Roman++Republic

= The Roman Republic =

By: Peter Zhao and John Kolasinski
The civilization known as the Roman Republic was warlike and merciless. Their impossible feats amazed many others, and had a great reputation of a war machine. Many cities waged war on Rome, but all of them failed. Every day, the Republic became stronger and stronger. The most important aspects of the Roman Republic were its military, major historical figures, culture, and political system. The way the Republic flourished and lived can still be seen today in the modern world.



 The Romans had a unique culture and way of life, and an awe-inspiring way of operating their civilization.

The republic had a religion that worshipped many gods; some of which who were copied from the Greeks, and some of which that were from conquered lands that were assimilated into Roman culture. The Romans worshipped Jupiter, Juno, Diana, Apollo, Mithras, Hercules, and many others. They constructed temples to house different gods, and sacrificed animals in their glory. Romans could make promises to gods in exchange for help with problems. The Romans, like the Greeks, imagined the gods in human form, only enlarged. (Corbishley, Mike. //What do we know about the Romans? 28)// People were buried outside of towns; rich people in tombs, poor people cremated into ashes. Only dead babies could be buried inside a town. Romans would also worship household gods. Household gods were gods that "lived" in a shrine in the courtyard of a house. Weddings were made in front of them, and offerings of food or flowers were made. The soldiers of the military worshipped the gods of a nation they were attacking, as "homage" to allow an easy victory. Religion was an essential part of Roman life. (Hicks, Peter 26)

The Roman architecture was simple, yet beautiful. It expressed many things; from happiness to war. One roman building was called a basilica. It was a roofed hall with a wide central area. A basilica was a site of business and legal proceedings. A forum was an open area bordered by shops and vendors. A forum was used as a chief meeting place, and also was the site of the city’s primary religious and civic buildings. The typical city planning had a rectangular plan and resembled a military camp with two main streets, a grid of smaller streets dividing the town into blocks, and a wall circuit with gates; making it all flow easily. Shops were dispersed all through the city, and some are still standing today; due to great design. There were usually one-room complexes, which opened into sidewalks. Quarried stone was the essential building material in the republic. Multi-colored marble was imported and used as well. The most popular material used was brick. Sometimes, to save money, Romans would use a cheaper look-alike material instead of marble. Romans used an aqueduct to transport water, and even had a early sewer system! The Romans even had a public bath system; it was called a bath-house. Bath-houses were buildings where Romans could cleanse themselves, have fun, and even conduct some business! A bath-house had a series of chambers for one to get clean. First, one goes into a cold room for a dip in a cool pool. Next, one goes into the steam room, where one sweats, and all the dirt and grime is rubbed off by a servant holding a //strigil//, or scraper. Last, one goes back into the cold room, and then a servant rubs scented oil into the skin. After a calm dip in the public pool, one can exercise with weights. There were also separate sessions for men and women. ( [|Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia] )

The Roman way of life could be either exciting or simple. Mostly boys could go to school, since fathers considered it a waste to educate daughters. However some girls went for various reasons. Boys (and some girls) went to school at age seven; learning the basic subjects; reading, writing, and number sense. At age twelve, the school children went to a secondary school, which was taught by a teacher called a grammaticus. (Corbishley, Mike. //Everyday Life in Roman Times// 21) The Romans had 120 days of public holidays a year. They also didn’t have weekends like us. A popular Roman event was the gladiator fights. It was when slaves or hardened criminals fought each other to the death, being watched by a cheering crowd. The suspense of the crowd alone could give someone a nervous breakdown. There were various weapons; swords were popular, but axes, spears, javelins, and tridents were also seen. Fighters could also battle wild lions or foreign beasts from distant lands. The dictator or king could pay for free shows or fights. The crowds could be merciful, and spare a loser's life. The Romans also approved of plays and concerts, and the smallest theaters could hold 7,000 people! Another place of entertainment was the chariot races. It was when 5 teams of charioteers would race around a racetrack. The chariots had no seats or back-pieces, so often riders would fall out. The winner of a race won a money prize. (Dineen, Jacqueline 38) The Romans also had extraordinary works of art; although there is little proof, since most were destroyed or rotted away. It is known from ancient literature that Roman artists treated a lot of subjects, including historical events, myths, portraits, still-lifes', and scenes from daily life. The portrait paintings are best represented in Rome-Egypt, by a series of wooden planks recovered from sites all around the area. ( [|Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia] ) The doctors and medical needs were very different than they are now. The doctors back then didn't know why people got sick, so they used herbal medicines that were supposed to cure the general dis eases; stomach aches, fevers, and headaches were a few. The doctors, besides medicine, gave advice about diet and exercise. They also only made house calls to the rich. (Murell, Deborah 19) The Romans usually lived in blocks of apartments. A usual house had basic furniture, whereas a Roman villa was set on high grounds, had fine mosaics, and other decorations on the floors and walls. (18)

