All About History: Book of Ancient Rome

The legacy of the vast empire of Ancient Rome is present everywhere around us in the modern world today. The Romans left us poetry, ideas, laws, and vocabulary, but the practical heritage the Roman Empire passed down is most evident in the fields of engineering and architecture, from the vastness of the Colosseum to the elegance of the forums in Rome. All of this is a monument to the glory of Ancient Rome, its pervasive cultural influence and its supreme military might. This book takes an in-depth look at the ruthless Roman armies, their many great battles, deeds and rulers – both heroes and villains – and the eventual demise of the greatest empire of the ancient world.…

From the beginning of their history, the Romans had to prove themselves more ruthless than their neighbours, the Etruscans and the Volsci. Rome had to be more cunning, more capable and, if necessary, crueller, for if the city did not defend itself, it would become a victim. The settlement was spread over seven hills, which provided the defensive position for the city as its power grew. From 753 BCE when the mythical Romulus founded the city as a kingdom, the Romans were determined to control their destiny. It was a destiny driven both by their fear and contempt of outsiders and strangers; any non-citizens of Rome were inferior. It was this that drove them to relentlessly conquer land and tribe to create an empire. While they held down their expanding…

Every major city has its physical foundations buried in time and there are almost always myths concerning its historical foundations buried too. Rome is not unusual in this respect. One of the myths concerns the naming of the city. The other, a more literary retelling of the city’s origins, connects the foundation of Rome with one of the heroes of the siege of Troy. This story is the core of The Aeneid, an epic poem, which was written by the Latin poet Virgil (70­19 BCE) for Augustus (27 BCE­14 CE), the first emperor of Rome. The intent was to create a connection between Augustus and Romulus, the mythical founder of the city, and in doing so make a connection between the first emperor and the gods. Along with many other…

Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, was a warlike leader whose experience was garnered as a commander in major wars after the death of his cousin Alexander the Great. He had great confidence in his ability to defeat the Roman upstarts. In 280 BCE Pyrrhus landed at Tarentum in command of an army of professional soldiers. He had 20,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry, including 20 war elephants. Despite having some semblance of a professional army, Rome was still heavily reliant on amateur militia and, all other things being equal, no such army can defeat professionals. Pyrrhus was victorious in battle at Heraclea, but lost 4,000 men. In 281 BCE he sent a diplomat, Cineas, to Rome to sue for peace. Cineas was told bluntly by the blind senator Appius Claudius to…

There were three phases in the government of ancient Rome: The Kingdom: 753 -509 BCE The Republic: 509 – 31 BCE The Empire: 27 BCE– 476 CE For the first 38 years from its foundation, the mythical kingdom of Rome was ruled by Romulus (see page 17). As founder, designer and builder of the city he exercised total control over its government. When Romulus died he was succeeded by Pompilius, who was said to have given the Romans their law and their religion. His successors consolidated the security of the city. It was usual for the king to take advice from a council of elders, which limited his power. The king’s position was not hereditary, instead he was elected by a committee of 300 members of the ruling patrician class…

Lucius Cornelius Sulla was born in 138 BCE, the son of a poor patrician family. He became quaestor to the senator, Marius, in 107 BCE, praetor in 93 BCE and governor of the province of Cilicia. Aged 50 he was made a consul after taking charge of the war against Mithridates in Persia. This appointment was opposed by the Democrat Party, led by Marius, who was threatened by the political ambitions of his former protégé. Sulla marched on Rome with his army and put Marius to flight. Sulla returned to the east and eventually crushed the King of Pontus and returned to Rome where Marius was again in power. Sulla crushed his party and became sole master of Rome. He threw out all of Marius’s reforms of the Senate, took…