Roman amphitheater

Early Roman Civilization

(753 B.C.E. to 284 A.D.)
 Early Roman Civilization
Three historical periods:
– The Roman Monarchy (753 BCE to 509
BCE)
– The Roman Republic (509 BCE to 31
BCE)
– The Roman Empire (31 BCE to 248 AD)
 The Roman Republic
The Early Republic (509-264 BCE):
division of society into two classes, the
aristocratic patricians and the plebeians
The Middle Republic (264-133 BCE): the
challenge of Carthage; the Punic Wars
(264-146 BCE).
The Late Republic (133-31 BCE): the
rise of the equestrian order, a social class
who gained wealth during the Punic Wars.
The Late Republic: Julius Caesar, I
Julius Caesar, an equestrian, was a major
political figure from 60 to 44 BCE.
He took his authority from the many titles
and powers he held: dictator for life,
consul, and head of the armies.
Future Roman emperors recognized him
as their predecessor by calling themselves
Caesar, or ruler.
The Late Republic: Julius Caesar, II
On march 15, 44 BCE, a band of senatorial
assassins murdered Caesar and Rome plunged
into chaos.
Caesar’s nephew and adopted son, Octavian,
emerged as a new leader in 31 BCE. He was later
called Augustus Caesar.
With Octavian, we have the beginning of Pax
Romana (Roman Peace) and the Roman Empire.
During Octavian’s rule, patrician’s power
decreased and equestrian power increased.
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Circus Maximus
 Three Social Classes
During Roman Republic and Empire,
there were three distinct social
classes:
The patrician (aristocracy)
The equestrian (army)
The plebian (common people)
 Roman culture
Hellenistic culture became the
foundation of Roman civilization.
The Roman blend the utilitarian with
the aesthetic.
Fascination with the spectacle
Architecture and sculpture are
increasingly monumental and
theatrical.
 Roman Religion
The Romans were syncretists,
blending different religions. From
Egypt came the worship of Isis (a
religion that promised immortality),
from Persia they borrowed the cult of
Mithra. They celebrated December
25th as Mithra’s birthday.
 Roman Literature
The First Literary Period (250 to 31
BCE)
The Second Literary Period (The
Golden Age, 31 BCE to 14 AD)
The Third Literary Period (The Silver
Age, 14 AD to 200 AD)
Roman Literature: The First Literary
Period
Lucretius: in his book (On the Nature
of Things) he defended Epicurianism
that denied divine intervention in
human affairs.
Catullus: love poetry
Cicero: letters, speeches,
translations
Roman Literature: The Second
Literary Period
Virgil: Aeneid imitates Homer’s The
Odyssey
Horace: he created a new genre, the
satire
Ovid: Art of Love, on how to seduce
women. In Metamorphoses
(Transformations) he revives Greek
and Roman Myths.