Roman Civilization Unit 6

UNIT 6: ROMAN CIVILIZATION

UNIT STRUCTURE 6.1 Learning Objectives 6.2 Introduction 6.3 Origin 6.4 Establishment of the Empire 6.5 Archaic Society and Economy 6.6 Let Us Sum Up 6.7 Further Reading 6.8 Answer the Check your Progress 6.9 Model Questions

6.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will be able to-

 explain the origin of the ,

 discuss the establishment of the Roman Empire and

 discuss the society and economy under the Roman Empire.

6.2 INTRODUCTION

In the previous Unit, we discussed the development of art and architecture under the Greek civilization. The Unit also discussed the Greek philosophers who made a significant contribution to the world. Significant among them were Plato, Aristotle. In this unit we will focus on yet another ancient civilization, the Roman Civilization. Considered as one of the important ancient civilizations of the Western world it had its base in the ancient city of in Italy in Southern Europe.

6.3 ORIGIN

According to a myth, the ancient city of Rome was founded by Romulus in 753 BCE. Romulus was probably not a historical personage. History of Ancient Civilizations 53 Unit 6 Roman Civilization

Historical remains found in a few excavations, however, prove that human habitation started in the Palatine hills, which had the origins of the city of Rome, in the eighth century BCE. Ancient Rome was a city-state. The city-state underwent expansion from the sixth century BCE. A part of the Roman Empire, known as the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire remained powerful and lasted till 1453 CE. It had immense contribution to the areas of art, architecture, literature, religion and trade.

LET US KNOW

In 1453 CE the Ottoman Turks captured the Eastern Roman or the Byzantine Empire, due to which the scholars of Europe fled to Italy, especially to Rome and thus began the famous social and intellectual movement called the Renaissance.

The city of Rome was situated on the river Tiber and at a distance of twenty-five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea (also known as the Etruscan Sea). Easy access from the sea routes to most of the areas of Italy made it a centre of trade and commerce on the one hand and vulnerable to foreign invasions on the other. Continuous foreign attacks made the Italian people experts in war affairs. The city was given natural protection by the surrounding hills and mountains. The Alps Mountains in the north protected Italy to a great extent from foreign invasions through land routes. The plain area of Italy was very fertile for the growth of agricultural activities.

6.4 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EMPIRE

The Roman Empire attained its height in the early second century CE. During this period, the Empire had its largest expanse. Then it spread to Southern and Western Europe, Middle-East Asia and North Africa. European countries like Spain, Britain, France, Greece, and Sardinia, the Asian regions like Syria, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor and the African

54 History of Ancient Civilizations Roman Civilization Unit 6 countries like Libya and Namibia- were included in the Roman Empire of that time.

Historical writing in the Roman territory began only in the third century BCE. Therefore, proper documentations of early Rome and of early Italy were not made possible. Scholars have reconstructed the history of early Rome and of early Italy on the basis of myths and later histories. There is evidence that Palaeolithic people lived in Italy nearly 200,000 years ago. The tribes that inhabited Italy during 1200-900 BCE were, however, migrants. These tribes migrated probably from Switzerland, a country situated in the north of Italy. They settled in Northern and Central Italy and reared cattle and cultivated crops. The earliest inhabitants of the city of Rome comprised mostly Latin people. They spoke Latin, which is a language of the Indo-European language-family. These tribes were joined by several migrated groups of people in the pre-Roman period (i.e., in the period prior to the establishment of Rome). The most important of these groups were the Etruscans and the

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Greeks who migrated to Italy probably from Asia Minor and settled on the bank of the Po. They had advanced knowledge of warfare. They gave the Latins, armaments when the latter had to fight with the Sabines, another tribe of the pre-Roman times. In course of time, trade and commerce developed between the Latins and the Etruscans. This resulted in the birth of the city of Rome, named after its founder Romulus. The Etruscans established twelve city-states in Italy. Rome was one of them. The Etruscans had developed a script of their own which is yet to be deciphered. The Etruscans used metals like copper and iron. The famous Gladiatorial Combat was introduced in the Roman kingdom by the Etruscans.

LET US KNOW

The Gladiatorial Combat was a popular entertaining sport, in which one or two or more armed combatant(s) fought with similar combatant(s) or criminal(s) or animal(s) during the hey-days of the Roman Civilization.

The Greeks migrated to Italy through the Mediterranean Sea and established city-states like Tarentum, Syracuse and Naples in Italy.The Greeks had a script of their own. Roman script is a development from a form of the Greek script. Several tribes migrated to Italy even after the establishment of the Roman kingdom in 753 BCE (along with the establishment of the city of Rome). The Gauls, a Celtic-Aryan tribe of Western Europe, invaded the Roman Republic and defeated the Roman people in battle in 390 BCE. However, finally the Roman people could send the Gauls back. A small number of Gaul people, however, did not return. They established themselves in northern Italy. In the third and second centuries BCE, the Roman Republic had wars with the Carthaginians (The Punic Wars) which helped the Romans to begin overseas conquests.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Answer the following questions: Q 1: Who were the earliest inhabitants of the city of Rome? ...... Q 2: Who were the Gauls? ...... Q 3: The city of Rome was situated on the bank of which river? ......