The superior skills and power of the republic's military helped it conquer vast lands, and ruled near and far from many years.

The early Roman army was untrained and unpaid. They tried to change this, and in the 2nd century B.C, the republic had a highly trained and professional force. Each man got paid and was given a set of weapons. The army was mostly made up of foot soldiers, called legionaries, but some rode on horseback, called the cavalry.(Murell, Deborah 26) About each soldier got paid about 225 denaiia annually, but each type wore different pieces of armor. A legionary wore an iron helmet for protection, chain mail tunic over a thick wool coat, and tough sandals. A centurion had a more elaborate helmet that offered more defense and a cloak over his chain mail tunic. A standard-bearer had a legion. A samnite wore a helmet with a crest, and a retiarius only had armor on his left arm. Each legion had a standard, a long, pole with an elegant silver eagle on top. (Dinnen, Jacqueline 48) In english, "legion" means a large number, which originated from Ancient Rome. This was because the legions in the republic were huge, containing about 6,000 soldiers. Men had to stay 25 years in the army until they could retire and would be given a choice between a hefty sum of money or a house to live in. Although the army was pretty fair and equal, the legionaries were the best trained, best equipped, and highly paid Roman soldier. (Hicks, Peter 10) The army also had many punishments for disobeying the rules. A capital punishment often meant to be stoned or beaten to death. It was given to deserters and to sentries who left their posts in battle. Decimation was given to a whole unit that deserted in battle or mutinied into another force. One in every ten men was to be selected by lot to be executed. The rest of the men were disgraced and were forced to live on barley instead of wheat. Lesser punishments included caning, extra duties, reduction in rank or dishonorable discharge. And the greatest dishonor to a whole unit was disbandment. The group was to be scattered and discharged from the army. (Connolly, Peter 69) The cavalry of the army wore helmets without cheek or neck guards to allow all-round hearing and vision. Their body armor was either mail or scale. The cavalry also wielded spears with a sharp butt on the end just in case his front end broke. Both the man and horse were heavily armored. (60) The army had relied on discipline and superior skill of legionaries for strategy. Although the Romans weren't so good tacticians, they had a usual aim of the legion was to smash through the center of the enemy's line, shattering both his unity and moral. Using this, even bad generals could win battles. The strategy was also used with a wedge formation. (17) The pay in the army of the republic was hefty and amazing. Legionaries were paid three times as much as a normal soldier. In addition to the pay, they were paid large rewards after a victory, or when a new emperor came to throne. A condition of the republic was that soldiers were not supposed to marry, but this rule was ignored so often that it was dropped. The training of a Roman soldier was excruciating. New recruits were taught how to march and had a general training in stone slinging, swimming, and riding. The main training of a soldier was on weapons. They drilled once or twice a day. The recruits were also taught how to build camps, and were expected to go on a 30-kilometer march three times a month. (44)

