A chronological Overview
Roman Periods in Recorded (and non
recorded History)
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Flint tools uncovered at Pirro Nord show that
ancient humans were present in Italy 1.5
million years ago.
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There were inhabitants in the Boot of Italy but
it was a mixture of many cultures
They came from every direction.
There was competing cultures and conflict.
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In November 2011 tests conducted at the
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit in
England on what were previously thought to
be Neanderthal baby teeth, which had been
unearthed in 1964 from the Grotta del Cavallo,
were identified as the oldest modern human
remains discovered anywhere in Europe,
dating from between 43,000 to 45,000 years ago.
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Petroglyphs called "astronauts" recently white coloured (probably
plaster). Zurla Area, R 1, Rock Art Natural Reserve of Ceto,
Cimbergo and Paspardo. Nadro, Rock Drawings in Valle
Camonica.
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Inhabitants came from the corth
They competed with cultures and there were
many conflicts
Limited amount of migration as they were
insulated from the alps in the North and
mountains to the east (Apennines)
Rome was on the Tiber River that brings down
sediment from Volcanic mountains making it
very fertile soil.
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Remains of the later prehistoric age have been
found in Liguria, Lombardy (stone carvings in
Valcamonica) and in Sardinia (nuraghe). The
most famous is perhaps that of Ötzi the
Iceman, the mummy of a mountain hunter
found in the Similaun glacier in South Tyrol,
dating to c. 3000 BC (Copper Age).
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1100-750 BC.
There were houses on the Palentine Hill that
suggested to be created by Romulus.
We will examine this later.
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750-509 BC
Dominated by the Etruscans
Under this period we will see Rome built and
monarchy
Unification of Parts of Italy
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Rapid Development
Engaged in trade, art, and developing new
technology
Used Greek writing so we now know what is
going on at this time
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Roman forum
created.
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Was the community centre
An important place we will see numerous
times in history
The forum was begun as a marsh that was
drained using a major canal.
Different Cultures Living in Rome
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Rome began as a small farming village, but it
would grow into a large ancient city that is still
active today. There is a legend about the
founding of Rome that goes back to the Trojan
War.
Take the time to read the story
Answer the question: The foundation myth or
legend tells a lot about a people. What does this
tell us about Rome.
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The city of Rome is located in the Latium Plain
along the banks of the Tiber River on the Italian
Peninsula, which is just west of the Greek
Peninsula.
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Celts- Came across the Alps and settled into
the Po Valley and down the Coast
Greeks- Were stationed at the instep of the boot
and in Sicily
Phoenicians- Settled in the north with the
Etruscans and lived in Northern Africa. They
got along as both hated Greeks.
Etruscans
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They formed federation of 12 communities
(though there is evidence of more)
They cooperated on some things and not on
others
Ancient legend has that they came from the
East in the Iron Age
Cultural Influence in Rome
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The Etruscans were able to create elaborate
pieces of gold work.
They will teach the Romans how to do this
One will notice the use of Eastern influences in
topics and designs.
Note: The use of the Lion comes from this
period. Romans would never have seen a Lion
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A mythical creature is also borrowed from the
Etruscans. It is a combination of lion, goat and
snake.
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The stylistic development of Etruscan sculpture
largely parallels that of the Greeks, due to the
strong cultural influence of the latter on the
former (via Greek settlements in southern
Italy). Consequently, Etruscan sculpture of the
Archaic period is heavily stylized
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This is a Greek myth that they adapted for their
own purpose
They wanted to have their own foundation
myth but did not want a Greek discoverer.
They used Aeneas who was a refugee from
Rome who escaped the Greeks.
He carried Anchises, his dad, on his back to
Italy. (This part is an Etruscan myth)
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Togas were something that the Romans were
famous for.
They were actually an Etruscan type of
clothing.
They were often only worn by Etruscan
religious officials
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The Etruscan tebbena developed into the
Roman toga.
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The use of sacrifices and reading entrails was
an important part of Etruscan religion.
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Use of Necropolis (Dead Cities) is an Etruscan
practice.
It is a city that mirrors the living ones
The sarcophagus would be placed at dinner
with the rest of their families so that they could
enjoy their family in the afterlife.
Important for archaeologists as they can get an
understanding of the life of these people.
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Roman Sewers
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At first they used Greek and then they changed
to Latin
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These were both borrowed from Greek and
Etruscan architecture.
The uses of columns were Greek as were they
types of columns (Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian)
The Differences we will examine
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Greeks used stairs on all four sides.
Greeks used Freestanding columns on four
sides.
Etruscans used columns in the front in a
recessed porch.
They had one stair case that focused on the
main entrance to the temple.
The Etruscans used a high podium (base)
Etruscans also had rooms for their gods (Cela)
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We most often use the Gregorian Calendar. It
was created by the emperor Julius Caesar and
it pivots around the Christian birth of Jesus
Christ. This is the one we use universally
today. This was not known during the
Republic as it was before the traditional date
for the birth of Jesus. ( They could not predict
that Jesus was going to be born) When these
dates are used in historical context, they are
often translated from their original date.
