DOCSLIB.ORG

Ancient Roman Civilization

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ancient Roman Civilization Ancient Rome The Geography of Rome I. The 750 mile long Italian Peninsula, or Italy, extends out into the Mediterranean Sea, and is only 120 miles wide. II. The ancient city of Rome was built inland along the Tiber River, on top of seven hills. III. What are the advantages of the city’s location? The Geography of Rome I. The 750 mile long Italian Peninsula, or Italy, extends out into the Mediterranean Sea, and is only 120 miles wide. II. The ancient city of Rome was built inland along the Tiber River, on top of seven hills. III. What are the advantages of the city’s location? IV. By being located inland, Rome was provided protection from pirates, being built on hills made the city easily defendable, and being located along the Tiber River enabled access to the sea. V. The area did not contain rugged mountain ranges as in Greece, and so the communities of the Italian Peninsula were not divided. VI. Italy also had some fairly large fertile plains for farming, unlike in Greece, which provided support for a large population. VII. The city’s location was a natural crossing point for trade along the peninsula, and it was central location from which to expand. VIII.Once Rome gained control of the peninsula, the peninsula’s central location made it easier to control the Mediterranean. The Founding of Rome I. The national epic of Rome, the Aeneid written by Virgil under the reign of Augustus, tells of how the Trojan prince Aeneas came to Italy. II. According to the Aeneid, the survivors from the fallen city of Troy banded together under Aeneas, underwent a series of adventures around the Mediterranean, and eventually reached the Italian coast. III. One of the descendants of Aeneas was raped by Mars, and then gave birth to Romulus and Remus, who are the traditional founders of Rome from myth. IV. The story tells of a prophecy that the brothers would overthrow their murderous uncle, so he ordered them to be drowned in the Tiber. V. The servants who were to drown the infants took pity on them and left them along the Tiber, where they were nurtured by a she-wolf until a shepherd found and raised them as his sons. IV. The story tells of a prophecy that the brothers would overthrow their murderous uncle, so he ordered them to be drowned in the Tiber. V. The servants who were to drown the infants took pity on them and left them along the Tiber, where they were nurtured by a she-wolf until a shepherd found and raised them as his sons. VI. When Remus and Romulus became adults, they decided to establish a city, but they quarreled, and Romulus killed his brother. VII. Thus Rome began with a fratricide, a story that was later taken to represent the city's history of political strife and bloodshed. VIII.Between 1500 to 1000 BC, Indo-European peoples moved into the Italian Peninsula. IX. One of these groups was the Latins, herders and farmers who established a settlement of huts on top of Rome’s hills. X. Around 800 BC, the Greeks settled in Italy and passed on to the Romans their alphabet, art, architecture, literature, culture, and how to cultivate grapes. The Etruscans I. Around the same time, the Etruscans settled north of Rome, and around 650 BC came to control Rome and the surrounding area. II. The Etruscans influenced the development of early Rome even more than the Greeks. III. The Etruscans found Rome a village, but launched a building program that turned it into a city. IV. From the Etruscans, the Romans adopted the toga and short cloak, organization of the army, and their architecture style. Sarcophagus The Rise of Rome The Republic I. In 509 BC, the Romans overthrew the last Etruscan king and established a republic. II. A republic is a form of government which the leader is not a monarch, and at least certain citizens have the right to vote. III. Roman society was divided into two orders; the patricians, large landowners, who were Rome’s ruling class, and the plebeians were craftspeople, merchants, and small farmers. IV.Men from both orders could vote, but only patricians could be elected to government offices. V. Two people were chosen every year by the Senate to serve as consuls, the highest elected office, to run the government and lead the Roman army into battle. VI.The Roman Senate was comprised of 300 patricians who served as a senator for life. VII.How is this different than the U.S. senate? VIII.The Senate had existed since the time of the Roman Kingdom, and survived the rule of the Etruscans. IX. During the time of the Roman Kingdom, the Senate elected kings, then elected the consuls which lead the Republic, and in times of great crisis the Senate would elect a dictator. X. What is a dictator? XI. Originally the Senate’s role was