The Roman Republic: Difference between revisions

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[[File:ss_ancientrome_shewolf01_3094.jpg|frame|Romulus and Remus, Rome's legendary founders]]

The Eternal City, Rome, has several origin tales. ''[[The Aeneid (Literature)|The Aeneid]]'' recounts the wanderings of refugees from [[Rape Pillage and Burn|the sack]] of Troy who founded the Latin people.<ref>[[The More You Know|That's where the name of the language comes from.]]</ref> ''The Aeneid'' also says the Trojans are founders of the Roman people though the city [[Foreshadowing|hasn't been founded yet.]] Later, Romulus and Remus, the [[Ur Example]] of people who were [[Raised By Wolves]], founded the city itself on the curiously precise date April 21st, 753 BCE. Certain aspects about the founding myths have a curious plausibility and the idea that the original Romans were an [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|outlaw band]] or fleeing refugees does seem believable. Rome, founded on the seven hills, was ruled by a succession of seven kings, the last few showing heavy Etruscan influence.

The Eternal City, Rome, has several origin tales. ''[[The Aeneid (Literature)|The Aeneid]]'' recounts the wanderings of refugees from [[Rape, Pillage and Burn|the sack]] of Troy who founded the Latin people.<ref>[[The More You Know|That's where the name of the language comes from.]]</ref> ''The Aeneid'' also says the Trojans are founders of the Roman people though the city [[Foreshadowing|hasn't been founded yet.]] Later, Romulus and Remus, the [[Ur Example]] of people who were [[Raised By Wolves]], founded the city itself on the curiously precise date April 21st, 753 BCE. Certain aspects about the founding myths have a curious plausibility and the idea that the original Romans were an [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|outlaw band]] or fleeing refugees does seem believable. Rome, founded on the seven hills, was ruled by a succession of seven kings, the last few showing heavy Etruscan influence.

(see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPTIGLj2LCE here], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQqRBdC3JTY here], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg2MT_FhGYs here] for more info.)

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After a time the Romans lost patience with living in [[The Kingdom]] and threw out Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud), and formed what they called a ''respublica'' (literally, "Thing of the People"), from which we gain the term "Republic." Rome was organized as an oligarchy with [[The Aristocracy]], called patricians, controlling the "Senate" (derived from ''senex'', meaning "old man"), though the public had some say on the issues through the tribunes<ref> This office was created about 250 years after the republic's founding. Details are at [[The Other Wiki]].</ref> (lit. Protector of the People, had veto power), as well as the less formal ability to beg favors from their patrons. This organization is reflected in the famous Roman slogan SPQR which stands for ''Senatus Populusque Romanus,'' or "The Senate and People of Rome." [[The Republic]] in social structure was quite family oriented with various clans becoming centers of webs of patronage, a patron/client relationship that has modern answers in political machines and [[The Mafia]]. While Rome's system was not democratic by modern standards it had [[Fair for Its Day|for its time]] a reputation for justice and stability and its elaborate checks and balances were often admired by Greeks whose cities were often troubled by [[We ARE Struggling Together|chaos]].

The Republic had a succession of executive magistrates with one-year terms, including quaestors (low-level magistrates, 20 a year), praetors (mid-level judicial magistrates, the lowest office to grant its holder the benefit of lictors/bodyguards carrying around their telltale [[Does This Remind You of Anything|''fasces'']]), and two consuls (top executives with executive powers checked only by each other and the Senate). In addition, the Republic came with a safety valve: in times of crisis, a six-month term for a special office, ''dictator'', could be granted to one person, granting him complete control of the state. There could be good dictators ([[Cincinnatus]], Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator), but usually the inherent danger of the office prevented widespread use, and both Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix and [[Gaius Julius Caesar]] would declare themselves ''dictator pro vita'', or dictator for life, granting them supreme power until death.

The Republic had a succession of executive magistrates with one-year terms, including quaestors (low-level magistrates, 20 a year), praetors (mid-level judicial magistrates, the lowest office to grant its holder the benefit of lictors/bodyguards carrying around their telltale [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|''fasces'']]), and two consuls (top executives with executive powers checked only by each other and the Senate). In addition, the Republic came with a safety valve: in times of crisis, a six-month term for a special office, ''dictator'', could be granted to one person, granting him complete control of the state. There could be good dictators ([[Cincinnatus]], Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator), but usually the inherent danger of the office prevented widespread use, and both Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix and [[Gaius Julius Caesar]] would declare themselves ''dictator pro vita'', or dictator for life, granting them supreme power until death.

[[The Republic]] expanded through Italy both through its [[Badass Army]] and its genius for [[You Will Be Assimilated|wooing conquered people]] from nearby cities who shared similar cultures. The extreme early myths such as the [[Abduction Is Love|Rape of the Sabine Women]] portray how much of Rome's early growth was due to both of these factors.

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* [[Fighting for A Homeland]]: The legends surrounding the foundation of Rome.

* [[Gladiator Games]]: [[Trope Namer]] (literally, ''gladiator'' means "sword-user," from ''gladius'', "sword"). Romans were addicted to these.

* [[Good Republic Evil Empire|Good Republic Evil Kingdom]]: After overthrowing their own monarchy, the Romans regarded the idea in much the same way we do [[~~Godwins~~ Law|Nazism]].

* [[Good Republic Evil Empire|Good Republic Evil Kingdom]]: After overthrowing their own monarchy, the Romans regarded the idea in much the same way we do [[Godwin's Law|Nazism]].

* [[The Government]]: One of the first examples of an abstract bureaucratized state that is not simply a monarchy's [[Family Business]].

