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ROME 



ROME: THE WESTERN EMPIRE 



J. S. Reid. Litt.D., Professor of Ancient History, Cambridge 

 This sketch of the history oj the Roman empire is supple- 

 mented by articles on the emperors, Augustus; Nero; Trajan, 

 and others; and on great Romans such as Julius Caesar; Scipio; 

 while it is carried further in those on Byzantine Empire ; Italy ; 

 Papacy. See also Carthage and entries on Plebeians ; Senate ; Tribune, 

 and other institutions. For Roman literature see Latin and articles 

 on Cicero ; Tacitus ; and other writers. See also Roman Law ; Villa 



The date accepted by Roman 

 antiquaries for the foundation of 

 Rome was 753 B.C. The earliest 

 glimpses which we can get of the 

 Romans present them to us as a 

 community whose existence de- 

 pended on agriculture and war. 

 What is known as " land-hunger " 

 played a very great part in Roman 

 history. Early Rome must have 

 been engaged in almost incessant 

 warfare. The right bank of the 

 Tiber was in possession of the 

 Etruscans, alien to all other races 

 of Italy, and the mountains in all 

 directions were beset by turbulent 

 raiders, Aequians, Volscians, and 

 others. The inhabitants of the 

 plains of Latium, the Latins, were 

 closely akin to the Romans. Rome 

 was originally a member of a con- 

 federation of Latin-speaking com- 

 munities, of which she was a prin- 

 cipal defensive outpost. Nothing 

 but a very closely knit military 

 and civil organization could have 



enabled Rome to exist in the ear- 

 liest period. 



The Roman polity rested on an 

 idea of authority in many respects 

 unlike anything found in any other 

 ancient state. The word for this 

 was imperium, and its possessor in 

 early days exercised absolute sway 

 over all affairs, military, civil, and 

 religious. That there was a mon- 

 archical period in Roman history, 

 is made certain by many things 

 that survived into the late Republi- 

 can age. The change from mon- 

 archy to Republic involved, as 

 Cicero says, no change in the 

 quality of the imperium. 



The changes were : (1) the im- 

 perium was put into commission 

 and held jointly by two persons ; 

 (2) the tenure of it was limited to a 

 year ; (3) the whole body of bur- 

 gesses, i.e. the whole body of 

 warriors, had a voice in the ap- 

 pointment, as was natural, since 

 the appointment was. first and 



foremost, a choice of commanders 

 over the army. The principle of 

 collegiality was established in con- 

 nexion with all offices subsequently 

 created. Exercise of a function by 

 an officer who had no colleague was 

 very exceptional. The principal 

 example is afforded by the dicta- 

 torship. The difficulties which 

 would certainly arise from the 

 exercise of power by two joint 

 holders of equal privilege must 

 have been foreseen on the institu- 

 tion of the Republic. They were 

 met by the singular practice where- 

 by either of the two principal magi- 

 strates (called praetores at first, 

 afterwards consules) might nomi- 

 nate a dictator, who held supreme 

 authority for six months over 

 citizens and ordinary magistrates. 

 He appointed a subordinate officer, 

 called magister equitum (master of 

 the horse). 



The first great step made by 

 Rome towards empire was by ob- 

 taining control over the Latin 

 League of cities, of which she had 

 been at first an equal member. 

 This was achieved finally, after a 

 good many generations of strife, in 

 338 B.C. on the close of a serious 

 war. The control of the Greek cities 

 in Campania was obtained about 

 the same time, and soon after the 

 Etruscan power, once the greatest 



Rome. The city viewed from the dome of S. Peter's. In the foreground is the i 

 the Tiber, with the Castle S. Angelo and the houses of parliament on its left bank, 

 seen the marble monument to Victor Emmanuel 



real piazza, beyond which flows 

 In the distance, on the right, is 



