Chapter 2 Flashcards
Story of the foundation of Rome
- In the mythical city of Alba Longa the king Numitor, was deposed by his brother
Amulius, who forced Numitor’s daughter Rhea Silvia to become a virgin
priestess of the goddess Vesta - But the god Mars made her pregnant and she gave birth to twin Romulus and
Remus - Amulius tried to drown them in the Tiber but the basket carrying them washed
ashore at the foot of palatine hill - A she-wolf suckled them and a shepherd rescued them
- When they grew up they overthrew Amulius
- Remus was eventually killed and Romulus became Rome’s sole founder and the
first of 7 kings
Was monarchy hereditary?
No, each king had to establish his right to rule
How did romans associate their kings
they associated them with leadership in wat, the construction of temples and buildings, the performance of religious rites, and the granting of judgements in legal disputes
what linked the cities of Latium
a shared identity
struggle of the orders
o Access to magistracies because after the expulsion of a king leading
families often tried to monopolize the new offices in their communities
o Ability of officials to punish at will
o Role of magistrates and citizen assemblies - Ability of assemblies to
choose officeholders freely and to make laws requiring or forbidding
certain actions by magistrates
Patricians
o Wealthy, powerful families
o Privileges ensured their leadership
o Exclusive right to hold high office under the Republic
o Exclusive rights over religious life of Rome
Plebeians
o Individuals with a range of statuses and roles in the city
o Some weren’t even poor but most were
o Not unified in their concerns
o Main weapon was the “secession”
o A strike where plebeian members of an army would withdraw to a hill
outside of Rome, choose their own leaders, and refuse to cooperate with
the magistrates of the city until their grievances had been addressed
what was the plebeians first major gain
the right to choose their own leaders, the tribune of plebs
What were the wide variety of functions the tribune of plebs held
o Protecting individuals
o Blocking official actions they considered improper
o Convening the senate
o Proposing legislation
Roma religion is intertwined with what
its public institutions, social groups and settlements
households contained shrines to who
the lares and the penates
The pontiffs
o Exercised general supervision and gave their opinions on whether a
ritual had been performed properly
o They supervised the calendar and identified the days when it was
permissible for magistrates to conduct public business or hold
assemblies
o Started with 3 pontiffs and went to 9 including plebeians and then 15
o Pontiffs served for life so when one died the surviving pontiffs chose a
new one
o Seventeen of the tribes, chosen by lot, elected the pontiff maximus from
among the serving pontiffs
The Augurs
o Auspices essential to an official’s power
o Expert in its proper form and in the interpretation of its results
o Possessed knowledge of the rituals necessary to inaugurate certain
places
o 3 augurs, then 9, then 15 including plebeians
who is vesta
the roman goddess of the hearth
how many vestal virgins performed the rites of Vesta
6 vestal vrigins