to advise government officials, but by the 3rd century, the Senate’s decisions had the force of law. XII. The Senate would decide minor matters by a voice vote or show of hands, and significant matters by physically dividing the chamber. XIII.All senators were required to speak before a vote could be held, and since all meetings had to end at nightfall, a senator could talk a proposal to death. XIV.What is the modern term for this called? Filibuster! XV. Senators were required to ask the Senate’s permission before leaving Italy, they could not engage in banking, could not own a ship large enough to conduct commerce, and were not paid a salary. The Struggle of the Orders I. Within Roman society and government, there was often conflict between the orders because of social and political inequality. II. Plebeians especially resented that it was they who served in the Roman army and protected Rome, but it was the patricians who ruled. III. Even children of plebeians and patricians were forbidden to marry each other. IV. After hundreds of years of struggle, a popular assembly was created for the plebeians, which had the power to pass laws for all Romans. V. The Romans also developed laws that affected the entire Mediterranean world of the day, and later generations to come. VI. The Romans needed laws to address legal questions that arose between Roman and non-Roman citizens. VII. They developed universal laws based on reason, which established standards of justice that applied to all people. VIII.These standards included regarding a person as innocent until proven guilty, people were allowed to defend themselves before a judge, and a judge was expected to weigh evidence. The Rise of Rome I. In 338 BC, the Romans began conquering other Latin states, by 264 BC the Romans had conquered the Greek colonies in southern Italy, and then they conquered the Etruscans. II. The Romans devised a confederation system in which some people, especially Latins, were given Roman citizenship, the others were made allies and remained free to run their own affairs. IV. Loyal allies could improve their status, and could even become Roman citizens, giving Rome’s conquered peoples a feeling they had a real stake in Rome’s success. V. The Romans believed that their success was because of their sense of duty, courage, and discipline. VI. What is this similar to? Greek Arête. VII. The Roman historian Livy, writing in the 1st century BC, provided a number of stories to teach Romans the virtues that made Rome great, such as the story of Horatius. The Roman Legion Legionary VIII.However, Rome’s success was due in part to them being good diplomats, allowing states to run their own internal affairs, and they were firm, even cruel when necessary. IX. The Romans also had accomplished soldiers, they were brilliant strategist, and if they lost an army or fleet, the Romans would simply build a new one instead of conceding defeat. X. The Romans built fortified towns and roads connecting them so they could move troops easily and quickly. Roman Roads Roman Bridges The Punic Wars I. The city of Carthage, founded around 800 BC by the Phoenicians, had built a trading empire in the Mediterranean. II. The Romans were fearful that Carthage might try to take control of the Italian Peninsula. III. In 264 BC, Rome sent and army into Sicily, part of the Carthaginian empire, starting the First Punic War. IV. Rome, a land power, built a navy to fight Carthage, a sea power, and after long years of struggle, Rome defeated Carthage which gave up all rights to Sicily in 241 BC. V. However, to make up for the loss of Sicily, Carthage expanded in Hispania, and Rome’s encouragement of these colonies to revolt started the Second Punic War in 218 BC. VI. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, decided to bring the war home to Rome, and entered Spain with about 38,000 troops, 8,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. Hannibal War Elephants V. However, to make up for the loss of Sicily, Carthage expanded in Hispania, and Rome’s encouragement of these colonies to revolt started the Second Punic War in 218 BC. VI. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, decided to bring the war home to Rome, and entered Spain with about 38,000 troops, 8,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. VII. Hannibal crossed the Alps to enter Italy, and the journey took its toll on his army, killing most of the elephants, but Hannibal’s army was still a real threat.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • VU Research Portal
