Tag: Rome

If Rome had suffered heavily in the war, Carthage was almost ruined. and the peace brought worse disasters still. First, the vast mercenary forces which had been levied, but not yet transported to Sicily, mutinied for not having been paid. And for three years the Carthaginians carried their lives in...

The patricians not only administered the law, the magistrates (consuls) themselves were the only authority who could declare what the law was. The next plebeian demand therefore was for a published written code. In 451 BC a commission of ten men, the Decemviri, was appointed as a temporary governme...

The Ancient Roman Empire is renowned for its military prowess and engineering marvels, and one of the most iconic war machines from that era was the catapult. This formidable invention played a crucial role in shaping the outcomes of battles, and its engineering principles have left a lasting legacy...

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The Roman Empire, one of the most influential civilizations in human history, was shaped by the reigns of its emperors. From Augustus to Justinian, these rulers governed an empire that stretched across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. They were not only political and military leaders but a...

The Punic Wars is the generally used term for the lengthy conflict between the two main centres of power in the western Mediterranean, Rome and Carthage. Carthage was originally a Phoenician colony. The Latin name for a Phoenician is 'Poenus' which leads to our English adjective 'Punic'. Carthage Th...

Lectures The Geography of ItalyThe EtruscansThe Roman RepublicRoman Expansion and the Punic WarsThe Civil WarThe Rise of Julius CasearInstructional Goal: Students will know the major elements of the govenment of the Roman Republic and understand how these impacted the formation of the United States ...

The SenateComitia CuriataComitia CenturiataComitia TributaConcilium PlebisThe Senate had roughly 300 members. In the very early days of Roman history entry to the senate was by birth or rank. Later it was the consuls who nominated new members to the senate. Plebeians gained entry in the course of th...

With Clodius reduced in power and influence, the senate was stirring again, seeking to gain back some power from the three triumvirs. So in 56 BC a meeting was held at Luca in Cisalpine Gaul by the three men, determined to hold onto their privileged position. The result of the meeting was that Pompe...

In 54 BC Pompey's young wife had died and with her death had disappeared the personal link between him and his father-in-law Caesar. Crassus had started for the east to take up governorship of Syria. Meanwhile Pompey did little. He simply watched with growing jealousy the successive triumphs of Caes...

The Latin words res publica which mean 'commonwealth' or 'state' is the source of today's term 'republic'.Rome was never a democracy as we would understand it today, nor as the Greeks understood it. For Roman society and the power within it was firmly divided by class.Most obviously, there was a div...

Tiberius and his brother Gaius Gracchus were to be two men who should become famous, if not infamous, for their struggle for the lower classes of Rome.They themselves though originated from Rome's very elite. Their father was a consul and military commander and their mother was from the distinguishe...