Chronicle of the Roman Republic The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus

by Matyszak, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780500051214
• ISBN10: 0500051216
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-06-17
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Summary

The Roman Republic was one of the most civilized societies in the ancient world, ruled by elected officials whose power was checked by a constitution so well crafted that it inspired the founding fathers of the United States of America. Here Philip Matyszak describes fifty-seven of the foremost Romans of the Republic, spanning the centuries from its birth to its bloody death and including the best and the worst of the Roman elite: Licinius Crassus, a kind father and loving husband who crucified slaves by the thousands, or Cato the Censor, upright and incorruptible, xenophobic and misogynistic. Supported by a wealth of pictorial and archaeological detail, these personal histories provide an overview of the development and expansion of Rome, encompassing foreign and civil wars as well as social strife and key legislation. The biographies are supplemented by time lines, data files, and special features that highlight different aspects of Roman culture and society.

Table of Contents

Preface: Republican Virtues	6	(2)
Introduction: The Rise of Rome	8	(4)
The Principal Sources	12	(1)
Offices of the Roman Constitution	13	(1)
The Age of Kings 753--509 BC	14	(32)
Special Features
The Palatine	19	(2)
The Vestal Virgins	21	(3)
Early Roman Religion	24	(4)
Early Enemies of Rome	28	(6)
The Etruscans	34	(12)
Founders of the Republic 509--264 BC	46	(30)
Special Features
A Roman Triumph	50	(15)
The Twelve Tables	65	(8)
Roman Roads	73	(3)
Romans of the Mid--Republic 264--100 BC	76	(68)
Special Features
The Early Roman Army	80	(7)
Death and the Romans	87	(1)
The Romans at Sea	88	(7)
Hannibal	95	(15)
Roman Farms	110	(5)
The Influence of Greece	115	(22)
Publicani	137	(7)
The Last Republicans 100--31 BC	144	(88)
Special Features
The Romans at Home	156	(4)
Trade and the Roman Aristocracy	160	(27)
Gladiators	187	(1)
Entertainment	188	(16)
Egypt and Cleopatra	204	(9)
The Conspiracy of Catiline	213	(4)
Ostia	217	(15)
Select Bibliography	232	(3)
Illustration Credits	235	(1)
Index	236