Flysheet for Roman Republic and Empire: Chapter 7



I. The foundations of Roman society and state.
A. Etruscan monarchical period; leads to Roman fear of monarchical rule. Etruscan legacy to Roman culture.
B. Geography as a factor in shaping Roman economy: agriculture. And as a factor in Roman militarism.
C. Roman political institutions during Etruscan period: king, assembly, senate. What were their powers?

II. The early Republic.
A. overthrow of Etruscan monarchy, 500 BC, and beginning of militarism, expansion: by 265 BC Rome rules Italian Peninsula.
B. social consequences of military policy? cultural consequences?
C. patricians and plebeians; what were sources of discontent?
D. the 12 Tables, 450 BC. two centuries of class conflict lead to plebe political power and triumph of Assembly: 494-287 BC. But the state is still despotic: in what ways?
E. Roman religion: state gods. Compare/contrast to Greeks and Greek attitude to religion. The individual and the Roman state?

III. Expansion beyond Italy.
A. Carthage; Punic Wars 264-146 BC
1. causes?
2. Sicily?
3. Hannibal?
4. Fate of Carthage?
B. Carthaginian (Punic) Wars lead to wars against Hellenistic kingdoms.
1. cultural consequences of Hellenistic wars?
2. social problems created by conquest?
3. the slave state.

IV. Social conflict and attempts at resolution.
A. Spartacus
B. The Brothers Gracchi, Tiberius and Gaius: reforms?
C. The military enters: Marius, Sulla; Pompey and Julius Caesar. Significance of each?
D. Crossing the Rubicon?
E. Assassination of Julius leads to civil wars: Marc Anthony and Octavian vs. Brutus + Cassius = M. Anthony vs. Octavian = Principate of Octavian known as Caesar Augustus, 31 BC - 14 AD, beginning of Empire period.
F. Principate of Octavian Augustus: policy?

V. Roman culture after conquest of Hellenistic kingdoms of Egypt (Ptolemaic), Syria (Seleudic); and Greece-Macedonia (Antigone).
A. Epicureanism
B. Stoicism
C. Roman attitude toward science and technology? Why wasn't technological improvement a consideration?
D. Roman achievements in art, architecture, road construction, aqueducts, and Law.
E. Roman Law. The three divisions:
1. civil law
2. law of the peoples
3. natural law.
What did each constitute?

VI. The Pax Romansus, Octavian to M. Aurelius, 31 BC - 180 AD: two centuries of peace.
A. The five good emperors of Pax Romanus: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius, the Philosopher (stoic) emperor who wrote "The Meditations," a book on stoic philosophy.
B. Place of women in Roman society.
C. Gladiatorial combats (Roman cultural equivalent to the dramatic theater of the Greeks.)

VII. The Decline of Rome.
A. Causes? economic, political, military. No system of succession.
B. The "Barracks Emperors."?
C. Neo-Platonism as an expression of Roman worry, insecurity and troubles advocating withdrawal, contemplation, abandonment of material world of doing, acting, participating, which is seen as purposeless. Founded Plotinus, d. 270 AD, an Egyptian Greek.

VIII. Roman contributions to civilization.


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