The Rise of Rome
...t the state of Rome, and refused to serve in the army until they got what they wanted. So the patricians made important concessions, such as they passed a law called lex Canuleia that said that plebeians and patricians could marry one another. The patricians also let the plebeians elect their own officials, called the tribunes. This was useful because the tribunes could protect the plebeians from arbitrary conduct of patrician magistrates. The patricians took advantage of the plebeians because they did not know the law. So only the patricians could argue cases in court. So the plebeians got the Law of the Twelve Tables that were inscribed on twelve large bronze plaques was the law codified and published and the plebeians wanted. Then came the passage of the Licinian-Sextian rogations. Licinius and Sextus were plebeians that led a 10-year fight for further reform. They joined the poor on assaults on patrician privilege. A law was passed that stipulated that one of the two annual consuls must be a plebeian. But it wasn’t until lex Hortensia that gave the resolutions of the concilium plebes the force of law for patricians and plebeians alike. What were the motives and events that caused Rome to become an expansionist state? Rome was no longer concentrating on its internal affairs, so they could turn their attention to the rest of the world surrounding them. Earlier they had spread their religion through cult, mythology, and drama, and now they wanted to expand politically throughout Italy. They started by establishing a string of colonies throughout Italy, some with Romans living in them, others with Latins occupying them. Rome divided Italy up into two classes; those living near Rome were considered Romans and were giving their benefits of being a citizen. Those who lived further, were considered Italians, and though a treaty they had to treat Romans as allies. Rome was making Italy Roman by making social, political and legal contacts with the allies. Rome got better acquaintance with the heritage, customs and laws of he Italians. Then came the battle with Pyrrhus, which was devastating to his army, many, many deaths. Then came the Punic Wars. What were the cause and results of the Punic Wars? Why did Sicily and Spain become battlegrounds for the Punic wars? What was Hannibal’s military strategy? The first Punic War was fought because Carthage was trying to expand into Sicily, and so was Rome. The first war lasted 23 years, and because Sicily is surrounded by mostly water, Rome knew they could not win unless the ruled the sea. The Romans built up a navy. They fought seven major naval battles in which the Romans won six of. Which allowed Sicily to become Rome’s first real province. The Second Punic War was fought because Hannibal set siege to Saguntum, a city in Spain. Rome declared war because they said that Carthage had attacked a friendly city. Hannibal marched more than a thousand miles over the Alps into Italy. He defeated one Roman army at the Battle of Tebia and another at the Battle of Lake Trasimence. Hannibal’s greatest victory was the Battle of Cannae, where he caused about forty thousand casualties to the Romans. He spread devastation throughout Italy and caused many cities in central to southern Italy to rebel against Rome. Hannibal finally found a challenge with Scipio. Scipio mimicked Hannibal’s methods of mobile warfare. Scipio waited in Spin and pulled his forces together from the Carthaginians. The Romans destroyed a major Carthaginian army coming to help Hannibal, and with Hannibal stuck in southern Italy Scipio attacked Carthage itself. Which cause Hannibal to go back and defend his homeland. Discuss the institution of slavery in Roman society. Is slavery ever a humane institution? The Roman idea of slavery and the modern idea of slavery are very different. The Romans inherited slaves as a result of their many wars and conquests. The Romans thought of slavery as a misfortune that happened to some people. Slaves were not any particular race as they were in the Americas. Races were not enslaved because the Romans thought that they were inferior, they were all treated the same. Some slaves were valued more than others. If you had a black African or a blond German, then you had a good slave. If you were a talented slave, then the Romans would think of eventually freeing them. If slaves were going to be treated poorly it was up to the master. Many people realized that the slave would work better if you were nicer to it. But some places such as Sicily treated their slaves horribly, they would abuse them and even brand them. Eventually in 135B.C. the slaves got tired of the treatment and gave rise to a major revolt. Many of the most brutal masters died because their slaves killed them. How did the Romans regard their gods? Was religion important to the Romans? For most of the Romans, religion played an important part in life. At first the Romans thought of the gods as being invisible, shapeless natural forces. Eventually, thanks to Etruscan and Greek influence the Romans started to see them in a more human form. As one might imagine the gods, they were thought of not as being loving and personal, but as stern, powerful, and aloof. The Romans were ok as long as they honored the gods because they could expect divine favor. The Romans also believed in spirits along with the great gods. The spirits could be found haunting fields, forests, crossroads, and even ones home. The spirits were usually mean, and could only be warded off by magic. These spirits would be the equivalent to the modern day ghost. They usually haunting were they lived or died. Many of the Roman religion consisted of rituals. The practices live on even as interest in the great god...