Municipia in the Early Roman Period

Question 1

Municipia

Answer 1

Roman cities that existed before the colonies. sometimes Rome granted this status to subject cities. citizens here had Roman citizen rights, but they could not vote. Romanization process was encouraged by doing this and by colonizing. the vast majority of the communities were governed by aristocratic or oligarchic landowning elites.
by around 265 BC Italy had become a patchwork of states and regions that stood in different relations and was bound to Rome in different ways. there was a Roman heartland, the area of the former Latin city states, coloniae Latinae, municipia, allies. this system worked well for Rome.

Question 2

military characters of Roman society

Answer 2

early wars were minor skirmished and plunderings that were fought in season. Romans saw warfare as an ordinary sideline and a lucrative extra income. military fame for the elite was a chief status symbol and they also benefitted the most from the booty. this warmongering gave way to heroic stories and legends that shaped Roman mentality.
valid reasons for war were attack on Roman territory, aggression towards an ally, violence against Roman ambassadors. Warfare did not go against religious principles.
war was a form of defence and later became preventive action.

Question 3

the struggle of the orders

Answer 3

happened between c. 500-287 BC. patrician aristocracy had seized power in Rome and their clients and friends supported them but many non-patricians did not.
those plebeians started to oppose the aristocratic, patrician, governing families. plebeians were not a clearly define social group as such. the rich plebeians wanted to be admitted to the governing elites and the poor wanted to be acquitted from the harsh debt laws. all of them demanded that the main laws be written down, arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates be checked and the plebeians’ assembly be recognized as an official popular assembly. their assembly was led by tribuni plebis, aediles. the middle ranks of plebeians formed the backbone of the army and thanks to that their demands were to be heard.

Question 4

history of the struggle of the orders

Answer 4

during the struggle the conflict could reach quite critical levels. most of the time the plebeians refused to participate in the armies, the patricians ended up making political concessions. the ‘social relief’ was effective between 350-270 BC.
most important concessions were as follows:
1. 494 BC: recognition of the tribunes as the official champions of the plebeians.
2. 451 BC: first codification of a number of laws in the Twelve Tablets (basis of Roman civil law)
3. 367 BC: the Leges Liciniae Sextiae admitted wealthy plebeians to the highest administrative office (consulship). the praetorship was created.
4. 287 BC: the Lex Hortensia recognition of the Concilium Plebis as an official popular assembly. Comitia Tributa was also created. organization based on districts.