The Roman World
Roman Myth as History -­‐ Monarchy to Republic Terminology •  BCE -­‐ Before the Common Era •  CE -­‐ Common Era Now: 30th July, 2013 CE Caesar murdered: Ides (15th) March, 44 BCE ROME’S SEVEN HILLS!
"
•  PalaKne Hill •  Roman Forum •  River Tiber http://www.laits.utexas.edu/moore/rome/image/map-early-rome
Ethnic Groups of Ancient Italy Early Romans
trade with • Etruscans
• Oscans
• Latins
• Greeks
Similar image at - http://www.utexas.edu/courses/romanciv/romancivimages3/Italymap.jpg
http://Siwww.orbilat.com/Maps/Latin/
Origins of Rome •  MYTH: Rome founded 753 BCE (8th c.)!
•  ARCHAEOLOGY: Iron Age settlements 9th c.BCE"
•  hRp://www.utexas.edu/courses/ Reconstruction of
Iron Age huts on
Palatine Hill (based
on evidence of
excavation)
http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=72
‘Capitoline Wolf’ (Capitoline Museum, Rome) bronze wolf ?5th c.BCE; babies added 15th c.CE hRp://schools.nashua.edu/myclass/lavalleev/Art%20History%20Pictures/ch09/9-­‐10.jpg Romulus and Remus!
•  mythic narrative
•  Mars
•  Rhea Silvia (Ilia) - Vestal virgin
•  Amulius - uncle of Rhea Silvia
•  Numitor - father of Rhea Silvia
•  twin boys cast adrift on River Tiber
Statue of Mars, Roman god of war,
early 4th c., Yorkshire Museum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolemage/7684918728/lightbox/
Romulus and Remus!
•  mythic narrative
•  Mars •  Rhea Silvia (Ilia)
•  Numitor - father of Rhea Silvia - king
•  Amulius - uncle of Rhea Silvia •  twin boys cast adrift on River Tiber
•  come ashore at Lupercal near Palatine
•  raised by she-wolf (lupa)
•  foster mother Larentia => lupa - another version - Livy 1.4
•  royalty and divinity
Republican denarius showing the she-­‐wolf suckling Romulus and Remus 137 BCE (obverse shows goddess Roma) hRp://www2.cnr.edu/home/araia/state.html •  hRp://www.angelfire.com/empire/marKana/
mars/index_gal.htm http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s0024.html
She-­‐wolf represents: maternal nurturing •  hRp://www.angelfire.com/empire/marKana/
mars/index_gal.htm She-­‐wolf represents: maternal nurturing and strength, ferocity, power •  hRp://www.angelfire.com/empire/
marKana/mars/index_gal.htm Coin showing Romulus, Remus and she-­‐wolf with Faustulus, herdsman who adopts twins hRp://pages.uoregon.edu/klio/im/rr/regal/faustulus.jpg Romulus and Remus!
•  mythic narrative
•  Mars •  Rhea Silvia (Ilia)
•  Numitor - father of Rhea Silvia - king
•  Amulius - uncle of Rhea Silvia •  twin boys cast adrift on River Tiber
•  come ashore near Palatine (Lupercal)
•  raised by she-wolf (lupa)
•  royalty and divinity
•  adopted by herdsman Faustulus and wife Larentia
•  non-elite upbringing
Founding the City •  Dispute between Romulus and Remus •  Remus murdered -­‐ fratricide?"
http://backtothemovieposters.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/romulus-et-remus.html
Founding the City • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Dispute between Romulus and Remus Remus murdered -­‐ fratricide?"
