The Romans From Village to Empire

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

• ISBN13: 9780195118766
• ISBN10: 0195118766
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

How did a single village community in the Italian peninsula eventually become one of the most powerful imperial powers the world has ever known? In The Romans: From Village to Empire, Mary T. Boatwright, Daniel Gargola, and Richard J.A. Talbert explore this question as they guide readersthrough a comprehensive sweep of Roman history, ranging from the prehistoric settlements to the age of Constantine. Vividly written and accessible, The Romans traces Rome's remarkable evolution from village, to monarchy, to republic, and eventually to one-man rule by an emperor whose power at its peak stretched from Scotland to Iraq and the Nile Valley. Firmly grounded in ancient literary and materialsources, the book describes and analyzes major political and military landmarks, from the Punic Wars, to Caesar's conquest of Gaul and his crossing of the Rubicon, to the victory of Octavian over Mark Antony, and to Constantine's adoption of Christianity. It also introduces such captivatingindividuals as Hannibal, Mithridates, Pompey, Cicero, Cleopatra, Augustus, Livia, Nero, Marcus Aurelius, and Shapur. The authors cover issues that still confront modern states worldwide, including warfare, empire building, consensus forging, and political fragmentation. They also integrate glimpsesof many aspects of everyday Roman life and perspective--such as the role of women, literature, entertainment, town-planning, portraiture, and religion--demonstrating how Rome's growth as a state is inseparable from its social and cultural development. Ideal for courses in Roman history and Roman civilization, The Romans is enhanced by almost 100 illustrations, more than 30 maps (most produced by the Ancient World Mapping Center), and 22 textual extracts that provide fascinating cultural observations made by ancient Romans themselves.

