Roman Civilization
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The Electronic Passport to Ancient Rome
The Electronic Passport to Ancient Rome A New Power Rises decreed that each brother would The earliest empires had been in the east. build a city, but Romulus’ city Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Greece were would be much larger. Romulus all home to at least one powerful civilization. completed his city on April 21, 753BC. Remus was upset that Romulus had built his city, so he climbed About 387BC, a city on the Italian peninsula began acquiring land and building an empire. That city over the wall. The enraged Romulus killed his was Rome. For more than one thousand years, brother with an ax. The city came to be known as Rome controlled the western world. Rome, named for its legendary founder. Rome grew into an empire in part because of The early Romans lived in small how it treated the people it conquered. If a city was communities that grew into city-states, often ruled defeated by another empire, its citizens were forced by kings from wealthy families. About fifty years from the land if they were after Romulus founded the city, the legends say the lucky, and enslaved if Etruscans conquered the Romans. they were not. Initially, The Etruscans were brutal rulers who rained the Romans extended the terror on the Roman people. They were eventually rights of citizenship to the ousted by a group of Roman aristocrats who people they conquered. Rome founded the Roman Republic. conquered many of its allies by force, but once the new people became The Patricians and the Plebeians citizens, they often joined the Roman The patricians were the noble families of army. -
A New Perspective on the Early Roman Dictatorship, 501-300 B.C
A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE EARLY ROMAN DICTATORSHIP, 501-300 B.C. BY Jeffrey A. Easton Submitted to the graduate degree program in Classics and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s of Arts. Anthony Corbeill Chairperson Committee Members Tara Welch Carolyn Nelson Date defended: April 26, 2010 The Thesis Committee for Jeffrey A. Easton certifies that this is the approved Version of the following thesis: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE EARLY ROMAN DICTATORSHIP, 501-300 B.C. Committee: Anthony Corbeill Chairperson Tara Welch Carolyn Nelson Date approved: April 27, 2010 ii Page left intentionally blank. iii ABSTRACT According to sources writing during the late Republic, Roman dictators exercised supreme authority over all other magistrates in the Roman polity for the duration of their term. Modern scholars have followed this traditional paradigm. A close reading of narratives describing early dictatorships and an analysis of ancient epigraphic evidence, however, reveal inconsistencies in the traditional model. The purpose of this thesis is to introduce a new model of the early Roman dictatorship that is based upon a reexamination of the evidence for the nature of dictatorial imperium and the relationship between consuls and dictators in the period 501-300 BC. Originally, dictators functioned as ad hoc magistrates, were equipped with standard consular imperium, and, above all, were intended to supplement consuls. Furthermore, I demonstrate that Sulla’s dictatorship, a new and genuinely absolute form of the office introduced in the 80s BC, inspired subsequent late Republican perceptions of an autocratic dictatorship. -
Backgrounds and Beginnings Early Republic: from Rome to Roman Italy
HIS 354 Ruzicka The Roman Republic MHRA 2123 10-11 MWF 334-5488 [email protected] For many people “Rome” conjures up images of a vast empire and a series of autocratic and often deranged emperors. That is only part of the story of Roman history. An equally long and equally fascinating phase—that of the Roman Republic—preceded the age of emperors. It was in fact during this phase of Roman history that Rome became a big city, that the Romans took control of the Mediterranean world, and that Julius Caesar (not an emperor) lived. This course surveys this “republican” period of Roman history from the origins of Rome to the assassination of Julius Caesar--a period of more than seven centuries. The three major themes of the course are: 1) the development of Rome’s distinctive political institutions and practices, 2) the rise of Rome to rule over the entire Mediterranean world and 3) the changes wrought upon Roman society by Roman success. We will first examine the origins of Rome, the evolution of the Roman constitution, and the acquisition of Roman dominion over Italy (the Early Republic). Then, we will follow the story of Rome's rise to world power (the Middle Republic). Finally, we will trace the crises of Republican institutions as a result of the internal pressures generated by Roman responsibility for the Mediterranean world (the Late Republic). In a nutshell, we will be examining the rise and fall of the Roman Republic—a 500-year long story. There will be three examinations, each counting 25% of the final grade, and 3 papers (topics at end of syllabus), counting altogether 25% of the final grade. -