Different versions (Livy 1.6; Ovid Fasti 4.721–862) Rome founded on PalaKne Hill TradiKonal date 753 BCE 753: foundaKon date •  753 = year zero •  Romans count years – ‘from the foundaKon of the city’ •  = ab urbe condita (the Ktle of Livy’s history) •  Livy’s history: 753-­‐9BCE, in 142 books •  Book 1: beginnings-­‐510BCE (The Early History of Rome) The other founder: Aeneas • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/
lat311moore/LAT311images/
LAT311images1/aeneaspompeii.jpg
Trojan royal Survives destrucKon of Troy by Greeks Fall of Troy ?1184 BCE Greek epics of Homer -­‐ Iliad and Odyssey Exile, sails to Italy Virgil Aeneid -­‐ wriRen approx. same Kme as Livy writes history of Rome: late 1st c.BCE http://www.utexas.edu/
courses/mythmoore/
imagefiles20/
aeneasfleeingtroy.html
Aeneas’ divine ancestry •  mother Venus (= Aphrodite) •  father Ascanius –  Trojan royal family •  Julian family (including Julius Caesar) claim descent from Aeneas’ son, Iulus •  Venus = patron goddess of Julius Caesar, and of Roman race •  Augustus – Caesar’s heir -­‐ emperor at Kme of Livy and Virgil http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2005/11/
aeneid_as_inspiration_for_anci.html
Denarius of Julius Caesar (47-­‐6 BCE), showing Aeneas leaving Troy • 
© Marco Prinx www.livius.org
http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/caesar_aeneas_den_rev.jpg
Reconciling the myths of origin •  Aeneas = founder of Roman
people, "
at Lavinium (south of Rome) (12th c.)"
•  descendants moved inland (east) to"
found Alba Longa"
•  400 years later, Romulus founds
Rome (753 BCE)"
•  Attempts to ‘fill in’ the intervening
time with kings of Alba Longa (Livy
1.3) http://people.duke.edu/~jds15/clst-012/images/map.latium.jpg
Roman IdenKty Romanness from: •  blood-­‐line (Aeneas) -­‐ from Homeric epic •  locaKon (Romulus) -­‐ naKve Italian story •  Aeneas -­‐ Venus -­‐ love & ferKlity •  Romulus -­‐ Mars -­‐ war Who are the Romans? • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Romulus’ Asylum on Capitoline Hill city of exiles & outcasts (including Aeneas) humble origins inclusive society hyper-­‐masculine Sabine Women •  Sabines -­‐ neighbours of Romans to north-­‐east •  Shortage of women -­‐>‘The Rape of the Sabine Women’ The Romans
carry off the
Sabine women;
coin issued 88
BCE, by L.
Titurius Sabinus
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/lat311moore/LAT311images/LAT311images1/sabinecoin9902250002.jpg
Nicolas Poussin (1594 - 1665) Rape of the Sabine Women.
Oil on canvas c. 1635 Metropolitan Museum, New York
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/rape-sabine-women
Sabine Women •  Sabines -­‐ neighbours of Romans to north-­‐east •  Shortage of women -­‐>‘The Rape of the Sabine Women’ •  ExplanaKon of Roman and Sabine incorporaKon? (which may have happened much later) •  Romulus co-­‐rules with Sabine leader Titus TaKus http://www.utexas.edu/courses/lat311moore/
LAT311images/LAT311images1/
sabinecoin9902250002.jpg
The Romans
carry off the
Sabine women;
coin issued 88
BCE, by L.
Titurius Sabinus
Sabine Women as Reconcilers of Romans and Sabines The Intervention of the Sabine Women.
1799 painting by Jacques-Louis David.
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/intervention-sabine-women
Romulus’ alerlife •  Romulus mysteriously disappears during a storm •  deificaKon, but no cult •  assimilated to Quirinus -­‐ probably minor god associated with Mars •  Romans = Quirites •  Casa Romuli: ‘Hut of Romulus’ maintained on PalaKne Hill Romulus’ alerlife •  Casa Romuli: ‘Hut of Romulus’ maintained on PalaKne Hill •  first emperor, Augustus, also builds house on PalaKne •  locaKon of emperor’s home for centuries (‘palace’) The Roman Monarchy •  Romulus (with Sabine, Tatius)"
•  Numa (Sabine) Romulus and Numa represent two sides to ‘Romanness’ ROMULUS •  warlike -­‐ son of Mars •  violence -­‐ even within family; Sabine women •  Roman -­‐ names the city and the people -­‐ the ulKmate insider NUMA •  peaceful -­‐ closing of doors of Janus •  civic life -­‐ introduces laws and religious observances •  Sabine -­‐ outsider, and educated by Greek (Pythagoras)