Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome In Anthony Everitt’s book Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome, Everitt presents an informative biography of who is known to be one of the most successful rulers of Rome. He opens immediately with Hadrian’s early struggles including the loss of his father and having to find another powerful male figure to guide him as he grows. Hadrian’s mother took care of one of his struggles and found a teacher that would help him grow and act as his higher male figure. Hadrian grew up knowing he’d like to be in politics like his father, so that is exactly what he pursued. The road to leading was not a clear one though. He also found a love for hunting and poetry, which he committed to for some time, but found himself in the military as well. Once he dedicated his time to politics though he …show more content…
He wanted to shed light as to why he found Hadrian to be the best ruler Rome had seen. He writes how Hadrian could bring good governance into a place of chaos, and how he came up with a peaceful conclusion for disorder and costly warfare. He brags on Hadrian’s bravery and even his problematic attitude. The two great accomplishments Everitt displays is the fact Hadrian ended Rome’s territorial expansion which was lacking strategic and economic support. The second accomplishment was he made Athens the cultural center of the empire. This made Greek art and learning more common in Roman. Another thing that Everitt touched on was Hadrian’s war on Jews, which still has a present day effect on the Middle East. Everitt’s biography was meant to prove why he finds Hadrian to be the best ruler. He showed all the good Hadrian did for his empire and even the early struggles that came to his life. Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome is a tell all of what it was like for Hadrian to rule in this era and why it was difficult to be in politics, but it also showed the private struggles for rulers in this era as
In contrast to the publicity spin of today’s tabloids, ‘losers attract notoriety,’ (Fear, 2008, p, 6) Roman society was no different with one’s reputation of paramount importance and continually defended. Antony and Cleopatra’s union was ammunition for Octavian and propaganda used against the couple in their pursuing battle of Actium. (Fear, 2008, p.7.)
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
In conclusion, Augustus has written his personal account and presented himself as popular and successful leader. He did many things that helped society as well as did many things that did nothing long term. Augustus may have done things for only the betterment of himself but they did pay off when it all came to an
Horatius Cocles demonstrates Roman values with his readiness to assert himself for the good of the community despite any ramifications. He even attempts to advise his men in the direction of virtue by claiming “that it was vain for them to seek safety” (Livy, 20). These men appear to follow standards typical of the Greeks, as their personal motives guide their actions instead of the needs of others. Their lack of concern for the entire state of the Republic is an example of what individuals were not to do. The success of the individual, in this case Horatius, is a victory in Rome, which contrasts the idea of individual arete, valued by the Greeks. The greatest honor for a Roman was saving the life of another Roman whereas in Greek culture, an individual displays excellence in competition (Burger 91). For the Greeks, an individual may achieve honor at the cost of defeating another. In contrast, Romans sought to achieve honor by protecting what was best for all. Therefore, Romans valued self sacrifice while Greeks appear more self-centered (Burger 91). Horatius Cocles demonstrates the values of the Roman society in his steadfast opposition to the enemy. He is a model to the state for his courage in adversity.
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.
...for success, he robs his audience of the right to make certain determinations about characters such as Tarquin Superbus and Romulus because of his bias toward the motivation behind their actions. Livy’s The Rise of Rome was a grand effort and an amazing undertaking. Cataloguing the years of Roman history consolidated rumor and legend into fact, creating a model for Rome to follow. Livy’s only error in this vast undertaking was in imprinting his own conception of morality and justice onto his work, an error that pulls the reader away from active thought and engaging debate. In doing so, Livy may have helped solidify a better Rome, but it would have been a Rome with less of a conception of why certain things are just, and more of a flat, basely concluded concept of justice.