Table of Contents

Maps	xv
Figures	xvii
Preface	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxv
Notes to the Reader	xxvii
Early Italy
Italy and the Mediterranean World	1	(3)
The Evidence	4	(2)
Italy Before the City	6	(1)
The Iron Age in Etruria, Latium, and Campania	7	(3)
Greeks and Phoenicians in the Central Mediterranean	9	(1)
The Rise of Cities	10	(15)
Beginning of Writing	12	(1)
Appearance of an Elite	12	(4)
Cities and Monumental Architecture	16	(4)
Warfare in the Orientalizing and Archaic Periods	20	(3)
Social and Economic Organization	23	(2)
Greeks and Etruscans	25	(7)
Greek Cities of Southern Italy and Sicily	26	(2)
Etruscans	28	(4)
Rome's First Centuries
Emergence of an Urban Community	32	(5)
The Romans and Their Early History	37	(3)
Dates of Rome's Kings According to Varro	38	(1)
Plutarch, Romulus 11	39	(1)
Rome Under the Kings	40	(5)
Rome and the Latins	45	(3)
The Early Republic	48	(10)
Beginning of the Republic	48	(3)
Rome and Its Neighbors in the Fifth Century	51	(2)
Struggle of the Orders	53	(5)
Rome and Italy in the Fourth Century
Fall of Veii and the Sack of Rome	58	(1)
The City and Its Institutions in the Fourth Century	59	(16)
Officials	60	(3)
Senate	63	(4)
Assemblies of Citizens	67	(2)
Servius Tullius' Creation of the Census (Livy)	69	(2)
Roman Assemblies	71	(1)
The City, Its Gods, and Its Priests	71	(2)
The Roman Games (Dionysius of Halicarnassus)	73	(2)
Rome and Central Italy	75	(11)
Warfare and the Civic Order	75	(2)
Rome in Latium and Campania	77	(7)
Samnite Wars	84	(2)
Expansion of Roman Hegemony in Italy	86	(8)
Wars in Central and Northern Italy	87	(1)
Conquest of the South	88	(6)
War and the Roman State	94	(3)
The Beginnings of a Mediterranean Empire
Sources	97	(1)
The Nobility and the City of Rome	98	(6)
Triumph of Scipio Africanus (Appian)	101	(3)
Wars with Carthage	104	(15)
First Punic War (264--241)	105	(6)
Second Punic War (218--201)	111	(5)
Romans Vow of 217 (Livy)	116	(3)
A Mediterranean Empire	119	(17)
Governors, Provinces, and Empire	120	(3)
Spain	123	(4)
Greece and Asia Minor	127	(6)
Slave Trade on Delos (Strabo)	133	(1)
North Africa	134	(2)
Italy and Empire
Senators, Officials, and Citizen Assemblies	136	(4)
Italy and the Consequences of Empire	140	(13)
Changing Relations Between Rome, Its Municipia, and Allies	141	(3)
Roman and Italian Elites	144	(2)
Scipio Africanus' Army Loots Carthago Nova (Polybius and Livy)	146	(3)
Demographic and Economic Changes	149	(4)
Roman Politics from the Mid-Second Century	153	(13)
Scipio Aemilianus	154	(2)
Tiberius Gracchus	156	(2)
The Background to Tiberius Gracchus' Land Proposal (Appian)	158	(2)
Gaius Gracchus	160	(6)
Italy Threatened, Enfranchised, Divided
War with Jugurtha (112--105)	166	(4)
Italy Threatened from the North (113--101)	170	(1)
Changes in the Roman Army	171	(1)
Marius' Career in Roman Politics	171	(2)
Marius' Bid for the Consulship (Sallust)	172	(1)
Sixth Consulship of Marius and Second Tribunate of Saturninus (100)	173	(3)
Administration of the Provinces	176	(3)
Tribunate of Livius Drusus (91)	179	(1)
Social War (91--87)	180	(3)
Tribunate of Sulpicius Rufus (88)	183	(2)
Sulla's First March on Rome (88)	185	(2)
Cinna's Rule (87--84)	187	(2)
Sulla's Second March on Rome (83--82)	189	(4)
The Domination of Sulla and Its Legacy
Sulla's Proscriptions (82--81)	193	(1)
Sulla the Dictator and His Program (82--81)	194	(6)
Senate	194	(3)
Tribunate	197	(1)
Equites, Courts	197	(1)
Citizens	197	(2)
Governors	199	(1)
Verdicts on Sulla's Program	200	(4)
Cicero's Defense of Sextus Roscius	201	(3)
Lepidus' Rising and Its Aftermath (78--77)	204	(1)
Challenge from Sertorius in Spain (80--73)	205	(2)
Pompey's Letter from Spain (Sallust)	206	(1)
Spartacus' Slave Revolt (73--71)	207	(1)
Consulship of Crassus and Pompey (70)	208	(1)
Roman Women	209	(2)
Pompey Frees the Mediterranean of Pirates (67)	211	(2)
Threat from King Mithridates VI of Pontus	213	(2)
Sulla's Campaign Against Mithridates (87--85)	215	(1)
Lucullus' Struggle with Mithridates (74--67)	216	(2)
Pompey's Defeat of Mithridates (66--63)	218	(1)
Roles of Crassus and Cicero in Rome (65--63)	219	(2)
Catiline's Rising (63--62)	221	(4)
End of the Republic: Caesar's Dictatorship
Sources	225	(1)
Pompey's Return from the East (62)	225	(2)
Pompey and Political Stalemate in Rome	227	(6)
