Introduction for Chapter 5

5 The Rise of Rome

CA. 1000–27 B.C.E

The Hellenistic monarchies that arose after Alexander’s conquests extended eastward and southward from Greece. The Greek colonies that had been established in southern Italy were not part of these monarchies, but culturally they became part of the Hellenistic world. To the north of the Greek city-states in the Italian peninsula, other people built their own societies. Among these were the people who later became the Romans, who settled on hills along the Tiber River in central Italy. Beginning in the sixth century B.C.E., the Romans gradually took over more and more territory in Italy through conquest and annexation. At about the same time, a group of aristocrats revolted against the kings ruling Rome and established a republican government in which the main institution of power was a political assembly, the Senate. Under the direction of the Senate, the Romans continued their political and military expansion, first to all of Italy, then throughout the western Mediterranean basin, and then to areas in the east that had been part of Alexander’s empire. As they did, they learned about and incorporated Greek art, literature, philosophy, and religion, but the wars of conquest also led to serious problems that the Senate proved unable to handle.

Roman history is generally divided into three periods: the monarchical period, traditionally dated from 753 B.C.E. to 509 B.C.E., in which the city of Rome was ruled by kings; the republic, traditionally dated from 509 B.C.E. to 27 B.C.E., in which it was ruled by the Senate and expanded its power first to all of Italy and then beyond; and the empire, from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E., in which the vast Roman territories were ruled by an emperor. This chapter covers the first two of these periods. The Roman Empire will be discussed in Chapters 6 and 7. ■

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Life in a Roman City. This intricate mosaic, found in a villa near the city of Pompeii, was buried in the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. It is signed by the artist, Dioskourides of Samos, who came from one of the Greek islands in the Aegean. Most of the figures are wearing masks, suggesting they are performing in a theatrical comedy, one of many Greek cultural traditions that became popular in the late Roman Republic. (Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, Italy/The Bridgeman Art Library)

CHAPTER PREVIEW

Rome’s Rise to Power

How did the Romans become the dominant power in Italy?

The Roman Republic

What were the key institutions of the Roman Republic?

Roman Expansion

How did the Romans take control of the Mediterranean world?

Roman Society

How did expansion affect Roman society and culture?

The Late Republic

What led to the fall of the Roman Republic?

Chronology

ca. 1000 B.C.E. Earliest settlements in the area that became the city of Rome
753 B.C.E. Traditional founding of the city of Rome
509 B.C.E. Traditional date of establishment of the Roman Republic
451–449 B.C.E. Laws of the Twelve Tables written and issued
387 B.C.E. Gauls sack Rome
367 B.C.E. Licinian-Sextian laws passed
ca. 265 B.C.E. Romans control most of Italy
264–201; 149–146 B.C.E. Punic Wars
133–121 B.C.E. Reforms of the Gracchi
107–31 B.C.E. Turmoil in the late republic (see timeline, page 146)
44 B.C.E. Julius Caesar assassinated
31 B.C.E. Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium
27 B.C.E. Senate issues decrees giving Octavian great power