The Roman Monarchy: 750 BC - 500 BC

clientage or clientship

the relationship between a man of wealth and influence (patron) and a free client; the client acknowledged his dependence on the patron and received protection in return; this relationship was recognized in law as early as the 5^th century BC and had become hereditary by the 1^st century BC.

comitia curiata

popular assembly in ancient Rome summoned by the lictors until the late republic, when the Comitia met less frequently and the 30 divisions of people, or curiae, delegated 30 lictors as their representatives

Fasces

the insignia of official authority in ancient Rome (fascis = bundle); it was carried by the lictors, or attendants, and was characterized by an ax head projecting from a bundle of elm or birch rods about 5 feet long and tied together with a red strap; it symbolized penal power

Roman Forum

most important forum in ancient Rome, situated on low ground between the Palatine and Capitoline hills; the scene of public meetings, law courts, and gladiatorial combats in republican times lined with shops and open-air markets

Capitoline Hill

the fortress and asylum of Romulus’ Rome; northern peak was the site of the Temple of Juno Moneta

Palatine Hill

site of the founding of the city of Rome; eventually became Rome’s aristocratic quarter

Horatii and Curiatii

Roman legend, two sets of triplet brothers whose story was probably fashioned to explain existing legal and ritual practices; the Horatii were Roman and the Curiatii Alban; during the battle between Rome and Alba Longa in the reign of Tullus Hostilius (672-642 BC) it was agreed that settlement of the dispute should depend on the outcome of combat between the two groups of brothers

imperium

the supreme executive power in the Roman state, involving both military and judicial authority; it was exercised first by the kings of Rome; under the republic (509-27 BC) it was held by the chief magistrates (consuls, dictators, praetors, military tribunes with consular power, and masters of the cavalry) and private citizens entrusted with a special command; in the late republic, proconsuls, pro-praetors, and second members of certain commissions also possessed the imperium

King Romulus c. 753-716 BC

First king of ancient Rome and brother of Remus; ancient city founder and son of a war god; established Rome’s early political, military, and social institutions, and waged war against neighboring states

King Numa c. 715-673 BC

The second of the seven kings who, according to Roman tradition, ruled Rome before founding the republic.  He is credited with the formulation of the Vestal Virgins, the cults of Mars, Jupiter, and Romulus deified (Quirinius), and the office of pontifex maximus.

King Tarquin (AKA Lucius Tarquinius Superbus) c. 534-509 BC

Traditionally the seventh and last king of Rome, accepted by some scholars as a historical figure; he had a bad reputation and was called “the proud.”  He put many senators to death, became a despotic ruler, and provoked a series of attacks on Rome by its neighbors.  He was eventually expelled from Rome by Lucius Junius Brutus.

Lucius Junius Brutus fl. 6th century BC

Semilegendary figure who is held to have ousted the despotic Etruscan king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, from Rome in 509 BC and then to have founded the Roman Republic.  He was elected to 1^st consulship in that year and put his sons to death when they joined the conspiracy to restore the Tarquins. 

Lucretia (509 BC)

Legendary ancient Roman heroine and wife of Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus; she was raped by the son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical Etruscan king of Rome.  After exacting an oath of vengeance against the Tarquins from her father and her husband, she stabbed herself to death.

lictors

ancient Roman class of magisterial attendants, probably Etruscan in origin; they carried the fasces for their magistrate and were constantly in his attendance in public; they cleared away crowds and summoned and punished offenders for him

Lupercalia

ancient Roman festival that was conducted annually on February 15 under the superintendence of priests called Luperci.  The festival was a fertility rite associated with the god Faunus.

Mos maiorum

the unwritten, traditional moral and social code of ancient Rome, which shaped the Roman monarchy through its emphasis on ancestral values, duty, and social cohesion

Paterfamilias

the oldest living male of a household, possessing near-absolute power over his family and dependents, including the power of life and death; he had legal and economic authority over all family members and property, although this power was constrained by tradition, social norms, and later, by legal reforms

Saturnalia

the most popular of Roman festivals dedicated to the Roman god, Saturn; temporary subversion of the social order through role-reversal with slaves and precursor to many modern Christmas traditions like feasting, gift-giving, and decorating

Senate

the powerful governing and advisory body from the Roman Kingdom through the Empire; eventually became advisory council to the consuls (2 highest magistrates) and in the late Republic became a self-perpetuating and automatically constituted body

Syncretism

the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices

Vestal Virgins

six priestesses, representing the daughters of the royal house, who tended the state cult of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth; chosen between ages of 6 and 10, they served for 30 years during which time they had to remain virgins otherwise they would be punished

Via Sacra

the main and oldest street in ancient Rome which ran from the Capitoline Hill, through the Roman Forum, to the Colosseum, serving as the site of triumphal processions, religious ceremonies, and daily life