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Most famously, [[You Shall Not Pass|Horatius]] at the bridge, though there were many others. Sacrificing one's own life for Rome and one's fellow soldiers was considered a virtue in Roman society.

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* [[In the Blood]]: Romans had a superstition that this was literally true and thus would sometimes give votes based on which [[The Clan|Clan someone was from]] in the hope that he would have the qualities of a noted [[The Hero|hero]]. This added to the normal [[Nepotism]] of political life. Oddly enough the results were [[Better Than It Sounds]], and provided a number of bureaucrats that were competent to no-worse-than-average. Sometimes luck wins out.

* [[I Thought It Meant]]: The Social War was a war against the ''Socii,'' or "Allies" (basically Italians who got drafted to make the army bigger), not a civil war.

* [[Luckily My Shield Will Protect Me]]: The big shield is a distinctive feature of Roman armies in all periods.

* [[Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me]]: The big shield is a distinctive feature of Roman armies in all periods.

* [[Made a Slave]]: The fate of those who would presume to resist the might of Rome.

* [[My Defense Need Not Protect Me Forever]]: The Roman General Fabius Maximus Cunctator (Fabius the Great Delayer), preserved Rome by carefully retreating from Hannibal until Hannibal grew tired of pursuing. Meanwhile the rest of the Roman Legions carved up those areas of Carthage's empire where Hannibal wasn't.

* [[Non Idle Rich]]: Marcus Licinius Crassus, famous for becoming the richest man in Rome through shrewd but unscrupulous business dealings. Among other ventures, he had his privately-owned firefighter extortion scheme.

* [[Non-Idle Rich]]: Marcus Licinius Crassus, famous for becoming the richest man in Rome through shrewd but unscrupulous business dealings. Among other ventures, he had his privately-owned firefighter extortion scheme.

** Especially in the late Republic, one of the best ways to get rich was to be awarded command of an army. Once someone had that, they could use it to extract wealth from any neighboring countries they could get away with. Politicians would often bankrupt themselves to get offices with military commands, since the wealth they gained would more than pay for the extravagant campaign costs. Notably, [[Gaius Julius Caesar]] and [[Pompey Magnus]] were two Romans that became wealthy in this manner. (Crassus himself, though, was an inversion: in later life he used his vast wealth to get command of an expedition against the Parthian Empire, to increase his prestige. [[Total Party Kill|It did not end at all well.]])

* [[Nothing Is Scarier]]: Unlike many of their opponents, Roman legions (at least towards the late Republic) were trained to advance silently, only raising a warcry when within charging distance.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Lucius Junius Brutus, possibly the best example in Classical history. The man's obfuscation was so well-played, his very name means "dullard." He went on to overthrow the last King of Rome and found the Roman Republic, before dying in battle. Counts as a [[Crouching Moron Hidden Badass]], too.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Lucius Junius Brutus, possibly the best example in Classical history. The man's obfuscation was so well-played, his very name means "dullard." He went on to overthrow the last King of Rome and found the Roman Republic, before dying in battle. Counts as a [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]], too.

* [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]: The Romans developed much of the western worlds tradition of bureaucracy. You know who to blame.

* [[The Patriarch]]: An ideal Roman ''pater familias'' or family head is this.

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* [[Pyrrhic Victory]]: [[Trope Namer|Pyrrhus of Epirus]] won two against the Romans. This caused him to leave Italy and abandon his allies.

* [[Rain of Arrows|Rain Of Spears]]: The Romans used the ''pilum'', a purpose-built javelin, in a volley before going toe-to-toe with the enemy with a ''gladius''. (The biggest problem with throwing a sharp pointy thing at a bad guy is that they can throw it back. The pilum handled this by having a deliberate weak spot halfway down the shaft, which caused it to deform on impact.)

* [[Rape Pillage and Burn]]: The Roman Army was known for its ruthlessness as well as its prowess.

* [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]]: The Roman Army was known for its ruthlessness as well as its prowess.

* [[The Republic]]: [[Trope Namer]], from ''res publicae'', "public matters."

* [[Screw the Rules I Have Money]]: What quite a few people seemed to think towards the end.

* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]: What quite a few people seemed to think towards the end.

* [[Sleazy Politician]]: A number, most noticeable toward the end. Crassus was famous along this line.

* [[The Spartan Way]]: The Romans didn't take it quite as far as the Spartans, but Roman centurions were infamously harsh on their men. While it doesn't quite fit this period, one Roman commander got the nickname "Give-Me-Another" for beating his men so hard and so frequently that he was constantly having to ask for a new baton. (It bears noting that he was one of many [[Unfriendly Fire|killed by his own men]] during a general mutiny of the legions in Germany.)

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== Literature ==

* ''Lays of Ancient Rome'' by Sir Thomas Macaulay: A collection of poems about [[The Republic]]. They are imagined to be what early Roman literature would have sounded like if much of it hadn't been lost.

* In ''[[Over the Wine Dark Sea]]'' there are a few references to Rome, as well as a sea-fight with a Roman trireme. But it is otherwise agreed that it was one of those Barbarian cities [[Historical in Joke|"that would never amount to anything."]].

* In ''[[Over the Wine Dark Sea]]'' there are a few references to Rome, as well as a sea-fight with a Roman trireme. But it is otherwise agreed that it was one of those Barbarian cities [[Historical In-Joke|"that would never amount to anything."]].

* ''Scipio Africanus: The Man Who Defeated Hannibal'' by Ross Leckie: A fictional autobiography of Scipio, the general who commanded in the Second [[Punic Wars]] and was possibly Rome's greatest general ever.

* Steven Saylor's ''[[Roma Sub Rosa]]'' series.