Lecture Notes: Roman Republic

Italy: Before Rome was founded, many different divilizations populated Italy, including (But no Limited to) the Latins, Etruscans, Umbrians, Samines, and Gauls. Greeks arrived in aouthern Italy around 750 BC.

Latins: Indo-European related tribes settle in by crossing the Alps in 2000 BC. Where they settle in becomes known as Latium

Etruscans: OBSESSED with death and the good life, they often borrowed a lot from other cultures

Greeks: Colonized Southern Italy between 750 BC to 600 BC. Successfully defended against Etruscans but lost Spain to the Carthiginians. Struggled w/ Carthiginians for 200 years over Sicily, introduced Alphabet, Religions/Gods, and Olives & Wine

Founding Myth: The legendary version of the founding of Rome is that Romulus and Remus, Rome was located next to the Tiber River on 7 hills. Started as a farming village.

Etruscan Rule: The Etruscans took control of Italy at around 600 BC, Roma is of Etruscan origin. Etruscans introduced stone buildings, culture, and jewelry making. They also built sewers and defense walls around 6 and 7 walls. Roman kings were less than monarchs, they held power for life but the crown wouldn’t automatically be passed down

Roman Culture: Roman culture was based on farming, they were lead by paterfamilias, where in which the father would control over his sons and they were expected to know customs and laws, the father would also exercise control over marriage. Males names had 3 parts, First name (Ex. Gaius), Clan Name (Ex. Julius), and Last Name (Ex. Caesar).

animism: the belief that everything has a soul, Romans believed in this.

Gods: The Romans would borrow gods from Greek Culture (Ex, Zeus and Jupiter was the same God).

lararium: A small (or large) shrine that was in your house, essentially a religious room for protection against the gods

Virtues: Or Virtus, they were what the Romans believe in, essentially absolute obedience to the laws

Gravitas: (Lit. Gravity), A sense of the importance of the matter at hand, responsibility and earnestness
Dignitas: (Lit. “Dignity”) Dignity, honor, self worth. The concept of dignitas required eligible nobles to serve as magistrates (Judge) of the Republic or as army officers

More Roman Culture: Borrowed various aspects from other cultures

Greek: Poetry and philosophy

Egyptian: Calender

Persian: Cult of Mithra

Education: Boy and girls learned how to read and write

Role of women: Changed from Republic to empire. In time of Empire women could own and run businesses. Patrician women lived a life of luxury.

Social classes:

Patricians: The rich bois, top of the society, 10% of Roman and the citizens

Plebeians: The working class, they had some rights but could not marry Patricians & no inter-marriage

Slaves: The lowest, literally no rights

There is NO social mobility whatsoever

Dictator: In situations of emergencies, Rome would appoint a “Dictator” to rule up for six months. Dictator’s are expected to give back their power as soon as emergency passed.

Cincinnatus: Declared dictator twice. In both cases, he gave up his power before his term ended and returned to his farm.

Patrons: Citizens w/ power and wealth, often sought out by others for help. Those the patron helped became dependent on the patron as clients and could be called up on to support the patron when needed.

There were two goals of the Roman Republic

1. A government in which citizen had a voice

2. Division of power so no one got too powerful

   Problem-only weathly can afford to serve in government, leaving the poor classes disadvantaged bc they have no representation

Conflict of Orders:

Step 1: Plebeians go on strike refusing to serve in army, threaten to remove support from Rome if demands are not met. Demands are political rights

• Patricians allow plebeians to form Popular Assembly to elect 10 tribunes (Had the power to veto)

Step 2: The 12 Tables become the 1st written form of Roman law, Laws applied to both plebeians and patricians

Step 3: Consulship opened to both plebeians are patricians

Step 4: Popular Assembly gains right to make laws

Slavery: Slaves were very common in Rome. Slaves would be sold at markets and were of all nationalities and races, men and women could be slaves and as many as 10,000 slaves were sold at a time, Slavery began with capturing of enemy soldiers and grew during the Punic wars