The series of wars that Romans fought almost always had the same result-victory. One of the most deadly series of wars that they fought was the Punic Wars. The first one began in 264 B.C and ended in 241 B.C, and was considered the most devastating war. At the start of the war, the Romans constructed 120 warships against the Carthaginian force. In 260 B.C, they were rewarded by a naval victory over Carthage in Mylae. Again, in 256 B.C, they fought the largest sea battle of the ancient times and won a naval victory in Cape Ecnomus. In 255 BC, Carthage ultimately defeated the Roman invasion forces in Bagradas Valley. In that same year, the Roman navy lost over 200 ships in a giant storm. Although they suffered great losses, they eventually won the first Punic war. The second Punic War was even more destructive than the first one. The Carthaginians wanted revenge after the humiliating loss. Hannibal invaded Italy with 35,000 men and 30 elephants in 218 B.C. They won battle after battle, but the force was defeated by the Romans in Zama. In 146 B.C, they burned Carthage to the ground. Once again, the Carthaginians had been humiliated. Once the Punic Wars ended, the Carthaginians made an alliance with Macedonia. This led to the Second Macedonian War in 200 B.C. (The first one was when the Roman Republic was found) and Philip of Macedonia suffered a great loss; 8,000 soldiers dead and 5,000 captured. The Romans lost 700. The third one (171-168 B.C.) also proved that the Romans were a war machine. Philip's son, Perseus, went to get revenge, but was easily defeated by the republic. In 146 B.C, the Romans liquidated the Macedonian kingdom into a Roman province. The Battle of Pydna was also a famous fight, and also proved how skilled the Romans were. The Macedonians called out their whole force, but still couldn't beat the republic's army. The Romans used the smashing technique to destroy the phalanx, and the legionaries closed in and killed enemy soldiers with heavy javelins and charged with swords. (Connolly, Peter 16)

The decline of Ancient Rome as a whole was unanswered, even though thousands books and articles have tried to explain it. Grant states that "because of the certain internal flaws which prevented resolute resistance to the invaders." It also may have been because the Roman state became too large and complex and so it couldn't govern and control the Republic or may have been the means of sustaining food, clothes, or other necessities. (Nardo, Dan 94)

Political Systems
The Romans ran a well-organized and planned out political system that can still be seen today.

Citizens of Rome met in groups called //Assemblies.// Women, slaves, and foreigners could not be citizens. All people weren't equal. //Magistrates// had the power to enforce the law, //Censors// kept records of all the people plus worked out how much a person should pay as taxes, and //Quaestores// looked after the city's money. (Dineen, Jacqueline 10) The laws of Rome could be similar or different to the laws of today. For years, laws were kept secret by //Magistrates//, but in 450 B.C, the laws of Rome were set out on 12 bronze tablets for all to see. Over the course of 100 years, laws were made, changed, and removed in many ways. Any citizen, who had a complaint about it, or anything else, could take it to the law courts.

There were many famous and infamous rulers in Rome. When Caesar, for example, became dictator, the system of government changed. Another one would be Cicero. He was made a consul in 63 B.C. Cicero also was Rome's leading lawyer by 70 B.C, and was a famous orator. Licinius was the first plebian consul, elected in 366 B.C. Justinian was an emperor that collected all laws of ancient Rome, and turned them into a Code of Law. (13)

The government classes were similar to the social classes. //Patricans// were rich nobles, and owned much land to prove it. The //Plebians//, however, were tradesmen, servants, or farmers, who owned little land. So, it was only natural to believe that the //Plebians// didn't have equal rights, as the //Patricans// did. The //Patricans// decided that the //Plebians// could choose to officers called //Tribunes//. They did that since the //Plebians// threatened to leave Rome. Ever since Licinus was elected a consul, one consul was always a //Plebian//. (12)

The senators played an important part in Roman society. The elected the king/dictator and could advise him throughout his rule. Often times, senators could become bankrupt because they spent to much on the city, mostly trying to gain public appeal to get re-elected. There were 300 members of the Senate, all roman citizens who were rich and powerful. The debates in the senate could become very heated, since there were many different points of view. All senators wore togas in formal occasions. (Murell, Deborah 6) The views and government of Rome was passed on through many countries, and most of them still use it as their main source of political use. Their way of government applies to the United States, and as well as many other countries. (Dineen, Jacqueline 13)



There were many important Roman figures during the ancient times.