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Roman Ab Urbe Condita which is based on the
founding of Rome. All dates would be related to the
founding of Rome in 753 BC.
Consular Dates were also used. During the
Republic there were two consulars. They would
hold that office for a specific amount of time. The
republic standard until 537 BC was to use who was
the consulars at that time. Using those two names
they could pinpoint a time frame as Romans kept
great records of who was the consular at what
time.
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Inscriptions were usually produced for a
particular event or reason. We have three types
of inscriptions that will help us understand
about the time and the what was going on. We
have official inscriptions that would be placed
on buildings or monuments.
We have graffiti that would give information
about the popular culture and what was
important to the people at that time. Then we
also have funeral inscriptions that give us
information about daily lives and families.
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Archaeological materials is what is taken out
of the ground. The clay pots and other
“material cultures” give a lot of information
about the time that these people were living in.
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Coins were used for propaganda (then and
now). They give us dates and tell us who was
in power and events going on during those
times that the Romans considered important.
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We still use the word Rex for king today.
There was some skeptics about the kings
starting in 19th century. There was very little
evidence.
They discovered some pots from that age with
the word rex on it.
There are also some buildings from that period
in the Roman Forum.
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Did they mean monarch?
We know that they did build temples at that
time to legitimize the office.
They also created the congress of senators to
advise the king that would be found in future
Roman government (And in Canadian
government)
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753-509 BC
Regal means Kings (Monarchy).
There is some evidence that this did occur
though there is a weak political record.
Historians rely on documents that have been
lost to us but recounted in later ancient sources.
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This is not exactly dates but more of an
accounting of what happened. This happened,
then this, then this.
This is all supported by Etruscan lore and
legend written later by Romans.
Historians are unsure what exactly happened
as we cannot decipher Etruscan writing.
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The Romans did not want to adopt a past that
had Greek influence.
They chose the Battle of Troy but picked
Aeneus as their hero from this mythical legend.
This brought us the story of Romulus and
Remus
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753-717 BC
Romulus was probably mostly made up of
legend.
His name means “Roman Guy”
He is suppose to have given his name to the
city.
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Created all institutions
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Senate
3 Tribes
30 Curiae
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Legend has that he went North to Eturia to ask men if
they wanted to resettle in Rome. He ended up with
pirates, criminals and undesirables. There were no
women.
He and the men invited the Sabine men (From
the South in Latium) to a party and while there
they went and stole the Sabine women. This is
known as the Rape of the Sabine women. Many
of these women married the Romans.
He became a god upon death.
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716-674 BC
Pious and religious
Was a foreigner who built up religion in Rome
Established a calendar to be used
Had great writing skills
Built a relationship with Greece
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673-642 BC
Was a warrior
Tallus conquered Alba Longa and transferred
the population to Rome
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642-616 BC
He was Numa Pompillus’ grandson through
his daughter
He built the first bridge over the Tiber River.
He extended Roman territory over the coast
and established the port city of Ostia.
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616-578 BC
Was both Greek and Etruscan
He made the senate larger
He established games and public entertainment
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578-534 BC
Built wall around Rome
Originally a slave (changed name) and married
into the Tarquini family
Appears to have had a broad base of support
based on popularity
Champions the common people over the
aristocracy.
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534 – 509 BC
He was a tyrant in the modern sense of the
word
He took the throne by murdering the past king
He loved to build things
He brought Rome to dominate central Italy
The power of the king continued to increase
He tried to check the strength of the aristocracy
when Brutus (The Stupid) organized a revolt
and drove out the opressor
Traditional Roman Chronology
 There are many ways that we as historians and
how the Romans dated their history. There is
not a great deal of writing in the beginning. We
know that they knew how to write during
these periods but the Romans did not write
down their history for a while.
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We do know that there were a series of kings in
Roman History.
We do know that the last king was kicked out
of Rome.
We do know that this made Romans very wary
of monarchy government.
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Founding of Ancient Rome is based on the
myth of Romulas and Remus. We actually have
a few artifacts to support that there was a
settlement where the myth has stated that they
built Rome. The holes where the poles would
go would make a thatched house.
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There is enough evidence to suggest that it did
happen but the amount of truth to the legends
need to be analyzed with some consideration.
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Monarchy from ca. 700-500 BC
With the founding of Rome there were seven
kings.
This is given to us by a number of sources that
were written long after the period.
Of all the kings, tarquinius superbus was the
most realistic.
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509-31 BC
This used the concept of Res privata. That all
things owned by an individual is a public thing
and limited the distinction between private and
public affairs.
In this period the form of government was
quite successful until the last bit. Magistrates
were drawn from the people who were ruled
by the aristocrats who were overseen by the
senate.
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(31BC- 476 AD)
The magistrates and senate still were present in
the government.
The Romans were very wary of kings so this
maintaining the magistrates and senate was
important to keep up that illusion.
The magistrates and the senate were not able to
do much as all power was dominated by an
Emperor.