30-second ancient Rome: the 50 most important achievements of a timeless civilization, each explained in half a minute

161 Pages·2014·48.314 MB·English

by  Houghton, L. B. T.;Nicholls, Matthew

30-SECOND
ANCIENT ROME

30-SECOND
ANCIENT ROME
The 50 most important achievements
of a timeless civilization, each
explained in half a minute
Editor
Matthew Nicholls
Contributors
Luke Houghton
Ailsa Hunt
Peter Kruschwitz
Dunstan Lowe
Annalisa Marzano
Matthew Nicholls
Susanne Turner
First published in Great Britain in 2014 by
Ivy Press
210 High Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 2NS, U.K.
www.ivypress.co.uk
Copyright © The Ivy Press Limited 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this
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British Library Cataloguing-in-
Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this
book is available from the
British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-78240-131-5
This book was conceived,
designed, and produced by
Ivy Press
210 High Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 2NS, U.K.
www.ivypress.co.uk
Creative Director Peter Bridgewater
Publisher Susan Kelly
Editorial Director Caroline Earle
Art Director Michael Whitehead
Project Editor Jamie Pumfrey
Designer Ginny Zeal
Illustrator Ivan Hissey
Glossaries Text Matthew Nicholls
Typeset in Section
Printed and bound in China

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CONTENTS 52 Roman Life 112 Architecture, Monuments & Art
54 GLOSSARY 114 GLOSSARY
56 Agriculture 116 Columnar Orders
58 Trade & Industry 118 The Colosseum & Circus Maximus
60 Coinage & Currency 120 Temples
62 Eating & Drinking 122 The Forum
64 Profile: Pliny the Younger 124 Profile: Livia Drusilla
66 Time & Calendar 126 Triumphal Arches
68 Entertainment & Sport 128 Mosaic
6 Introduction 70 Medicine 130 Statues & Portraits
132 Tombs
12 Land & State 72 Language & Literature
14 GLOSSARY 74 GLOSSARY 134 Buildings &Technology
16 Foundation 76 Latin 136 GLOSSARY
18 Site of Rome 78 Education & Literacy 138 Fortifications
20 Republican Government 80 Drama 140 Roman Artillery & Siege Weaponry
22 Profile: Julius Caesar 82 Rhetoric 142 Profile: Vitruvius
24 Imperial Government 84 Profile: Virgil 144 Housing
26 Empire & Expansion 86 Prose Writing 146 Baths & Hypocaust
28 The Roman Legion 88 Latin Lyric Poetry 148 Roads
30 The Roman Legionary 90 Inscriptions & Graffiti 150 Aqueducts & Sewers
152 Concrete & Vault
32 People & Society 92 Thought & Belief
34 GLOSSARY 94 GLOSSARY 154 Resources
36 Citizenship 96 The Roman Pantheon 156 Notes on Contributors
38 Slavery 98 Imported Gods 158 Index
40 Social Class & Status 100 Christianity 160 Acknowledgments
42 Profile: Augustus 102 Profile: Constantine
44 Men & Women 104 Imperial Cult
46 Sex 106 Astrology & Divination
48 Life in the Roman Provinces 108 Philosophy
50 Roman Law 110 Death & The Afterlife
INTRODUCTION
Matthew Nicholls
Traces of the huge Roman empire remain all over
Europe, from northern Britain to Syria and the coast of north Africa.
Anyone who walks the length of Hadrian’s Wall, for example, following
it for the 80 miles (130 km) or so from coast to coast through the
windswept countryside of northern England, is traveling through what
was once a far-flung Roman frontier. Yet even here, hundreds of miles
north of Rome’s Mediterranean heartland, there is much of Rome in
evidence. The Wall itself, and its string of neat, symmetrical forts, with
characteristic bathhouses and headquarters buildings, speak of the power
and organization of the Roman army, and its formidable architectural and
technological capacity—and also of Rome’s desire to impose itself on
new territory, by force if necessary. In and around these outposts, finds
of pottery, coins, clothing, altars, and even private letters show how the
soldiers and settlers brought with them ways of living, eating, trading,
worshipping, thinking, and writing that began to transform Britain—along
Marcus Tullius Cicero,
with many other parts of Europe, north Africa and the Middle East—into a
Roman statesman,
Roman province, leaving a lasting legacy. Such small finds from this great
philosopher, lawyer,
and scholar. military monument also remind us that historical events are made up from
Remembered as one thousands of smaller, private, stories.
of the greatest This picture is repeated at hundreds of sites, military and civilian,
orators and his writings
public and private, all over the empire. We also have a rich body of
are the epitome of
surviving literature from Roman times, transmitted over the centuries
Roman Prose.
in copies of copies—so we can set Hadrian’s Wall in its context by
reading what ancient historical writers and poets said about Rome’s
conquest of Britain. From epic poetry to history, from speeches to
medical treatises to recipes, this rich body of literature allows scholars to
explore very different aspects of Rome’s long and colorful history—and
newly discovered texts are still turning up, in the dry sands of Egypt, in
carbonized books from Herculaneum, and in old libraries.
This study reveals a fascinating people. At times the Romans can
seem similar to us, with their concern for home comforts—central
6 g Introduction
The Roman empire
still imposes on to the
modern world with
Hadrian’s wall, the
defensive fortification
in northern England,
cutting its way across
the landscape nearly
2000 years since its
creation.
heating, proper water supplies, and drains—and their passion for urban
life, for good communications, for fine food and wine, for literature,
entertainment, and status. But they were also very different. Think of
slavery and gladiatorial combat, their world of gods and sacrifices and
worship of the living emperor. The grand statues and monuments that
filled their public spaces set the mold for many modern cities, but speak
of a triumphalism that has now fallen from fashion. In truth, the Romans
were both familiar and foreign, which makes the study of their lives
and times endlessly fascinating. The contributors to this book ably and
enthusiastically take on the challenge of bringing to vivid life the very best
and the worst of this ambitious, inventive, cultured, and at times brutal
and licentious episode in western history.
Introduction g 7
Public provinces
Imperial provinces
Client states
0 500 1000 miles
0 500 1000 1500 kilometers
753 bce Foundation fifth–third C bce Growth ca.133–44 bce Crisis of March 15th, 44 bce
of Rome of Roman power the republic Death of Julius Caesar
Legendary foundation Roman power spread A period of unrest and Rome’s dictator felled by
date—but, according to across Italy through repeated civil war, as senators resentful of his
some modern archaeology, warfare and treaties. Rome’s republican dominance, triggering
not far off the mark. constitution struggled to further civil war.
contain imperial
264–146 bce Punic Wars expansion, individual
509 bce Formation A series of three draining political ambition, and 31 bce–14 ce Reign of
of Roman republic wars against Carthage, inequality. Augustus
Expulsion of the last of Rome’s greatest rival; Rome’s first emperor.
Rome’s kings: a new final victory allowed Expansion and
republican constitution Rome’s Mediterranean 60–53 bce “First consolidation of empire;
delivered safeguards empire to expand. triumvirate” foundation of a
against excessive Political alliance of three long-lived system of
individual power. of Rome’s greatest one-man rule.
figures: Caesar, Pompey,
and Crassus.

