More handpicked essays just for you.
The fall of the roman republic essay
The fall of the roman republic essay
The fall of the roman republic essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Titus Livius (Livy) was a Roman historian that was born in the year 59 B.C.E. and died in 17 A.D. (Ogilvie). During that time Rome was starting to become a world power. Julius Caesar was the dictator and, under his rule, the Roman republic expanded tremendously. Not only did Julius Caesar successfully take over Italy, but he also conquered major threats to the republic at the time, such as Spain and Gaul (Roman-Empire). Following his assassination in 44 B.C.E., the rule was passed to his great-nephew Augustus, who broadened Rome 's reach even further into places such as Egypt and parts of Europe (PBS). However, these and other Roman achievements would have possibly been forgotten had it not been for Livy. Titus Livius played a critical role …show more content…
For example, there is the story of The Rape of Lucretia. In essence, it is a story about a man who was the son of the king of Rome at the time, Sextus Tarquinius, raping the wife of Collatinus Tarquinius, Lucretia (Novaroma). In the text, it states how Sextus had gone to the house of Conlatinus and returned several days later in order to rape Lucretia "He was well received and given the hospitality of the house, and maddened with love, he waited until he was sure everyone else was asleep. Then he took up his sword and went to Lucretia 's bedroom, and placing his sword against her left breast, he said, "Quiet, Lucretia; I am Sextus Tarquinius, and I have a sword in my hand. If you speak, you will die." Awakening from sleep, the poor woman realized that she was without help and very close to death." [LVIII] (Halsall). After Lucretia 's father arrived with Publius Valerius (Volesus ' son) at her request, she explained to them in detail what had happened to her. "How are you?" her husband asked. "Very bad," she replied, "how can anything go well for a woman who has lost her honor?...It was Sextus Tarquinius who returned our hospitality with enmity last …show more content…
The Roman army became much stronger under the guidance of Julius Caesar and was a key element in the expansion of Rome (Roman-Empire). The Roman people believed that it was necessary to follow a specific method of declaring war so as not to anger the gods, "It was highly needful to observe all the necessary formalities in beginning hostilities, otherwise the angry gods would turn their favor to the enemy" (Halsall). For example, if their demands were not met after thirty days, then they could declare war, "If the persons he demands are not surrendered after thirty days, he declares war," (Halsall). This set the precedent for how Rome would declare war for centuries to come.
The importance of Livy and his writings is undeniable. There were many historians that came before him, but none came close to being as specific and detailed as he was. His writings gave the Roman people more knowledge about their past and even influenced prince Claudius to become an author as well (Lendering). His writings also set a certain standard for the Roman people. For example, in his story of Lucretia, he is implying that women should value everything over themselves in the name of honor. To this day, it serves as a detailed account of Roman history and the standards/values they
Titus Livius also known as Livy is a roman analyst who was born in 59BC. Livy writing style is known for engaging the attention of an audience. He accomplishes this through emotive descriptions and long speeches. It is commonly known that Livy sacrifices chronology and ignores contradictory versions of events in or to make Rome seem victorious. Livy’s standard of writing was not always high and there where most likely political influences on Livy even though he played no official part in politics. Not being involved in the Senate served as both an advantage and a disadvantage to Livy as it excludes him from parliament which means he had no first-hand experience of the systems he wrote about. His exclusion also meant that he had no access to
During his reign, Augustus made a number of changes how the Roman military operated. As Rome shifted from a Republic to Empire and the ideas of what Rome was to be was carefully being crafted by Augustus to fit his own narrative, the army went through a number of changes to support the new dynamic of Empire and Emperor. These changes to the army allowed the army to grow to fit its new role, and helped Rome to become a true military power.
Livius, Titus. "The History of Rome, Vol. III." Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. 8 11, 2005. http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Liv3His.html (accessed 3 1, 2010).
Julius Caesar (July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, Consul, and author of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. On March 15 44 B.C.E, the Roman dictator Julius Caesar was murdered. There are multiple accounts of this incident, while all accounts came after the death of Caesar, the writing on the incident portray Julius Caesar to have been a selfish dictator.
Livy assumed that by making history enjoyable to read, he would be able to provide the correct type of “medicine” to a sick community (30). Writing the history of Rome, from beginning to his present time, Livy presented an evolution of Rome and her values. Livy’s presentation of history gave readers the opportunity to find the error in their ways, and revert to the old approach to tradition. Because “human nature remains the same” throughout the evolution of civilization, “it is reasonable to expect that history” repeats itself (Ogilvie 9). With the study of history, the reader is able to understand what has happened and what its effects are. Understanding the past allows oneself to better prepare for the
Julius Caesars Impact on Rome From 100 BC to 44 BC, Julius Caesar changed Rome through his rise to political power, conquest, feuds and assassination. Over time Caesar gained acclaim through his multiple political roles in Rome such as Pontifex, governor and Praetor, leading him to become dictator. He formed an alliance with Crassus and Pompey that ruled Rome for seven years, but led to a civil war later on. Julius Caesar conquered many countries that helped him change the map, such as the conquest of Gaul. Caesar played a vital role in the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire, which caused him to be assassinated and make rise to Octavian as the next ruler.
