...Polybius. The Histories: The Constitution of the Mid-Republic Often, when talking about Ancient Rome, images of a vast empire, flourishing cities, loyal citizens, and the most powerful and wealthy state of its time come to mind. While there are many factors that can be accredited to the success of this once grand nation, the most prominent, and impactful still today, would be that of the government—the Roman Republic. Much credit to the success of the Empire lies with the creation of this government that, to this day, is still viewed as ideal. Why though was the Roman government able to produce long periods of prosperity and unity? Perhaps a more detailed look how the government was able to operate functionally and efficiently for long spans of time lies within the Roman Constitution. Probably the first...
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...Ancient Rome From Kingdom to Republic 1. Define Republic A republic is a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the have the right to elect the leaders who make government decisions. 2. Which type of democracy is a republic? A republic is an indirect democracy. 3. What is a patrician? What is a plebian? A patrician is the upper class group in ancient Rome whose ancestry gave them the authority to make laws. A plebian is the more common people in ancient Rome who were only allowed to vote and couldn’t partake in government. Twelve Tables 4. What was the significance of the twelve tables? The twelve tables was established the idea that all free citizens had the right of protection of law, and that laws would be fair to all. Republican Government 5. Who made up the legislative branch? The legislative branch is made up of the senate. Roman Law 6. List the 4 principles of Roman law. The 4 principles of Roman law are 1: All citizens have the right to equal treatment, 2: Innocent until proven guilty, 3: Burden of proof rested with the accuser, and 4: All laws should be based on reason. A Written Legal Code 7. How did Emperor Justinian contribute to Roman law? Emperor Justinian contributed to Roman law by making the Code of Justinian and saying that the laws applied for everyone. 8. Explain the meaning of “A government of laws, not men” The quote “A meaning of government of laws, not...
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...The Roman Republic to some extent was a democracy. While the Roman Republic was not as democratic as the United states is today, there are many things that you would have been different in ancient Rome to make it a true democracy. The Roman Republic was democratic in the way that they allowed the citizens of Rome to vote and they had a constitution that they followed; however, they weren't in the aspect such as they allowed slavery. All though they weren’t too liberal with many aspects they still allowed the poor to vote as long as they were in Rome. Citizens would have to travel to the city of Rome in order to vote. So many of the roman citizens wouldn’t, or couldn’t travel to the city of Rome to vote. As a result only 2% of all roman citizens...
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...narrative of the height of achievement for a masculine warrior-hero served as one of his most enduring and powerful legacies to later ages” (Martin, Ancient Greece, 252). Alexandre had so many success which the Romans took noticed of and used it to conspiracy their expansion. Although many of the sources of Rome’s expansion was first presented as a sage of premediated wars of conquest (Ancient Rome, 67), when it comes to military, the Romans glean many of their military scheme from Alexander the Great. Although they had some influential ideas from Alexandre...
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...Unit 1 Individual Project 1 Running Head: Humanities Introduction to Humanities By: Margaret McKay HUMA215-1103A-10 Unit 1 Individual Project 2 Variables | Ancient Greece | Ancient Rome | Geography | Mediterranean country. Was divided into areas called cities. The land was very mountainous which made it difficult to travel. Ancient ruins provide a vivid testimony to the glory of Athens, hailed by many as the cradle of Western Civilization(Ancient Greece, 2008). | Mediterranean country. Rome was inland and didn’t have natural hilly borders to keep out intruders. Many Romans can see a river from their houses since Rome is located near the Tiber River (Fisher & Harlan, 1998). | Social Structure | Men and women had different roles and responsibilities. Men wore special clothes and were in charge of the family and home. A woman’s role was to have children, run the house, and manage the slaves (Fisher & Harlan, 1998). | Rome copied a lot of the same social structure from Greece. Men were masters of their homes, women wore make-up and jewelry and fixed their hair, they were also expected to maintain the house and take care of the children (Fisher & Harlan, 1998). | Philosophy | Greek philosophy consisted of a group of philosophers that used their scientific interest to investigate nature. They broke away from mythology and started an approach based on reason and evidence (IEP, 2001). | Roman philosophy was greatly influenced by people called Etruscans...
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...Cicero: The “Father of His Country” Anthony Everitt, in his suave and gripping biography of Cicero, the famed orator of the late republic, paints a picture of one of the most brilliant lawyers and statesmen of all times. He derives most of his facts from Cicero’s own legendary speeches as well as letters to his close personal friend Atticus. His portrait of Cicero is a witty, principled, genius of political and legal tactics who at his core was a true patriot and conservative idealist. Moreover, Cicero was a vain, voluble, wisecracking sort of guy; in fact “often in his career, Cicero let his sense of humor do serious damage to his prospects.”(122) Cicero's life (he was born in 106 B.C., in Arpinum, and died in 43 B.C.) coincided with the last golden age of the Roman republic before it was dismantled and turned into an empire. A brilliant and sometimes scathing lawyer from a well-to-do provincial family, Cicero found himself unwillingly at the heart of a 100-year civil war that pitted the traditional oligarchy of the Senate, known as the “optimates“, against a new breed of fiery class-war demagogues known as “populares“. Like our left and right, Democrats and Republicans, both parties were drawn from much the same social class, attended the same dinner parties and often saw politics as a personal power trip. But they had two radically different visions of the Roman state. The “optimates” yearned for a moderate republican status quo; the radicals wanted reforms that would...
