Chapter 2 Flashcards
Story of the foundation of Rome
- In the mythical city of Alba Longa the king Numitor, was deposed by his brother
Amulius, who forced Numitor’s daughter Rhea Silvia to become a virgin
priestess of the goddess Vesta - But the god Mars made her pregnant and she gave birth to twin Romulus and
Remus - Amulius tried to drown them in the Tiber but the basket carrying them washed
ashore at the foot of palatine hill - A she-wolf suckled them and a shepherd rescued them
- When they grew up they overthrew Amulius
- Remus was eventually killed and Romulus became Rome’s sole founder and the
first of 7 kings
Was monarchy hereditary?
No, each king had to establish his right to rule
How did romans associate their kings
they associated them with leadership in wat, the construction of temples and buildings, the performance of religious rites, and the granting of judgements in legal disputes
what linked the cities of Latium
a shared identity
struggle of the orders
o Access to magistracies because after the expulsion of a king leading
families often tried to monopolize the new offices in their communities
o Ability of officials to punish at will
o Role of magistrates and citizen assemblies - Ability of assemblies to
choose officeholders freely and to make laws requiring or forbidding
certain actions by magistrates
Patricians
o Wealthy, powerful families
o Privileges ensured their leadership
o Exclusive right to hold high office under the Republic
o Exclusive rights over religious life of Rome
Plebeians
o Individuals with a range of statuses and roles in the city
o Some weren’t even poor but most were
o Not unified in their concerns
o Main weapon was the “secession”
o A strike where plebeian members of an army would withdraw to a hill
outside of Rome, choose their own leaders, and refuse to cooperate with
the magistrates of the city until their grievances had been addressed
what was the plebeians first major gain
the right to choose their own leaders, the tribune of plebs
What were the wide variety of functions the tribune of plebs held
o Protecting individuals
o Blocking official actions they considered improper
o Convening the senate
o Proposing legislation
Roma religion is intertwined with what
its public institutions, social groups and settlements
households contained shrines to who
the lares and the penates
The pontiffs
o Exercised general supervision and gave their opinions on whether a
ritual had been performed properly
o They supervised the calendar and identified the days when it was
permissible for magistrates to conduct public business or hold
assemblies
o Started with 3 pontiffs and went to 9 including plebeians and then 15
o Pontiffs served for life so when one died the surviving pontiffs chose a
new one
o Seventeen of the tribes, chosen by lot, elected the pontiff maximus from
among the serving pontiffs
The Augurs
o Auspices essential to an official’s power
o Expert in its proper form and in the interpretation of its results
o Possessed knowledge of the rituals necessary to inaugurate certain
places
o 3 augurs, then 9, then 15 including plebeians
who is vesta
the roman goddess of the hearth
how many vestal virgins performed the rites of Vesta
6 vestal vrigins
Who tended to the sacred flame
women
what was the center for female religious activities
temple of the fortune of women
what resulted in the formation of a new governing elite for rome in theird, second and first cents
Opening of offices and priesthoods to plebeians
what was central
officeholding
creation of a hierarchy of positions from lowest to highest
quaestor, tribune of the plebs, aedile, praetor, consul
who took on a leading role
the senate
what came to be seen as praiseworthy
skills in public speaking and law
how did the romans see christianity
as a sect of Judaism
what was the imperial cult tied to
military and political power
who had a temple for himself authorized by the senate and later a shrine was established where his body was cremated
Julius Caesar
regal period in order
- Romulus 753-715BC
- Numa Pompilius 715-673BC
- Tullus Hostilius 673-642
- Ancus Marcus 642-617
- Lucius Tarquinius Priscus 616-579
- Servius Tullius 578-535
- Lucius Tarquinius Superbus 535-510
average reign in the regal period
35 years
who founded the city, laws and asylum
romulus
Tarquinius Superbus
Oh these evil women! Tullia the younger (daughter of previous king)
Tullia kills her own father and her sister and husband so that she and
Tarquinius can rule
Ambition, double murder of husband and sister
Patricide
The tyrant and his sons
Lucretia is the perfect wife- sextus Tarquinius rapes her and she kills herself-
her husband and father are so mad that they expel the tyrant and his family
and rome will never be ruled by a king again
Rome becomes a republic where two consuls are annually elected
who is the living symbol of the state
the king
how was the king elected
by senate and populous
What are the three tribes
Ramnes, Tities, Luceres
Who is the head of the household
the oldest male
hierarchial association of housemates
spirits of the ancestors, cognati, clients,
freedmen, slaves