There were brilliant conquerors in the republic, like Julius Caesar. He was called the "Father of his country" because after he conquered many cities, he became a ruler and a brilliant dictator. He was also called this because many people throughout Rome favored him. He defeated Pompey's army at Pharsalus in 48 B.C. (Dineen, Jacqueline 52) Pompey was a conqueror who was jealous of Caesar because of his fame. He brought huge sums of money and other treasures back to Rome from the lands he conquered. He was defeated by Caesar's army; after that, he fled to Egypt, where he was killed. (53)

There were also many rulers in during that time. Romulus was the first king and as well as the founder of the republic. He was the one who started it all. Romulus began laying out the city's walls, streets, and first buildings. He also figured out that Rome did not have many women, that the men easily outnumbered them, so he tried to steal the Sabine women to increase the female populations. Luckily, he won the battle, and also became joint rulers with the Sabine king, Titus Tatias. (Nardo, Dan 16) Tiberius was also the first reformer of Rome. He limited the amount of land that a person could own and divided up land and gave them to the poor. He ran for a second term as tribune even if it was against the law. Tiberius was killed by a riot lead by the Senate with hundreds of his followers. (Greenblatt, Miriam 227) King Tarquinius II was a king that was known as Tarquinius Suberbus, which meant "the proud." His reign was well, but a Roman historian, Livy, said the king was very unpopular which caused the people of Rome to drive out the whole royal family out of the city. (Murell, Deborah 6)

Other influential characters also impacted Rome in many ways. Virgil was the best poet of ancient Rome. He was born in Andes, a tiny village near Mantua. He attended school in Cremona and Milan. He prepared his life as a lawyer, but was too shy and preferred a private life as a poet. His first poems won patronage of Maecenas, a wealthy lover of arts. Unluckily, Virgil died before the finish of the Aeneid. He left his friends instructions to destroy it because he thought it wasn't good enough, but once they read it, they didn't and finished the poem for him. ( [|Fantham, Elaine] ) Spartacus was born in Thrace, but his birth date was unknown. He was trained as a gladiator for entertainment. Spartacus was strong, and defeated all his enemies. He soon found out that he was being treated unfairly, and started a rebellion with other gladiators in 73 B.C. against Roman authority. The rebels took refuge nearby Mount Vesuvius and organized an army of 70,000 slaves. In 72 B.C, they split into two groups. In 71 B.C, Spartacus was killed in battle against forces commanded by Marcus Linius Crassus. ( [|Sinnigen, William G] ) Another major figure was Horatius. He was a legendary Roman hero who was there when Rome overthrew the foreign king and founded the Roman Republic. He also fought against the Etruscan invaders trying to take Rome, along with Lartius and Herminius. Horatius held them off until the bridge fell; he then jumped into Tiber, and swam to shore safely. ([|Gurval, Robert]) Marius and Sulla were hired to be generals for the republic. They were also intense rivals in the fields of commanding. Marius was an old man who fought until 82 B.C, and after some time, Sulla won control of the Senate, and became a ruler. (Dineen, Jacqueline 52)

Conclusion  The Roman Republic influenced, conquered, and set the foundation for many countries. Their culture and architecture can be seen all over Europe, around parts of the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, Africa, and even Mesopotamia. The Roman armies were vast, and contained many skilled and victorious soldiers and generals. Their political system of having a senate and a democracy is seen today in our modern world, as well as their traditions, foods, and poetry. The Roman Republic also set the foundation for the Roman Empire, which would further Roman conquest and exploration. The Roman Republic was, in short, merciless, victorious, influential, and the kick-start of the empires to follow.