I. The Paradoxial Republic : The Capital of the World Flashcards
What hid behind the idealised vision of Rome?
Rome had the reputation of an old and disorganised city amidst it’s foreign subjet states/cities. Rome appeared a backward and ramshackle
place, with her hills and deep valleys, her attics teetering over the streets, her hopeless
roads, her cramped back-alleys, Filth and rotting corpses, degradation..
Which values were important to the people of the Roman Republic?
Tradition, pride, community. They longed to preserve the past.
Aventine Hill
On the far side of
Rome’s southernmost valley. This was where immigrants would invariably end up, an area where new arrivals congregate by instinct, drawn
to one another’s company and shared confusion.
Palatine Hill
Of all Rome’s seven hills,
however, the Palatine was the most exclusive by far. Here the city’s elite chose to cluster. Only the very, very rich could afford the prices.
What’s the story of Rome’s first king Romulus, and his twin, Remus ?
According to the legend, both brothers had decided to found a city, but they could not agree where, nor what name it should have. Romulus had
stood on the Palatine, Remus on the Aventine, both of them waiting for a sign from the gods. Remus had seen six vultures flying overhead, but
Romulus had seen twelve. Taking this as incontrovertible proof of divine
backing, Romulus had promptly fortified the Palatine and named the new city after himself. Remus, in a fury of jealousy and resentment, had ended up murdered by his brother in a brawl. This had irrevocably fixed the two
hills’ destinies. From that moment on, the Palatine would be for winners, the Aventine for losers.
