to syllabus

Unit 5:  The Roman Republic. 

readings: 

• Hunt, The Making of the West:  Peoples and Cultures, ch. 5 (pp. 163-201). 

• Lualdi, Sources of the Making of the West:  Peoples and Cultures, ch. 5, pp. 88-94, 102-105. 

QUIZ will be on Key Terms in Hunt, p. 201.

Questions on Hunt

Ch. 5 (pp. 163-201)

1.  How were the moral values at the core of the Roman world view demonstrated in their social and religious traditions?  To answer this, you must first explain what the Romans meant by "piety," faithfulness," "virtue," and "the way of the elders."  You then need to explain what those values had to do with things like patron-client relations, the power of fathers in the Roman family, the education of Roman boys, and Roman religious beliefs.

2.  Why was Rome, a small farming village in the early 700s BCE, able to turn itself into a regional power by 509 BCE?  In particular, why were contacts with other cultures (like the Greeks and Etruscans) important to the expansion of the Roman monarchy? 

3.  When and why did Rome become a Republic, and did that mean that Rome was democratic?  Be careful to think about the Struggle of the Orders and the reasons that conflict between Patricians and Plebeians resulted in new legal and government institutions.

4.  Why was Rome almost constantly at war and how did that affect Roman society?  Consider the motivations of the wealthy and those of the poor, and also consider how conquests abroad changed Rome's economy and its social life. 

5.  Did Rome simply copy its culture (art, literature, philosophy, etc.) from the Greeks, or were there important differences between the two cultures?  Explain and give examples.

6.  As the Republic expanded, its social and political problems became more complex.  What were the most important social problems facing Rome by the 100s BCE and how did these affect politics?

7.  When and why did the Republic degenerate into military rule, and how did Julius Caesar come into power? 

BIG QUESTION:  Think about the entire chapter.  What evidence in the chapter supports this statement:  Rome's military conquests eventually undermined some of the values that had made Roman society successful.   

Questions on Lualdi

We will focus on two documents for this unit:  "The Twelve Tables" (pp. 88-94) and Plutarch's history of the Gracchan reforms (pp. 102-105).

Answer the "Six Questions" for both documents:

• Who wrote it, where, and when?
• What type of document is it?
• Who was the intended audience?
• What was the author's goal?
• What is the author's main point?
• What does it tell us about that society?

OK.  Here are the main discussion questions for these documents:

1.  What do these two documents reveal about Rome's social hierarchy (the differences in power and wealth between different social groups) in the 400s BCE and in the 100s BCE?  Explain, using the evidence!

2.  What kinds of property and property rights are discussed in these documents and what does that tell us about the organization of Roman society? Explain, using the evidence!