Partnership of Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar	233	(1)
Caesar's First Consulship (59)	234	(2)
Clodius' Tribunate (58)	236	(2)
Cicero's Recall and the Renewal of the Triumvirate (57--56)	238	(1)
Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul (58--51)	239	(3)
Death of Clodius and Pompey's Sole Consulship (52)	242	(2)
Prospect of Civil War (51--49)	244	(2)
Causes and Consequences of Caesar Crossing the Rubicon (January 49)	246	(2)
Cicero's Governorship of Cilicia (51--50)	248	(3)
Civil War Campaigns (49--45)	251	(3)
Caesar's Activity as Dictator (49--44)	254	(4)
Caesar's Impact upon the City of Rome	258	(3)
Political Prospects for Rome, and for Caesar	261	(6)
Augustus and the Transformation of the Roman World
Reactions to the Assassination of Caesar (44--43)	267	(4)
Emergence of a Second Triumvirate (43)	271	(2)
Battle of Philippi (42)	273	(4)
Laudatio Turiae	274	(3)
Perusine War (41--40)	277	(1)
Elimination of Sextus Pompey and Lepidus (39--36)	278	(1)
Antony in the East (42 onwards)	279	(5)
Clash Between Antony and Octavian (36--30)	284	(4)
Octavian as Sole Ruler (30 Onwards)	288	(3)
``The Republic Restored''	291	(1)
Second Settlement (23)	292	(1)
Latin Literature in the Late Republic and Augustan Age	293	(2)
Succession	295	(4)
The Julio-Claudian Family	296	(3)
Senate and Equites	299	(2)
Army	301	(3)
The Empire and Its Expansion	304	(5)
Oath of Loyalty	304	(5)
City of Rome	309	(3)
Attitudes Outside Rome	312	(1)
Res Gestae of Augustus	313	(2)
Augustus: Final Assessment	315	(2)
The Early Principate (A.D. 14--69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68-69, and Life in the Early Empire
Sources	317	(1)
The Julio-Claudian Emperors: Civil Government and Military Concerns	318	(2)
Tiberius (14--37)	320	(4)
Senatorial Decree Concerning the Elder Gnaeus Piso	323	(1)
Gaius (Caligula) (37--41)	324	(4)
Claudius (41--54)	328	(4)
Claudius' Speech on the Admission of Gauls to the Senate	329	(3)
Nero (54--68)	332	(3)
Civil War in 68--69	335	(2)
Economic and Social Change	337	(1)
Army	338	(1)
Economy	339	(1)
Intellectual Life	340	(1)
``Beneficial Ideology''	341	(1)
Cities and Provinces	342	(3)
Diversity: Women, Local Languages, and Culture	345	(2)
Religious Practices and Principles	347	(3)
Imperial Cult	350	(3)
Institutionalization of the Principate: Military Expansion and Its Limits, the Empire and the Provinces (69--138)
Sources	353	(1)
Institutionalization of the Principate	354	(3)
Vespasian (69--79)	357	(5)
Titus (79--81)	362	(1)
Domitian (81--96)	362	(2)
A New, Better Era?	364	(1)
Nerva (96--98)	365	(2)
Trajan (98--117)	367	(6)
Hadrian (117--138)	373	(6)
The Antonine Family	375	(3)
Hadrian Inspects Troops at Lambaesis, Numidia	378	(1)
Roman Cities and the Empire's Peoples	379	(2)
Theaters and Processions	381	(2)
Circuses and Chariot Racing	383	(3)
The Amphitheater, and Gladiatorial Games	386	(2)
Other Urban Amenities	388	(2)
Education	390	(1)
State Religion and Imperial Cult	391	(2)
Italy and the Provinces: Civil and Military Affairs (138--235)
Sources	393	(1)
Antoninus Pius (138--161)	394	(1)
Marcus Aurelius (161--180) and Lucius Verus (161--169)	395	(10)
A Greek Provincial Praises Roman Citizenship	396	(3)
Morbidity and Mortality in the Roman Empire	399	(6)
Commodus (176--192, Sole Augustus after 180)	405	(1)
Septimius Severus (193--211)	406	(7)
The Severan Family	407	(2)
Deification Ceremonies for Pertinax in Septimius Severus' Rome	409	(4)
Caracalla (198--217, Sole Augustus after 211)	413	(1)
Macrinus (217--218)	414	(1)
Elagabalus (218--222)	414	(1)
Severus Alexander (222--235)	415	(1)
Roman Law	416	(5)
Roman Citizenship	421	(4)
Grant of Roman Citizenship (Tabula Banasitana)	422	(3)
Rome and Christianity	425	(6)
Pliny, Trajan, and Christians	427	(4)
The Third Century, the Dominate, and Constantine
Sources	431	(1)
Mid-Third Century	432	(5)
Aurelian (270--275)	437	(1)
Diocletian, the Tetrarchy, and the Dominate (284--305)	438	(9)
The Tetrarchs Introduce their Edict on Maximum Prices	445	(2)
Dissolution of the Tetrarchy (305--313), and the Rise of Constantine (306--324)	447	(7)
Galerius' Edict of Toleration (Lactantius)	450	(4)
Constantine and the Empire	454	(5)
Timeline	459	(20)
Glossary	479	(12)
Principal Ancient Authors	491	(8)
Art Credits	499	(2)
Index	501	(12)
Gazetteer	513