A Brief History of the Romans

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

• ISBN13: 9780195187151
• ISBN10: 0195187156
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

How did a single village community in the Italian peninsula eventually become one of the mightiest imperial powers the world has ever known? This question is the focus of A Brief History of the Romans, an abbreviated version of the highly acclaimed The Romans: From Village to Empire by Mary T.Boatwright, Daniel J. Gargola, and Richard J.A. Talbert. This shorter version lucidly unfolds Rome's remarkable evolution through monarchy, republic, and then an empire that, at its height, stretched from Scotland to Iraq and the Nile Valley. Concise narrative integrates the political, military, social, and cultural landmarks of over 1,500 years--fromthe early struggles against Etruscans, Samnites, and Gauls to the sack of Rome by Alaric and his Visigoths. The book gives readers a basic yet engaging introduction to Roman history and society. It is an ideal text for courses on Ancient civilization, Roman civilization, or Roman history. FEATURES * Fourteen boxes featuring excerpts from writings by Romans themselves * Extensive variety of photos and illustrations, all with detailed captions; twenty-four custom-drawn maps of the city of Rome, Italy, the Mediterranean, and the wider Roman world * Narrative enlivened by such fascinating individuals as Hannibal, Mithridates, Pompey, Caesar, Cleopatra, Augustus, Livia, Nero, Trajan, Shapur, and Constantine * Selective, up-to-date recommendations for further reading; timeline of key events; glossary of Latin terms

Author Biography

Mary T. Boatwright is Professor of Ancient History in the Department of Classical Studies at Duke University. She is the author of Hadrian and the Cities of the Roman Empire (2000) and Hadrian and the City of Rome (1987).
Daniel J. Gargola is Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and the author of Lands, Laws, and Gods: Magistrates and Ceremony in the Regulation of Public Lands in Republican Rome (1995).
Richard J.A. Talbert is Kenan Professor of History and Classics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A past president of the Association of Ancient Historians, he is the author of The Senate of Imperial Rome (1984) and editor of the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (2000).

Table of Contents

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