The ancient civilization of Rome has a rich and extensive history. From 509 BCE to 27 BCE, the roman republic was founded and run by many virtuous and honorable men. Many of these men are legends for their noble actions both on and off the battlefield. They have fought and defended the city with their lives. Many of these men have even killed people in order to protect and preserve the city of Rome. Although some Romans have been known to be more virtuous than others, the true Romans are men and women who value familial values, good reputation, bravery and heart. Thus, after an analysis of poems and speeches, it stands clear that the Roman Empire was built by honorable and virtuous men.
The historical development of Rome can be greatly attributed
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Augustus was the nephew of Julius Caesar. When Caesar became dictator of Rome, he had no heir. Caesar adopted Augustus to succeed him. After Julius Caesar was stabbed by his advisors, it was time for Augustus to take control. He wrote, “When I was nineteen, on my own initiative and at my own expense I raised an army, with which I restored freedom to the state which was oppressed by the power of a clique…When both consuls fallen in battle, people named me consul and appointed me one of three triumvirs for the reestablishment of the Republic” (Augustus 1). Augustus’ rose to power because of his reputation and military standing. Once Caesar died on the Ides of March, he took it upon himself to kill each of the men on his prescription list, along with the help of Marcus Antonius and Marcus Amelius Lepidus. Killing these men established his reputation as military leader and thus, an honorable Roman for avenging the former dictator. The Second Triumvirate disbanded after every man on the prescription list was murdered. Augustus became worried about Marc Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra. Many Romans believed that Marc Antony was turning his back on his Rome by building a relationship with Cleopatra and the Egyptians. Romans also feared that Cleopatra was using Marc Antony to take control of Rome. Augustus foresaw this and attacked before Marc Antony and Cleopatra could strike. At the Battle of Atvium in 31 BCE, Augustus defeated Marc Antony, Cleopatra and their Egyptian fleet. Knowing that they already lost, Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide before they could face any consequences. Marc Antony did not want to face the shame of being considered a traitor. After the battle, Augustus returned to Rome a hero. His honorable and successful win demonstrated wise military standing. He ultimately became the emperor of Rome and initiated a Pax Romana, ensuring multiple years of peace in
Caesar Augustus: Caesar Augustus, or earlier known as Octavian, was a military commander who later became the emperor of the Roman Empire. His reign lasted from 27 B.C.E. to 14 C.E. His title, Caesar Augustus, implied that he was a ruler with godlike qualities. This marked the end of republics in Rome and the rise of the empire. Augustus was a humble ruler, and seeked to preserve republic values, by refraining from calling himself an emperor, or king. His rule began the Pax Romana, or the era of great peace in the Roman Empire.
After Octavian and his men beat Antony he returned home to Rome the senate refused to pay Octavian’s legions after they had won the battle for Rome. This lead to Octavian marching on Rome with his men demanding both consulship for himself and for his men to be paid. Octavian’s new title as a consul gave him the imperium he wanted to be able to lead his army. While Antony and Octavian were on opposing sides, the battle of Mutina did lead to their eventual alliance in the Second Triumvirate. This three man government of Antony, Octavian and Lepidus gave both Antony and Octavian the power they
The triumvirate inevitably weakened when Caesar was unable to meet of Pompey’s agenda’s and fled to Gaul. The First Triumvirate officially ended with the death of Crassus at Syria. “Although the triumvirate had been renewed, Crassus had been the glue that held them together” (“First Triumvirate”). As a consul, Caesar’s first action was to introduce a bill to grant public land to soldiers, but instead he staged a riot to escape the triumvirate and head to Gaul. Being in Gaul allowed Caesar to build a greater military and begin war campaigns.
