The Roman Republican Cycle 35030 BCE

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The Roman Republican Cycle (350-30 BCE)

• By Megan Nickel

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Population Dynamics
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Population Dynamics

• First Phase (225-200 BCE)
• Population decline because of Hannibalic War
• 22 population decline from 3 to 2.35 million
  people

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Population Dynamics

• Second Phase (200-100 BCE)
• Population increase by 44 from 2.35 to 3.39
  million people

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Population Dynamics

• Last Phase (100 -0 BCE)
• Population declined as a result of constant civil
  wars, high urbanization, and, during later
  stages, massive state-sponsored population
  transfers
• Population is back down to levels that it was in
  225 BCE at the beginning of the cycle

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Population Dynamics
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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• The Highest Stratum of Society
• Senators were the governing class during this
  period
• They provided officers for the military, served
  as government officials and had large religious
  roles
• They were also wealthy land owners

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• Next highest social stratum
• Equestrians- lesser aristocrats who served as
  cavalry in the army
• Businessmen and merchants
• Jury service reserved for equestrians

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• Lower stratum
• Common population- small landowners
• Served as infantry
• Voted in public elections
• The wealthiest of this class and the equestrians
  dominated the vote and also paid most of the
  property tax

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• Next lowest stratum
• Citizens with property who Turchin supposes were
  far above the subsistence level of wealth
• Lowest stratum
• Slaves, foreigners, landless citizens and freedmen

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• Around 300 BCE the bulk of the population were
  the small landowners

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• 300-200BCE
• Based on the number of Roman cavalry and
  infantry, Turchin estimates that the ratio of
  elites (senators and equestrians) to non-elite
  landowners was 110.
• Non-elite landowners make up majority of
  population

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Social Structure and Elite Dynamics

• Elites followed the same pattern as the rest of
  the population
• Increase moderately until 250 BCE
• Decrease until 200 BCE
• Rapid increase from 200-100 BCE

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State Finances

• From the fourth century to the first, Rome
  increased its territory 600-fold
• This solved the problem of landless citizens
• Rather than relying mainly on taxes, the Roman
  government and elites were able to live off of
  the spoils of conquest
• State revenues increased during the 3rd century
  because of wars, but stagnated during the 2nd
  because there were no more territories to conquer

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Sociopolitical Instability

• From 342-132, Rome experienced no civil war
• The century following this period was almost
  constant civil war

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Sociopolitical Instability
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Long Expansion (350-180 BCE)

• Population doubled and territory quintupled, thus
  population density declined taking care of the
  problems of landless citizens and also decreasing
  struggles for internal resources
• Everyone was focused on external wars
• During 2nd half of 3rd century, population
  declined because of war

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Long Expansion (350-180 BCE)

• After 200 BCE, all Roman wars were fought
  externally and thus fewer casualties
• Roman territory remained the same size, so
  population density increased by up to 50

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Stagflation (133-29 BCE)

• This period was preceded by
• Popular immiseration
• Intense intra-elite competition
• Stagnation of state revenues

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Stagflation (133-29 BCE)

• This period is an example of a classical
  demographic-structural crisis
• It involved state collapse and chronic civil
  warfare
• The Republic underwent a deep transformation
• The population of small landowners dwindled while
  the population of landless citizens and slaves
  skyrocketed

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Stagflation (133-29 BCE)

• The wars during this period took a huge toll on
  the small landowners
• The elites, who profited the most from the wars,
  bought out most of the land, causing the small
  landowners to become part of the growing urban
  poor
• This process is called latifundia
• This theory is under debate

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Stagflation (133-29 BCE)

• Because Romes territory stayed the same while
  the population doubled in size, the land was
  divided up into too many small pieces which could
  not support families
• Much of that land was sold to the wealthy elites
• Also, because of the higher population density,
  epidemics became more severe

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Stagflation (133-29 BCE)

• There was much inflation between 150 and 50 BCE
• There was an increase in industry, trade and
  urbanization
• People were coming from rural areas to cities for
  economic opportunity

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Elite Dynamics (During Stagflation)

• The number of elites during the 2nd century BCE
  increased along with their consumption levels
• The entire senatorial class increased its cost of
  living
• The amount of wealth they had increased
  tremendously
• The gap between rich and poor grew larger

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Intra-elite Competion (During Stagflation)

• 21 families dominated 80 of the Senate during
  these years
• Sometimes the position of Senator was continued
  on from grandfather to father and even down to
  son
• As the number of possible senators increased,
  intra-elite competition for Senatorial positions
  also increased
• The position was passed from father to son less
  frequently

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State Finances (During Stagflation)

• From 146-91BCE, the state finances were fairly
  healthy
• After that the denarius was debased to 95 silver
• By 89 the treasury was empty and the money
  shortage continued through the rest of the century

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Increasing Social Pressure (During Stagflation)

• Both upper and lower classes were growing
  discontent
• As intra-elite competition grew, state finances
  stagnated
• There were no more profitable places to conquer
• Eventually this all culminated in a full state
  collapse

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Late Republican Crisis

• The first evidence of decentralization was slave
  revolts which began in 138 BCE
• The slave revolts were met and stopped by a
  unified elite class
• In 133 BCE Tiberius Gracchus tried to alleviate
  some of the problems by distributing land among
  landless citizens, but he was murdered along with
  300 of his supporters

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Late Republican Crisis

• Tiberius Gracchuss death split the elite class
  and eventually led to civil war
• His brother was killed a short while later after
  he tried to promote his brothers plans
• After their deaths, there was a short period of
  stability
• The stability did not last long because of the
  intense intra-elite competition

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Late Republican Crisis

• During the 60s and 50s there was relatively no
  civil war
• The territory expanded with the conquests of Gaul
  and Asia Minor
• The states finances were still fragile
• The last period of civil war lasted from 49-31
  BCE
• The Republican Cycle ends in 27 BCE with the
  establishment of the principate

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End of Disintegrative Trend

• The period after Tiberius Gracchuss death was
  the decentralization of Rome
• This was due to elite overproduction

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End of Disintegrative Trend

• Civil wars had three affects on society
• Up to one half of elites were killed, thereby
  solving the elite overproduction problem
• Reproductive rates were lowered because of
  abortions and infanticide
• There was an inflation of honors

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End of Disintegrative Trend

• Many elites chose to be content with their status
  and did not strive for senatorial positions
• By the end of the civil war period, Romans had a
  strong desire for peace

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Conclusion

• The Roman Republican Cycle is different from
  other secular cycles because of its huge
  territorial expansion

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THE END