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Book No. – 48 (History)
Book Name – Western Civilisation: Their History and Their Culture (Edward Mcnall)
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1. EARLY ITALY AND THE ROMAN MONARCHY
2. THE EARLY REPUBLIC
3. THE FATEFUL WARS WITH CARTHAGE
4. THE SOCIAL STRUGGLES OF THE LATERE PUBLIC
5. ROME BECOMES SOPHISTICATED
6. THE PRINCIPATE OR EARLY EMPIRE (27 B.c-180 a.d.)
7. CULTURE AND LIFE IN THE PERIOD OF THE PRINCIPATE
8. ROMAN LAW
9. THE CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY (180-284 A.D.)
10. CAUSES FOR ROME’S DECLINE
11. THE ROMAN HERITAGE
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LANGUAGE
Roman Civilisation
Chapter – 7
Table of Contents
- Long before the decline of Greece, another civilization, Rome, began to grow on the banks of the Tiber.
- Around the time of Alexander’s conquests, Rome was already a dominant power on the Italian peninsula.
- For the next five centuries, Rome’s power expanded, eventually ruling over most of the Hellenistic world and much of western Europe by the end of the first century B.C..
- Rome conquered Hellenistic territories and destroyed Carthage, creating a “Roman lake” in the Mediterranean.
- This expansion brought Greek institutions and ideas to the western Mediterranean.
- Rome also brought Mediterranean urban culture to northern regions, previously in the Iron Age.
- Rome acted as a historical bridge between East and West.
- Rome’s development followed a peculiar path marked by the tension between two cultural outlooks:
- Conservative: Romans revered old agricultural traditions, household gods, and military prowess.
- Greek influence: Romans were also drawn to Greek culture, adopting urbanization and intellectual cultivation.
- Rome’s greatness was built on a synthesis of these two traits: respect for tradition, order, and military strength, alongside Greek urbanization and mind cultivation.
- This synthesis lasted for centuries, but ultimately, the glory of Greece was replaced by the grandeur of Rome.
EARLY ITALY AND THE ROMAN MONARCHY
- The geographical character of the Italian peninsula significantly influenced Roman history.
- Italy lacked mineral resources except for marble, tin, copper, iron, and gold.
- Italy’s fertile land was greater than Greece’s, leading Romans to remain predominantly agrarian.
- The coastline was extensive but had few good harbors.
- Italy was more vulnerable to invasion than Greece, with the Alps not providing an effective barrier.
- The Romans were absorbed in military pursuits from early settlement due to invasions and conquests.
- Between 2000-1000 B.C., Italy was settled by Indo-European immigrants who came through the Alps.
- These immigrants were herdsmen and farmers, bringing horses, carts, and bronze tools, later acquiring iron-forgingaround 900 B.C..
- A subgroup of these immigrants became the ancestors of the Romans.
- By the 8th century B.C., the Etruscans and Greeks settled different parts of the Italian peninsula.
- The origins of the Etruscans are unclear, but many believe they came from Asia Minor.
- The Etruscans established a confederation of cities in northern and central Italy by the 6th century B.C..
- They had an alphabet based on Greek, high skills in metalwork, art, and trade with the East, along with a polytheistic religion.
- The Etruscans introduced the arch and vault, gladiatorial combat, and the practice of divination.
- Etruscan society had a comparatively greater respect for women, with wives eating with their husbands and some families tracing descent through the maternal line.
- The Greeks settled along the southern coast of Italy, Sicily, and southern Gaul, forming independent city-states like Taranto, Naples, and Syracuse.
- Greek civilization in Italy and Sicily was as advanced as in Greece, with figures like Pythagoras, Archimedes, and Plato living there.
- The Romans inherited their alphabet, religious concepts, art, and mythology from the Greeks.
- The founders of Rome were Italic peoples from south of the Tiber River, and Rome’s founding is traditionally dated to 753 B.C..
- Rome’s strategic location allowed it to exert suzerainty over neighboring cities, leading to successive conquests.
- Roman government initially aimed at stability, not liberty, with the king having executive, priestly, military, and judicial powers.
- The king’s power was limited by ancient customs and required the consent of the chief men of the realm.
- The king could not be deposed, and no one could challenge his powers, but he could not change the ancient constitution without approval.
- The Roman government also included an assembly and a Senate.
- The assembly was made up of all male citizens of military age, with the power to veto the king’s proposals and declare war.
- The Senate was a council of elders and included the heads of the various clans.
- The Senate wielded the true sovereign power, and the king was seen as one of their delegates.
- When the king’s office was vacant, the Senate held power until a new monarch was confirmed by the people.
- The Senate could veto royal proposals that violated ancient customs, making it difficult for fundamental changes to be made in the law.
- This conservative attitude persisted until the end of Roman history.
- The monarchy was overthrown in 509 B.C., replaced by a republic, triggered by the crimes of the Tarquins, an Etruscan family that ruled Rome.
- The overthrow of the monarchy was partly a native uprising and partly the result of the Roman senatorial aristocracygaining power.
- The expulsion of the Tarquins marked the decline of the Etruscans in Italy and solidified the Roman conviction that kingship was evil.