THE 



POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA; 



OR, 



ROME (HISTORY OF). 



ROME (Roma), the eternal city, as it is often 

 called, with which almost every thing great and 

 memorable that has happened in Europe for 2500 

 years has been connected, and which, first with 

 the sword, and afterwards with the more power- 

 ful arms of religious faith, ruled a large portion 

 of the European world for centuries, and saw 

 people of all climes bend before its majesty, is 

 now only the shadow of its former greatness. 

 Ancient Rome was situated nearly on the site of 

 the modern city, in Latium, on several hills 

 (whence the poetical appellation of the seven- 

 hilled city'), on both sides of the river Tiber, not 

 far from the Mediterranean sea; but the principal 

 part of the city lay upon the eastern side of the 

 river. Here was situated the Pincian mount, and 

 on the river lay the Campus Martius, the Capi- 

 toline hill, the Roman forum, and mount Aven- 

 tine. The Quirinal, Palatine, and Coalian hills, 

 formed a second range eastward of the preceding, 

 extending from north to south; the Viminal and 

 Esquiline a third. On the other side of the 

 Tiber lay the Vatican mount and Janiculum. 

 This region was inhabited before the foundation 

 of Rome. The city of Palantium, built by some 

 Greek colonists on the Capitoline mount, was 

 perhaps still in existence when Romulus and 

 Remus led a colony thither from Alba Longa; so 

 that this city was only extended, and Rome 

 Proper was not entirely new. The new city pro- 

 bably derived its name, not from its founder (who 

 was, perhaps, called Romulus from it), but from 

 the river, which, as Servius informs us, was an- 

 ciently called Rumon. The derivation from the 

 Greek puuv (strength) is an absurdity, and of late 

 origin. Two different epochs are assigned for the 

 foundation of Rome. According to Cato, it was 

 built 752, according to Varro, 754 years before 

 Christ. The latter date is generally adopted. 

 The founding of the city commenced with cere- 

 monies borrowed from the Etrurians. Romulus 

 traced a square furrow round the Palatine hill 

 with a plough drawn by two white cattle, and 

 caused a wall of earth to be thrown 'up in the 

 direction of the furrow. The interior was filled 

 with huts. 



The history of Rome is divided into three 

 periods, in the first of which Rome was a king- 

 dom, in the second a republic, and in the third an 

 empire. 



VI. 



I. From the foundation of the city to the year 

 245, Rome was a monarchy. Romulus was chosen 

 the first king of the new city. He adopted the 

 Etrurian emblems of royalty twelve lictors; but 

 his power, and that of his successors, was so cir-. 

 cumscribed, that Rome was, even then, in reality, 

 a free state. A sort of municipal constitution 

 was formed, probably after the model of that of 

 the mother city. The principal points of this con- 

 stitution are the creation and constitution of the 

 senate ; the origin and permanent establishment of 

 the patricians, or hereditary nobility; the division 

 of the people into classes, and the different kinds 

 of popular assemblies (comitia) founded there- 

 upon; the religious institutions; and, finally, the 

 domestic relations of clientship, marriage, and par- 

 ticularly of the power of a father. Romulus, 

 the leader of the colony (from A. U. 1 to 37), 

 increased the number of the citizens by the esta- 

 blishment of an asylum, and by the incorporation 

 of a part of the Sabines. Numa Pompilius (39 

 82) founded the Roman state-religion; Tullus Hos- 

 tilius (82 114) conquered Alba, and laid the 

 foundation for the supremacy of Rome over Latium ; 

 Ancus Martius (114138) built Ostium; Tar- 

 quinius Priscus (138 176) carried on a war with 

 the Etrurian confederacy; Servius Tullius (176 

 220), the ablest of the kings, placed Rome at 

 the head of the Latin confederacy, and divided 

 the nation, according to property, into six classes, 

 upon which the comitia centuriata and the census 

 were founded; the seventh and last king, Tar- 

 quin the Proud (220 245), aspired to absolute 

 power, and was expelled on account of his tyranny. 

 The constitution was then remodelled (509 B. C.). 

 (See Romulus, Numa, and Tarquinius.} Even at 

 this period, we can perceive in the Romans a 

 manly, free, bold, and ambitious people. Agri- 

 culture and war were their chief occupations. In 

 private life, simplicity of manners and pleasures 

 prevailed. 



II. Rome as a republic, from 245 to 727 A.U. 

 First Period. The royal power, with the same 



indefiniteness as it had been exercised by the 

 kings, was committed to two consuls chosen an- 

 nually. At the commencement of the new go- 

 vernment, Rome had to sustain a contest with the 

 Etrurians and Latins for its freedom. The oppres- 

 sions of the patricians, who arrogated the whole 

 power to themselves, exasperated the plebeians, and 