    VU Research Portal The impact of empire on market prices in Babylon Pirngruber, R. 2012 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Pirngruber, R. (2012). The impact of empire on market prices in Babylon: in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 - 140 B.C. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 25. Sep. 2021 THE IMPACT OF EMPIRE ON MARKET PRICES IN BABYLON in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 – 140 B.C. R. Pirngruber VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT THE IMPACT OF EMPIRE ON MARKET PRICES IN BABYLON in the Late Achaemenid and Seleucid periods, ca. 400 – 140 B.C. ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A Glimpse Into the Roman Finances of the Second Punic War Through
    Letter Geochemical Perspectives Letters the history of the western world. Carthage was a colony founded next to modern Tunis in the 8th century BC by Phoenician merchants. During the 3rd century BC its empire expanded westward into southern Spain and Sardinia, two major silver producers of the West Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Rome’s grip had tight- © 2016 European Association of Geochemistry ened over the central and southern Italian peninsula. The Punic Wars marked the beginning of Rome’s imperial expansion and ended the time of Carthage. A glimpse into the Roman finances The First Punic War (264 BC–241 BC), conducted by a network of alliances in Sicily, ended up with Rome prevailing over Carthage. A consequence of this of the Second Punic War conflict was the Mercenary War (240 BC–237 BC) between Carthage and its through silver isotopes unpaid mercenaries, which Rome helped to quell, again at great cost to Carthage. Hostilities between the two cities resumed in 219 BC when Hannibal seized the F. Albarède1,2*, J. Blichert-Toft1,2, M. Rivoal1, P. Telouk1 Spanish city of Saguntum, a Roman ally. At the outbreak of the Second Punic War, Hannibal crossed the Alps into the Po plain and inflicted devastating mili- tary defeats on the Roman legions in a quick sequence of major battles, the Trebia (December 218 BC), Lake Trasimene (June 217 BC), and Cannae (August 216 BC). As a measure of the extent of the disaster, it was claimed that more than 100,000 Abstract doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.1613 Roman soldiers and Italian allies lost their lives in these three battles, including The defeat of Hannibal’s armies at the culmination of the Second Punic War (218 BC–201 three consuls.
    [Show full text]
  • Refractions of Rome in the Russian Political Imagination by Olga Greco
    From Triumphal Gates to Triumphant Rotting: Refractions of Rome in the Russian Political Imagination by Olga Greco A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Comparative Literature) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Valerie A. Kivelson, Chair Assistant Professor Paolo Asso Associate Professor Basil J. Dufallo Assistant Professor Benjamin B. Paloff With much gratitude to Valerie Kivelson, for her unflagging support, to Yana, for her coffee and tangerines, and to the Prawns, for keeping me sane. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ............................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter I. Writing Empire: Lomonosov’s Rivalry with Imperial Rome ................................... 31 II. Qualifying Empire: Morals and Ethics of Derzhavin’s Romans ............................... 76 III. Freedom, Tyrannicide, and Roman Heroes in the Works of Pushkin and Ryleev .. 122 IV. Ivan Goncharov’s Oblomov and the Rejection of the Political [Rome] .................. 175 V. Blok, Catiline, and the Decomposition of Empire .................................................. 222 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 271 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Maltese Islands and the Sea in Antiquity
    THE MALTESE ISLANDS AND THE SEA IN ANTIQUITY The Maltese Islands and the Sea in Antiquity TIMMY GAMBIN The events of history often lead to the islands… F. Braudel THE STRETCHES OF SEA EXTANT BETWEEN ISLANDS AND mainland may be observed as having primary-dual functionalities: that of ‘isolating’ islands and that of providing connectivity with land masses that lay beyond the islands’ shores. On smaller islands especially, access to the sea provided a gateway from which people, goods and ideas could flow. This chapter explores how, via their surrounding seas, events of history often led to the islands of Malta and Gozo. The timeframe covered consists of over one thousand years (circa 700 BC to circa 400 AD); a fluid period that saw the island move in and out of the political, military and economic orbits of various powers that dominated the Mediterranean during these centuries. Another notion of duality can be observed in the interaction that plays out between those coming from the outside and those inhabiting the islands. It would be mistaken to analyze Maltese history solely in the context of great powers that touched upon and ‘colonized’ the islands. This historical narrative will also cover important aspects such as how the islands were perceived from those approaching from out at sea: were the islands a hazard, a haven or possibly both at one and the same time? It is also essential to look at how the sea was perceived by the islanders: did the sea bring welcome commercial activity to the islands shores; did it carry 1 THE MALTESE ISLANDS AND THE SEA pirate vessels and enemy ships? As important as these questions are, this narrative would be incomplete without reference to how the sea helped shape and mould the way in which the people living on Malta and Gozo chose (or were forced) to live.