Roman Kingdom and Republic Quotes (4.1)

Significance of Foundation Narratives (Imus)

"its enduring significance in understanding Rome's origins and its cultural identity."

Romulus and Remus (Stentiford)

"remembered not only as mythological figures but also as symbols of Rome's origins."

Romulus’ impact on Rome’s early social system (Dionysius)

"[Romulus] distinguished those who were eminent for their birth...from the obscure, the lowly and the poor."

Romulus’ impact on the Patricians and Plebeians (Plutarch)

"Romulus thought it the duty of the most influential citizens to watch over the more lowly for fatherly care and concern.”

Roman belief of imperial might (Livy)

"It was already written in the book of fate that this great city of ours should arise."

Cause of the the brothers’ conflict (Livy)

"heated passions led to bloodshed; in the tumult Remus was killed."

Romulus as the sole ruler (Livy)

"Romulus thus became sole ruler, and the city was called after him, its founder."

Expectations of the Paterfamilias (Potter)

"expected to police the members of his household."

Rome’s justification for success (Beard)

"Romans attributed their extraordinary success not merely to military prowess. They had triumphed, they reasoned, because they had the gods on their side."

Lack of religious structure (Beard)

"In Rome there was no doctrine as such, no holy book and hardly even what we would call a belief system."

Intrinsic belief of the Gods (Beard)

"Romans knew the gods existed; they did not believe in them in the internalised sense familiar from most modern world religions."

Religion as a transformative driver (Beard)

"In general, it was a religion of doing, not believing."

Evidence of the Gods (Beard)

"A crucial aspect of any organised community is its ability to structure time, and in Rome it was Numa who was given the credit for inventing that structure."

Importance of the Auspices (Cicero)

“For the immortal gods have through the auspices often blocked improper declarations of the people's will."

Self-sufficiency (Cary and Scullard)

"The ideal of the self-sufficient citizen-farmer."

Rome and the outside world (Beard)

"Rome's relations with the outside world were entirely unremarkable."

Threat of equality (Cato the Elder)

“If women have equality, they will become men's masters.”

Women outside of power structures (Beard)

"women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power."

Domestic work and Virtue (Dixon)

"Women's domestic work was seen as a symbol of feminine virtue."

Power of the Vestal Virgins (Takacs)

"Vestals had religious powers that ordinarily belonged to men."

Relationship between the Vestal Virgins and the city (Wagner)

"daughter, mother and priestess of Rome herself."

Relationship between men and women (Epitaph of Claudia)

"Defined by the men in their lives, women in ancient Rome were valued mainly as wives and mothers."

Desired Characteristics of Women (Epitaph of Claudia)

"She was graceful in her speech and elegant in her step.”

Societal Criteria for Women (Beard)

"to be devoted to her husband, to produce the next generation, to be an adornment, to be a household manager and to contribute to the domestic economy, by spinning and weaving."

Fidelity of women (Beard)

"women who had remained faithful wives to only one husband throughout their lives [emphasize] 'female' virtues of chastity and fidelity."

Justification of the patron-client relationship (Dionysius)

"It was a handsome designation after all."

Significance of the patron-client relationship (Gwynn)

"A bond essential to the harmony of Roman society."

Core of the patron-client relationship (Auyero et al)

"the very heart of the patron–client system...celebrates personal loyalty and gives far more weight to relationships than to abstract."

Constituents of slavery (Bradley)

"Generally prisoners of war taken by the Romans in their conflicts."

Differing views of slavery (Beard)

"For many Roman slaves, particularly those working in urban domestic contexts...it was not necessarily a life sentence...”

Integration of slavery (Cartwright)

"Slavery…was so imbedded in Roman culture that slaves became almost invisible and there was certainly no feeling of injustice in this situation on the part of the rulers."

Freedom in ancient Rome (Potter)

"freedom...was not a general right but a select privilege."

Necessity of Slavery (Cartwright)

"Slavery was, therefore, not considered an evil but a necessity by Roman citizens."

Slaves as an expression of power (Cartwright)

"a helpful justification and confirmation of Rome's cultural superiority and divine right to rule over others and exploit those persons for absolutely any purpose whatsoever."

