RJT Puthumana - Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Civilization

According to legend, the twin boys Romulus and Remus founded Rome. After being abandoned on the banks of the Tiber River in modern-day Italy, they were raised by a wolf and later a shepherd. When they grew up, Romulus fought and killed his brother and founded Rome, naming the city after himself. However, Rome really began as a series of villages on seven hills surrounding the Tiber River. As the villages grew, they merged into one large town. This town was to become the center of a powerful empire that had nearly 100 million subjects under its rule across a wide variety of nationalities. Early Romans used salt surrounding the Tiber River to trade with other peoples for goods. As they grew in power, they used a powerful army to conquer nearly two and a half million square miles of land around the Mediterranean Sea. It covered parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. Rome was founded as a city in about 753 B.C. and lasted in some form until the 1400s. First, kings ruled Rome from 753-509 BC. The last three kings were Etruscans, a group of people who had conquered Rome in roughly 750 BC. After the last king, Tarquinius II, was overthrown, a republic was put into place. In this form of government, power is shared among the people, in theory. Also, people can vote for government officials in this type of government. However, only free men were allowed to vote- women and slaves were not considered citizens. Citizens voted for two consuls, men who ran Rome for one year and had to agree on all decisions. The Senate, which advised the consuls, were composed of hundreds of senators. Senators had also advised the kings when they had ruled. The size of the Senate grew from 300 members in the beginning to 800 members by the end of the Republic. By 300 B.C., senators served for life. Groups called assemblies, composed of citizens, could meet annually to pass laws and elect new officials.

An orator speaking to senators in the senate.

Romans were divided into three classes, known as the plebians, patricians, and slaves. The patricians were rich nobles that had numerous slaves and owned vast amounts of land. They also wielded large amounts of power in the government and army. On the other hand, plebians and slaves were much less powerful. Plebians were ordinary Romans, such as farmers, shopkeepers, and workers. Although they had few rights in the beginning of the Republic, plebians gained more civil rights later on. They were able to elect consuls and write down laws permanently so that they couldnt be changed quickly. Previously, patricians in the government passed laws unfair to the plebians. In 494 B.C., when plebeians threatened to leave Rome, the Senate gave them their own council, tribunes to represent them, and the power to veto laws. Orators, or public speakers, such as Cicero could argue their sides in the Senate. Slaves, who were often prisoners of war, made up a large portion of the population and had no rights. However, slaves had the chance to save money and buy their freedom. By 100 B.C., Rome had conquered all of Italy and the Greeks. It had also crushed its archenemy, the Carthagians, in 146 B.C. after fighting a series of three wars called the Punic Wars.

The end of the Republic came when the powerful military leader and general Julius Caesar conquered Rome in 46 B.C. He had fought a civil war with his chief enemy, Pompey, and won. After being proclaimed dictator, Caesar improved life for the poorer citizens of Rome and improved its infrastructure. However, the Senate was wary of Caesars growing power among the poor and army, and murdered him on March 15, 44 B.C. This marked the beginning of further instability. Finally, in 27 B.C., Caesars nephew and adopted son Octavian took power. He proclaimed himself Augustus Caesar, which means respected one. He also became Romes first emperor, effectively beginning the Roman empire. He made numerous advancements throughout Rome. For example, Augustus maintained the peace, had roads and buildings constructed, organized the army, and cut taxes. Rome flourished under his rule, which ended in AD 14. The Pax Romana, or 200-year long period of peace and progress, began under his rule. However, it ended with the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius in AD 180. After his death, a long decline began. By this time, the Roman Empire was extremely large and difficult to govern. In 290, the emperor Diocletian divided the empire into Western and Eastern halves. This marked the beginning of a shift in power from Rome to the east. In 324, the emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople in modern-day Turkey. As the western empire declined, trade fueled the eastern empire and made it extremely wealthy. In about 476, the western empire fell to nomadic warriors, while the eastern empire flourished as the Byzantine Empire until 1453. In 1453, Ottoman Turks finally captured Constantinople.