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roman Towns and the Geometry - Examples of Varatio Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
    The Roman Towns and the geometry - Examples of Varatio Amelia Carolina Sparavigna To cite this version: Amelia Carolina Sparavigna. The Roman Towns and the geometry - Examples of Varatio. 2019. hal-02267863 HAL Id: hal-02267863 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02267863 Preprint submitted on 19 Aug 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Zenodo. 18 August 2019 – DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3370498 The Roman Towns and the geometry - Examples of Varatio Amelia Carolina Sparavigna1 1 Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy Abstract This work is proposing some examples of a possible use of the geometry based on rectangular triangles, the varato, in the planning of Roman towns. It is known that the planning of them is based on the centuriaton, a grid of parallel and perpendicular streets, where the two main axes are the Decumanus and the Cardo. The rato of the cathet of the rectangular triangles gives the angle the Decumanus is forming with the east-west directon. Keywords: Centuriaton, Orientaton of Roman colonies, Varare, Varato Torino, 18 August 2019, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3370498 The planning of the Roman colonies was realized by the ancient land surveyors by means of a method which is known as limitatio or ceoturiatio.
    [Show full text]
  • Roman History the LEGENDARY PERIOD of the KINGS (753
    Roman History THE LEGENDARY PERIOD OF THE KINGS (753 - 510 B.C.) Rome was said to have been founded by Latin colonists from Alba Longa, a nearby city in ancient Latium. The legendary date of the founding was 753 B.C.; it was ascribed to Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of the daughter of the king of Alba Longa. Later legend carried the ancestry of the Romans back to the Trojans and their leader Aeneas, whose son Ascanius, or Iulus, was the founder and first king of Alba Longa. The tales concerning Romulus’s rule, notably the rape of the Sabine women and the war with the Sabines, point to an early infiltration of Sabine peoples or to a union of Latin and Sabine elements at the beginning. The three tribes that appear in the legend of Romulus as the parts of the new commonwealth suggest that Rome arose from the amalgamation of three stocks, thought to be Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan. The seven kings of the regal period begin with Romulus, from 753 to 715 B.C.; Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, from 534 to 510 B.C., the seventh and last king, whose tyrannical rule was overthrown when his son ravished Lucretia, the wife of a kinsman. Tarquinius was banished, and attempts by Etruscan or Latin cities to reinstate him on the throne at Rome were unavailing. Although the names, dates, and events of the regal period are considered as belonging to the realm of fiction and myth rather than to that of factual history, certain facts seem well attested: the existence of an early rule by kings; the growth of the city and its struggles with neighboring peoples; the conquest of Rome by Etruria and the establishment of a dynasty of Etruscan princes, symbolized by the rule of the Tarquins; the overthrow of this alien control; and the abolition of the kingship.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF Datastream