Presence of slavery (Cartwright)

"Slavery was an ever-present feature of the Roman world."

Slavery as a societal backbone (Southon)

"Slave labour supported every aspect of Roman life."

Militaristic origins of Rome (Livy)

"Rome had originally been founded by force of arms."

Military prowess and the Kings (Plutarch)

"Romulus has bequeathed many wars, and to make head against these the city needs a king with a warrior's experience and strength."

Rome’s foundation in warlike spirit (Plutarch)

"It was brought into being at the very outset by the excessive daring and reckless courage of the boldest and most warlike spirits."

Continuity of military success (Beard)

"Once the Romans' military success started, they managed to make it self-sustaining, in a way that no other ancient city had ever systematically done."

Roman imperialism (Martin)

"Roman imperialism, in short, was inclusive, not exclusive."

Blend of history and the supernatural (Livy)

"There is no reason, I feel, to object when antiquity draws no hard line between the human and the supernatural."

Divine ancestry (Livy)

"If any nation deserves the privilege of claiming a divine ancestry, that nation is our own;"

Acceptance of Rome’s dominion (Livy)

"all the nations of the world might well allow the claim as readily as they accept Rome's imperial dominion."

Immediate impact of the revolution (Dionysius)

“[they swore] that they would never again make anyone king of Rome."

Layers of the Republic (Cary and Scullard)

“The Roman Republic was therefore first constituted as an aristocracy; a free community with an inner circle of aristocratic houses."

Servius Tullius (Cicero)

“he saw to it that the greatest number did not have the greatest power - a principle that we should always stand by in politics."

Kings post-revolution (Beard)

“kings were an object hatred for the rest of Roman history.”

Accusation of kingship (Beard)

“To be accused of wanting to be rex was a political death sentence for any Roman; no Roman emperor would ever countenance being called king."

Marriage between the classes (Mark)

"Although both classes were considered citizens of Rome, the patricians and plebians rarely married between the classes."

Contrast between the plebeians and the patricians (Mark)

"Patricians were the aristocracy – one had to be born a Patrician – while the Plebeians were everyone else;"

Plebeian social standing (Mark)

"[Plebeian] social standing and rights under the law were initially rigidly defined in favour of the upper class."

Wealth and voting (Beard)

"the system of voting was stacked in favour of the wealthy."

Influence of transport in voting (Beard)

"the influence of those who could afford the time and the transport to make the journey was overwhelming."

Illusion of democracy (Beard)

"the people voted in favour of what was put before them."

Discord between the ruling class and the masses (Livy)

"Internal discord of ever-increasing bitterness between the ruling class and the masses [threatened the peace]… while they were fighting."

Unity of the Conflict of the Orders (Cary and Scullard)

"The most distinctive feature of the Conflict is that the plebeians entered it as an organised body.”

Plebeian methods in the Conflict of the Orders (Cary and Scullard)

“Their methods were not those of random agitation or mob violence, but of collective bargaining and preconcerted resistance."

Significance of political differences in rousing conflict (Livy)

"So deeply was the country divided by its political differences, that the people…hailed the prospect of invasion with delight.”

Plebeian protests (Livy)

“Let the patricians, they argued, do the fighting, if they wished."

Conflict of the Orders in the creation of government (Beard)

"The upshot of the Conflict of the Orders was not popular revolution but the creation of a new governing class."

The Roman Senate (Appleton)

"At the heart of the Roman Republic was the Senate."

Prestige of the Roman Senate (Appleton)

“the prestige of its members gave the Senate great influence over Rome’s law-making bodies.”

Roman consuls (Appleton)

"the consuls were effectively the heads of state."

Requirements of the consuls (Hunt)

"The two consuls were primarily generals whose task it was to lead Rome’s armies in war."

Manipulation of the Roman Assembly (Grant)

"the Assembly of Roman citizens had been weighted from the beginning so that centuries of the well-to-do possessed far greater voting power than the poor."

Appearance vs. Reality of Democracy (Grant)

"In many respects…the legal appearance of democracy was sharply corrected by what in fact happened."

