Miguel Espinal Western Civilizations 101 4-14-13 Assignment- Chapter #5/ The Civilization of Ancient Rome

1. Summarize the story of Romulus and Remus and describe the importance of this narrative to Roman society. When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a city where the wolf had found them. The brothers quarreled over where the site should be and Remus was killed by his brother. This left Romulus the sole founder of the new city and he gave his name to it Rome. Romulus is given the credit for founding Ancient Rome so legend has it. Children in Roman schools were taught the story and it became almost set in stone. This story, of course, is only a legend. The actual growth of Rome is less exotic and interesting. The city of Rome grew out of a number of settlements that were located around seven hills near the River Tiber. 2. Explain what you know about Etruscan society. What did you find most interesting? In addition, explain your understanding of the social structure of the society. The historical role of its people, the Etruscans, was one of alphabet, manufacturing, art and religion rather than of politics. Their origins are uncertain, but they were not of Indo-European origin. Most interesting are other

elements of their tradition, such as the general emancipation of their women was also at odds with general Indo-European tradition. Socially, religion was perhaps what united the different Etruscan cities most and was motivated by a strong belief in the afterlife which in many ways is more reminiscent of the Orient and Egyptians than the classical-Roman. The structure of society and its religious beliefs is most vivid in the frescos and funerary paintings to be seen in locations such as Tarquinia. 3. How did the conquest of Greece impact Roman society? Greek goods and culture became fashionable in Roman society. Roman fathers would engage the services of Greek tutors for their children, Roman administrators stripped Greek temples of their statuary, and Greek philosophy and literature became popular among young connoisseurs of rhetoric. More sumptuous eastern fabrics (such as silk from the island of Kos) and elegant ceramics entered the market, while Greek physicians were engaged by wealthy households. Some Romans thought that Greek influence was actively harmful to the ancient morals and customs of Rome. Cato the Elder, the Censor of Rome and guardian of public morality, was critical of the Greek scholars and philosophers whom he saw as undermining ancient standards of virtue. Cato despised the 'corrupting' Greek influence on Rome and stated, That country will present us with her literature, and corrupt everythingeven more so, if she sends her physicians here. They have sworn to kill off every non-Greek with medicine! But Cato was fighting a losing battle; as the Roman poet Horace said nearly 150 years later, "Captive Greece took captive her savage conqueror and brought her arts into rustic Latium."

4. How did slavery impact Roman society after the Punic Wars? The increased slaves from Rome's conquests (the Punic Wars led directly to Rome's wars in Greece against Carthage's allies there) brought an increased interest in foreign cultures, especially that of Greece. New found interests in poetry and philosophy spread through Roman society, and some more conservative Romans saw this as a degradation of the traditional Roman values. The conservatives, however, failed to stop the spread of Greek culture, which would greatly influence Rome's. Anyone of social standing would speak Greek and Latin, and anything Greek was considered beautiful. 5. Summarize the political career of Julius Caesar. The political life and achievements of Gaius Julius Caesar are too complex and too well known to be laid out fairly in any brief notice. Suffice it to say that Caesar as general and statesman did more than anyone else could have attempted, in a period of insane internal strife and civil commotion, that succeeding in what he did with cleverness coupled with a sense of political propriety, he overcame great odd and the forces of his formidable enemy Pompeii. He would have possibly brought greater order to Rome than anyone else on the scene, had he not been murdered by a group of wrongheaded conservatives, who believed that his achievements would lead to a kind of single-handed leadership intolerable to those raised in the old concepts of Rome as a Republic society. Had they come back in spirit a century later to review the history of Rome under the astute if selfconscious Augustus, the paranoid Tiberius, and finally the schizoid Nero, they might have repented of their red-necked enthusiasm for Caesar's blood. But all

this is in the realm of political history rather than literature to discuss, although it cannot be separated from Caesar the man.

Bonus Questions1. Describe the status of women in Rome after the Punic Wars? The Oppian Law was passed following the disastrous defeat of the Romans by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae. Because of the wars with Carthage, many men had died. Their wives and daughters had inherited their lands and monies, allowing many women to become quite rich; in order to help pay for the cost of the wars, the state decided to tap into women's wealth by passing the Oppian Law. It limited the amount of gold women could possess and required that all the funds of wards, single women, and widows be deposited with the state. Women also were forbidden to wear dresses with purple trim (the color of mourning and a grim reminder of Rome's losses). Nor could they ride in carriages within Rome or in towns near Rome. Roman women obeyed this restriction with little fuss. Yet, at the end of the successful Second Punic War in 201 B.C., male Romans and women in towns beyond Rome again donned their rich clothing and rode about in carriages. Women in Rome, however, continued to be denied these luxuries because of the Oppian Law. With the end of the wars, upper class women chaffed at these continuing restrictions and now wished to keep their inherited money for their own use.

2. Who was Spartacus and what was his role within Roman Society? Spartacus was a Thracian gladiator. Little is known about his life before he became one of the slave leaders in the Third Servile War, the slave uprising war against the Roman Republic. Spartacus may have served in the Roman Army. It is generally believed he deserted, and some sources say he led bandit raids. What is known is that he was captured and sold into slavery. He escaped from a gladiatorial training school at Capua along with some 70 other gladiators. Other runaway slaves soon joined them. Taking refuge on Mount Vesuvius, the gladiators trained the others in at least rudimentary combat skills. Spartacus is believed to have been the leader of the gladiators' revolt, and he shared leadership of the slave army with two Gauls, Crixus and Oenamus. The story of Spartacus has served as inspiration for books, movies and a television series. He has often been made into a symbol for oppressed people rebelling to overturn their society, but in point of fact he tried to lead his army to safety and freedom for themselves outside Rome's reach and never attempted to overthrow Roman society.