6.5 ARCHAIC SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

 Society The conflict between the aristocratic class (the Patricians) and the general citizens (the Plebeians) was the most significant among the internal problems of the Roman Republic. The wealthy people having ownership of vast pieces of land were the members of Council. The high posts of the government like the Magistrates were under the control of the aristocratic class. The general people or the Plebeians were left to cultivation, craftsmanship and small trade. They were forced to pay heavy taxes. Moreover, they were forced to join the army. As a result, the general people were dissatisfied with the oligarchic rule (rule of a few powerful men) in the Republic, a rule which deprived them from their rights and privileges. The general people started the struggle to gain equal right as that of the aristocratic class in the social, political and religious matters. was divided into four classes and this class division was very important to the Romans. The four classes were Patricians, Equestrians, Plebeians and the Slaves. Again, the family was the lowest unit of the society. The father was the head of the family. According to the ancient Roman law, the father had complete control over his wife and children. The adult sons were also under the control of the father. But later on the laws governing the family life were greatly relaxed. Among the four classes, the Patricians were the highest class of the

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Roman society. They were the nobles of Rome and were very rich. They were the real masters of the state and all the real power of the Empire was enjoyed by this class. Economically, politically and socially these Patricians were the dominant group in the Roman society. They enjoyed a very high status in the society. Apart from that they also had extensive control over the Roman religion. The Patricians used to monopolize the Senate, which was the main organ of the Roman Republic. Only Patrician males could be members of the Senate and therefore all the laws were passed by the Senate in favour of the Patrician class. Thus, in a single word it can be said that the Roman Republic was ruled by a group of hereditary Patrician aristocrats. The second highest class in the Roman society was the Equestrians. They were sometimes called as the ‘Knights’. Originally they were the people who worked in the Roman Army and had their own horses (equus). To become an equestrian one had to be very rich. Later on they became a ‘middle class’ between the senators and the rest of the Roman citizen. The next class in the Roman society was the Plebeians. They were free common people and were poor and could not hold any state office. In the Roman society there was the law of debt by which any family could be enslaved for the non-payment of debts. It is very important that as the economic condition of the Plebeians was not very good, therefore they were always in debt under the Patricians. As a result of this the latter could enslave the former at any time. Later on the Plebeians put forward some demands in front of the Patricians. Though the latter was not in a mood to grant any concessions to the Plebeians in the beginning, but later on were compelled to grant some concessions to them. Therefore the then existing Roman laws were modified and new laws were codified in 12 bronze tablets and were placed at all important market places of Rome. These are known as the ‘Laws of Twelve Tablets’ and these can be considered the Magna Carta of the Plebeians, because they got some valuable concessions through these laws. Through these laws they also got a share in the running of the state administration.

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The lowest class of the Roman society was the slaves. They had no right at all and were owned by the other rich classes of the society.  Economy The was based primarily on agriculture. The Roman society was originated as a society of small farmers. The farmers used to cultivate grains, vines, olives etc. and these had great demands in Rome. The Roman wealthy class used to maintain huge estates which were run and cultivated by the large number of slaves. In addition to these the Romans also used to tame animals like sheep, goat and cattle etc. The Romans adopted different types of occupations for their livelihood. Among them traders, fishermen, salt merchants, olive oil traders, goldsmiths, stonecutters, carpenters, cobblers, leather workers, bronze workers etc deserve special mention. Craft association existed in ancient Rome. “Collegia” was made up of men working at the same trade. It was organized at around 200 BC. In ancient Rome, Poll tax and land tax were the primary source of direct revenue of the state. Usually land revenue was collected on the basis of the productive capacity of the land. Customs duty on the import and export of commodities among various provinces of the Roman Empire formed a major source of the indirect revenue of the state. Special taxes were levied on the slave trade. The taxes were collected both in cash and in kind. A vital part of the Roman economy was the Roman trade. The Roman citizens greatly depended upon the large volume of trade throughout the Roman Empire. In Rome, huge amount of grains were imported to feed the vast number of citizens and soldiers who lived throughout the Empire. Grains were imported from Egypt, Sicily, Tunisia and other areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Although food items dominated the Roman trade, yet there was a vast importation of other luxury goods to Rome from all parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. The Romans traded with Britain for silver with which they used to make jewellery and coins. Wool was also imported from Britain for making

