fandomhigh | History of Western Civilisation - Wednesday 5th Period: Discussion 5: The Roman Republic

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History of Western Civilisation - Wednesday 5th Period: Discussion 5: The Roman Republic

Greetings, class. Today, we're going to discuss the Roman Republic.

For your homework, I'd like you to write one hundred words on what you think it would be like to be either a patrician, a plebian, or a slave in the Roman Republic. Due next Tuesday ~~but to be turned in here~~.

[[OOC: ~~Hold for OCD threads~~ Threads up, go ahead.]]

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Isabel signed in

Molly signed in.

Sakura signs in.

Archie signs in.

Ivanova signs in.

Broots signed in.

*Hamlet signs in.*

Lyta signs in.

Quinn signs in.

Janet signed in ~~hours and hours after she'd posted her discussion comments~~.

While Rome's greatest extent occured under the Empire, they began territorial expansion under the Republic. What started out as a reaction against invasion eventually contributed to the fall of the Republic, as military heroes became lionized figures who gained political power, and even later the fall of the Empire, which in part collapsed from being too large. How does that attitude affect us today? Just by way of suggestion, I point out that many Latin American countries have undergone coups by military dictators that have often had tremendous popular support.

"And yet military leaders don't necessarily have an iota of political sensibility," said Janet. "The two skills aren't mutually exclusive, but not all military heros should have political power. ~~For example, mixing Jack O'Neill and politics is a very BAD IDEA.~~ Though I see tendencies towards it in our country, what with Generals Grant and Eisenhower--two very successful wartime generals--later being elected President."

Another side effect of the near-constant state of war that the Republic was in was that there was a near-constant influx of captured populations to be tapped for slave labor. This lead to, among other things, Rome's lack of technological development. They were brilliant engineers, capable of, for instance, building an aquaduct that sloped almost imperceptibly for miles to bring water to Rome. But they did not develop the technology to build a machine that would have constructed that aquaduct, because they had sufficent slave labor.

In addition, the vast amounts of slave labor rendered human labor cheap, and lead to the wealthy minority owning huge tracts of land in the countryside and hundreds of slaves to work that land, and driving the people who used to work that land as freeholders into the cities.

Because I haven't thought up a clever sum-up question, I'll simply say: Discuss.

"Gosh, those in positions of near-absolute power took advantage of their social inferiors," said Janet. "I'm shocked."

"Except for when the 'social inferiors' rise up and rebel. There was a somewhat famous movie made about that. Sparticus, I believe. Rome had a certain paranoia about using slaves, because the slaves tended to be quite numerous. Intelligently, there were legal methods for a slave to become free, as people are far less likely to violently rebel if a peaceful -- and easier -- option is available to them."

Anything you'd like to bring up for everyone to discuss?

I should point out that I'm running detention this weekend, so if you want to see more of me, by all means, let me catch you talking.

Were Janet the type to talk in class, she'd point out that she gets away with passing notes. Constantly. But she's not the type to talk in class. Really. So she just sits there and looks innocent.

Ask questions of the professor here.

Please post here your one hundred (or more) words on What Life Was Like back in the Roman Republic. Please pick either a Patrician, a Plebian or a Slave life to describe.

the Roman Republic was a form of government that worked well with a city-state or even a group of powerful city-states in control of a region, not a good government for maintaining a large empire (for this and because of this the empire would eventually rise) By 133 BC Roman politics had become extremely divided around two different factions in the Senate. The first group was the supporters of the aristocracy, the patricians, who supported the wealthy senatorial class. The other group trying to get political power was interested in the interest of the plebeians and known as the Populares. The Populares demanded the redistribution of land to peasants as well as a reform of the voting procedure. The struggle between these two factions resulted in civil war when the Senate ordered the assassination of Tiberius Gracchus in 133 BC. Gracchus had been elected as a high ranking magistrate and had proposed a law that would divide the land and give it to the plebian citizens of Rome.

(Okay so its like... sort of Patrician moreso than Plebian but Plebian is mentioned and I really just typed in "Plebian in the Roman Republic" and it gave me some wierdness. o__O;)

Slaves were often very badly treated in the wealthy ancient Roman families. They would be used to keep furnaces burning for the bath houses and central heating. They would be expected to cook, clean and do other household chores and jobs.

In the country, on Roman farms, slaves would have to do all the hard and back-breaking work needed in running a far.

Slaves were also used in Ancient Rome's galleys and in gladiatorial combats in the arena.

Some slaves might be used as tutors for wealthy families children. Other gifted slaves might be expected to keep their masters accounts and run his investments for him.

Even valued slaves who were treated as part of the family in many ways were still slaves and did not have the same rights and access to the law as a Roman Citizen.

Broots turned in 150 typed words on the life of a Patrician.

Molly turned in just over 100 words on life as a Patrician. It is obvious that she was reaching for 100 words and then stopped as soon as she could after passing it.

Patricians were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. In the early days of the Roman Republic, patricians formed a hereditary ruling group within the state. The patricians claimed to be able to trace their family to the original populace of Rome before the reign of Ancus Marcius and strong ties to the earliest members of the Roman Senate. All magistracies were off-limits to non-patricians, who were known as plebeians. Patrician status was inherited, and intermarriage between patricians and plebeians was forbidden. Trade between patricians and plebeians was also forbidden. Over time, conflict raged between the two classes, and patricians were slowly forced to relinquish their power. In 494 BC, the office of tribune was created to safeguard the interests of plebeians; no patrician could hold this office. By the 320s BC, all magistracies were open to plebeian candidates, and the importance of the distinction between patricians and plebeians began to fade. In addition, because patrician status was strictly inherited and no new patrician families were created, the number of patrician families decreased. By the last days of the Roman Republic in the first century BC, wealthy plebeian families had long become an integral part of the Roman elite, and patrician status offered little more than prestige.

[OOC: Copied & edited from Wikipedia.]

Early in the republic, all power was concentrated into the hands of the patricians, aristocratic, wealthy land holders. Plebians were anyone who was not a patrician (the equestrian class would come later), and many were just as wealthy as the patricians. These "aristocratic" plebians came to fight what has been called the "War of the Orders" with the aristocrats in charge over the next 200 years. During this time period, during the early 5th century, a tribune of Plebians was elected to protect their class's rights, and reserved the power to veto movement by the artocratic Senate. Despite all of these things, power still depended on wealth in Ancient Rome, and even a Plebian would have to have access to financial resources to be elected to the magistracy.

OOC: Source - SPQR Online

I know I wouldn't want to be a slave, because we did that in another class and it sucked, even though I was the one in charge and got to push Manuel around and make him do whatever I wanted, because he had to. I just know I wouldn't want that. So I guess I'd want to be whoever's in charge. Especially if they got to wear cool clothes like they did back then. Because it's not the togas of yore or whatever, but they had cool ways of wearing stuff and supercute hair.

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History of Western Civilisation - Wednesday 5th Period: Discussion 5: The Roman Republic

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QUESTION 1: Early Expansion of Roman Territory

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QUESTION 2: Slavery in the Roman Republic

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QUESTION 3: Open

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