Distinction between law and religion (Grant)

"It seems impressive that a people at such a relatively early stage of development were so clearly able to disentangle law from religion…”

The Twelve Tables as foundation (Hunt)

"This so-called Law of the Twelve Tables was to form the basis of all subsequent Roman private law."

Twelve Tables in state formation (Beard)

"The mere attempt to create a formal record of this sort was an important stage in what is now often called state formation."

Military as an expression of power, 350 BCE (Cary and Scullard)

“their army had been refashioned into an instrument of conquest which the new plebeian leaders were ready to bring into use whenever a chance might offer."

Fertile plains and growth (Bradley)

"fertile plains of Latium...contributed to Rome's success.”

Etruscan influence (Cary and Scullard)

"The Etruscans encouraged agriculture...industry and commerce."

Permanence of Etruscan influence (Cary and Scullard)

"Etruscan influence on Latium...left permanent marks."

Etruscan influence from village to city (Bradley)

"The Etruscans transformed Rome from a loose group of agricultural villages into a powerful city."

Factors of Rome’s growth (Cary and Scullard)

"The growth of Rome...cannot be explained by any one factor."

Agricultural industry (Cary and Scullard)

"Agriculture was the primary industry of the Roman people... backbone of the state."

Agricultural surplus in Rome (Hays)

"Food was never a problem in Rome."

Roman interest in agriculture (Hays)

"The interests of the Romans of all times were agricultural rather than commercial. Agriculture was the proper business of the senatorial class."

Nature of Roman land tenure (Hudson)

"This Roman concept of property was essentially creditor-oriented, and quickly became predatory."

Shift in purpose of land tenure (Hudson)

"Roman land tenure was based increasingly on the appropriation of conquered territory."

Farm tenancy (Plessis et al)

"Farm tenancy represented an institution of fundamental importance to the Roman economy."

Location of Rome (Beard)

"Prime position for trading and its proximity to wealthy Etruria…”

Colonisation and increased wealth in widening class gaps (Campbell et al)

"authorities attempted to divert their attention from the gap between their standard of living and that of the aristocracy."

Growth of authority from colonisation (Southon)

"As Rome conquered more territory, it grew in both power and influence."

Depth of Slavery (Southon)

"Slavery seeped into every aspect of Roman life and was as inescapable as the air the Romans breathed."

Slavery and the Economy (Campbell et al)

"Slavery fuelled the Roman economy."

Woe to the vanquished (Brennus)

"Vae victis."

Impact of the Sack of Rome (Livy)

"[The Gallic Sack] left…a lasting trauma."

Impact of the conquest of Veii (Grant)

"The elimination of a city-state's independent existence was a sinister innovation in Rome's military history."

Legacy of the Gallic Sack (Gwynn)

"The disaster had an undoubted psychological impact, reflected in the Roman hatred of the Gauls still apparent over 300 years later in Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars…”

Violence of the war with Pyrrhus (Pyrrhus)

“One more victory like that over the Romans will destroy us completely!”

Significance of Lake Regillus (Livy)

"neither settled peace nor open war."

Justification of the Samnite Wars (Gaius Pontius)

"War is just, Samnites, to those for whom it is necessary, and arms are sacred to those who have no hope left save in arms."

Materially-centred outlook on Samnite victory (Livy)

"A rich enemy is the prize of the victor, however poor."

Scipio Africanus and Hannibal (Campbell et al)

"Two great military geniuses were among the leaders in these wars."

Components of the Punic Wars (Livy)

"A number of things contributed to give this war its unique character."

Rome and Carthage’s motives for the Second Punic War (Livy)

"on the Roman side there was rage at the unprovoked attack by a previously beaten enemy; on the Carthaginian, bitter resentment at what was felt to be the grasping and tyrannical attitude of their conquerers."

Rival Cause of the Punic War (Cassius)

"The Carthaginians, who had long been powerful, and the Romans, who were now growing in strength, viewed each other with suspicion;”

Causes of the War - Power (Cassius)

“they were led into war, partly out of a desire to keep getting more...but also partly out of fear."