HIST 1001 Lecture 1: The Roman Republic
The Roman Republic
I. Roman Culture and Society
A. The Farmer-soldier
1. Farmers who fought when were needed
B. Roman Religion
1. Polytheistic: believed in multiple gods
• Three main gods:
o Jupiter
o Juno
o Minerva
• As the Romans start conquering their gods start modernizing
2. Blood sacrifice
3. Burning Incense
4. Alters and Temples to gods
5. Cult to goddess of Vesta (Goddess of Hearth)
• Romans believed the Rome was a big home and had a fire in the
center which was the heart
• If the fire went out Rome would go out
• One aspect connected to family
o In every house special shrine to Lares and Penates (pantry
gods) shows family was a big deal to romans
C. The Roman Family
1. Head was the father
• Paterfamilias
2. Daughter lived with her husbands’ family
• Married a little later than women in Greece
• Lots of divorce
o People don’t want their family line to end
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2
o Adult adoption
3. Tombs had statues of the dead
4. Women
• Did not have a political voice like those of Greek besides being a
Vestal Virgin
• They were allowed to leave the house
5. Slaves
• Dramatic increase
• Only had first names
• Clothing marked them as unfree, slave collars
• Temples slaves, tutor and house slaves, agricultural slaves
o Worst job was mining – life expectancy was 6 months
• Were used in shows so punish them
• Manumission
o Freed slaves; could happen in wills
II. The Decline of the Republic (source- Sallust: says wealth and power made it decline)
A. The Gracchi Brothers
1. Grandfather was Scipio Africanus
• Beat Hannibal in second Punic War
2. Tiberius makes his way up latter as tribune
• City is filled with thousands of homeless people so he brings it up
to the senate (source)
o Land reform bill
• He decides at the end of his term he wants to stay
o They kill all of his supporters
3. Gaius runs for tribune ten years later but gets killed before
B. The Power of Roman Generals
1. Recruited to join their armies; even people that aren’t romans
2. Sulla
• Senate was worried about his popularity so they tell him to come
home and that’s he is relieved of his duties
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Document Summary
2: he decides to march against the city of rome and most of senate is killed, opponents himself as dictator and expands the senate to 600 people (his friends) and gets rid of the tribune position. Pax romana (imperial period) (during jesus: great roman peace , buildings, bath complexes. Changes in late roman religion (does not occur in a vacuum; know what causes it: new cults keep people from revolting, imperial cult, mystery cults, mithras cult, isis cult. Ides of march, 44 bc: julius was assassinated by a group of senators led by brutus and. 6: praetorian guard: elite military force housed in rome, one duty was protect augustus, princeps: first citizens ; title for oldest senate member, means he has power over senate. Imperial cult: worship of living emperor, starts with augustus, only in provinces, political and religious aspects: mithras: god in persian religion, becomes very popular among roman soldiers; men only.