Caesar and the Pirates: Or How to Make (And Break) an Ancient Life’, Greece and Rome, 57(2), Pp
Georgetown University Institutional Repository http://www.library.georgetown.edu/digitalgeorgetown The author made this article openly available online. Please tell us how this access affects you. Your story matters. OSGOOD, J. (2010) ‘Caesar and The Pirates: or How to Make (and Break) an Ancient Life’, Greece and Rome, 57(2), pp. 319–336. doi: 10.1017/S0017383510000057 Collection Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10822/555438 © 2010 The Classical Association This material is made available online with the permission of the author, and in accordance with publisher policies. No further reproduction or distribution of this copy is permitted by electronic transmission or any other means. Greece & Rome, Vol. 57, No. 2, © The Classical Association, 2010. All rights reserved doi:10.1017/S0017383510000057 CAESAR AND THE PIRATES CAESAR AND THE PIRATES: OR HOW TO MAKE (AND BREAK) AN ANCIENT LIFE* Introduction It is hard for biographers, ancient and modern alike, to resist the story of the young Julius Caesar’s kidnapping by a band of pirates. Suetonius and Plutarch both include full versions of the tale, with specifi c details (Suet. Iul. 4; Plut. Vit. Caes. 1.4–2). Suetonius, for instance, writes that the kidnapping took place near the island of Pharmacusa (just off the coast of Asia Minor), while Plutarch, noting that too, also specifi es that the ransom that freed Caesar came from the (nearby) city of Miletus. And while Suetonius writes that Caesar, after his release, launched a fl eet, pursued the pirates, and punished them, Plutarch includes another phase in the story: having taken command of a fl eet and set sail (again, from Miletus), Plutarch’s Caesar captured nearly all the pirates but, instead of killing them right away, ‘he himself went to Iuncus, the governor of Asia, on the grounds that it belonged to him, as governor of the province, to punish the captives’. -
Calendar of Roman Events
Introduction Steve Worboys and I began this calendar in 1980 or 1981 when we discovered that the exact dates of many events survive from Roman antiquity, the most famous being the ides of March murder of Caesar. Flipping through a few books on Roman history revealed a handful of dates, and we believed that to fill every day of the year would certainly be impossible. From 1981 until 1989 I kept the calendar, adding dates as I ran across them. In 1989 I typed the list into the computer and we began again to plunder books and journals for dates, this time recording sources. Since then I have worked and reworked the Calendar, revising old entries and adding many, many more. The Roman Calendar The calendar was reformed twice, once by Caesar in 46 BC and later by Augustus in 8 BC. Each of these reforms is described in A. K. Michels’ book The Calendar of the Roman Republic. In an ordinary pre-Julian year, the number of days in each month was as follows: 29 January 31 May 29 September 28 February 29 June 31 October 31 March 31 Quintilis (July) 29 November 29 April 29 Sextilis (August) 29 December. The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th. -
Mussolini's Ambiguous and Opportunistic Conception of Romanità
“A Mysterious Revival of Roman Passion”: Mussolini’s Ambiguous and Opportunistic Conception of Romanità Benjamin Barron Senior Honors Thesis in History HIST-409-02 Georgetown University Mentored by Professor Foss May 4, 2009 “A Mysterious Revival of Roman Passion”: Mussolini’s Ambiguous and Opportunistic Conception of Romanità CONTENTS Preface and Acknowledgments ii List of Illustrations iii Introduction 1 I. Mussolini and the Power of Words 7 II. The Restrained Side of Mussolini’s Romanità 28 III. The Shift to Imperialism: The Second Italo-Ethiopian War 1935 – 1936 49 IV. Romanità in Mussolini’s New Roman Empire 58 Conclusion 90 Bibliography 95 i PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first came up with the topic for this thesis when I visited Rome for the first time in March of 2008. I was studying abroad for the spring semester in Milan, and my six-month experience in Italy undoubtedly influenced the outcome of this thesis. In Milan, I grew to love everything about Italy – the language, the culture, the food, the people, and the history. During this time, I traveled throughout all of Italian peninsula and, without the support of my parents, this tremendous experience would not have been possible. For that, I thank them sincerely. This thesis would not have been possible without a few others whom I would like to thank. First and foremost, thank you, Professor Astarita, for all the time you put into our Honors Seminar class during the semester. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to read all of our drafts so intently. Your effort has not gone unnoticed. -
Pompeii (And Rome) Water Supply Systems
