Ancient Rome: Society, Origins and Expansion

Origins of Ancient Rome

On the Italian Peninsula:

• In the center, Latins were pastoralists and farmers.
• In the north, the Etruscans.
• In the south, the Greeks had founded colonies (Magna Graecia).

In the mid-eighth century (8th) BC, Latins gathered some tribes near the Tiber River. More Latins settled on seven hills (Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Capitoline, Palatine, Aventine, and Caelian) to protect themselves against frequent floods. There, they raised the first settlements and would create a city that would later become Rome, a major commercial enclave.

Roman Religion

The Romans deified natural phenomena and forces (numina). The oldest places of worship were sacred forests (lucia). It was also important to worship the domestic gods (lares) in private, with small altars in their houses (lararia).

Patricians and Plebeians

Patricians: A minority of aristocratic families who considered themselves descendants of the founders of Rome. They were landowners and controlled the city.

Plebeians: The largest group, consisting of farmers, artisans, and merchants. They had neither territorial property nor political rights. They were considered citizens.

The Fight for Equality

The aristocratic patricians formed the government: Only they knew the processes and laws. The plebeians had to pay taxes and join the army. For two hundred years, the plebeians fought to have the same political rights as the patricians. In the fifth century (5th) BC, they gained the right to choose a representative, the Tribune, who defended their interests.

Description of Rome

Rome was protected by a wall, and at its center stood a square, the Forum. There were numerous public buildings: buildings dedicated to worship and buildings devoted to leisure. It had a good system of water canalization and sewers.

Society in Times of Empire

• Nobles
• Plebeians (Patricians, Enriched Plebeians)
• Freedmen (Clients)
• Slaves

Citizens: Nobles (Patricians and Plebeians)

Non-Citizens: Women, Slaves, and Freedmen

Pax Romana

Centuries I and II AD saw maximum expansion and prosperity. There were few wars, and conquered territories were Romanized. Rome became a large city with over one million inhabitants. Emperor Caracalla granted the right of Roman citizenship. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries, Christianity spread. In the fourth century, Christians were already quite numerous.

Trade in the Roman Empire:

• Horses and amber came from Germania.
• Skins came from what is currently Ukraine.
• Slaves came from Germania.
• Slaves and circus animals came from North Africa.
• Perfumes and luxurious silks came from the East.