate headdresses

Cursed legions

17 and 19 are cursed numbers after the loss of their eagles as they were ambushed by Germans

Augustus let his hair grow out for many months because he was devastated

Roman Slavery

• 150000 slaves from one battle alone

• Due to the huge influx in free labour the Roman economy is collapsing

• Slave brought into the empire from invasions an sold in the Stataria an Venalicia (slave maket)

• Seneca comes close to criticizing slavery

• Needed 500k new slaves every year for society to function

• To roman law, they are not people

Latifundia

Farms where slaves worked

Vernae

• Slaves born into slavery

• Were preferred as they didn’t remember a life before

Deracination

Slaves removed from their homes, names and humanity

Saturnalia

• Roman Fear (Origins of Christmas)

• One slave was selected to preform as the head of house while the actual head ran around acting like a slave

Process of freeing slaves

• Manumission is the ceremony required to free slaves

• They are given the pileus (a felt hat associated with slaves and freedom)

• After being freed they are called Libertus

Manumission

Ceremony for freeing slaves

Pileus

Felt hats given to Libertus after being freed

Patria Potestas

Meaning “fatherly power”

Has complete control can punish or kill anyone in the household with no reprocutions

Children’s education

• Paedagogus (Slave tutor)

• Magister (Elementary teacher)

• Grammaticus

• Rhetor

Dies Lustricus

“Purification day”

When the umbilical cord drops off (usually on the 7th day)

• Girls were given names on the 8th day and boys on the 9th

• Girls received one name

• Boys usually have three

Tria Nomina

• Boys are commonly given three names

• System originating from the Etruscans

• Praeomia: First name, often a number (e.g. Quintus - 5, Sextus - 6, Septimus - 7, etc.)

• Nomens: Second name

• Cognomen: Third name

Novus Nomo

• Two names

• For non aristocrat famillies

The Theatre of Epidaurus

• Built by Polycleitus the Younger

• Known for acoustics

Roman sport & entertainment

• Less erudite (based on knwoledge)

• Enthusiasts for horse raicing (Premiere sport)

Circus Maxiumus

• Top roman venue for horse racing

• Sat over 100 000 people

• Spina: the divided track

• The Palace Domitian (81-92 CE) renovated by the same guy, Domitian.

Coin of Sestetius of Trajan

The Palace of Domitian on the back

The Seven Kings of Rome

1. Romulus

2. Numa Pompilius

3. Tullus Hostilius

4. Ancus Marcius

   ^^ latin

5. Lucuius Tarquinius Priscus

6. Servius Tullinus

7. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

   ^^ etruscan

Marcus Aerelius Polynices

• Born a slave (Verna)

• Died at 29 but won 739 races

• 635 reds, 55 greens, 12 blues, 17 whites

Ludi

State sponsored games for the peoples entertainment, which was a significant political tool

• Aedile put on the games for the people

Gladiator Fights

• “Gladi” coming from Glaudius meaning sword

• Secutor = the chaser

• Emperor Commodus loved to participate

Commodus

• Liked to dress up as Hercules

• Participated in gladiator fights as the Secutor (chaser)

• 12000 wins, is left handed

• Super paranoid, had a list of who to kill, he put his friends on the list

• So they conspired against him, convincing his girlfriend to poison him, when it doesn’t work they convince his personal trainer to snap his neck

The “Colosseum”

• Actually called the Flavian Ampitheatre

• 81 C

• Named after the huge statue found beside it called colossus Neronis (a statue of Nero) which was decapitated by Commodus and replaced with his own head

Livius Androncuis

• Brought to rome as a slave

• Translated greek literature to latin to teach the aristochrat children

• Odessey → Odusia

(12110 lines) (only 46 lines remaining)

• Was freed by Livius Salinator

The Year System

Year named based off the consulate elected that year

e.g. Gaius Claudius in 240 BCE

Palliata Comoedia

The comedy genre

e.g. Aristophanes

Name comes from Pallia → short cloaks worn by actors

Gnaeus Naevius

A war poet

• Wrote Bellum Punicum

  (Punic wars)

Platus’s Amphitryon

• Play set in thebes (ancient greece)

• Prologue by Mercury

• A general leaves his wife for war and she’s pregnant

• Jupiter pretends to be her husband and rapes her and becomes pregnant with both babies (Heteropaternal Superfecundation)

• She gives birth to the twins, Hercules and Iphicles

The epithet of Alexander “The Great”

• Oldest reference of the epithet “the great” is in Platus’s Mostellaria

Heteropaternal Superfecundation

Having babies at the same time with different fathers

The Golden Age of Latin Lit.

