Week 6 Overview and Assignment / Chapter 5 on the Roman Empire
Welcome to the Roman Republic
(Chapter 5)
Two sides of a Roman Republican coin made during Julius Caesar's reign
On the left is a profile of Juno, Roman goddess of the hearth. On the left is Aeneas
carrying his father, Anchises, from the burning city of Troy -- a key scene in the
creation myth of the Roman people and Republic.
Want to learn the backstory? Look for The Aeneid, by Vergil. It's in our LAVC library.
It's good to have you here.
Chapter Learning Objectives
After reading and studying this chapter, students should be able to:
- Identify Roman values and their role in family, religion, and public life.
- Explain the transition from monarchy to republic.
- Analyze the reasons for and consequences of Roman imperialism.
- Explain the civil wars and the end of the Roman Republic.
From the Hellenistic World to the Roman Republic - 753-44 b.c.e.
On the Italian peninsula, on hills overlooking a fertile plain and the Tiber River, a new city-state emerged whose citizens became masters of the world. Hardworking and serious, the Romans valued family and city above all else.
After a period of monarchy, Romans developed a new form of government, the republic, in which both rich and poor citizens participated. Rome then turned outward, conquering the Italian peninsula before turning to the Mediterranean. Military success strengthened Rome with wealth and slaves and brought the influence of Hellenistic culture to the city.
Unfortunately, the republican form of government degenerated into power struggles and violence. Nonetheless, Rome left its mark on Western civilization in the form of laws, technology, and a way of life. Nor was Roman culture at an end, as we see when Augustus Caesar comes to power and ushers in 500 years of further Roman rule under the Roman Empire.
This chapter is the first of two on the civilization of the Romans. All Roman civilization is traditionally divided into two parts -- the Republic (510 b.c.e. - 44 b.c.e.) and the Empire (44 b.c.e. - 476 c.e.). Note this chronology: it will help you better understand Roman history.
Some Common Misconceptions About the History We'll Be Exploring
1.
A common confusion is the terms used for the different eras of Roman history, particularly when used to discuss the empire. Most of the territory acquired by Rome was conquered while it was still a republic. Even though the republic was essentially running an empire, Rome at this time is usually still known as the Roman republic. Generally, but not always, historians use the term “Roman Empire” to refer to the era in which Rome was officially governed by an emperor.
"But weren't the Romans immoral, given to bacchanals and orgies?" The image of Romans feasting to excess is common in Hollywood films, but in reality, that kind of decadence was beyond the means of the average Roman. Morality was very important to Roman culture and that Romans valued and admired those who demonstrated moral virtue. Roman definitions of morality and virtue are, of course, not the same as our modern definitions, but in order to understand the history of Rome, students must understand that Romans thought of themselves as a civilization based on morality. Slavery, for example, was not considered immoral by Romans, but part of the natural order determined by the gods.
"But how free could Rome be if it was run by dictators, like Pompey and Caesar?" In the Roman constitution, a dictator held a legal office. Dictators were chosen by the Senate in times of crisis and were given total power for a limited amount of time. Once the crisis was resolved, the dictator was expected to return power to the Senate and the consuls. This happened several times during the Roman republic. “Cincinnatus," a sort of George Washington for the Romans, was a Roman farmer who was tilling a field when Roman leaders came to ask him if he would defend the Republic against an invading army. That is, would he become, temporarily, the dictator of Rome. He instantly dropped his plow, won the war, and ---- returned dutifully to his plow. He might have toppled the Roman government but he didn't. Contrast his behavior with that of Sulla and Julius Caesar, both of whom took the post of dictator but refused to give it up.
Read
For Week-6, carefully read in our textbook, The Making of the West, all of Chapter 5 in the Hunt text.
Discuss
Go to the Discussion Forum for Week 6 and complete this week's Discussion.
The Quiz
Finally, please take the Chapter-3 Quiz for this week in the Week-3 module (you are in it now). It is over all of chapter 3. You can take it two times, and each time you do, you will have 30 minutes to complete it.
Optional Extra Credit (Grab it!)
If you wish to do the optional extra credit work, look for the extra credit content item in the Week-6 Module. Read the instructions carefully -- all of them! Then impress us with your work. This work is OPTIONAL.
The Deadline
As ever, the deadline for all of your work (except your Initial Discussion post) is
Sunday, before 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Note this well.