In 27 BCE (Before Common Era) the Roman Empire was entering its golden age, “The Pax Romana.” During the Pax Romana, the citizens of all Roman cities enjoyed free food and entertainment along with access to all of the Roman amenities such as bathhouses, roads, and mail service. However in 180 CE (Common Era) the Roman empire took a turn for the worse and eventually the last empire fell in 476 CE. The once powerful Roman Empire was in shambles. So what happened to the empire?
Around the time of three-hundred CE, the amount of power started to decrease for Rome, Italy. Lots of the Roman emperors and people were killed at this dreadful time. But what really caused this sudden downfall? Will we ever really know? I think the three main reasons are: Natural disasters, foreign invasions, and the city’s military problems.
This primary source was written by Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) to a literary ancient, Livy. Petrarch writes to Livy about what would be the situation in which they would meet if it were to occur. He talks of how men are “…only dumb beasts of the field” and are only concerned with “gold and silver, and the desire nothing except sensual, physical pleasures.” It sounds like Petrarch is daydreaming and Romanizing Livy’s time, with a statement referring to his own time he said, “Often I am filled with bitter indignation against the morals of today.” From this source we can learn about how poets saw other poets and historians of another time.
Polybius and Livy were two different historians with unique styles and different personalities. Polybius and Livy agreed on three causes of the Second Punic war which was “Wrath of Barcids” revenge for the loss of Sardinia and Corsica, and the success that Carthaginians had in Spain. Livy was viewing the seizure Saguntum as a primary cause. Polybius on the other hand did not feel the same way, Polybius felt that is was the beginning of the war rather than an underlying cause. After looking at the facts I could find on each of the causes I believe that all four causes are suitable.
Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians. He lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature. He is known for the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, as well as for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics.
Polybius was a Greek politician who was taken as a hostage to Rome. While at Rome, Polybius was made to be tutor of Scipio and Fabius. He later became a military and political advisor to Scipio which made him an eyewitness to the events that occurred. It gave Polybius the chance to write about Rome while living there. By living in Rome as someone who came from a different nationality, it enabled Polybius to write about the siege of Saguntum from an outsider’s perspective unlike a patriotic Roman citizen such as Livy.
Livia was a part of the early times in ancient Rome. She may not have been as well known as the men during her time, but she still had a lasting impact on society. Livia Drusilla was the daughter of Livius Drusus Claudianus and Alfidia. Livia was also called Julia Augusta. Livia played a major role in the cult of the deified Augustus.
While both Livy’s Early History of Rome and Virgil’s Aeneid address traditional Roman values, particularly those of pietas, military valor, and control of destructive passion, the two works approach these themes with differing degrees of subtlety and complexity. For Livy, the distinction between moral and immoral behavior is straightforward; his account of the attempted rape of Verginia and its aftermath clearly presents examples of virtue and vice. He is interested in a rather simplistic tension between good and evil, order and disorder. Virgil’s entire poem, on the other hand, is concerned with inner conflicts and ethical dilemmas of near unresolvable complexity. In the following discussion, specific episodes from the two works will reveal
In the book, The Roman Way, by Edith Hamilton, the author intends to show a lense into early Roman societies. The Roman civilization is explained by analyzing the writings of several of the greatest authors of the time including Cicero, who wrote many letters; Catullus, who was a poet of love; Horace, a historical writer; and the Romantic writers such as Virgil, Livy, and Seneca. The author is effective in conveying an understanding of what the Romans of the time thought and felt. She also shows what kind of legacy they left behind. This is why the book is a piece of literature that contributes to society in a positive way.
The fall of Rome was mainly because of plagues wiping out most of the population. The fall of the Han dynasty began from decentralized rule. However, outside invasions had an effect on the fall of both classical civilizations. Series of plagues began to hit the Rome Empire by the 2nd century. These plagues lowered the population drastically.
And note: In 6 BC Augustus Caesar offered Tiberius command of the East for five years. But Tiberius, noticing Augustus grooming Gaius for power, declined and retired to Rhodes. Here, five years later (January 1 BC?), the grooming of Gaius takes him to Syria exposing him to the East. Augustus obviously planned that Gaius should take a firm hold of the East.
Some will say the opposite about him, but I believe he is a true Roman Hero. I believe that Julius Caesar was a hero, who did his work haughtily and contentedly. This is my belief because he made the Senate larger, was popular with the middle and lower classes, and he took dangerous political risks. One of the reasons he is a hero is, he made the Senate bulkier. By making the Senate larger he gave the people more representation.
Lecture 2 The Stories Behind the Stories 2 Rome and Europe During the Renaissance, Europe was far less modern than Rome and Greece were. There were no written languages in Europe. The only written language was Latin and people who could read Greek, So we have an under-developed land, that all of discovers from the ancient world – many books that no one had seen for hundreds of years.
The legendary Roman Empire lasted from 753 B.C.E. all the way until 1453 A.D. However Rome split in two at about 395 A.D. which crippled the ancient Rome we know. So really ancient Rome lived from 753 B.C.E. to 476 A.D. But the name of Rome continued on in the Byzantine empire for about another 1000 years. Yet many people nowadays still refer to Rome as one of the greatest ancient civilizations of all time.
Julius Caesar was a politician, general, and dictator. He once said, “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” He was an incredible speaker of the time and was very well liked by most citizens. He brought a lot of change to Rome and was a very strong leader. Julius Gaius Caesar was born in Rome Italy, in 100 B.C., on July 13th.