POMPEII (AND ROME) WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS REPORT OF FIELD OBSERVATIONS (OCTOBER 2010) JUNE 2011 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by Wayne Lorenz with a detailed review by Erik Baros and Meisha Hunter. The final draft was assembled by Nicole Chancey. Photographs in this report were taken by Wayne Lorenz and Erik Baros. The maps shown in Figures 11 and 18 were prepared by Erik Baros. The Project Team would like to thank Ken Wright, Wright Paleohydrological Institute, and Wright Water Engineers, Inc. for support and encouragement during the study of Roman aqueducts in the Pompeii and Rome Regions. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................3 1.1 Authorization – Superintendant of Archaeology ................................................................. 4 2.0 INTERVIEWS WITH EXPERTS....................................................................................... 5 2.1 Giuseppe Illiano .................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Raffaella Bosso ................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Luigi Sorrentino and Marilena Noppi................................................................................... 5 2.4 Giovanni De Feo and Sabino De Gisi ................................................................................. 6 2.5 Pasquale Maiella and Public Works -
Aqueduct Architecture: Moving Water to the Masses in Ancient Rome
Curriculum Units by Fellows of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute 2006 Volume IV: Math in the Beauty and Realization of Architecture Aqueduct Architecture: Moving Water to the Masses in Ancient Rome Curriculum Unit 06.04.04 by Ralph Russo Introduction This unit seeks to raise awareness of basic, yet, historic principles of architecture as they apply to the provision of water to an urban center. Exploration of Roman aqueducts should serve this goal. It fits the study of classical civilizations in the ninth grade world civilizations curriculum. Moreover, it lends itself to interdisciplinary teaching, a great way for students to see things in context. Studying aqueduct architecture encourages proficiency in quantitative skills, language arts, and organizational skills. Quantitative activities such as measuring, using scale, and calculating volume facilitate developing math skills. Critical reading of primary and secondary sources, document based questions, discussion, reflective writing, descriptive writing, and persuasive writing teach and/or reinforce language arts skills. Readings and activities can also touch on the levels of organization or government necessary to design, build, and maintain an aqueduct. The unit is not a prescribed set of steps but is meant to be a framework through which objectives, strategies, activities, and resources can be added or adjusted to meet student needs, address curriculum goals, and help students to make connections between the past and contemporary issues. The inhabitants of Rome satisfied their need for water first from the Tiber River. Rome grew from a small farming community along the Tiber into the capitol city of an empire with almost one million inhabitants. -
A Fork in the Road: the Catilinarian Conspiracy's Impact
A Fork in the Road: The Catilinarian Conspiracy‘s Impact on Cicero‘s relationships with Pompey, Crassus` and Caesar Jeffrey Larson History 499: Senior Thesis June 13, 2011 © Jeffrey Larson, 2011 1 But concerning friendship, all, to a man, think the same thing: those who have devoted themselves to public life; those who find their joy in science and philosophy; those who manage their own business free from public cares; and, finally, those who are wholly given up to sensual pleasures — all believe that without friendship life is no life at all. .1 The late Roman Republic was filled with crucial events which shaped not only the political environment of the Republic, but also altered the personal and political relationships of the individuals within that Republic. Four of the most powerful, and most discussed, characters of this time are Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC), Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106 BC – 48 BC), Marcus Licinius Crassus (c. 115 BC – 53 BC), and Gaius Julius Caesar (c. 100 BC – 44 BC). These men often crossed paths and some even had close friendships with each other. Other than Pompeius, better known as Pompey, all the aforementioned individuals were involved, or reportedly involved, in one event which had profound effects on the personal and political relationships of all four individuals. This event is known as the Catilinarian Conspiracy of 63 BC. The Catilinarian Conspiracy was a pivotal episode in the politics of the Late Roman Republic that damaged both the political and personal relationships of Cicero, Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar. Politics in the Roman Republic was dominated by a small number of members of the senatorial class. -
Interpretation of the Function of the Obelisk of Augustus in Rome from Antique Texts to Present Time Virtual Reconstruction
