Chapter Summary

On the Italian peninsula, on hills overlooking a fertile plain and the Tiber River, a new city-state emerged whose citizens became masters of the world. Hardworking and serious, the Romans valued family and city above all else. After a period of monarchy, Romans developed a new form of government, the republic, in which both rich and poor citizens participated. Rome then turned outward, conquering the Italian peninsula before turning to the Mediterranean. Military success strengthened Rome with wealth and slaves and brought the influence of Hellenistic culture to the city. Unfortunately, the republican form of government degenerated into power struggles and violence. Nonetheless, Rome left its mark on Western civilization in the form of laws, technology, and a way of life.

Chapter Outline

1. The Rise of Rome, 753 - 265 B.C.
   Founded in the eighth century B.C., Rome was ruled by Etruscans and experienced a period of monarchy before the republic emerged.
   1. A Great City is Founded
      1. Geography
   2. The Etruscan Influence
   3. The Roman Monarchy, ca. 753 - 509 B.C.
      
      1. Overthrow of Etruscans
   4. Governing an Emerging Republic
      
      1. Struggle of Orders
      2. Governing the Republic
   5. Informal Governance: Patrons and Clients
      
      1. Clients' Role
   6. Dominating the Italian Peninsula
      
      1. Italian Wars
      2. Foreign policy
2. Family Life and City Life
   The Romans valued piety and moral seriousness and made the family the center of urban social life.
   1. A Pious, Practical People
   2. Loyalty to the Family
      
      1. Marriage patterns
   3. The Challenges of Childhood
      
      1. Child-rearing practices
   4. Life in the City
      
      1. Life in the Forum
      2. Diet
3. Expansion and Transformation, 265 - 133 B.C.
   The success of Rome's army eventually brought changes, positive and negative, to Roman society.
   1. The Romans' Victorious Army
      
      1. Weapons and discipline
   2. Wars of the Mediterranean
      
      1. First Punic War
      2. New Roman navy
      3. Second Punic War
      4. Third Punic War
      5. Eastern conquests
   3. An Influx of Slaves
      
      1. Slave occupations
      2. Slave revolts
   4. Economic Disparity and Social Unrest
      
      1. New poverty
4. The Hellenizing of the Republic
   Republican armies conquered some of the great Hellenistic cultural centers, which brought an influx of Hellenistic ways to Rome.
                 1. Resisting Change
   1. Roman Engineering: Fusing Utility and Beauty
      
      1. Engineering
      2. Aqueducts
   2. Concrete: A New Building Material
      
      1. Pantheon
   3. Latin Comedy and the Great Prose Writers, 240 - 44 B.C.
      
      1. Cicero
      2. Caesar's writings
5. The Twilight of the Republic, 133 - 44 B.C.
   An economic downturn, which some leaders tried to prevent with reforms, led to a decay in the political life of the Roman republic, as political murder and dictatorship became common.
   1. The Reforms of the Gracchi, 133 - 123 B.C.
      
      1. Tiberius's Reforms
      2. Gaius's Reforms
   2. Populares vs. Optimates: The Eruption of Civil Wars, 123 - 46 B.C.
      
      1. Marius
      2. Sulla
      3. First Triumvirate
   3. Julius Caesar, 100 - 44 B.C.
      
      1. Civil War
      2. Political Titles
      3. Conspiracy
      4. Caesar's Murder

The Chapter in Perspective

      The Republic of Rome, with its emphasis on family and city, rose to dominate the Mediterranean in the period from 509 B.C. until the death of Caesar in 44 B.C. By the end of this period, the citizen farmer-soldiers who had laid the foundations of the republic had been replaced by slave gangs working on large estates and a standing professional army. Political violence and power struggles now tore at the fabric of Roman society, a departure from the earlier tradition of emphasizing the ties between citizens. Romans turned away from their own legends and stories and began to value Greek models of beauty and individualism. The death of Caesar marked the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire. Although interpretations of his rule vary, his murder solved none of the political problems of Rome. The violence would continue until a new leader established another form of government that would last even longer than the Roman republic.

1. Review the political structure of the Roman Republic. What were its strengths and weaknesses? How did the patron-client system contribute to the strengths and weaknesses of the political system?*
2. After the death of Caesar, one of the major challenges facing Rome was establishing an effective form of government. Given what you have learned about Roman traditions in this chapter, what form of government might be formed? What would be the strengths and weaknesses of any new government?*