81 BCE - 17 CE

Marcus Tuilius Cicero

Cicero meaning “chickpea”

• Ancient philosopher and writer

Publius Ovidius Naso

• Ovid, the ancient writer/poet

• Naso meaning “Nose”

• Metamorphoses - rewrites greek stories

Guelph’s Motto

Rerum Cognoscere Causas

• From Vergil’s Georgics

• Meaning “to learn the causes of things”

Horace

Patriotic Roman Poet

Catullus

Angry erotic roman poet

Publius Horatius Cocles

• Lars Porsena, estrucan king is invading and they are just about to cross a bridge into rome

• Publius holds of the army to allow the others to destroy the bridge

Gaius Mucius Scaevola

• Rome was surrounded but he volunteers to go assassinate the king

• He kills the wrong guy and gets captured but doesnt show fear

• He tells the king off and puts his hand in charcoal, insipiring the king with his bravery to sign a treaty with the romans

Publius Decius Mus

Strips naked and prays to the ancient gods of the underworld and sacrifices himself to them to allow Rome to win

Marcus Curtius

After an earthquake, a sacrifice is needed to fill the giant crater in the ground

He sacrifices himself, gets on a horse and jumps into the hole, sealing it shut.

Divine Intervention at the Temple of Juno

• Brennus, barbarians, are invading rome

• Romans had to keep retreating till a temple of Juno on the capitoline hill

• Because they didn’t the holy geese found on the hill, they were saved by Juno

• Marcus Malinus, one of the heros, later tries to sieze power and is executed

The Vestal Virgins

6 priestesses dedicated to the goddess Vesta

• Maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, which was believed to ensure the safety and prosperity of the city

• Executed if they loose their virginity

• Their unexpressed sexuality is seen as power

Pietas

Meaning “Collective piety”

• Important to do rituals and practices

• Aeneas running from troy made sure to bring his god figures, he is “pious” (said 15 times)

Dii Fimiliares

Meaning “Household gods”

Pontifex Maxiumus

The apex of religion → Emperor/King

King Numa Pompilius

Set up most of the roman religion

Ara Pacis Agustae

Meaning “the altar of peace” was built after a very violent war in honor of Augustus

Flamines

Presists of a religious order

Suovetaurilia

• Roman version of the hecatomb

• One of the highest forms of sacarfices

The importance of the liver in Rome

• Seen as having a connection to the gods

• If a liver has bumps and marks → bad omen

• If it is healthy → good omen

• Easily manipulated by priests

The Sacred Chickens

• Roman army would travel with the chickens

• Would tell them if it was a good day for battle depending on if they ate or not

• Once a general was unhappy with the results and threw them off the cliff into the ocean, he was then tried for punishment

Battle of Cannae

• Did a human sacrifice buried 4 people alive to try and turn the tides of the battle

Lupercalia

Annual Festival to worship Jupiter

• Sacrifice of a goat and a dog

• Two young meant are chosen to run around slapping people with the dead animals

• Pregnant aristocrat women wanted to be slapped as they believed it helped with pregnancy

• Vestal Virgins in attendance

Concordia

The goddess of harmony and peace, daughter of Venus and Mars

Ius Occidendi

Meaning the “right of killing”

• Fathers and husbands have the right to kill their daughter or wives with no reprocusions

Ovid’s Art of Love

• A book for helping introduce sexual concepts and rules to romans

• Hectoreus Equus - Riding position (after Hector from the Illiad)

Emperor Tiberius

• Had an extensive pornographic art collection

• His prized piece was of Atlanta and Meleanger from the myth of the Claydonian boar in greek myths

Spintriae (sg. spintria)

Brothel currency

• Taboo to use roman currency as it has the emperors face on it

Virtus

Meaning “manliness”

Cincaedus

Meaning to let themselves be penetrated

• Horrible insult

Ampliatefelator

Meaning “cocksucker”

Onanism

Meaning “masturbation”

• Viewed negatively especially in men

• Associated with slaves

Pax Romana

Meaning “roman peace”

A time period with relative peace and order

Three most important Roman technologies

Aqueducts, roads and roman toilets

Coaca Maxima

• The biggest sewer in ancient Rome

• Goddess of that sewer called Cloacina and Venus Cloacina

Roman Brittan

• 43 to 409 CE

• Trajan advised Hadrian not to expand further

• Londonium → London

• Mamucium → Manchester

• Presence of roman cavalry may have caused the myth of king arthur

Raubwirtschaft

German for a "plunder" or "robber economy" where the whole economy of the state is based on robbing (looting and plundering) conquered territories

Rome’s Tertrachy

• After a series of plagues (Cyprian and Antonine) and being unable to expand leading to hyperinflation and economic strife…

• Rome was divided into four units (293 CE)

• Two Augustus and two Ceasars one per east or west

• Constantine, ruler of the west, wants to unify rome under his control

• Maxentius, in the east, hears and travels to rome to stop him

The Battle of Milivian Bridge

28 October AD 312

Constantine and Maxentius meet in rome for battle

• Before battle constantine sees the symbol of christ and marches into rome with a christian banner

• Constantine kills Maxentius