Rome Test part D. Essay 2.

Throughout Roman history it seems the only thing keeping great individuals from achieving there potential was the senate. While the rest of the Rome was celebrating the individual the Senate was bringing it down. Julius Caesar is the ultimate example for this. A truly great person who the Senate felt was becoming to powerful according to the senate. The idea of a new Roman Emperor terrified the senate, so they abolished the concept of so-called “democracy” and murdered Julius Caesar. That night outrage light the streets of Rome. The senate frantically tried to restore order, however the moment the first knife was plunged into Caesars back the Roman Republic started to die.

Rome was born upon a bed of glory. From its conception of Romulus defeating Remus, Rome’s fate largely depended on the individual striving above the rest. The Rape of the Sabine displays this with the most eloquence.  When the young roman men rose above the old and fragile Sabine to rape their women the Romans didn’t view it as a terrible act of lust and disgust. Their brutish violence was essential; anybody with potential should rise above the weak to take their place as a hero.

The people needed heroes in Rome. Similarly to our celebrity culture Romans would live vicariously through their lives. To many of the Plebeians Caesar was a great hero so when the senate killed him the balance of power was also destroyed. This lead to a huge confusion of the masses that then sparked extreme hatred for the senate. All of this chaos is create the Roman civil war.  Realizing that the people needed leader the two leaders of the conflict, Antony and Octavian fought it out in many physical and verbal conflicts. This split of power left the people hungry for more and Augustus ultimately realized that a Republic could no longer satisfy Rome’s desire for the individual and Rome became an empire again.

The intent of the murder of Julius Caesar was to prevent the fall of the republic. However Rome could never keep thee republic. It is simply unrealistic to expect a civilization based on the individual to be based on the decisions of many. A Roman Empire was inevitable, but the trust between the people and state crumbled when Julius Caesar’s body hit the floor.

Comp civ

A.

1. Pantheon
2. Constantine
3. Rape of the Sabine women.
4.Colseum
5.Constatinople
6a.Constantine
6b.Constantine
7. Jesus
8a. Constantine
9a. Crassus
10. Stoicism

The coliseum is significant in understanding roman culture. The lavish entertainment such as gladiator battles which took place inside of it reflect how open they were to blood sports and violence in general. The coliseum was absolutely colossal, holding up to 50,000 people, which shows how populated Rome was. It is also a testament to roman work ethic showing us how committed they could be to a task

Stoicism was important to Rome because it provided an alternative to Roman philosophic values. Similar to Taoism in China Stoicism provides an counterpoint to the rigid and rule based religion that surrounds them. These spiritual or philosophic values begin to develop or emerge when the people want them to, showing us that there was dissatisfaction in the roman empire. However stoicism never became a major philosophy because it was tailored primarily for the patrician class. The plebeians often never had the time to think about changing their values, and if they did they would want to hold philosophic values which stated that there is an upside to being poor.

The Statue portraying the rape of the Sabine women is key to understand early roman values. On the surface its beautiful dissonance shows us the value of art in roman society. The sculpture also shows us that women were often objectified in roman society, and played little part other than being trophies or baby makers. It reflects the roman values of the strong should overtaking the weak when they get the chance, "Carpe Diem". 

a.Hannibal
b.Crassus
c.Livia
d.Pompey
e.Vercingetorix
f.Alaric

C.
a. The Punic wars could have completely changed Rome as we know it. Hannibal had the chance to conquer more but for some reason didn't. The massive battles between Carthage and Rome showed us how devoted Rome was to its military. The Punic Wars also act as an incredible canvas for works of fiction.


b. Antony and Cleopatra were significant in understanding the fall of Rome. Historically Antony's attempts to follow Ceaser footsteps ultimately lead to the downfall of Rome. Antony's worship of Cleopatra was looked down upon by the patricians which lead to dissatisfaction with the people. Antony and Cleopatra has also provided a base of many works as fiction which is ofter interpreted as fact by the viewers, skewing our view of Rome.

c. The roman political system was comprised of three primary bodies of government. The Consuls are generally though of at the top of roman politics. There were two of them, and they often attempted to change Rome in one way or another, however they were often stop by the other consul.The senate was a large body of people which represented patrician values. They also often tried to pass bills and legislature but often were stopped internally or by the consuls or the Tribune. The Tribune was a body of people who represented the plebeians, they could veto decisions made by the consul or senate. Not much happened in Roman politics because there was to many layers of government to get through. The only time a significant bill or legislature would pass if corruption occurred, which occurred frequently.