Rome: Introduction

Before the founding of Rome, Italy was inhabited by several tribal groups

The most influential of these groups was the Etruscans, who occupied the central region
of Italy known as Etruria (roughly, modern day Tuscany)

Henri Laborouste, View of an Etruscan Tomb, 1849
We know a lot about the Etruscans because, like the Egyptians, they buried their dead in
elaborate tombs, filled with objects of wealth (including lots of Greek vases)

Meanwhile, Italic tribes settled into the region surrounding modern day Rome

The Romans and Etruscans vied with one another for power, and during the Archaic
period Rome was essentially an Etruscan city, governed by an Etruscan king

When the last of the Etruscan kings was overthrown in 509 BCE, a constitutional
government was established, and the Roman Republic began

The Romans had their own story about their origins, which is illustrated in this bronze
statue which dates from the Etruscan period (the two children are a later addition)

According to the story, the twins Romulus and Remus (who were descendants of
Aeneas, one of the heroes of the Trojan War) were abandoned by their parents and
found by a female wolf who nursed them

When they became adults they decided to found a city; Roman accounts put the date at
743 BCE (which is pretty close to the archaeological record), and when the Republic
was established, this statue became a totem of the city

The Roman Republic lasted from 509-27 BCE, and expanded significantly over the
centuries

This expansion led to increased wealth, as well as growing political instability

• Landowning NoblesPatricians
• Commoners: peasants,
craftspeople, traders
• Formed their own
council and elected
their own officials
Plebeians
• Could not own property
or vote
• Could be freed
Slaves
Roman society was divided into
three social classes

During the Republic, the
government consisted of
three branches designed to
give all classes a voice
• Two elected
Consuls
Consuls
• Advisory Council
of Patrician
“Elders”
Senate
• Assembly of
Citizens
Assembly

While Patricians and Plebeians represented different and unequal social classes, the
most important social division in Roman society was between citizen and slave

Rome’s expansion was largely accomplished through military conquest, and
prisoners of war were brought back as slaves

This led to such an enormous surplus of slaves that even modest households could
afford them

But slaves were permitted to marry — and most significantly, they could earn money
to purchase their freedom, which enabled them to integrate into society as free
citizens
Image source: http://www.amazon.in/DK-Find-Out-Ancient-Rome/dp/0241250234

As shown in this illustration, social rank was indicated by costume

Slaves wore simple tunics, while citizens wore long wool robes called togas

During the Imperil period, the Roman Emperor wore a laurel wreath, and the imperial
colors of purple and gold was worn exclusively by the emperor

The Roman Republic ended in 27 BCE when the Roman Senate granted the title of
Augustus to Octavian, nephew of Julius Caesar, marking the beginning of the
Roman Empire

Rome’s contributions to our own society today include our legal system and
government, as well as our calendar

The Romans also gave us politicians, and the use of political portraiture to influence
public opinion

But Rome’s greatest contribution was its architecture, and its unprecedented
mastery of urban planning and engineering

Roman cities rivaled our modern cities today in terms of size, efficient organization,
and architectural splendor

Like all ancient societies, the Roman’s worshipped a pantheon of gods, but they
were remarkably flexible in their religious beliefs
Image source: https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Eyewitness-Simon-James/dp/1405368322

When the Romans came in contact with the Greeks, they simply absorbed their gods
and gave them Latin names

VENUS
MINERVA
JUNO NEPTUNE JUPITER
APOLLO MARS DIANA
CERES BACCHUS VULCAN
MERCURY
As a result, most of the Roman pantheon is virtually identical to the Greek pantheon,
with the only difference being their names

The Romans made offerings to the gods at outdoor altars in front of temples, rather
than inside (which is why Roman temples tend to be small).
Marcus Aurelius sacrifices to the
Capitoline Jupiter. From the monument
to Marcus Aurelius 161-180 CE.
Capitoline Museum

Offerings took the form of burnt incense, liquid libations, plants, or the slaughtering
of animals
Capitoline Museum

This relief shows the emperor Marcus Aurelius wearing the costume of the Pontifex
Maximus (high priest) making an offering in front of a temple
Capitoline Museum

The Gemma Augustea, c. 12-7 BCE
Vienna Museum of History
During the Imperial period, the Roman Emperors were believed to ascend to the
realm of the gods upon their death

This cameo, which was created after the death of Augustus, shows him seated next
to a personification of Rome, as he is crowned with a laurel wreath

Below his seat is an eagle, symbol of the Roman god Jupiter, indicating that
Augustus has now joined the ranks of the gods

While Roman Emperors were worshipped as “living gods” in parts of the empire
where divine kingship had been common (as in Egypt, for example), this was not the
practice in Italy and Rome, where the Emperor was honored as a god only after his
death

During the later empire some emperors adopted the ancient practice of divine
kingship to consolidate their power – but with limited success

Only when Constantine allied his claims to divine kingship with the widely popular
Christian religion did the centuries-long effort to unite religion and kingship become
firmly established
Marble Portrait Head of the Emperor
Constantine, 325-370 CE
Metropolitan Museum

Rome: Introduction

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Rome: Introduction