ROME 



5057 



ROME 



"That sate on her seven hills, and from her 



throne 

 Of beauty ruled the world." 



Though it has had its periods of depression, it 

 stands to-day as one of the greatest cities of 

 romance and power and as the center of the 

 Roman Catholic Church, the holy city toward 

 which the eyes and thoughts of millions are di-. 

 rected. It thus differs from those ancient cities 

 whose only interest is in the past. 



It is the capital city of Italy, located near the 

 western coast of the country, about fourteen 

 miles from the mouth of the Tiber, the only 

 navigable river of the peninsula. It bore in 

 olden times the name of the "City of the 

 Seven Hills," for it was built upon a group of 

 hills or ridges which rise out of the plain. 



Only from a study of its history can come a 

 comprehension of the wonderful place which 

 Rome has filled in the life of the world. 



The Ancient Mistress of the World 



The Mediterranean Sea was the center of the 

 ancient world. Slowly civilization spread about 

 1 lores from east to west, from Egypt and 

 \V -tern Asia to Greece, and, finally, to Rome; 

 and each nation, as it rose, developed and 

 eventually disappeared, contributed something 

 to the growing civilization. Rome stood as an 

 example of law and government for the ability 

 to organize an empire and to rule it ; and it also 

 preserved and handed down the treasures of 

 science and of art which it had received from 

 the older nations. Says a modern historian, 

 "The Roman Empire is the lake in which all 

 the streams of ancient history lose themselves 

 and which all streams of modern history flow 

 out of." The history of Rome is ancient his- 

 tory, but without a study of it modern history 

 cannot be understood. 



The Period of Legend. The Roman- 

 very proud of their origin, for were they not de- 

 scended from that great hero of Troy, Aen 

 Wandering about after the fall of the city, 

 legend says In was led by the gods to Italy, 

 and there his son founded Alba Longa (the 

 Long White City), which became the chief of 

 tin- Latin cities. Centuries later, Romulus 

 founded on the Palatine, one of the seven hills, 

 a new city which was called Rome. This, ac- 

 cordmn to the commonly accept < d tradition, 

 was in 753 B.C., and all through later times 

 Romans dated all events ab urbe condita, "from 

 tin founding of the city." Other settlements 

 made on the neighboring hills, and in time 

 ill merged into one city, wlueh hid n- 

 assembly place and market place, or jorum, m 

 hollow between two of tin lulls. and n> 

 <le| on tin- Capiiolme lull (see map for 

 ion of the seven hills). Tradition says 

 in these i Rome was a kingdom, 



names of the kings MI with 



ili events of their reigns Romulus, 

 N'uiua Pompilms. Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Mar- 

 Lucius Tarquinius, Servius Tullius and 

 317 



Tarquinius Superbus. The last-named of these 

 was so tyrannical that the people rose against 

 him in 509 B. c. and expelled him, vowing that 

 never again should one man hold lifelong power 

 in Rome. A republic was therefore declared, 

 and the very name of king became hateful. 



Classes in Early Rome. All these stories of 

 the years of the kingdom are purely legend, 

 many of them consciously invented by writers 

 in succeeding centuries just to glorify Rome, 

 but certain things about the organization of 

 society are definitely known. The descendants 

 of the earliest settlers reserved for themsch - 

 the rights of citizenship they were the pa- 

 tricians, or "men with fathers." Later on, as 

 Rome extended its sway beyond the walls and 

 as inhabitants from the conquered towns of 

 Latium moved into the city, another class was 

 formed which had no political rights. These 

 "common people" were known as the plebeians; 

 and much of the early history of Rome is taken 

 up with their struggles with the patricians. 

 They resented the fact that they could have no 

 part in the comitia curiata, that earliest popular 

 assembly, though they did not venture thus 

 early to hope for membership in the Senate, 

 which was composed of the chiefs of the three 

 hundred clans. Even before the close of the 

 hazy, almost mythical royal period, the plebe- 

 ians had gained some rights; true, these were 

 dependent on property qualifications, but even 

 that was a distinct advance toward democracy. 



Early Days of the Republic. The chief offi- 

 cers in the new republic were two consuls, who 

 were chosen for one year and had joint sway. 

 In effect, they were kings, possessing wide pow- 

 ers, which were limited only by the shortness 

 of thnr trim. Homo was not a republic m 

 tin sense that it had "a government of the 

 people and by the people ;" tin plebeians, in- 

 deed, were in a I : able position than 

 under thr later kings. But the strife went on. 

 and by 494 B. c. the lower order had gained one 