Third Servile War: led by Spartacus, his army had grown to 120,000 men, defeated the Romans many times but he had no control over his army, he missed two oppurtunities to leave Italy and because of that, he would be killed by the hands of Crassus

As Rome expanded throughout the Italian Peninsula, everyone started to contribute money to the Romans

Army: Consisted of citizen troops, normally middle class and they had their own supply of armors and weapons

Roman Legion: The backbone of the oncoming Roman Empire, despite being powerful, they lose many battles. Adopted during the Samnite wars, they abandon the classic phalanx and opt for a checkboard

Brennus: The Leader of the Gauls. when Rome expands it’s culture to Veii, they were going to Estrucan territory and the Clusians get caught in between, when the Gauls get sacked, it would be the last time until 400 years the Romans would be attacked by a foreign army

Camillus: Becomes dictator and he bribes the Gauls to go away, he would go on to Conquest Veii and take it over

Battle of Allia River: The Romans lose to the Gauls and the Gauls drive them from the Allia River

Battle of Caudine Forks: Romans are suckered in by the Samnites in a boxed canyon,instead of killing them, they would strip them to their underwear, tied them like animals (hands) and they would force them to control a yoke, embarassing the Romans and submit to them

Pyrros of Epirus: The Greeks move into Italy and most Greek city states want to break free from the Romans, when they fight in the wars, Pyrros brings in 30 war elephants. Pyrros of Epirus defeats the Romans in at least 3 major battles, but his losses are so great that he will have to flee back to Epirus and give the land back to the Romans

Pyrrhic Victory: You win the battle, but you lost the war

Roman Expansion: Carthage on the North African coast is similar to Rome in 264 BC; Both Rome and Carthage have similar government and regional influence, thus become rivals, Carthage plans to colonize Sicily, but the leaders of Greek city-states in Sicily turn to Rome for help (Rome and Greece are culturally similar)

Results of Early Roman Expansion

1. Conquered people pay taxes, supplied soldiers, and followed Roman leadership

2. Conquered people get to keep customs, money, and local government (only for a short time)

3. A few groups were granted partial citizenship, but others only partial citizenship

4. Romans posted a network of soldiers throughout the land

Punic Wars: Punic is Latin for "Phoenician”, they were fought over cultural differences and for power.

The Romans and Carthaginians didn’t get along because while they were both polythiestic, the Carthaginian gods were more Medditeranian and the Romans considered them barbaric because of human sacrifice (Of literal children)

1st Punic Wars: Lasted for 23 years because of the different advantages, while the Romans were really good on land, the Carthaginians were good on sea and naval expeditions, the Romans would copy the Carthiginian ship design and they added a corvus (raven), it was a gangplank that would attach two ships together and they would attack the ships on the land. Hamilcar Barcas was the best Carthiginian general who would flee and create his own legion called Barcelona

Terms and Results of the Peace Treaty

1. Carthage gives Sicily to Rome

2. Carthage pays a large indemnity which forces them to hire more mercenaries

3. Rome seizes Sardinia, leading to the 2nd Punic Wars

2nd Punic Wars: Carthage tries to make up for the losses of the battle by expanding into Spain. They had Greek city-states who asked Rome to intervene against Carthage. Hannibal takes over the Carthiginian army in Spain. A Roman ambassador stands before the Carthigian Senate and he asks if they want peace or war, the Carthiginians want wars.

Hannibal is famous for taking his army of 30-50,000 men and 30 elephants and he crosses two mountain ranges in the dead of winter. Hannibal fights up and down the length of Italy w/o losing a single battle, beating them so badly they give up. But he recieved no supplies and reinforcements from the Carthigianians

Hannibals wins Three Battles:

Trebbia River: Hannibal is smarter than the Romans and beat them

Lake Tresimenus: He uses the foggy morning to his advantage and kills about 15,000 men, non-Romans are captured