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clothes. From the south-eastern parts of their Empire, the Romans imported dyes to colure their clothes. Spices were also imported from these areas to add flavor to the Roman foods. From the Far East, especially China, the Romans used to import silk to make fine clothes. For the same purpose, the Romans imported cotton from Egypt. Exotic wild animals for gladiator fights, Ostrich products and ivory came from Africa to Rome by the sea route. Cotton and spices were also imported from India to Rome. Slaves were imported from Germany. The Roman Empire had many trade routes and trade was basically carried on by the land and the sea routes. The Roman sea routes basically covered the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. These sea routes were used for both Roman trade and army mobility. Ostia was the most important port and the nearest major one to Rome. It was situated at the mouth of the river Tiber and was only fifteen miles from Rome. Many trading ships travelled between Ostia and Carthage, thereby facilitating the Roman trade. Ships also arrived from Spain and France at Ostia. To make the sea journey safe, the Roman navy protected the Mediterranean Sea from the pirates. Lighthouses were also built for the same purpose. Importing goods by land routes was slow and expensive. Trade through land was only possible if goods were transported to a short distance or if the cargo was small, expensive and luxury ones. As waterway provided cheap and easy access to all ports of the Mediterranean, most of the heavy goods and larger goods were shipped by water. The Roman trade system was a simple one. There was a single currency in Rome which facilitated the expansion of the Roman trade. It used Latin as the lingua-franca in trade affairs within its territory. Many traders used the barter system for trading purposes, while some others used the silver coins minted by the Roman Emperors. As the Roman trade network was very vast the Roman silver coins were found even in far distant countries of the world. By importing various luxury commodities from various parts of the world, the wealthy class of the Roman society lived a very luxurious life. The large scale of commercial activities strengthened the economic

60 History of Ancient Civilizations Roman Civilization Unit 6 condition of Rome and facilitated the further expansion of the Roman Empire. Roman economy depended largely on trade. After the Punic Wars, the economic equality of the Roman citizens was lost. Rome became home for traders. The nearby port of Ostia at the mouth of the river Tiber became the most important port with connections to overseas colonies. Innumerable land-routes through nicely constructed roads connected Rome to and from foreign countries. Rome had almost one million population at the height of the Roman Empire. Bringing food and other essential things for them from the foreign countries needed extra care, though Rome practically gave nothing to the Empire. Spain, France, the Middle East and North Africa were the major trade partners of the Roman Empire. Roman traders imported raw-materials mainly from the countries on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Marble and papyrus were imported from Egypt, glass from Palestine, iron from Spain. Again, lead, wool and tin were imported from Britain. Rome exported gold, silver, wine, olive oil, pottery, fermented fish sauce and many other things to several countries. The Romans traded in India, though not exhaustively. Alexander came to India crossing the river Indus, but the Roman traders came to India probably through the Asia Minor and the Middle East or through the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. They traded in the coastal areas of Southern India, especially under those places which were ruled by the South Indian dynasties of the Pandyans, the Cholas and the Cheras. Silver coins of Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE) and Tiberius (14-37 CE) have been found in a such places. There are references to Indo-Roman trade relations in the writings of Pliny and Periplus. The items imported by the Romans from India included spice, silk, ivory, pepper, pearls and other valuable things. On the contrary, the Indians imported mainly gold from the Roman Empire. Lots of Roman gold coins were discovered in India.

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Answer the following : Q 4: Who were the members of the highest class in the Roman society? ...... Q 5: The ‘Laws of Twelve Tablets’ can be considered the Magna Carta of the Plebeians. Why? ...... Q 6: What item did India import from Rome? ......

6.6 LET US SUM UP

After going through this Unit, you have learnt -

 The origin of the Roman civilization and the establishment of the Roman Empire.

 The society under the Roman Empire and the various divisions within the social structure .

 The economic structure and the trade and commercial activities under the Roman regime.

6.7 FURTHER READING

1. Laistner, M.L.W. (1929). A Survey of Ancient History to the Death of Constantine. Boston. 2. Allcroft, A.H. & Masom, W.F. (1958). The Tutorial (to A.D. 69). University Tutorial Press. London.

3. Swain, J. E. (1983). A History of World Civilization. The McGraw Hill Book Company Inc. New York.

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6.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans to Q No 1: Latin people.

Ans to Q No 2: Celtic Aryan tribe.

Ans to Q No 3: Tiber.

Ans to Q No 4: Patricians.

Ans to Q No. 5: The Plebeians got concessions and a share in the state administration through these laws.

Ans to Q No 6: Gold.

6.9 MODEL QUESTIONS

(A) Very Short Questions (Answer each question in 50 words)-

Q 1: Who founded Rome and when? Q 2: Name the primary source of direct revenue of the state?

(B) Short Questions (Answer each question in 150 words)-

Q 1: What was the condition of the slaves in the Roman Republic? Q 2: What were the reasons behind the decline of the Roman Empire?

(C) Long Questions (Answer each question in 300-500 words)-

Q 1: Write a note on the Archaic scoiety in the Roman civilization. Q 2: Discuss the establishment of the Roman Empire.

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