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XLII-2/W11, 2019 GEORES 2019 – 2nd International Conference of Geomatics and Restoration, 8–10 May 2019, Milan, Italy INTERPRETATION OF THE FUNCTION OF THE OBELISK OF AUGUSTUS IN ROME FROM ANTIQUE TEXTS TO PRESENT TIME VIRTUAL RECONSTRUCTION M. Hiermanseder Hietzing Consult, Vienna, Austria - [email protected] KEY WORDS: Astronomy, Line of Meridian, Historical Texts, Archeology, Simulation, Virtual World Heritage ABSTRACT: About the astronomical use of the obelisk of Augustus on Campo Marzio in Rome, which has already been described by Pliny, well known astronomers and mathematicians like Euler, Marinoni or Poleni have given their expert opinion immediately after it's unearthing in 1748. With the prevailing opinion, based on a brief chapter in "Historia naturalis", it would constitute a line of meridian rather than a sundial, the question had been decided for more than 200 years. In 1976, however, the prominent German archeologist Edmund Buchner established once more the assumption, that the obelisk has been part of a gigantic sundial for the apotheosis of the emperor Augustus. Excavations of the German Archeological Institute in 1980/81, which brought to light parts of the inscriptions of the scale, were taken as a proof of his theory by Buchner. Since 1990 works by physicists and experts for chronometry like Schütz, Maes, Auber, et.al., established the interpretation as a line of meridian. Recent measurements and virtual reconstructions of the antique situation in 2013 provide valid evidence for this argument as well. The different approach to the problem mirrors the antagonism between interpretation of antique texts and the assessment of archeological findings in the light of far fledged historical hypotheses. -
The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome
THE AQUEDUCTS OF ANCIENT ROME by EVAN JAMES DEMBSKEY Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject ANCIENT HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: DR. M.E.A. DE MARRE CO-SUPERVISOR: DR. R. EVANS February 2009 2 Student Number 3116 522 2 I declare that The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome is my own work and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. .......................... SIGNATURE (MR E J DEMBSKEY) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to: My supervisors, Dr. M. De Marre and Dr. R. Evans for their positive attitudes and guidance. My parents and Angeline, for their support. I'd like to dedicate this study to my mother, Alicia Dembskey. Contents LIST OF FIGURES . v LIST OF TABLES . vii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction . 1 1.2 Objectives . 6 1.3 Conclusion . 7 2 METHODOLOGY 11 2.1 Introduction . 11 2.2 Conclusion . 16 3 SOURCES 19 3.1 Introduction . 19 3.2 Literary evidence . 20 3.3 Archaeological evidence . 29 3.4 Numismatic evidence . 30 3.5 Epigraphic evidence . 32 3.6 Conclusion . 37 4 TOOLS, SKILLS AND CONSTRUCTION 39 4.1 Introduction . 39 4.2 Levels . 39 4.3 Lifting apparatus . 43 4.4 Construction . 46 4.5 Cost . 51 i 4.6 Labour . 54 4.7 Locating the source . 55 4.8 Surveying the course . 56 4.9 Construction materials . 58 4.10 Tunnels . 66 4.11 Measuring capacity . -
The Worship of Augustus Caesar
J THE WORSHIP OF AUGUSTUS C^SAR DERIVED FROM A STUDY OF COINS, MONUMENTS, CALENDARS, ^RAS AND ASTRONOMICAL AND ASTROLOGICAL CYCLES, THE WHOLE ESTABLISHING A NEW CHRONOLOGY AND SURVEY OF HISTORY AND RELIGION BY ALEXANDER DEL MAR \ NEW YORK PUBLISHED BY THE CAMBRIDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA CO. 62 Reade Street 1900 (All rights reserrecf) \ \ \ COPYRIGHT BY ALEX. DEL MAR 1899. THE WORSHIP OF AUGUSTUS CAESAR. CHAPTERS. PAGE. Prologue, Preface, ........ Vll. Bibliography, ....... xi. I. —The Cycle of the Eclipses, I — II. The Ancient Year of Ten Months, . 6 III. —The Ludi S^eculares and Olympiads, 17 IV. —Astrology of the Divine Year, 39 V. —The Jovian Cycle and Worship, 43 VI. —Various Years of the Incarnation, 51 VII.—^RAS, 62 — VIII. Cycles, ...... 237 IX. —Chronological Problems and Solutions, 281 X. —Manetho's False Chronology, 287 — XI. Forgeries in Stone, .... 295 — XII. The Roman Messiah, .... 302 Index, ........ 335 Corrigenda, ....... 347 PROLOGUE. THE ABYSS OF MISERY AND DEPRAVITY FROM WHICH CHRISTIANITY REDEEMED THE ROMAN EMPIRE CAN NEVER BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD WITHOUT A KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPIOUS WoA^P OF EM- PERORS TO WHICH EUROPE ONCE BOWED ITS CREDULOUS AND TERRIFIED HEAD. WHEN THIS OMITTED CHAPTER IS RESTORED TO THE HISTORY OF ROME, CHRISTIANITY WILL SPRING A LIFE FOR INTO NEW AND MORE VIGOROUS ; THEN ONLY WILL IT BE PERCEIVED HOW DEEP AND INERADICABLY ITS ROOTS ARE PLANTED, HOW LOFTY ARE ITS BRANCHES AND HOW DEATH- LESS ARE ITS AIMS. PREFACE. collection of data contained in this work was originally in- " THEtended as a guide to the author's studies of Monetary Sys- tems." It was therefore undertaken with the sole object of estab- lishing with precision the dates of ancient history.