A Brief History of the Romans

by Boatwright, Mary T.; Gargola, Daniel J.; Talbert, Richard J. A.

• ISBN13: 9780195187144
• ISBN10: 0195187148
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-01-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

How did a single village in Italy grow to become a world-class imperial power? This introduction, a new and shorter version of the authors' The Romans: From Village to Empire, is an inviting guide to the stages of Rome's remarkable political and military evolution over 1,500 years - through monarchy, republic, and then empire. With extensive illustrations, maps, and excerpts from writings by Romans themselves, this is a book that leaves its readers informed and eager tolearn more.

Table of Contents

Maps	xv
Figures	xvii
Preface	xix
Notes to the Reader	xxi
Early Italy
Italy and the Mediterranean World	1	(3)
Italy Before the City	4	(1)
The Iron Age in Etruria, Latium, and Campania	5	(1)
Greeks and Phoenicians in the Central Mediterranean	6	(1)
The Rise of Cities	6	(6)
Beginning of Writing	7	(1)
Appearance of an Elite	8	(1)
Cities and Monumental Architecture	8	(2)
Warfare in the Orientalizing and Archaic Periods	10	(1)
Social and Economic Organization	11	(1)
Etruscans and Greeks	12	(3)
Rome's First Centuries
Emergence of an Urban Community	15	(4)
The Romans and Their Early History	19	(1)
Box 2.1 Romulus Founds Rome (Plutarch)	19	(1)
Table 2.1 Dates of Rome's Kings According to Varro	20	(1)
Rome Under the Kings	20	(3)
Rome and the Latins	23	(2)
The Early Republic	25	(7)
Beginning of the Republic	25	(3)
Rome and Its Neighbors in the Fifth Century	28	(1)
Struggle of the Orders	28	(4)
Rome and Italy in the Fourth Century
Fall of Veii and the Sack of Rome	32	(1)
The City and Its Institutions in the Fourth Century	33	(11)
Officials	34	(3)
Senate	37	(1)
Assemblies of Citizens	38	(2)
Table 3.1 Roman Assemblies	40	(1)
The City, Its Gods, and Its Priests	41	(1)
Box 3.1 The Roman Games (Dionysius of Halicarnassus)	42	(2)
Roman Dominance in Italy	44	(5)
Warfare and the Civic Order	45	(1)
Rome in Latium and Campania	46	(3)
The Expansion of Roman Dominance	49	(3)
War and the Roman State	52	(2)
The Beginnings of a Mediterranean Empire
The Nobility and the City of Rome	54	(5)
Box 4.1 Triumph of Scipio Africanus (Appian)	57	(2)
Wars with Carthage	59	(8)
First Punic War (264--241)	59	(4)
Second Punic War (218--201)	63	(3)
Box 4.2 Romans Vow a ``Sacred Spring'' (Livy)	66	(1)
A Mediterranean Empire	67	(11)
Governors, Provinces, and Empire	68	(2)
Spain	70	(2)
Greece and Asia Minor	72	(4)
Box 4.3 Slave Trade on Delos (Strabo)	76	(1)
North Africa	77	(1)
Italy and Empire
Senators, Officials, and Citizen Assemblies	78	(4)
Italy and the Consequences of Empire	82	(8)
Changing Relations Between Rome, Its Municipia, and Allies	82	(3)
Roman and Italian Elites	85	(1)
Box 5.1 Scipio Africanus' Army Loots Carthago Nova (Polybius)	85	(2)
Demographic and Economic Changes	87	(3)
Roman Politics from the Mid-Second Century	90	(9)
Scipio Aemilianus	90	(2)
Tiberius Gracchus	92	(3)
Gaius Gracchus	95	(4)
Italy Threatened, Enfranchised, Divided
War with Jugurtha (112--105)	99	(3)
Italy Threatened from the North (113--101)	102	(1)
Changes in the Roman Army	103	(1)
Marius' Career in Roman Politics	104	(2)
Box 6.1 Marius' Bid for the Consulship (Sallust)	104	(2)
Sixth Consulship of Marius and Second Tribunate of Saturninus (100)	106	(1)
Administration of the Provinces	107	(3)
Tribunate of Livius Drusus (91)	110	(1)
Social War (91--87)	111	(1)
Tribunate of Sulpicius Rufus (88)	112	(2)
Sulla's First March on Rome (88)	114	(1)
Cinna's Rule (87--84)	115	(1)
Sulla's Second March on Rome (83--82)	116	(3)
The Domination of Sulla and Its Legacy
Sulla's Proscriptions (82--81)	119	(1)
Sulla the Dictator and His Program (82--81)	120	(2)
Verdicts on Sulla's Program	122	(2)
Box 7.1 Cicero's Defense of Sextus Roscius	123	(1)
Lepidus' Rising and Its Aftermath (78--77)	124	(1)
Challenge from Sertorius in Spain (80--73)	125	(1)
Spartacus' Slave Revolt (73--71)	125	(3)
Consulship of Crassus and Pompey (70)	128	(1)
Roman Women	129	(3)
Pompey Frees the Mediterranean of Pirates (67)	132	(1)
Threat from King Mithridates VI of Pontus	132	(2)
