Rome Before The Romans

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Rome Before The Romans

• Italy was by many different cultures speaking
  many different languages (see map in previous
  slide show)
• Site of Rome shows evidence of habitation since
  ca. 1600 BCE (Pastoral Economy Buried their
  dead)
• Between 1000 and 900 BCE Immigrants from the
  south of Rome inhabited the Palatine Hill (Latin
  speakers, cremated their dead, practiced
  agriculture)
• Traditional founding of the city of Rome 753 BCE

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Iron Age hut urns, modeled on Romes first houses
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Greek Influences - review

• Greeks had settled Sicily and Southern Italy
  (Magna Graecia) since ca. 780 BCE)
• Influenced both Etruscans and Greeks through
  trade, diplomacy, and warfare (i.e. art and
  architecture hoplite warfare anthropomorphized
  gods writing myth and literature)
• Much Greek influence came to Rome through the
  Etruscans (though some of it was direct)
• Romans accepted that one of their ancestors was
  Aneneas, a Trojan refugee.

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The Roman Tradition

• Traditional story of Romes origin Romulus and
  Remus, offsprings of raped vestal virgin Rhea
  Silvia by god Mars. Her uncle, king of Alba
  Longa, ordered twins to be killed, but the man
  charged with it only abandoned them. Nursed by a
  she-wolf, then found by a herdsman, boys
  survived. After Romulus killed Remus, he founded
  Rome and became first king.
• By 296 BCD story widely accepted - statue
  erected and coin struck depicting Romulus and
  Remus and the she-wolf

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The myth of Romulus and Remus
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Republican coin depicting images of foundation
myth
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Nature of Roman Historical tradition

• Characterized by Greek influences Romans
  looked to Greek tradition for models
• But Romans had their own historical sense, based
  on gens and familia the basic Roman social
  units
• Gens kinspeople descended from a common
  prehistoric ancestor, tightly bound by common
  rituals, had own burial rites and cemetaries
• familia - family shared ancestral cult
  family ancestors added to prestige of present
  generation

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Roman traditions to preserve historyof familia

• accumulated honours of ancestors
• imagines wax masks taken at the death of a male
  family member, hung on display in their houses,
  paraded by dressed up living members of familia
  at funerals displaying the whole history of that
  family.
• funerary inscriptions listing honours received,
  offices held such as consulship, military
  campaigns, triumphs received, etc.
• laudautiones funebres funeral speeches praising
  all accomplishments of deceased copies often
  preserved, sometimes inscribed on tombstones
• these biographical family records became sources
  for later writers/historians

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• For the individual Roman the past and the present
  were joined by memories and records of gens and
  familia.
• function Records inspired pietas (respect and
  affection), offered historical exempla (examples)
  as standards for current conduct

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Tracking time in early Rome

• tradition talks about a calendar developed in the
  regal period - used to carry out sacrifices,
  religious rituals, assemblies at right time
• no indication of an early Roman system to keep
  track of years
• we know of nails pounded into cella walls of
  Capitoline temple to count years, and method to
  count years according to the year of the rex
  sacrorum (the chief priestly office in early Rome)

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Sources and their problems

• Earliest period -primarily oral tradition-
  traditional stories transmitted orally from
  generation to generation
• family records (heavily biased to flatter and
  exaggerated to extol prominence of family)
• Written Sources Prior to 200 BCE
• XII Tables
• Written family records
• fasti, compiled by pontifex maximus chief
  priest included the dies fasti (days on which
  sacred law permitted business and court
  transactions) and the dies nefasti (days on
  which they were prohibited)
• Libri Lintei, linen tablets - priestly
  lists, religious events, natural phenomena
• Tabulae Pontificum,
• Later at the end of a year all added to
  inscription set up at regia in forum and called
  annales maximi
• Gradually included names of consuls, priests,
  military triumphs, all sort of important events
  requiring religious rituals, famines, eclipses
  (used later to fix dates)

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The first Roman Historians

• Gnaeus Naevius ( poet from Campania) Bellum
  Poenicium on first Punic war - more of a
  national epic
• Quintus Fabius Pictor (ca. 254 BCE after 200
  BCE) a senator 2nd Punic War
• Lucius Cincius Alimentus a senator 2nd Punic
  War