Battle of Cannae: Both Consuls alternate leadership

Paulus: Smarter of the two, doesn’t want to fight and

Varros: Dumb hothead, wanted to battle with Hannibal

However, Hannibal’s scouting is so smart that he was able to determine who was leading each day, his 10000 IQ play is to fight against Varro so he actually reinforces his edges instead of his middle ON PURPOSE. He takes his middle and organizes a slow and methodical retreat via forming a horseshoe shape, Varro thinks they’re winning so the Romans go in to attack him, however, Hannibal uses that to his advantage and they started to trap them in so tight they couldn’t reach them, Paulus takes his stand and dies in battle, while Varro is a coward and flees away

With Rome defensless, Hannibal is told “Hey, strike the iron while it’s still hot”, but Hannibal was like “No” and his close friend and general said “You can win a battle, but not a war”, there are many theorems why,

1. A siege would be pointless as he didn’t have enough siege machines

2. He thought that if he did so, the Romans would go and join the Carthiginians

Despite this, the Romans spirit never broke

Quintus Fabius Maximus: Roman military leader, all he did was Fabian tactics such by mirroring what Hannibal did, he was unpopular and the Romans reffered to him as “The Delayer” due to delaying the attacks between them

2nd Punic Wars continue: The seige of Syracuse. Archimedes’ defense helps hold out Syracuse for 2 years: cranes to overturn ships, shields to reflect sunlight

Turning Point: Hadsrubal, Hannibal’s brother, tried to march into Italy with an army to bring reinforcements. While he succeeding in crossing the Alps and Pyrenees mountains. He attempted to march South so he could meet up with Hannibal but was cut off by a Roman army. He died in the battle of the Metaurus River. His head was flung to Hannibal and he realized his invasion was a lost cause

P. Cornelius Scipio: Drives the Carthiginians out of Spain and inavdes North Africa. Hannibal is recalled to Carthage to defend the city.

At the battle Zama outside of Carthage, Scipio’s calvary defeats Hannibal using some of his own tactics and he becomes known as Scipio Africanus, Hannibal is forced to escape Syria and commits suicide before he gets turned over to the Romans.

Peace Treaty to 2nd Punic War:

1. Carthage loses Spain

2. Destruction of Carthiginian fleet

3. Carthage pays a huge indemnity for 50 years

3rd Punic Wars: Influenced by Senator Cato saying “All of Carthage must be destroyed!” Carthage resisted Roman invasion for 3 years until Rome eventually entered the city. Fighting had lasted for 6 weeks and there was house to house and hand to hand combat. In the end, Carthage’s population had decreased from 500,000 to around 55,000. Carthage is burned to the ground and salt is sown to the fields, any survivors were sold as slaves

Results of the Punic Wars:

1. By 133 BC, Rome controls from Spain to Egypt. Reffering to the Medditeranian Sea as “our sea”. Rome gains control over Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.

2. Macedonia, Greece, and Asia Minor are Roman provinces

3. Change in warfare. Army stays until the war is finished instead of going home for the growing season: Women are forced to pay taxes but can’t afford to and as a result, they have to move to the city with their slaves. Slums are formed because the city cannot handle this huge increase in population. Bread and circuses become a welfare system for Romans who were poor, free bread and gladiators for entertainment.

Macedonian wars: Fought between the Romans and the Antigonids (Remnants of Alexander the Great in Macedonia). Some Greeks become allied with the Romans against the Antigonids. Rome defeats the Antigonids, which leads to the end of Macedonian control in Greece. 4 Wars were fought. leading to the destruction of Cornith. Romans turn Macedon into a province and taxes them

1st Macedonian war: 215 to 205 BC. Caused when Phillip V allied w/ Hannibal in the 2nd Punic War. As a result, Roman navy prevents Phillip V from crossing into Italy

2nd Macedonian war: Caused by a war of revenge against Phillip V for his actions in the 2nd Punic War. Results in the Battle of Cynoscephalae. Roman legions defeat Philip V. Greeks are declared free

3rd Macedonian War: Caused by Perseus (son of Phillip V) allying himself with the Seleucids and Rhodes attempt to defeat the Romans. As a result, Perseus is defeated and Romans take enough loot to end direction taxation on Roman citizens