The meaning and penalties of rape have progressed throughout the history of America to ensemble the mindset of the time. Records show that a man in the seventeenth century was convicted of attempted rape if "he used enticement and then force toward a woman, driven by the sinful lusts that raged within him...and he allowed her...to scare or fight him off" (Dayton 238). Unfortunately, this definition was not always taken at face value. The leading men of the seventeenth century, likely white men, reformed this definition in a variation of ways to work in their favor when suspected of rape. It can be determined from study of historical information that the reason there are fewer reported rapes against white males in the seventeenth century and more against non-white males was because women gave in to a society driven by the influence and governance of white males in the legal system. This concept is demonstrated through a look into the outcome of a number of rape cases against both white men and non-white men, through an understanding of the helpless station of women, and through a view at the basis of the white man's resentment toward the non-white male: their view of the non-white male as the "other."
Octavian enabled the long, nonviolent time of the Pax Romana, (Latin for Roman peace) by changing Rome from a frail, collapsing republican government to a powerful empire. He is known as the first, and one of the greatest, Roman Emperors ever. Octavian was born on September 23, 63 BC, and died in 14 AD. Born with the name Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar via his will, and then was named Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. This happened in 44 BC when his great uncle, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by a group of conspirators. Additionally, he received the name “Augustus” a term meaning “the revered one” from the Roman Senate in 27 BC. Because of the various names he had, it is common to call him Octavius while referring to the events that between 63 and 44 BC, Octavian when referring to events between 44 and 27 BC, and Augustus when referring to events after 27 BC. Octavian is arguably the single most important figure in Roman history. Ever since he was a young boy, he was destined to become the next great leader. For example, Octavian along with his friend Marcus Agrippa went to visit the Sibyl of Cumae (oracle). When the Sibyl saw him, she bowed at his feet and said that he would be the next great leader. He did not believe her at the time, but just a few years later Julius Caesar would be dead and he would have power. Over the course of his long and spectacular career as “Principate,” he put an end to the collapse of the Republic, and established a system that would stand in the Roman government for three centuries.
There are many political, economic, sociological causes to the growth and expansion of the Roman republic and later the Roman Empire, but one major factor of expansion that the Romans are most famous for is there Army. There Army was famous for their harsh discipline amongst their own ranks and there mercifulness brutality amongst their enemies. According to our text Roman warfare was characterized by great ferocity and the Roman pursuit of victory was relentless. The Romans had a pragmatic view towards atrocity and massacre that viewed almost any act as justifiable if it eased the path of victory (Goldsworthy 2000) p. 24. The hoplite phalanx which originated by the Greeks and later adopted by the Roman army, demanded great discipline and adherence to orders in order for this group of soldiers...
In order for the Romans to invade and conquer other provinces, they had to spend heavily on their legions. The Roman armies and supply lines became over-stretched resulting in thousands of soldiers being recruited and deployed from Rome into other territories as invaders or defenders. They also depended on soldiers to defend the borders of the lands they had conquered from barbarian attacks which resulted in the increased manufacturing of weapons and more money being spent on soldiers. High military spending left the Romans with very limited resources for other essential government projects such as the building of more public houses and the development of roads and aqueducts as well as leading to inflation. The over-expenditure on the military led the citizens of Rome to refuse the policies and laws enforced by the government and riots were commonplace in Rome during its last century.... ...
Throughout history, no other era was more significant than that of the Roman Empire. The power and influence of the Roman government and it=s rule over the world was accomplished by the Roman Army. The Roman army was the ultimate weapon of war because of the well trained men, their effective weapons and their brilliant battle tactics.
Augustus Caesar spent his time as ruler making Rome a peaceful place. He died on August 19, 14 A.D in Nola, Italy. His last words to his subjects was “ I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble,” but to his friends he said “Have I played the part well? Then applaud me as I exit.” Soon after that the Roman Senate officially declared their departed emperor, to be a god.
The time is the sixth century, the place is Rome and the person is Lucretia, a woman who contributed to one of the biggest parts of Roman history: the creation of the Roman republic. The rape of the virtuous Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of Tarquinius Superbus' (an Etruscan king) was the final straw for the Roman people and pushed them to want to change from a monarchy to a republic. From the accounts of the rape of Lucretia from ancient historians like Livy, Cicero and Dionysius, it is clear that Lucretias rape not only spurred the roman people to want to get rid of the Etruscan King and his family, but also revealed the important role of virtue in women in roman society.
Ultimately, the Roman Republic’s downfall lay in its lack of major wars or other crises, which led to a void of honor and leadership. War united all of Rome’s people, and provided the challenge to its leaders to develop honor and leadership by their causes and actions. The lack of war allowed the Roman Republic to stagnate and become self-indulgent. By the end of the Punic Wars, which combined these elements, Rome was sure to fail. Without a common thread uniting its society, the Roman Republic unraveled because it had nothing left holding it together.
After the conclusion of the Gauls sacking Rome, Rome became obsessed with the security of their empire and acutely aware of any and all potential threats. “Following the sack by the Gauls, the Romans were frightened by strong neighbors and sometimes made preemptive strikes against peoples they believed were becoming too powerful” (Kidner, 129). Rome became a walled city that would not let any foreign soldiers through its gates from the conclusion of the sacking in 390 B.C. until 410 A.D., earning it the nickname of the Eternal City. The Roman mantra of Lex Fetiale, which prohibited Rome from going to war unless under siege or asked for assistance, was suddenly much easier to justify than before.