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Gnaeus Naevius 270-201 BCE

• Wrote in Latin verse
• Roman citizen from Campania, S. Italy
• First writer who was free and a citizen who wrote
  in Latin
• Wrote down orally transmitted Roman legends to
  contemporary events in epic form.
• Bellum Poenicum - ( the Punic War) epic poem
  with Homeric elements, includes gods on
  battlefield although he himself fought in the war
  
• Poem also includes the Roman foundation myth
  indicates he knew Homer and Hellenistic poetry
• Wrote also tragedies/comedies most likely
  translations or adaptations of Greek plays

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Gnaeus Naevius

• First to write tragedies on Roman themes
  Romulus and a tragedy on the defeat of the
  Gauls by Claudius Marcellus 222 BCE likely for
  his funeral games
• Use of history for glorification of Roman
  aristocrats

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Quintus Ennius239 169 BCE

• Also wrote in Latin verse
• From Rudiae, s. Italy
• Spoke Greek, Latin, Oscan
• 204 BCE brought to Rome by Cato later received
  Roman citizenship
• Joined Scipios circle of Hellenized Romans
• Wrote tragedy and epic
• Epic Poem Annales (in Latin) earned him title
  of Father of Latin Literature

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Quintus Ennius

• Annales an epic poem - a history in 18 books
  from Aeneas to 170s BCE (600 lines survived)
• Much studied by later authors
• Focus on military campaigns, virtus of ancestors
  and aristocrats and aristocratic ideology
• Epic elements reflecting Greek influences

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Q. Fabius Pictorb. c. 250 BCE

• First historian to write in prosebut in Greek
• Roman senator was ambassador to Delphi to
  consult oracle after Roman defeat at Cannae (216
  BCE)
• Wrote in Greek language of the educated Romans
  Latin vocabulary for prose was limited
• Wrote a history from beginnings of Rome to Second
  Punic War

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Fabius Pictor

• First prose narrative in a primarily oral culture
• His sources family archives, annals, speeches,
  earlier Greek historians traditional stories
  personal accounts children and grandchildren of
  participants in Punic Wars.
• Replaced Naevius history
• Wrote serious history that earned respect of
  Greek historians
• Important first one to bring Hellenistic Greek
  historical methods to Roman historical writings

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Fabius Pictor

• Criticized by Polybius for being pro-Roman and
  anti Hannibal
• Yet was used heavily by Polybius as source
• Polybius points to his use of moralizing
  anecdotes, praise for Roman greatness and
  superiority.
• Fabius Pictor was the first to see that
  competition for social/political prominence among
  Roman elite could be transferred to historical
  writings
• His introduction of history in prose and
  moralistic nationalism in historical writings
  shaped character of Roman historiography for
  centuries

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Lucius Cincius Alimentus(praetor in 210 BCE)

• Also participated in Second Punic War became
  prisoner of war at battle of Cannae in 216 BCE
• Wrote historical narrative in Greek
• Praised by Polybius

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Marcus Porcius Cato ( 234 149 BCE)Cato the
Elder

• Prestigious public career for a novus homo (new
  man first in family to pursue public career and
  become consul) consulship in 195 BCE and censor
  in 184 BCE
• Famous orator Cicero knew 150 speeches of Cato
  
• First to write in Latin prose Origines - traces
  Romes history in 7 books from its beginnings to
  ca. 150 BCE
• Only fragments remain annalistic history
• Very conservative Roman Opposed Hellenization of
  Roman culture promoted mos maiorum - (customs
  of the ancestors) i.e. traditional Roman values
  especially frugality, hard work, discipline,
  pietas (respect and affection)

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Cato the Elder

• Purpose of writing history pragmatic as tool to
  instruct future Roman leaders to learn moral
  standards of ancestors to fight the corruption
  that came with all things Greek (Hellenization)
• Other Works De agricultura - farming handbook

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Greek and Roman historiography meet

• Capture of Magna Graeca 3rd century BC
• Direct contact with Greeks
• Conquest of Greece proper
• Influx of educated Greeks into Rome (as
  slaves/hostages or scholars