8 g Introduction
An overview of Roman history
The history of ancient Rome lasted well over a thousand years, from
its legendary foundation on April 21st 753 bce through to the fall of the
(western) Roman empire on September 4th 476 ce. Its empire covered
much of Europe and parts of north Africa and the Middle East. Its legacy
in almost every area of human activity remains to the present day.
This huge span of geography and history can be hard to navigate,
but the timeline here shows some major landmarks in Roman history and
provides a framework of reference for the rest of the book. Likewise the
map, which shows the empire at its greatest extent in the early second
century ce, locates Rome itself and charts the Mediterranean world in
which its influence eventually spread from the draughty outpost marked
by Hadrian’s Wall to the borders of modern Iraq.
31 bce–68 ce Julio- 96–192 ce Adoptive/ 193–235 ce Severan 306–337 ce Rule of
Claudian dynasty of Antonine emperors Dynasty Constantine
emperors Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, A dynasty of African Rome’s first Christian
Augustus, Tiberius, Antoninus Pius, Marcus emperors who came to emperor; founded
Caligula, Claudius, Aurelius, Lucius Verus, power after a period of Constantinople
and Nero. and Commodus were civil war. (Byzantium) as an
emperor by adoption, eastern capital.
rather than the
68–97 ce Flavian dynasty transmission of power 235–284 ce Third-century
Vespasian, Titus, and from father to a son: a crisis 476 ce End of western
Domitian. largely stable, prosperous Short-lived emperors, Roman empire
period. inflation, plague, Waves of invaders
invasion, discord, brought the western
98–117 ce Reign of Trajan and rebellion. empire to its knees but
Rome’s “best emperor;” the eastern empire of
under his rule, the empire Byzantium survived
reached its fullest 293–313 ce Tetrarchy until 1453.
geographical extent. Diocletian’s new system
of rule by four emperors,
which helped to put an
end to crisis.
Introduction g 9