Cincinnatus 458 BC Fasces and Plough/Plow Early Agriculture
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1/29/12 Cincinnatus 458 BC Fasces and plough/plow Juno Moneta Reminder: Short quiz on Wed., but no class on Friday Quiz will be three ID’s: In about three sentences idenDfy and give significance of key terms, people, or dates. Try, in your answer, to show that you read Livy. WHICH DATES??? Don’t fret-- only three important dates so far! 1184 753 509 Early Agriculture Two snapshots of Rome’s (rural) early society • Decline aer 509 BC: war, trade disrupDon, • The 12 Tables 451-50 BC crop failure, epidemics = debt bondage (comes out of patricians vs. plebeians, wrien by decemvirs during struggle of the orders) • Subsistence farming: small farms 3-10 acres - Agricultural emphasis • Pasture on public land, ager publicus - focus on boundaries (distribuDon of ager publicus becomes key in fall of Republic) • Lan language a fossil showing agricultural roots in key terms and concepts 1 1/29/12 Agricultural Roots of Language How Farming Shaped Rome: • Debt Crisis • Pecunia –money (from word for herd/flock) • Family - paterfamilias, father of the family • Laetus –happy (ferDle) - patriapotestas, paternal power • Felix –blessed, lucky (ferDle, fruieul) - marriage: manus (hand), or “free” • Cernere –to decide (to sep. wheat from chaff) - familia, family = primiDve agricultural unit • Army • Putare –to think (to prune) - campaigning season and the Roman year • Legere –to read (to pick or harvest ripe fruit) - March vs. January • Roman Character: - land Is life; soldier-farmer ideal; authoritarianism; group idenDty Typically Roman aributes Ancestors: mos maiorum (reflect peasant values): • Auctoritas (authority of senator / respected elder) • Virtus (courage, manliness) • Pietas (respect for duty: pius = duDful) • Mos maiorum (the custom of the ancestors, tradiDonalism) “exemplum”—a representaon of behavior designed to serve as a model or guide to conduct. 2 .