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4. Democracy in Rome

  • Roman Kingdom (753-509 BCE).
  • Roman Republic (509-27 BCE).
  • Roman Empire (27 BCE-476 CE).
  • Holy Roman Empire (800-1806 CE).

Founding of Rome 1 2 3 4 5 6

Etruscans 2

  • The Etruscans, a sophisticated civilization whose heartland was in and around modern-day Tuscany, and who have posed an enduring puzzle.
  • Skilled farmers, metalworkers, and merchants, the Etruscans traded extensively with other Mediterranean civilizations.
  • Women had more rights and freedoms than in other ancient societies.
  • They spoke a different language from their neighbors.
  • The Greek historian Herodotus wrote around 500 B.C.E. that they were migrants from Anatolia who brought with them a distinctive language and culture.
  • The Romans were fascinated by their predecessors.
  • Etruscans may have founded the city of Rome itself, and many Roman institutions and cultural practices were borrowed or adapted from their Etruscan neighbors.
  • Tübingen geneticist Cosimo Posth finds the Etruscans were descended in part from Stone Age farmers who lived in Europe beginning around 6000 B.C.E.
  • Etruscan was spoken and used in tomb inscriptions for another 800 years until the dominance of Rome and its Latin tongue pushed it quietly into extinction in the first century C.E.

How did the Etruscans shape Roman history and society? 3

  • The Etruscan civilization was an early civilization (900 BCE-100 BCE) that inhabited Italy from Tuscany to Rome.
  • The Etruscans regularly fought the Greeks for control of the sea lanes.
  • By the 7th century BCE, various Etruscan city-states united in a loose political and military league.
  • The Etruscans were formidable soldiers and copied the Hoplite tactics and weaponry of the Greeks.
  • The Etruscans could conquer the city of Rome and their dominance was so complete that a dynasty of Etruscan kings the Tarquinii, ruled the city for much of the 6th century BCE.
  • During this period the city of Rome grew rapidly and it is possible that many Etruscans came to live in the city.
  • The Romans were culturally and ethnically different from the Etruscans.
  • The early inhabitants of Rome were Latins and spoke an early form of the Latin language.
  • The Etruscans were constantly harried by Celtic raids and attacks from the north and from the south they were under pressure from Rome.
  • For about 150 years Rome and the Etruscans fought intermittent wars.

Etruscans: Italian Civilization Before Ancient Rome 4

  • Rome was founded in 753 BCE by Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf.
  • In 616 BCE, Tarquinius Priscus, the first Etruscan king of Rome, was elected.
    • He built the sewage system of Rome.
    • He built the Circus Maximus and imported the athletes.
  • In 509 BCE, the last Etruscan king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, was expelled.
  • This ended the Roman Kingdom and started the Roman Republic.
  • In 396 BCE, Marcus Furius Camillus captured Veii, the Etruscan city, the first time Rome captured an Etruscan city.
  • In 264 BCE, Rome captured the last Etruscan city, Volsinii.

Founding of Rome - History of Rome 5 6

  • Rome was founded in 753 BCE by Romulus and Remus.
  • Romulus killed Remus and became the first king of Rome.
  • The city started as a small village with men only.

Democracy in the Roman Republic 7 8 9 10 11

The Roman Republic vs. Athenian Democracy 7

  • 3 similarities between Democratic Athens and the Roman Republic.
    • Both the Roman Republic and Athens gave residents the right to vote.
    • The Roman and Athenian supreme commanders were elected for one-year terms.
    • Both the Roman Republic and Athenian Democracy used a secret ballot to vote.
  • 3 differences between Democratic Athens and The Roman Republic.
    • Political Oratory was significantly more important in the Roman Republic.
    • The Roman Republic had a larger voting population and was more complex.
    • In the Roman Republic, there was a two-party system while Ancient Athens had only one.

Fall of the Republic 12 13 14

References

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  1. Boundless world history 1: Ancient civilizations – enlightenment – Version 35. (2022). Boundless.com. https://archive.org/details/boundless-world-history/boundless-world-history/page/n983/mode/2up ↩

  2. Curry, A. (2021, September 24). They may have founded Rome, then vanished. New work sheds light on the mysterious Etruscans. Science.Org https://www.science.org/content/article/they-may-have-founded-rome-then-vanished-work-sheds-light-mysterious-etruscans ↩↩

  3. How did the Etruscans shape Roman history and society? (n.d.). DailyHistory.org. https://dailyhistory.org/How_did_the_Etruscans_shape_Roman_history_and_society ↩↩

  4. Kings and Generals. (2020). Etruscans: Italian Civilization Before Ancient Rome [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkySjRwUteE ↩↩

  5. Magistra Vitae. (2021). Founding of Rome - History of Rome #1 [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n4BwU7rif4 ↩↩

  6. Magistra Vitae. (2022). Seven Kings of Rome - History of Rome #2 [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZFq52R1n7s ↩↩

  7. Bobertz, N. (2022, August 15). The Roman republic vs. Athenian democracy: Comparisons. The History Ace. https://thehistoryace.com/the-roman-republic-vs-athenian-democracy-comparisons/ ↩↩

  8. Brown, Z. S. (2016). How democratic was the Roman Republic? Theory and practice of an archetypal democracy. Inquiries Journal. 8(11). http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1492/how-democratic-was-the-roman-republic-the-theory-and-practice-of-an-archetypal-democracy ↩

  9. Democracy in troubled times. (2021, March 17.). Saint Leo University. https://slulibrary.saintleo.edu/c.php?g=368038&p=2487222 ↩

  10. Shiffer, M. (2021, June 18). Democracy and the Roman Republic. The History Inquiry. https://medium.com/the-history-inquiry/democracy-and-the-roman-republic-779f18ba5fff ↩

  11. Magistra Vitae. (2022). Rise of the Republic - History of Rome #3 [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkQK_14DUSY ↩

  12. Bobertz, N. (2022, April 19). The 10 major events that led to the fall of the Roman Republic. The History Ace. https://thehistoryace.com/the-10-major-events-that-led-to-the-fall-of-the-roman-republic/ ↩

  13. Arzamas. (2017). Ancient Rome in 20 minutes [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ZXl-V4qwY ↩

  14. Classic Masterworks. (2022). Why the Roman Republic Fell [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cB4m3rEuCY ↩