Ancient Rome: From Romulus and Remus to the Visigoth Invasion

Introduction:

Ancient Rome’s influence cannot be
overstated. The English language,
government, and culture—from basics
such as the alphabet and calendar to
more sophisticated legal systems—are so
heavily saturated with Roman traits that
it is impossible to imagine what the world
would be like if Rome had not flourished.
Any civilization whose influence
reverberates so strongly around the globe
thousands of years after its fall deserves a
closer look, and that is what this book
provides. Ancient Rome: From Romulus
and Remus to the Visigoth Invasion transports
readers back to a time of intrigue,
conquest, invention, and empire building.
Readers also will be introduced to the
Caesars, warriors, senators, patricians,
and plebeians who built, governed, conquered,
and inhabited the ever-expanding
territories under Roman rule.
From its mythical founding by
Romulus on Palatine Hill, Rome had
devised a political and social framework
from which the empire would fall away
and return and to which emerging countries
and civilizations would look for
centuries to come. Popular images of
Rome conjure the picture of a fully formed
state with vast lands and a multilayered
government and social order, but its
beginnings were humble. The once-small
village of Rome transformed itself into an
empire through organized government,
an expansionist military policy, and


openness to the cultures of the lands
Rome had dominated throughout the
ancient world.
Rome was ruled by kings until the
fabled tyrant Tarquinius Superbus was,
according to legend, overthrown by the
populace. From then on, Rome would
never again have a king, instead electing
two magistrates called consuls. There
were two main social classes in the early
republic (509–280 BC), the patricians and
the plebeians. In essence, the patricians
held the power and the plebeians had
the right to vote on laws. The consuls,
however, were elected by the military;
consequently, primarily generals who
led Rome’s armies were elected to
consulship.
The Senate, which most likely evolved
from the king’s group of advisers, was
composed of patrician elders. Because of
their collective wealth and social status,
the senators and their “advice” were
taken seriously. The assembly was
slightly more egalitarian, with five classes
ranging from wealthy knights to the poor
landless, and it passed basic legislation.
A clearly defined system of law, called the
Law of the Twelve Tables, was completed
about 450 BC.
As leader of the Latin League, the
loosely aligned individual states of Italy,
Rome frequently sought to expand
through what was deemed “justifiable
war,” though in reality Rome typically.