Ancient Rome

The founding of Rome is reported by many legends, which in recent times are beginning to be supplemented by more scientific reconstructions.

During the Roman republic, several dates were given for the founding of the city, all in the interval between 758 BC and 728 BC. Finally, under the Roman empire the date suggested by Atticus and Varro, (753 BC) was agreed upon, but in Fasti Capitolini the year given was 752. Curiously, while the years varied, all versions agreed that the city was founded on April 21, a holiday dedicated to the sacred cult of Pales, goddess of shepherds; in her honour, Rome celebrated the Parritta (or Palilia). (It is to be noted, however, that the Roman Ab Urbe Condita (or a.u.c.) calendar begins with Varro's dating of 753 BC.)

The name of the town is generally considered to refer to Romulus, but there are other hypotheses. One of them refers it to Roma, who should have been the daughter of Aeneas or Evandrus. Current studies seem to prefer a provenance from an Indo-European root meaning "river"; Rome would then mean "the town on the river".

Rome's greatness grew out of its imperial program of conquering others and establishing colonies. This military expansion at once brought great material benefit to the Roman state and guaranteed a pipeline of wealth for Rome, the imperial city. And Rome becomes a cosmopolitan capital where high-living and material wealth become synonymous with personal importance and success. Note how the Karanis exhibit displays extravagant wall paintings, which did not decorate the walls of churches or temples but rather the homes of wealthy citizens. The exhibit also includes coins, whose minting bespeaks the abiding concern for the tokens of wealth as well.

What the Romans also did was learn from other cultures. One might wonder why APHRODITE, a Greek goddess, was memorialized in a fantastic sculpture in Roman times (and in Egypt, no less!). To their credit, the Romans recognized the richness of Greek art and architecture, and they sought to emulate the Greek masters -- and the Greek styles and themes -- in their own art. To a large degree, it was the Romans who brought Greek (and Hellenistic) culture to world attention. Romans patronized Greek artists and artisans in the glorification of a vast world of their own, Roman creation.

It is no surprise, then, that the Roman poet VIRGIL (or VERGIL) turns to Greek mythology and to the Greek epics as he fashions his own description of the origins and destiny of the Roman state, The Aeneid. Virgil writes his extended poem, in part, to win the favor of Augustus Caesar, the new emperor who emerges from the conflict surrounding the death of Julius Caesar. His other aim is to situate Rome in line with what was considered the great literary tradition of the time -- the Greek. Virgil's work thus is both polemic and propaganda: his blending of history and mythology provides a platform for the imperial agenda that Augustus will undertake.

Between 235 and 275, Rome was ruled by more than 35 individuals, most of them prominent generals who assumed Imperial power over all or part of the empire, only to lose it by defeat in battle, murder, or death. After 35 years of this, the Empire was on the verge of death, and only the military skill of Aurelian, one of Rome's greatest emperors, restored the empire to its natural boundaries.

Trouble for Rome began in 235, when the emperor Alexander Severus was murdered by soldiers at the age of 27 after Roman legions were defeated in a campaign against Persia. As general after general squabbled over control of the empire, the frontiers were neglected and subjected to frequent raids by such Germanic tribes as the Goths, Vandals and Alamanni, and outright attacks from Persia. Finally, by 258, the attacks were coming from within. In that year, the vast Roman provinces of Gaul, Britain and Spain all broke off to form the so-called Gallic Empire, and two years later, the eastern provinces of Syria, Palestine and Egypt became independent as the Palmyrene Empire, with Parthian backing.

An invasion by a vast host of Goths was beaten back at the Battle of Naissus in 268. This victory was significant as the turning point of the crisis. Victories by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus over the next two years drove back the Alamanni and recovered Spain from the Gallic Empire. When Claudius died in 270 of the plague, Aurelian, who had commanded the cavalry at Naissus, succeeded him as emperor and continued the restoration of the empire.

Aurelian ended the crisis during his reign (270-275) by hammering, in succession, the Vandals, Visigoths, Palmyrenes (see Queen Zenobia), Persians, and then the remainder of the Gallic Empire. By late 274, the Roman Empire was reunited and the frontier troops back in place. More than a century would pass before Rome again lost the upper hand on its enemies.

The last king of Rome was thrown out by the citizens and replaced by a republican government. The expulsion of the king and the founding of the Republic in 509 BC is sometimes presented as the breaking away of a Latin-speaking population from the control of an Etruscan ruling family.

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