The Romans New Perspectives

400 Pages·2020·3.84 MB·English

The Romans

New Perspectives

ABC-CLIO’s
Understanding Ancient Civilizations

The Ancient Maya
The Ancient Greeks
Ancient Canaan and Israel
The Aztecs
The Romans

Forthcoming

The Ancient Celts
The Ancient Egyptians
Ancient Mesopotamia
The Incas

The
ROMANS

New Perspectives

KEVIN M. MCGEOUGH

Santa Barbara, California
Denver, Colorado Oxford, England

Copyright © 2004 by Kevin M. McGeough

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGeough, Kevin M.
The Romans : new perspectives / Kevin McGeough.
p. cm. — (Understanding ancient civilizations)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-85109-583-7 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-85109-588-8 (e-book)
1. Rome—Civilization. I. Title. II. Series.
DG77.M4 2004
937—dc22
2004020737

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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Manufactured in the United States of America.

Dedicated to my parents

Contents

Series Editor’s Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Maps xiv

PART 1:
INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 Introduction 3

Why Are We Fascinated by the Romans? 3
A Note about the Dates Used in This Book 8
How Do We Know about the Romans? 8
Sources of Information on the Romans 9
Universities and Research Programs 13

PART 2:
ROMAN CIVILIZATION

Chapter 2 Location of Roman Civilization and Environmental Setting 19

Location of Rome 20
General Natural and Cultural Subdivisions 22
Environmental Transformations 29

Chapter 3 Historical and Chronological Setting 32

History of Research 32
Roman Chronology 45
Literary or Folkloric Evidence of Use for Interpretation of
Roman Civilization 48

Chapter 4 Origins, Growth, and Decline of Roman Civilization 53

Origins and Early Development of Rome 54
The Roman Republic 59
The Roman Empire 78

Chapter 5 Economics 97

Agriculture and Subsistence Activities 97
Craft Specialization and Production 101

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Trade 105
Coins and Money 108
Business and Investment 111
Taxation 114
Transportation 115

Chapter 6 Social Organization and Social Structure 121

Internal Organization of Roman Civilization 121
Roman Population 129
Marriage and the Family 132
Social Stratification in Rome 137
Slavery 141
Women in Ancient Rome 144

Chapter 7 Politics 153

Monarchical Government 153
Republican Government 156
Imperial Government 162
The Administration of Empire 164
Military Organization 166
Roman Warfare 170

Chapter 8 Religion and Ideology 178

Origins of Roman Religion 178
Domestic Religion 181
The Roman Pantheon 184
The State Cult 192
Roman Rituals and Festivals 196
The Cult of the Emperor 198
Roman Religious Architecture 199
Roman Death and Burial 200

Chapter 9 Material Culture 207

Architectural Achievements 207
Urban Planning 227
Pottery 229
Roman Art 233
Artifacts from Daily Life 238

Chapter 10 Intellectual Accomplishments 248

Roman Science 248
Roman Philosophy 256
Roman Law 261
Literature 265
Education 269
The Art of Leisure 271
Languages 277

viii Contents

PART 3:
CURRENT ASSESSMENTS

Chapter 11 Major Controversies and Future Directions in the Study of
Roman Civilization 287

Controversies in Roman Scholarship 287
Avenues for Future Research 304

Glossary 307
Chronology 333
Sources for Further Study 339
Index 367
About the Author 381

Contents
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