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...in Cultural Studies Terry Meeks American Intercontinental University Instructor: J. Anderson March 27, 2011 Abstract Many ancient cultures existed throughout time but none as popular as ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Although Rome eventually became powerful and ruled over Greece, much of Roman art, architecture, and religion were adopted from the cultures they conquered and were adapted to meet the needs of the Roman Empire. Much of the Roman society mocked that of ancient Greece. | ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE | ANCIENT ROMAN CULTURE | GEOGRAPHY AND GOVERNMENT | Athens was the center of the Greek world in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Athens was the capital of Greece and its name was taken from the Greek goddess Athena. Athens was symbolic of art, freedom, and democracy (the prevailing government of ancient Greece introduced around 500 BCE by an aristocrat). Athens was just one of over 800 city states that made up ancient Greece. Several city states (comparable to a modern county) were isolated from each other and the mainland as they were located on islands that made up the fractured geography of ancient Greece. These islands were located in the Aegean Sea and reached around the Mediterranean to peninsula of Italy and to the shores of Asia Minor. Each city state considered itself a cultural center. City states of ancient Greece were very independent however they remained loyal to Greece and considered themselves Greeks.***See Figure 1 | Rome was the...
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...Greek Cultures Government Geographical Terrain Economics and Trade Practices Art and Architecture Philosophical and Religious Beliefs City-states • Largest: Athens (Sayre, 2013) • Ruled by Democracy (Sayre, 2013) Three Social Classes: • Upper class (Sayre, 2013) • Middle class (Sayre, 2013) • Lower class (Sayre, 2013) Greek Islands were in the Southeastern corner of Europe, and were divided into two peninsulas (Ancient Greece Geography, 2012). Mountainous terrain and rugged coastlines, which offered good protection, but made it difficult for communication and trading (Ancient Greece Geography, 2012). Greeks attempted sophisticated economic analysis. They made and traded in both local and long distances, and had money to do so (Sayre, 2013). Because of the mountainous terrain, city-states used trade by sea (Sayre, 2013). The economy was focused on importing goods due to poor soil quality (Sayre, 2013). In 6th Century B.C, commerce and craftsmanship were developed (Sayre, 2013). Because the lives of the Greeks were dominated by their religion, their temples were by far the largest and prettiest (Sayre, 2013). The Greeks made three individual architectural systems, which were called orders, and each one had its own unique size and detailing (Sayre, 2013). Three orders: • Doric • Ionic • Corinthian This Parthenon belongs to the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena Parthenos, and belongs to the Doric order (Sayre, 2013). This...
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...States’ rival in the Cold War. As world powers they were in a contest over systems of government. The democratic and communist institutions had each left their mark on the German capital by dividing Berlin into western democratic and eastern communist sectors. After American air support thwarted the Russian military blockade on the Western half of the city, John F. Kennedy addressed the struggles of the city and praised them for their tenacity. Kennedy proclaims that, “two thousand years ago, two thousand years ago the proudest boast was ‘civus Romanus sum’. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.” The president’s comparison of West Berlin to ancient Rome is a major analogy, stating that West Berlin’s strength of perseverance is equal to the strength of ancient Rome’s military . This praise exemplifies his transition from conqueror to protector of the city. As leader of one nation which conquered Germany in World...
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...Government Aristocrats once ruled the Greeks. After a number of years of war, the Democracy was presented and effective. Political, philosophical, and literary held great concerns. (Economic History, 2010) The Roman government is an uncompromising version of the Greeks. From the Monarchy there is a civilization change, holding the military and political control was the Aristocratic republic. “Executive, legislative and the judicial branch” were the branches that were presumed so that the political control would be composed. (2)(UN RV History, 2011) Geographical Greece is a peninsula. It has several smaller peninsulas attached. Peninsula meaning it is enclosed by water on three sides. Southwestern Europe is where it is positioned. It is “51,000 square miles” (Kidport, 2012) The “Seven Hills and The Tiber River” is what Rome’s geographical area consists of. (Maps of World, 2000) It forms the “backbone of the peninsular” and it is the western part of the Apennine Mountains. (Maps of World, 2000) Terrain Greece is roughly 20% made up of island and it has a small amount of plans, the rugged mountainous and the rocky terrain is what divided the cities and the states. (Kidport, 2012) As for the land, it was not capable of sustaining plant life and it was unnourished. On both sides there were small islands with swampy land and steep hills. (Mariamilani, n/d) Economics The ancient Greece was embraced the small independent poleis; although the indefinite...
