The Roman Government

He went from an insignificant peasant to the most powerful position in the Byzantine Empire, the emperor (source 3 page 120). This could be an explanation as to why Procopius attacks Justinian so frequently in The Secret History (DOES THIS NEED A SOURCE?). His bias and distaste is clearly displayed in the following quote (source 2 page 889): “Justinian, having no natural aptitude toward the imperial dignity, neither assumed the royal manner nor thought it necessary to his prestige. In his accent, in his dress, and in his ideas he was a barbarian.” Procopius essentially admits to his own bias, saying that the fact that he was not a natural heir and because of this is barbaric. Clearly, The Secret History is shaping up to be a remarkably biased source, which decreases the probability that it is a reliable

The story of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the last of the seven legendary kings of Rome and son (or perhaps grandson) of the nobly depicted King Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, provides an excellent demonstration of how Livy intended his history to be a “splendid monument” (Livy Preface, p.4) from which one could find both examples to follow and ones to learn from. While most of the legendary kings are described in a largely positive light and seem to demonstrate the honor and tradition of the romans, and are therefore among the examples to be followed. Tarquinius Superbus is without a doubt an example to be learned from, a story of trickery and tyranny, which was very different from the others, and which future generations must seek to avoid.

Justinian’s age was a golden age because Justinian had achieved many things. Justinian created currency, controls many sea routes for trade, had entertainment, and many more advancements. But the advancements that stands out are, the Bureau of Barbarians and how much land Justinian dominates. Justinian had created a secret agency for his empire. A group of merchants and spies that would go spy and bring back information about the enemy - Bureau of Barbarians. Because of this agency, Justinian had ideas on how to protect his empire. He also dominated a big amount of land. He controlled the Vandals in South Africa, the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Visigoth in Southern Spain. Because of this, his empire gained many ideas, rituals, and information

During its time, the Roman empire had grown to a powerful force. However, the Romans had many changes that helped it grow while still maintaining many characteristic as well. As the Romans had maintained their control in the Mediterranean and continued to have great trade with other countries, Rome had changed their government system as well as have a major religion change. At the start of 509 BCE, the last Etruscan king’s reign ended and a new government system was founded.

Gibbon begins his work by idolizing the Empire under Augustus and the subsequent rulers who followed in his footsteps. “The frontiers of that extensive monarchy were guarded by ancient renown and disciplined valour... During a happy period (A.D. 98-180) of more than fourscore years, the public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. It is the design of this … to describe the prosperous condition of their empire…” From the onset of the book, Gibbon sets out on a path to explain the virtuous characteristics of the empires. These emperors, the “good” emperors, were the last before the start of the

As Rome became independent from the Etruscan ruling, its government walked away from having a monarch and transformed into a Republic as a way to avoid the tyranny that many times comes with an absolute autocrat. Rigorous precautions were taken from the start in order to keep the power balanced. Moreover, the structure of the government was meant to be resilient to bad judgment. The structure of the Roman Republic with its government and law provided for a more just system.

Some policies and institutions of the Roman Republic were useful to help them succeed in conquering first Italy and then the Mediterranean world. Before of the institution of the republic, the romans were a monarchy since their beginning and they were basically a pastoral people. Rome suffer several changes and improvements under the control of the Etruscan kings. The Etruscan were civilization settled north of Rome in Etruria, and they once had control over almost all the Italic peninsula. The Etruscans influences in Rome were profound, they transformed Rome from a pastoral community to a city (91). The Etruscan built the street and roads that help the development of temples, markets, shops, streets, and houses. They basically brought urbanization to Rome. It is fairly to say that the Rome republic was a fusion between the elements of the Etruscan civilization and the Rome elements. The combination of the different political institutions and policies made the Romans succeed in their conquest territories.

What a pity. All of these oblivious bourgeoisie men and plebeians have failed to comprehend the reality of Julius Caesar’s sacrificial demise, the powerful man every man cherishes. While Caesar was in Spain, a fever came upon him and he violently shook while the falling sickness dominated his body, his lips transitioned to a chalk white, and the life was sucked out of him from God. Is this a powerful man who can influence Rome? Yet, every person worships him as a powerful man, which he is. On another occasion, Cesar nearly drowned from the tranquil river; it solely took the efforts of the heroic Caius Cassius to save his life. Is this the man worthy of leadership? A man who upholds to be equivalent to God, yet he nearly dies by the elements of nature? Nevertheless, everyone doubtlessly knows that Caesar is

The Romans were somewhat meeting the common good. When it came to providing public services the Roman Republic earned a B. The reason it earned a B was that the Romans were providing public services by having to make aqueducts, roads and having entertainment. The Romans made aqueducts that were made out of stone, brick, and special volcanic cement pozzuolana. The waterway system ran below the ground and was built to carry the flow of water. Aqueducts provided the Romans water. With the water they had they could take baths, drink water, and even fountains were used to provide water outside. Water transported from underground to the system of pipes below surfaces. When it came to building roads there was an old expression that said: “All roads

He showed no respect for elders on spot. He could’ve avoided this by just letting the old man go first instead of quarrelling. Also in the story, we see that he treats blind prophet Tiresias very badly (“You, shameless…corruption of the land!” Ln397-401 Pg278, “O power…your scheming means” 433-459 Pg279) and blames Laius’ murder on Creon, Jocasta’s brother: “Creon’s to blame,

Edward Champlin’s book, Nero, is a fresh take on the life of a Roman emperor whose infamous legacy still lives on today. While many have concluded that Nero was simply insane, Champlin takes a different route and argues that, “his actions were rational-that is-he was not crazy-and that much of what he did resonated far more with contemporary social attitudes than our hostile sources would have us believe” (236). Perhaps he was not solely a mad man; he was more calculating than we think, and did things for a reason. To Nero, life was a performance, and he was determined to make sure his audience remembered him.

The Greeks and the Romans were two empires with similar goals, but contrasting government control. Within Greece were the Spartans and Athenians, which had two diverse governmental bodies. The Spartans were ruthless and focused on military success, while the Athenians lived off of a democracy and let their people decide what was best for the state. Close by were the Romans, who cared for their people liked the Athenians, but made acquiring land a necessity as to the Spartans. Although the Spartans, Athenians, and Romans were made up of different laws and government, they still kept control over their people for centuries to come.

The Roman Empire led to its fall. Since the area was so huge, barbarian tribes started to invade the borders and slowly the Roman Empire fell.

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.

Two of the more memorable emperors to the Romans were Augustus Caesar (27 BC to 14 AD), and Caligula (37 AD to 41 AD). Although only having ruled the empire by a separation of 23 years and belonging to the same family (through marriage and adoption), their empires couldn’t have been more different. It is possible to determine the impact of an emperor’s rule based on their many vices and virtues, as well as the choices that they make in relation to them. The author Suetonius expressed in his writings the many vices and virtues that put into perspective the kind of leaders that these emperors appeared as to their polis. As we explore the concept of vices and virtues, as well as what kind of ideals these two rulers represented, we will begin to be presented with a clearer picture of what an ideal emperor would have looked like. A vice can be described as an immoral or wicked behavior; while a virtue can be described as a behavior showing high moral standards. Suetonius and the Roman people had a high interpretation of the concept of virtue and vice, as well as their role in the ruler’s life.