    A Dividing Sea The Adriatic World from the Fourth to the First Centuries BC By Keith Robert Fairbank, Jr. B.A. Brigham Young University, 2010 M.A. Brigham Young University, 2012 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Program in Ancient History at Brown University PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND MAY 2018 © Copyright 2018 by Keith R. Fairbank, Jr. This dissertation by Keith R. Fairbank, Jr. is accepted in its present form by the Program in Ancient History as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date _______________ ____________________________________ Graham Oliver, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council Date _______________ ____________________________________ Peter van Dommelen, Reader Date _______________ ____________________________________ Lisa Mignone, Reader Approved by the Graduate Council Date _______________ ____________________________________ Andrew G. Campbell, Dean of the Graduate School iii CURRICULUM VITAE Keith Robert Fairbank, Jr. hails from the great states of New York and Montana. He grew up feeding cattle under the Big Sky, serving as senior class president and continuing on to Brigham Young University in Utah for his BA in Humanities and Classics (2010). Keith worked as a volunteer missionary for two years in Brazil, where he learned Portuguese (2004–2006). Keith furthered his education at Brigham Young University, earning an MA in Classics (2012). While there he developed a curriculum for accelerated first year Latin focused on competency- based learning. He matriculated at Brown University in fall 2012 in the Program in Ancient History. While at Brown, Keith published an appendix in The Landmark Caesar. He also co- directed a Mellon Graduate Student Workshop on colonial entanglements.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hannibal Route Question of 218 Bc: a Forensic Exercise Relative to Historical Archaeology
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ZENODO Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 3, (2018), pp. 45-62 Copyright © 2018 MAA Open Access. Printed in Greece. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1323871 THE HANNIBAL ROUTE QUESTION OF 218 BC: A FORENSIC EXERCISE RELATIVE TO HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY William C. Mahaney Quaternary Surveys, 26 Thornhill Ave., Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, L4J 1J4, and Department of Geography, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3 e-mail: [email protected] Received: 29/06/2018 Accepted: 05/08/2018 ABSTRACT Following a long and protracted survey of all targeted approach routes, cols of passage and exfiltration pathways projected to have been followed by Hannibal and his generals when they crossed into Italy in 218 BC, the physical evidence points to the Col de la Traversette, first identified by Sir Gavin de Beer in the 1960‘s. The first attempts to identify the route out of a dozen possible transits, focused not only on historical interpretations using the evolution of place names but on physical evidence possibly resident in hearths, al- luvial terraces and rock rubble masses along the various approach routes. The primary argument following ten years of investigating every approach route from the Col Agnel in the south to the Col Mt. Cenis in the north, was that if the only blocking rockfall described by Polybius was present below the Traversette col, then mires or fans on either side in France and Italy might contain a record of Hannibal‘s passage.
    [Show full text]
  • The Following Pages Contain Historical Information About the Divinities, Cities, and Provinces That Play a Role in Concordia
    The following pages contain historical information about the divinities, cities, and provinces that play a role in Concordia. In addition, a variant is presented. VARIANT FOR CONCORDIA: START WITHOUT GOODS In this variant the players do not own any goods at the start of the game. Their storehouse starts with only 4 colonists. Instead they start with more money: The start player has 25 sestertii, the 2nd player 26 sestertii etc. In their first turn players may buy goods as they like paying the prices as shown on the roof of the storehouses. This variant offers an even more flexible start of the game. Development Notes For Concordia In more than 2 years of development, Concordia had many testers and helpers. Peter Dörsam as publisher and critical tester wholeheartedly supported the project from its very beginning. In private rounds basically Yvonne Lange, Stephan Borowski, and Jens Külpmann endured my manifold proposals and leaded them ad absurdum over and over, so that everytime new changes became inevitable. In addition, Lars Brügging, Claudia Barmbold, Frank Lamprecht, Kai Wilke, Rüdiger Kuntze, Benjamin Schönheiter, Bastian Völkel, Heike López, and Michael López tested the game as busy as a beaver. Gaming groups l i k e the gamers from Rieckhof, Gert Wahlstedt‘s Urania club, the gamers of Wedel, or „Game with Pete“ in Jork also were engaged. For a broader public Concordia was presented in ever changing versions on the event at Burg Stahleck, the Bremer Spieletage, the Hamburger Fest der Spiele, the Hamburger Spieletage, and the Herner Spielewahnsinn. I visited Paulo Soledade in Portugal to present the game at LeiriaCon, and visited Pietro Cremona in Italy to present it at the Play in Modena and at his gaming club in Cesena, where it was played with great enthusiasm.
