Rome: Kingship to Republic Flashcards
What did Tarquinius Superbus build?
The Cloaca Maxima (the main sewer – parts of this are still in use in Rome today); forums in the Circus Maximus; the Temple of Jupiter
How did Lucius Tarquinius Superbus come to power (give THREE details)?
1) He killed his brother, the gentle Arruns Tarquinius, under the influence of his sister in law, the ambitious Tullia, whom he then married, having also killed his own wife.
2) He won over the Senate, who were uneasy about Servius Tullius’ census (according to Dionysius)
3) He proclaimed himself king in the Curia and flung Servius down the steps of the senate house; Tullia later ran over his body with her chariot.
Name four tyrannical actions taken by Tarquinius Superbus after he came to power.
1) He refused to bury Servius Tullius
2) He surrounded himself with an armed guard and ruled by fear
3) He reduced the number of the Senate and ignored them
4) He cultivated relations with the Latins to insure his power at home
How did Tarquinius Superbus prove himself to be a cunning strategist?
He sent his son, Sextus, to Gabii where he pretended to be a deserter; having won the confidence of all of the leading men of the city Sextus sent a messenger to ask Superbus what he should do: Superbus said nothing, but chopped the heads off all the tallest poppies in his garden with his stick – Sextus understood, and had all of the leading men in Gabii killed or exiled.
What were the key events at the Battle of Silvia Arsia?
1) Brutus killed Arruns (and died himself)
2) When the fighting against the men of Tarquinii, a voice came from the forest proclaiming that the Romans had won – the Etruscans admitted defeat
What was the significance of the Battle of Regillus (499)?
1) The consuls were suspected of being pro-Tarquin and the restoration of the monarchy, so the first dictator was appointed (Aulus Postumius)
2) The battle was won when the patrician cavalry dismounted to support the plebeian infantry
3) Roman victory finally ended the threat of Tarquinius Superbus’ return
What were the three main conflicts of the ‘Wars of Independence’? (508-499)
1) The Battle of Silvia Arsia (vs Veii and Tarquinii)
2) Lars Porsena’s siege of Rome
3) The Battle of Lake Regillus (vs the Latin League)
Who were the three Roman heroes during Lars Porsena’s siege?
1) Horatius Cocles (defended the bridge on his own allowing others to escape, then destroyed it)
2) Gaius Mucius ‘Scaevola’ (tried to assassinate LP; burnt his right hand off when captured to demonstrate Roman courage)
3) Cloelia (escaped LP by swimming across the Tiber)
What were the roles of Brutus and Publius Valerius at the Battle of Silvia Arsia?
Brutus commanded the cavalry (and was killed in the act of killing Arruns, Superbus’ son); Publius Valerius commanded the infantry.
Who were the first three consuls?
1) Brutus: killed at Silvia Arsia
2) Collatinus: husband of Lucretia; exiled as he had the Tarquin name (nephew of Superbus)
3) Publius Valerius: given the name ‘Publicola’ (friend of the people) as he granted them the right of appeal and ordered the confiscation of the property of anyone who wanted to become king
What was the ‘Lapis Satricanus’ evidence for?
Perhaps for the ‘real’ Publius Valerius: it was found about 27 miles from Rome, dated to around 500 BC, and suggests that he was a powerful man who dedicated a temple to Mars
What were the consequences of the ‘Wars of Independence’ (ie. victory at Lake Regillus)?
1) After the death of Superbus, peace was signed with the Latin League and the Etruscans
2) The patricians felt emboldened to mistreat the plebeians: the need for the plebeian army did not feel so pressing, and they no longer had a common enemy
3) The plebeians rioted as a result of taxation and debts owed to patrician creditors – summed up by the veteran centurion who became a slave through debt
How did the consul Publius Servilius quell the plebeian riots?
He issued an edict that no citizen who served in the army should become a slave through debt, or have his property taken.
Which consul opposed Servilius’ policies by ‘giving the harshest sentences’ to plebeian debtors, and why?
Appius Claudius (1) partly from his ‘innate love of tyranny’ and partly to discredit Servilius
What were the immediate causes of the First Secession (494)?
1) The Senate refused to honour Servilius’ promise
2) The plebeians held secret meetings on the Esquiline and the Aventine to plan sedition (rebellion)
3) Promised protection by the dictator Publius Valerius, the plebeian army win a stunning triple victory with ten legions over the Aequi, the Volsci and the Sabines, the Senate reject his motion again
4) The plebeian soldier Sicinius led the entire plebeian army three miles outside of Rome on strike
How was the First Secession resolved?
The consul Menenius Agrippa (of plebeian origins) made a speech to the camp comparing the patrician senate to the stomach; the plebeains were allowed to elect five tribunes of the people (one of whom was Sicinius)