The Romans emerged from Italy and formed their culture that can find its roots among an array of native tribes and Greek colonies that populated Italy. There are two parts of the foundation of a Roman’s identity that stemmed from the cultural influences that produced the Romans, their culture and their ideals. The first component of the foundation of the Roman identity is the usage and the incorporation of others’ myths into their own etiological myth. The second part stems from these myths that made the Romans believe that their existence and success was the result of fate. By looking into Virgil’s Aeneid and Sallust’s Conspiracy of Catiline one can see that this two-part foundation produced a society and people that embodied this idea that they were the best parts of all the cultures
In an account written by a Roman soldier, he says that “Augustus was forced to hold the office of consul eleven times in a row, despite his frequent efforts to refuse. But he stubbornly refused the dictatorship, which people precisely offered to him.” This reveals that Augustus didn’t care about his public title he had and only cared about bettering Rome for his people, showing that he was a very humble and determined leader to Rome. Along with not caring about his title, he was also a very good military leader and truly restored Rome to its highest
Morals and values were one of the most important factors that kept Rome prosperous, and without it, the empire itself would have crumbled. However, as years passed, Rome’s citizens began to lose their honorable edge. This caused the streets of large, influential cities to become dangerous and infested with crime. Additionally, because the emperors began to get lazy, much of the money used for defending Rome was wasted on lavish parties and coliseum bets. Because of this, many soldiers left the army, seeing as they were not getting paid anymore.
The Romans were proud people who stood up for their country at any time. There was always a story of a man who dropped what he did to go and defend his country as seen with Cincinnatus. If you ever went against the Romans or did not show loyalty to Rome, you were marked for dead. While there were many goods the Romans considered, like the worshipping of the gods, the Highest good for them was loyalty to country. There are many instances of Romans demonstrating their loyalty to Rome.
For example, in October of 42 B.C.E, the triumvirs defeated Brutus and Cassius as they committed suicide at the Battle of Philipi, in October. Additionally, between 38 and 36 B.C.E., the trio dueled Julius Caesar’s archenemy, Sextus Pompeius. Tension arouse between Augustus Caesar and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus because Marcus began to act presumptuous against him. Lepidus felt overly-confident over his victory, had the audacity to instruct his team to leave Sicily.
Julius Caesar was born into the same family as Marius so he had a wealthy reputation that gave him some power over the people. He would later join a triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus and who would rule over Rome for some 7 years. Then there was a fallout between Pompey and Caesar which led to an abundant amount bloodshed until Caesar finally beat Pompey and he then became the sole dictator of Rome. Through their wealthy families and violence, Sulla and Caesar climbed the ladder in politics and became the dictators of
Ancient Rome is recognized for strength in war and battles, so the ideal citizen would be strong and willing to fight. Hunt explains that in Rome “one man’s loss was another man’s gain” (177). The culture of Ancient Rome was aggressive, as the men were trained to fight and be devoted to their country. “Male elites had to be on guard to defend against and avenge any slights to their personal, family, and state honor” (Hunt 177). In The Aeneid, Virgil writes “Roman, remember by your strength to rule //
Octavian vowed to assassinate everyone that killed Caesar. Cassius and Brutus forces had been beaten by Octavian's, so they both ended up committing
As with the first triumvirate, the leaders’ dissimilarities with each other started emersion causing some friction in areas of interest and political ambition. Octavian eventually exiled Octavian, and defeated Antony at sea, who eventually committed suicide with his Egyptian wife Cleopatra. Being the only remaining ruler, Octavian Returned to Rome and declared himself princeps of Rome. In 27 BC, the Senate gave Octavian the holy title of Augustus, and later ruled for 41 years. The policies he enacted set the groundwork for the era of peace known as the Pax
his uncle's, rule after his assassination. Augustus was also the first to create a standing army and he brought peace and prosperity amongst Rome during the chaos, after Julius's death. In 46 BC, Augustus joined his uncle Caesar in Hispania where they were fighting their enemy at the time- Pompey. According
The civil war that followed was won by Julius Caesar adopted son, Octavian. In reaction, the Roman senate handed over an immense amount of power to Ocativan by honoring him as “the first citizen”,
In the beginning, Caesar lost a few battle against Vercingetorix but then defeated him ultimately. Vercingetorix with his men had taken refuge in a fortress in Alesia. Caesar trapped his rivals by building his own fortification walls around the fortress. After various attempts to win the battle, Vercingetorix had finally