4th Macedonian War: Caused when the Greeks refused to end aggression against the Romans. Romans make an example by burning the city of Cornith, killing all the men and forcing the women and children into slavery. Macedonia becomes a Roman province and an appointed governor takes control of ALL of Greece, leaving Athens and Sparta autonomus

The Syrian War: The Seleucids (Another of Alexander’s dynasties that opposed Rome initially) and the Romans fought. Antiokhos III comes to Greece from Seleucid center in Asia Minor. Gets defeated by the Romans, Scipio Africanus at the battle of Magnesia. Hannibal took refuge with Antiokhos III but had committed suicide to avoid capture. Antiokhos IV (Antiokhos III’s son) tried to conquer Egypt, but was convinced otherwise by the Roman diplomats.

The Romans were fighting many wars at the same time, as Rome expands, it starts to develop into an Empire, Pergamon eventually becomes a part of the Roman Republic (and later Empire). When Attalos died, he gave it to Rome because he did not want it to be lead by his brother

And the end of the Roman Wars (Punic, Syrian, and Macedonian). The Romans captured a lot of soldiers and turned them into slaves, they started to grow so much that they became cheap and a regular thing and the numbers skyrocket, giving the Romans a work force

Roman Problems:

1. The decline of political morality

   A.Politicians would fight for their own good rather than Rome’s good. Romans spend too much time away from their land and as a result bankcrupcy happens, rich generals line up their pockets by buying farms and uses slaves and citizen soldiers lose money, the individual becomes more important than the group

   B. Rise of equite class, former horseman who became popular due to war profiteering

   C.Decline of the State: Senate members become wealthy thru bribes and acquiring lands. Roman Senators stop caring about the good of the Republic and divide their territories to get more money in their pockets, leading to a Revolution

2. Decline of the Roman Farmer

   A. Loss of life from various wars of expansion

   B. Loss of good farmland, Hannibal destroyed 50% of their farmland via walking

   C. Cheap slave-grown corn, which would drive down the prices of Roman farmers

   D. Rise of latifundia: Which were large estates that would work economically with slaves

   (Additionally, wives who lost their husbands could own their land, but they usually sold it and turned to prostitution

3. Rise of unemployment

   The slave markets would displace small farmers, free workers and domestic servants, the unemployed would drift into the cities and become a political and economic liability

4. Decline of political stability

   A. The gap between the rich and the poor

   B. Political powers

   1. Populares: Demagogues who look to the plebians, or common citizens, for support and built huge networks of clients among the plebeians, by trading favors and supporting popular reforms.

   2. Optiamtes: Conservative patrician politicians who supported government in the hands of the patricians. Also built networks of clients among young and ambitious politicans in order to mantain the status quo.

   C. Italian tribes were angry at being denied Roman citizenship

Gracchi Brothers: Two brothers of a wealthy politician, the Gracchi brothers were praticians who would fight for the patricians, they wanted to propose laws that limit the amount of land and redistribute land to the poor and increase efficient population (Fighting wars and taxing citizens), they were popular among the people but had animosity among the Patricians

both had undermined the Roman Republic by breaking reelection laws and creating the Dole, which would be the bread part of the bread and circus

Marius: A general who was denied troops by the Senate, so he went to the poor people and asked them to join his army and he told them he would give them land if he won (he won). He undermined the Roman Republic by

1. He made the Roman army more proffesional by hiring working class to be soldiers,

2. The armies are now more loyal to generals than the state and 3. He becomes Consul for 7 times:

Sulla: Fought against Marius, he undermined the Roman Republic by:

1. Commanding troops for political reasons

2. Marching into Rome in general

3. Naming himself dictator for 3 years

After Sulla Dies, He gives his lead to to Pompey (Optimate, takes over Spain). Crassus takes control of Syria and has connections to the populares and rich, he has the fire brigade in which he would have people set buildings on fire and have his brigade put them out. When Julius Caesar rises up, Crassus pays him and gives him money. Caesar blocks a civil war between Pompey and Crassus

First Triumvirate: Was ILLEGAL, but they did it because they could and no rule said you could have a Triumvirate. It stopped working when Crassus gets killed in Carrhae by the Parthians (Basically the Persians 2.0). His head would be a prop. Pompey goes to the Senate and declare it an outlaw.

