Imperial Rome was an era that had drastic political benefits and deficits. There were a variety of different dynasties that ruled during this period. All of the dynasties ruled after the assassination of Julius Caesar. He was thought to be a conspirator of corruption, but his death was to promote corruption. Among the leaders of Rome, corruption was widespread.
Augustus was one of many leaders that supported corruption. Julius Caesar was executed for supporting corruption. Coincidentally, Julius Caesar’s successors were more corrupted than he supposedly was. The reason why Julius was killed was because Julius Caesar was for not doing his actions in secrecy and deceit. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, there were civil wars occurring and there was a period of unrest. Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavius then ruled Rome. In 27BC, Octavius changed his name to Augustus Caesar. This period was when Augustus won the battle for rule of Rome, so now the triumvirate was gone. Augustus declared the “Res Gestae” so he could restore the Republic, and gave the Senate control over the land. The Senate gave this power back to Augustus, so Augustus remained an elected consul in order to hide his true role as a dictator. Augustus declared himself the position of emperor. Then, he gave supreme power to the office of emperor so that he could reorganize Roman territory (Stevenson). This period of unrest and civil wars marked the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. Rome began to prosper once again, and the emperor came to be looked upon as a god (Imperial Rome). Caius Verres was a Roman administrator that held a variety of posts before serving as governor of Sicily from 73 to 71 B.C. He was known for his corruption and ability to fo...
... middle of paper ...
...orks Cited
1. Columbia University, Press. "Caius Verres." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
2. "Imperial Rome." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
3. Rodgers, Nigel. "Chapter IV: Governing the Empire." Roman Empire. 2008. Reprint. New York: Metro Books, 2013. 96-97. Print.
4. Rodgers, Nigel. "Chapter XIII: Building the City of Rome." Roman Empire. 2008. Reprint. New York: Metro Books, 2013. 272-277. Print.
5. Scarre, Chris. The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Print.
6. Stevenson, Keira. "Timeline of The Roman Republic & Empire. “Timeline of The Roman Republic & Empire (2009): 1-2. History Reference Center. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
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).
... Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “The Rise of Rome and Its Republic, 753–44 b.c.e.,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 139-170. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire was the first example in history on the collapse of a constitutional system which was caused by the internal decay in political, military, economics, and sociological issues. The government was becoming corrupt with bribery. Commanders of the Roman army turned their own army inward towards their own Constitutional systems, fueled by their own ruthless ambition. This paper will talk about how the violence and internal turmoil in 133B.C.-27 B.C. was what provoked the economic stagnation in the city of Rome and to the end of the Republic and the many corrupt politicians and generals who only thought of nothing more than personal gains and glory. The senate lost control of the Roman military and the reason they rose against the senate was because the senate were no longer able to help manage the social problems or the military and administrative problems of the empire. The economics of the Roman Empire soon hit rock bottom due to the high taxation to support the army. Gold was also eroding since Rome was no longer bringing new resources through the expansion. Emperors then tried to mint coins out of silver and copper instead and the end result was inflation and dramatic rises in
Plutarch, Philip A. Stadter, and Robin Waterfield. "Cato The Elder, Aemilius Paullus, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus." Roman Lives: A Selection of Eight Roman Lives. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. 3-115. Print.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Morey, William C. "Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 19." Forum Romanum. 1901. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. .
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
Scarre, Christopher. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Print.
Rome, even at its beginnings, proved to be a force to be reckoned with. It’s rapid growth and accumulation of power and repeated victories over powerful neighbors set Rome in a position of great authority and influence. As the leader of early Rome, Romulus’ effective command of his men and governance of his people provided the foundation for the building of a great city. Livy emphasizes Romulus’ possible divine origins and strong ties to deities as a validation and reinforcement of his ability to rule. A nation’s sole defense cannot be just bricks and mortar, it requires an army and a will and Romulus was able to successfully take action against the aggressors when action was needed.
Heather, Peter. The Fall of the Roman Empire: a New History of Rome and the Barbarians. Oxford UP, 2005.
The Roman Empire began as a small colony, in the city of Rome, and eventually, became one of the largest empires that the world has ever known before its ultimate demise. Because of the vast size of their territory, and the number of cultures they consumed throughout their existence, the Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks and other Hellenistic civilizations. Two different groups of professors argue this point. Professors Matthews, Platt, and Noble argue this influence is reflected by Roman music, philosophy, literature, architecture, art, culture/government, and technology and science; and Professor Weber argues this is reflected in the areas of government/law, the influence and effects of conquests, culture, religion, architecture and art, and philosophy. Both parties make compelling arguments as to why the Romans were heirs to Greek and Hellenistic civilization however, it will be demonstrated that Matthews et al. provide a more thorough argument than Weber.
Wilson, R.J.A. “Roman Art and Architecture.” Oxford Illustrated History. Oxford U. Press, 1988. pp. 361-399
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
Heichelheim, Fritz, Cedric A. Yeo, and Allen M. Ward. A History Of The Roman People. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1984.