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of the Samnitic Influences Upon the Roman State
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OPUS: Open Uleth Scholarship - University of Lethbridge Research Repository University of Lethbridge Research Repository OPUS http://opus.uleth.ca Theses Arts and Science, Faculty of 2014 The Samnite legacy : an examination of the Samnitic influences upon the Roman state Doberstein, William Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of History http://hdl.handle.net/10133/3499 Downloaded from University of Lethbridge Research Repository, OPUS THE SAMNITE LEGACY: AN EXAMINATION OF THE SAMNITIC INFLUENCES UPON THE ROMAN STATE WILLIAM DOBERSTEIN Bachelor of Arts, University of Lethbridge, 2014 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS History Department University of Lethbridge Lethbridge, Canada © William Doberstein, 2014 THE SAMNITE LEGACY: AN EXAMINATION OF SAMNITE SOCIETY AND ITS LASTING INFLUENCES UPON THE ROMAN STATE WILLIAM DOBERSTEIN Date of Examination: Dr. Christopher Epplett Associate Professor Ph.D Supervisor Dr. Kevin McGeough Associate Professor Ph.D Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. David Hay Associate Professor Ph.D Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. Heather Ladd Assistant Professor Ph.D Chair. Thesis Examination Committee Abstract The objective of this thesis is to fully deconstruct and isolate the considerable Samnite contributions to the Roman state during the period of the Samnite Wars. Although the literary sources have espoused a Samnitic origin for many Roman institutions, very little academic focus has been directed towards these claims. Scholars have generally tended to focus on one or two of these claims only as part of a larger argument.
    [Show full text]
  • Hannibal Barca
    LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP – HANNIBAL BARCA Hannibal “I will either find a way or make one” Hannibal, General of the Carthaginian army, lived in the second and third century B.C. He was born into a Carthaginian military family and was made to swear by his father to forever be hostile towards Rome due to Carthage’s loss in the first Punic war. His father, Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian General who fought in the first Punic war. Hamilcar commanded the Carthaginian land forces in Sicily from 247 BC to 241 BC, during the latter stages of the First Punic War. He kept his army intact and led a successful guerrilla war against the Romans in Sicily. Hamilcar retired to Carthage after the peace treaty in 241 BC, following the defeat of Carthage. During the Second Punic War, Hannibal swept across southern Europe, famously crossing the Alps where he consistently defeated the Roman army, but never taking the city itself. Hannibal won decisive victories against the Romans, the most famous being the battles of Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae resulting in Rome losing one-fifth of the entire population of male citizens over 17 years of age. Although the Romans had lost an enormous portion of men, they did not break and after years of careful tiptoeing against Hannibal regaining its strength Rome counterattacked, and Hannibal was forced to return to Carthage where he was defeated at the battle of Zama by his rival Scipio Africanus, consequently breaking Carthage’s will and ability to wage war. Following the Second Punic war, Hannibal worked for a time as a statesman before he was forced into exile by Rome.
    [Show full text]
  • The Soldier's Life: Martial Virtues and Hegemonic Masculinity in the Early
    The Soldier’s Life: Martial Virtues and Hegemonic Masculinity in the Early Byzantine Empire Michael Edward Stewart BA, MA A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in May 2012 School of History, Philosophy, Religion, and Classics - Abstract This dissertation argues that martial virtues and images of the soldier’s life represented an essential aspect of early Byzantine masculine ideology. It contends that in many of the visual and literary sources from the fourth to the seventh centuries CE, conceptualisations of the soldier’s life and the ideal manly life were often the same. By taking this stance, the dissertation challenges the view found in many recent studies on Late Roman masculinity that a Christian ideal of manliness based on extreme ascetic virtues and pacifism had superseded militarism and courage as the dominant component of hegemonic masculine ideology. Though the study does not reject the relevance of Christian constructions of masculinity for helping one understand early Byzantine society and its diverse representations of masculinity, it seeks to balance these modern studies’ often heavy emphasis on hagiographical Christian sources with the more customary attitudes we find in the secular, and indeed some Christian texts, praising military virtues as an essential aspect of Roman manliness. Indeed, the reader of this dissertation will find that the “manliness of war” is on display in much of the surviving early Byzantine literature, secular and Christian. Chapter 1 examines how modern historians formulate and use “masculinity” as a tool of historical inquiry. It provides a brief summary of the growth of gender studies in the past forty years, and explores some the current debates surrounding “masculinity” as a viable tool of historical enquiry.
    [Show full text]