Caesar was very popular among the populares because he promised them expensive gladiator games and he holds every position in Rome (questor, council, etc). He becomes Ponitifix maximus (Roman version of the pope) which is a PERMANENT position

When Crassus dies, Caesar wants to run for consul but Pompey convinces the Senate to say “You MUST be present to be consul”, The Senate tells Caesar to cross the Rubicon and disband his army. But Caesar isn’t dumb and knows that he’d be dead. He crosses the Rubicon but keeps his army intact and he says “The Die is Cast”. Started with 1 legion and ended with 10.

He becomes the SECOND General to march his army to Rome. Pompey runs off to Greece and this is where he and Caesar fight at the battle of Tharsalis. Pompey has more generals but Caesar is the better general, Pompey flees to Egypt but Egypt doesn’t want Rome to take over them. Ptolemy XII arrests Pompey and executes him and puts his head in a box. When Caesar comes in, but instead of executing him, Ptolemy offers him a gift and Caesar is like “this place is nice I’mma stay here as a vacation”. Caesar is offered a rug as a gift and it’s secretly Cleopatra naked, the two have an affair and Caesar becomes co-rule of Egypt, Cleopatra became queen of Egypt and he had many children with only one son

Caesar leaves Egypt due to a revolt in the east and puts it down so easy he says “VINI VIDI VICI”. He defeats the rest of Pompey’s family in Rome.

Rule of Caesar: When he took control over Rome, he becomes dictator for 10 years and he becomes dictator for life

Caesar granted citizenship to the provinces, adopted the Julian Calendar, decreased unemployment, stimulated trade and commerce, and began public works program

Assasination of Caesar: Caesar was assasinated because 1. He wanted to be king of Rome, and 2. The Senators didn’t want to lose their powers. 60 Senators had plotted to stabbed Caesar multiple times including Cicero, his biggest oraters. He was murdered on the Ides of March and died at the base of Pompey’s statue (Which was very ironic)

Octavian: Somehow related to Caesar. Given everything in Caesar’s will, Marc Antony was surprised because he expected to take power

Second Triumvirate: Formed by Octavian and Marc Antony, unlike the First Triumrivate, this was LEGAL because they’re now changing the rules to make it legal. Showing the Roman Republic is being undermined and starts to fall apart

Caesar’s revenge: Marked about 300 Senators for execution (including Cicero). In Greece, Octavian and Antony defeated the army of Cassius and Marcus Brutus, Roman Senator is down to 60 Senators.

Octavian drives out Lepidus when the latter tries to seize Sicily from Octavian. Antony has the East (Egypt, Greece) and Octavian has the West (Gaul was shared by him and Lepidus)

Rise of Octavian: Because Antony had made many mistakes (dicoverced Octavian’s sister for Cleopatra and lost 50,000 trops due to a failed invasion of Parthia) and after that. Octavian and Atony fight at the Battle of Actium, while Antony has more ships, Octavian’s are more modern, Cleopatra dips and Antony tries to follow her and has to fight limited with Octavian, he lost to Octavian pretty easily and they surrenders, Antony takes his own life because he doesn’t want to be captured and so does Cleopatra does as well

Octavian becomes the new leader of the Rome, he becomes the final blow to the Roman Republic because:

1. He names Julius Caesar a God, and because of that, Octavian is the Son of a God and names himself Augustus Caesar, every king becomes Caesar

2. Calls himself Princeps and Imperator (Implying permenance)

3. He takes ALL the the position (Pater patriae, Sonsular power, Proconsular power, Tribunician power, Censor, Pontifex maximus)

He is the End of the Roman Republic and the start of the Roman Empire