On that first fateful day, when Romulus struck down his own brother Remus, the cauldron of Rome was forged in blood and betrayal. The seeds on the Palatine hill cultured one of the most potent and stretching empires of human history. Though this civilization seemingly wielded the bolts of Zeus, they were infested with violence, vanity, and deception. Yet, one man—or seemingly “un”-man—outshone and out-graced his surroundings and everyone within it. He brought Rome several victories and rescued his beloved country from an early exodus, thus providing her a second beginning. This man was Marcus Furius Camillus, and against a logical and emotional mind, he was oft less than loved and celebrated. At times he was disregarded, insulted and even exiled—irrevocably an unwarranted method to reward Rome’s “Second Founder.” This contrast of character between hero and people was perhaps too drastic and too grand. The people were not yet ready to see Marcus Furius Camillus as a model of behavior to be emulated—to be reproduced. Hence, much of Livy’s Book 5 provides a foundation for the Roman people to imitate and assimilate a contrasting, honest, and strong behavior and temperament
Scarre, Christopher. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Print.
In Titus Livius’, The Early History of Rome, Livy takes on the task of documenting Rome’s early history and some of the famous individuals who help contribute to the ‘greatness’ of Rome. Livy dedicates an entire portion of his writing to describe the reigns of the first seven kings of Rome; all who influence the formation and governance of Rome in some way. However, of the seven kings in early Roman history, King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius achieved godlike worship and high esteem from their fellow Romans. While both highly important and respected figures in Rome’s history, the personalities and achievements of King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius are complete opposites of one another. Despite the differences found in each king and of their rule over Rome, both Romulus and Numa Pompilius have a tremendous influence in the prosperity and expansion of Rome in its early days.
...very important title in the Roman Republic including consul, tribune of the people, high commander of the army, and high priest. His success helped gain him favor with the common people. He helped the economy by generating new jobs to solve the unemployment problem. Also, he showed that he cared for the common people by providing grain for those in need. He made friendships with high-ranking people like Crassus who was extremely wealthy and experienced with politics. This helped him to solve his own problems, so the common people would not see weakness in him such as his personal financial troubles. He reformed the calendar and built the Forum Iulium with the money earned from the Gallic Wars. This was his way of giving back to the people and this is why Caesar had their support. With his new support and power he Caesar was able to establish the power Roman Empire.
Bibliography1. "Augustus." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1997 2. Grant, Michael. The World of Rome. New York: Mentor books, 19603. Foster, Genevieve. Augustus Caesar's World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.
Julius Caesar is remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history and credited with arranging the basis for the Roman Empire. Caesar’s military brilliance bought Rome more land and more power, which led into the increase of size and strength of Rome. Caesar’s dictatorship helped the strength in Rome. Julius Caesar was assassinated which lead to a monarchy that was ruled by Octavin. Caesar’s death caused an effect to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Many people today in the 21st century try and follow the greatness of Julius Caesar. The assassination of Julius Caesar was a tragedy with the contributions Caesar made to strengthen Rome’s success.
Trajan was the second of the five good emperors. He was considered Optimus Princeps or “best emperor” because he not only renewed the Titus-Nerva oath of protecting senators’ lives, he also respected the people. For instance, Pliny stated that “Trajan behaved as one of us, just like a private citizen” and so he gained the respect of the roman people. Furthermore, he gained even greater respect from the people as he allowed for freedom of speech. Not only did Trajan have a great relationship with the Roman Senate and people, he also benefited the Empire tremendously. He was able to extend the Roman Empire into Dacia, Arabia, and Parthia and his wars with the Parthian Empire allowed him to take over the areas of Armenia and Mesopotamia. Moreover, Trajan’s campaigns resulted in the largest Roman Empire that the world would see. Trajan also made possible the building of the Alcantara Bridge, making travel easier in the Roman province of Spain. Nerva, Trajan’s predecessor, was unable to benefit the Roman Empire in a great fashion, and so he is considered only a...
...perity to Rome. Romans appreciated his way of maintaining laws and keeping the government organized and efficient.
Across cultures, continents, and worlds, the majority of things within the scope of our very own humanity can be boiled down to two things: those who are dominant, and those who get dominated. Within these statuses lie stories of power struggles, rebellion, the rising and falling of those with influence, and the interconnection between a being with power and the people under his ruling. Through the visual works catered to this subject, we will discuss themes such as the power of immortalization, divinity amongst humans, what it really means to be a ruler, and many other details making up the ever-present, multifaceted relationship between rulers and their subject. With the assistance of the Blanton Museum of Art, I will be able to showcase