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...Essay "Is the United States following in the footsteps of ancient Rome’s decline?" There are many areas of similarity when contrasting the United States with the Roman Empire. The greatest nation on earth today is the United States. The main factors supporting this are that the U.S. is the economic leader in the world. At this time, the U.S. has the strongest military of any nation. There is relevance with what is happening in the United States today and what occurred during the fall of the Roman Empire. One common and provable fact is that in many ways history does have a tendency to repeat itself. Not only on a worldwide scale does this happen, but in the lives of individuals as well. After all, governments and their political entities are made up people. And as part of human nature, people are prone to make the same mistakes again and again, as the Roman Empire and the U.S. similarities and differences in the functioning of the state. The Roman Empire established a connection between the state and the people. The people were subjected respectively by pride in their country. Their pride was extremely strong in a nation who offered a stable and profound class society. They government’s hierarchy included a military emperor or Sacrificial King, senate, consuls, and the forum. The Romans also enacted a class society of peasant farmers, patricians and plebeians, who were among the higher level in the class society. Ruled by a dictator, the Roman Empire was under strict control...
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...be applied to all aspects of life, just as Isaac Newton had applied reason to science. Five important concepts eventually formed the core of their philosophy: Reason, Nature, Happiness, Progress, and Liberty One of the most brilliant and influential of the philosophes was Voltaire. He published more than 70 books on politics, essays, philosophy, history, fiction, and drama. Voltaire never stopped fighting for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech. Many of his beliefs were adopted into the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. Another influential philosophe was the Baron de Montesquieu. He devoted himself to the study of political liberty. Montesquieu studied the history of ancient Rome, and concluded that Rome’s collapse was directly related to its loss of political liberties. Because of its balance of power between three groups of officials, he believed Britain was the best-governed country of his day. The British king and his ministers held executive power, they carried out the laws of the state. The members of Parliament held legislative, or law making power. The Judges of each applied to a specific case. Montesquieu called this the separation of powers. Even though he oversimplified how exactly it all worked, his book, On the Spirit of Laws, greatly influenced how America’s government would work. So much so that checks and balances became the basis for the United States Constitution. A third philosophe that was a huge influence...
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...Since the earliest forms of democracy in ancient Athens to the harsh dictatorships of the Roman Empire, throughout time there has always been varying types political systems containing different ideas. However with all these systems and ideas there was corruption and depending on the system, varying amounts of corruption. Within any type of political system there will always be some type of corruption. The issue of corruption has always negatively affected individuals of society and has just created an overall lack of trust in the government for many. William Stearns Davis, “A Day in Old Athens” (Document 1), displays people living in ancient Athens was tough because of the terribly narrow and filthy roads near the marketplace. These roads...
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...Ancient Rome and Greece Rome had many rulers. Julius Caesar is one of the more famous dictators. After he emerged victorious from a brutal civil war, he declared himself dictator for life. The consuls did not take too generously to this and a group of them showed their distaste by murdering Caesar. After another decade and a half of civil war Caesar's grandnephew Augustus was the victor in the brutal civil war. He claimed he restored the republic. He now controlled all of Rome--- including the empire. He became the first emperor of Rome. Roman religion is deeply rooted in an ancient belief in spirits. They believed that spirits guided peoples lives. over time, the spirits became gods and goddesses over the Romans. Every one had special powers. The chief god of the Romans was Jupiter, he controlled the sky, daylight, and weather. They also had temples for their gods, at altars in courtyards, sheep were sacrificed and gifts were left to please the god. Often people had shrines in their homes that they prayed to every morning and left food at in order to please the gods and ask for their protection. The Roman civilization was very cultured. People were always explored the world, searching for ways to explain its secrects. Artists took note of the world they saw in paintings, mosaics, and sculpltures. Books, poems, and plays came from writers. Historians wrote about Rome’s origins, emperors, wars, and even everyday life. The Romans perfected the art of cameo-making, a cameo...
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...People * Philosophy * Religion * Society * Technology edit The Ancient Rome Portal Ancient Rome was a civilization which began as a small agricultural community on the Italian Peninsula in the 8th century BC. Rome became a large empire which straddled the Mediterranean Sea. In its twelve centuries of existence, Roman civilization was firstly a monarchy, then a republic that combined oligarchy and democracy, and finally became an autocraticempire. Through conquest and assimilation, it came to dominate Western Europe, the entire Mediterranean Basin including the Near East and North Africa, the Balkans, and the Black Sea.The Roman empire went into decline in the 3rd century AD, and began to collapse in the 5th century AD. Plagued by internal instability and attacked by various migrating peoples, the western part of the empire, includingHispania, Gaul, and Italy, broke into independent kingdoms in the 5th century. The eastern part of the empire, governed from Constantinople, survived this crisis, and remained intact for another millennium, until its last remains were finally annexed by the emerging Ottoman Empire. This eastern, medieval stage of the Empire is usually referred to as the Byzantine Empire by historians.Roman civilization was part of the period of classical antiquity, alongsideancient Greece—a civilization that inspired much of the culture of ancient Rome. Ancient Rome made significant contributions to the development oflaw, war, art, literature, architecture...
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