CLAS 1000 Lecture 8: A SUMMARY OF ROMAN HISTORY
5 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
A SUMMARY OF ROMAN HISTORY: GOVERNMENT, WAR AND CONQUEST
FOUNDATION OF ROME
Ab Urbe Condita
April 21 753BC= 1 AUC
• Romans begin their calendar from the founding of the
city
o Time 1
o Livy uses from the founding of the city as the
title of ‘oes histor
Virgil- The Aeneid→ national epic of the Romans
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris Italiam, fato
profugus, Laviniaque venit litora … (Vergil, Aeneid 1.1)
• Liks ‘oes origins to the fall of Troy
o Attaches it to fate (destiny)
Prelude…
• Aristotines says the Trojan war was in a stalemate
o Greeks used deception and trickery by the
Trojan horse to burn the city
o Priam, the kig of tro, is killed ahilles so
o Polyxena is captured by the greeks for being
blamed for the death of achilles
Aeeas flight fro tro- Aeneas, his dad Ancheses, and his son
Ascanius (Julus) ESCAPE
I sig aout the ars ad the man, who, driven from the coast
of Troy by Fate, came to the shore of Ital …
• this man is Aeneas
o Aeneas= son of venus, goddess of love
• Diomedes and aeneas
o Aeneas about to be killed by Diomedes but
venus saves him (she loves him)
o As the city is falling, venus saves aeneas again
▪ Bc destiny has selected him
▪ Venus came down to earth and seduced
Ahises so he ouldt alk agai
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Aeeas dut is to reuild Tro elsehere
• Brings lares and penates, relics of Troy
o Indicates importance of piety and religion
• Bring father
o Indicates importance of respect for elders
Aeneas goes on a series of adventures, like Odysseus,
idiatig Hoers ifluee o Virgil
• When Aeneas arrives to Carthage, he falls deeply in
love with the queen, Dido
o God visits earth to remind him that he has a
duty
o He has been given a mission from the gods
and cannot let love get in the way
Aeneas confronts Dido and says he needs to leave her
because he has been given a duty from the gods
(prioritizes duty over personal fulfillment)
• Dido feels tricked and manipulated
o She stabs herself with his sword
o She curses aeneas and his descendants
o A spirit will rise from her bones and punish
them
Aeneid books 7-12- Alba Longa (bring Trojan presence to
Latium around 1200bc)
• Aeeas harater is represetatie of ‘oa
mindset
o See selves as victim of Greek trickery
o Here, a ruthless application of violence,
rather than sparing the local populations
of Turnis
12th century bc- Aeneas marries a local girl, Lavinia
(establishes the Trojan bloodline)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Aeneas introduces marriage as a diplomatic joining
o Involves violence and diplomacy
o Lavinia=local beauty
8th century bc- Numitor and Amulius, both bros, want to
be king
(conflict between bros is seen later in repeated warfare)
• Amulius steals the kingdom from his bro but is
worried that Numitors daughter ‘hea “ilia ill
give birth to a son and take away his kingdom
o Forces her into a convent
o She becomes a vestal virgin, taking an oath
which if she breaks will be punished
YOU CANT ME““ WITH FATE
Mars rapes Rhea Silvia and Rhea Silvia becomes
pregnant
• Mars is aided by erotes to rape rhea silvia
o Aggressive act of violent domination
o Rhea holding her heart=repressing
female sexuality
o Rhea gives birth to two sons- rightful
heirs to the throne
Romulus and Remus, the two sons, are sent down the
Tiber river to die, but are protected by the river god
• A lupa finds the sons, gives them their name and
takes care of them, followed by a shepherd
o Lupa also means prostitute
▪ “o the olfs ilk ill ifluence the
ferocious character of the sons
themselves
o A lot like the pharoahs daughter fidig
moses in the nile river
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A summary of roman history: government, war and conquest. April 21 753bc= 1 auc: romans begin their calendar from the founding of the city, time 1, livy uses from the founding of the city as the title of o(cid:373)e(cid:859)s histor(cid:455) Virgil- the aeneid national epic of the romans. Arma virumque cano, troiae qui primus ab oris italiam, fato profugus, laviniaque venit litora (vergil, aeneid 1. 1: li(cid:374)ks o(cid:373)e(cid:859)s origins to the fall of troy, attaches it to fate (destiny) Prelude : aristotines says the trojan war was in a stalemate, greeks used deception and trickery by the. Trojan horse to burn the city: priam, the ki(cid:374)g of tro(cid:455), is killed (cid:271)(cid:455) a(cid:272)hilles(cid:859) so(cid:374, polyxena is captured by the greeks for being blamed for the death of achilles. Ae(cid:374)eas(cid:859) flight fro(cid:373) tro(cid:455)- aeneas, his dad ancheses, and his son. Ae(cid:374)eas(cid:859) dut(cid:455) is to re(cid:271)uild tro(cid:455) else(cid:449)here: brings lares and penates, relics of troy. Indicates importance of piety and religion: bring father.