Sulla's Campaign Against Mithridates (87--85)	134	(1)
Lucullus' Struggle with Mithridates (74--67)	134	(1)
Pompey's Defeat of Mithridates (66--63)	135	(2)
Roles of Crassus and Cicero in Rome (65--63)	137	(2)
Catiline's Rising (63--62)	139	(3)
End of the Republic: Caesar's Dictatorship
Pompey's Return from the East (62)	142	(1)
Pompey and Political Stalemate in Rome	143	(2)
Partnership of Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar	145	(1)
Caesar's First Consulship (59)	146	(1)
Clodius' Tribunate (58)	147	(2)
Cicero's Recall and the Renewal of the Triumvirate (57--56)	149	(3)
Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul (58--51)	152	(1)
Death of Clodius and Pompey's sole Consulship (52)	153	(1)
Prospect of Civil War (51--49)	154	(1)
Causes and Consequences of Caesar Crossing the Rubicon (January 49)	155	(2)
Civil War Campaigns (49--45)	157	(3)
Caesar's Activity as Dictator (49--44)	160	(2)
Caesar's Impact upon the City of Rome	162	(3)
Political Prospects for Rome and for Caesar	165	(2)
Augustus and the Transformation of the Roman World
Reactions to the Assassination of Caesar (44--43)	167	(4)
Emergence of a Second Triumvirate (43)	171	(1)
Battle of Philippi (42)	172	(1)
Perusine War (41--40)	173	(1)
Elimination of Sextus Pompey and Lepidus (39--36)	174	(3)
Box 9.1 Laudatio Turiae	175	(2)
Antony in the East (42 onwards)	177	(1)
Clash Between Antony and Octavian (36--30)	178	(2)
Octavian as Sole Ruler (30 onwards)	180	(1)
``The Republic Restored''	181	(2)
Second Settlement (23)	183	(1)
Succession	184	(3)
Table 9.1 The Julio-Claudian Family	185	(2)
Senate and Equites	187	(2)
Army	189	(5)
Box 9.2 Oath of Loyalty	191	(3)
The Empire and Its Expansion	194	(1)
City of Rome	195	(2)
Attitudes Outside Rome	197	(1)
Augustus: Final Assessment	198	(3)
The Early Principate (A.D. 14--69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68--69, and Life in the Early Empire
The Julio-Claudian Emperors: Civil Government and Military Concerns	201	(1)
Tiberius (14--37)	202	(1)
Gaius (Caligula) (37--41)	203	(2)
Claudius (41--54)	205	(2)
Nero (54--68)	207	(4)
Civil War in 68--69	211	(2)
Economic and Social Change: Army	213	(1)
``Beneficial Ideology''	214	(1)
Cities and Provinces	214	(2)
Diversity: Women, Local Languages, and Culture	216	(2)
Religious Practices and Principles	218	(2)
Imperial Cult	220	(2)
Military Expansion and its Limits: the Empire and the Provinces (69--138)
Institutionalization of the Principate	222	(1)
Vespasian (69--79)	223	(2)
Titus (79--81)	225	(1)
Domitian (81--96)	225	(2)
A New, Better Era?	227	(1)
Nerva (96--98)	227	(1)
Trajan (98--117)	228	(7)
Table 11.1 The Antonine Family	234	(1)
Hadrian (117--138)	235	(2)
Box 11.1 Hadrian Inspects Troops at Lambaesis, Numidia	237	(1)
Roman Cities and the Empire's Peoples	237	(2)
Theaters and Processions	239	(2)
Circuses and Chariot Racing	241	(1)
The Amphitheater and Gladiatorial Games	242	(2)
Other Urban Amenities and Education	244	(3)
Italy and the Provinces: Civil and Military Affairs (138--235)
Antoninus Pius (138--161)	247	(1)
Box 12.1 A Greek Provincial Praises Roman Citizenship	248	(1)
Marcus Aurelius (161--180) and Lucius Verus (161--169)	248	(4)
Commodus (176--192, Sole Augustus after 180)	252	(4)
Table 12.1 The Severan Family	255	(1)
Septimius Severus (193--211)	256	(4)
Caracalla (198--217, Sole Augustus after 211)	260	(1)
Macrinus (217--218)	260	(1)
Elagabalus (218--222)	261	(1)
Severus Alexander (222--235)	261	(1)
Roman Law	262	(1)
Roman Citizenship	263	(5)
Box 12.2 Grant of Roman Citizenship (Tabula Banasitana)	264	(4)
Rome and Christianity	268	(5)
Box 12.3 Pliny, Trajan, and Christians	269	(4)
The Third and Fourth Centuries: Changes and Continuities
Mid-Third Century	273	(4)
Aurelian (270--275), Diocletian, and the Tetrarchy (284--305)	277	(3)
Administrative, Military, and Religious Reforms of the Tetrarchy	280	(4)
Dissolution of the Tetrarchy (305--313) and the Rise of Constantine (306--324)	284	(3)
Constantine and the Empire	287	(4)
Cultural Aspects of the Fourth Century	291	(3)
Political and Military Changes	294	(5)
Timeline	299	(4)
Glossary	303	(10)
Art Credits	313	(2)
Index	315	(12)
Gazetteer	327