Roman Monarchy

The monarchy (Latin: Regnum Romanum ) was a founded kingdom with Rome, according to the legend by Rémus and Romulus in -753. Monarchy was abolished with the fall of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus in -510. According to the tradition, seven kings reigned on Rome (Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Ancus Marcius, Tullus Hostilius, Tarquin Old the, Servius Tullius and Tarquin Superb the), since the foundation of the city in -753 until the revolution of -509 which drove out the last sovereign to found the Roman République.

The form of Monarchy

According to the tradition brought back by Tite-Live in particular, after the Trojan War, the Trojan hero Énée crosses the Mediterranean and founds the town of Lavinium in Italy. His/her son Ascagne founds the Alba-the-Long town of . From this family will be born the twins Romulus and Rémus. The kings, other than Romulus, founder of the city, were selected with life, by the people of Rome. In the beginning, it seems that an assembly of seines (ripe man) and shepherds familiarum had authority on the members of their family but also on the greatest possible number of customers. These Shepherds , brought together in senate, names a rex , temporarily equipped with the capacity during the Interrègne. The King is then chosen by the Comices curiates but is definitively named only after the Augure S confirm that the decision is favorable. The senate was to control all the process. According to the tradition, no king had to make use of the weapons to seize the power. The capacity seems to be become hereditary only starting from the fourth king. What will make say to the republicans whom the old kings were selected according to their virtues and not of their origins. It is not known which is the true nature of the capacity, i.e. if the function had really a capacity or if the king were submitted at an assembly. It seems that the decisions of the king, starting from Servius Tullius, could be discussed by the Comices curiates and were to be validated, but it is not known if the capacity of the king were absolute. What is sure, it is that only the king had the right to carry out L “Auspice and thus to know the Augure S. the base even of the Roman faith rested on the setting in agreement between the actions and the will of the gods. Consequently, no public affair could be carried out without the will of the gods being known via the auspices. The Romans recognized the king like a mediator between them and the gods and according to the tradition Romulus was best Haruspice S. the function of Pontifex maximus is created according to the tradition by Numa Pompilius, but the function of Rex sacrorum remains paramount in the rites, so that even abolished monarchy, it will continue to exist. In addition, the king had of the Imperium , the judicial power, of the possibility of appointing the officials, the members of the senate and especially the Préfet of Rome, who had all the capacities when the king was not downtown.

Royal attributes

The kings had the right to sit down on the curule Chair, to carry the Toga picta , of the red shoes, and a white diadem around the head. The toga crimson being the principal sign. The king could be also made accompany by twelve Licteur S carriers of Fasces , an axe symbolizing the capacity of justice.

Traditional list of the kings

A mythological monarchy

The philologist Georges Dumézil saw in the succession of the first kings an example of the Indo-European tripartite Fonctions: Romulus the founder and the piles Numa Pompilius exerted the sovereign function, at the same time organizing and sacerdotal, Tullus Hostilius the warlike function, and Ancus Marcius the builder the producing function.

To each sovereign, one generally allots a particular contribution in the birth and the creation of the Roman institutions and in the development socio-policy of the city:

Romulus is regarded as the founder of the city, to which it gave his principal civil institutions, extension of the territory controlled by Rome as well as best of the omens.
Numa Pompilius created principal the religious institutions
Tullus Hostilius, by beating the Sabins and by conquering Alba Longa , amorça the territorial expansion in the Latium
Ancus Marcius par excellence initiated the foundation of the wearing of Rome, Ostie
Tarquin Old the set up the Temple of Jupiter Capitolin and built the maximum Cloaca
Servius Tullius divided the town population into five classes of Cens and built the first strengthened enclosure (Mur servien)
Tarquin the Superb one which, because of its arrogant behavior and its contempt towards the citizens and the Roman institutions, was driven out by the people in -509.

Assessment of monarchy

According to certain sources, the Consul At is not a Latin institution, because the practice, with the fall of the royalty, was rather to institute a single magistrate having an immense capacity but for one limited time. Today still, the historians do not know from where the idea can come from a capacity shared with identical between two consuls for one weak duration. The Roman idea which is at the origin of the creation of the Roman République, thus seems deeply original.

The mode of the Etruscan kings will also make become aware with the Romans of the concept of civic bodies, apart from exclusive control and very room of the aristocracy. In addition the religious relations which underlie the relation customer-owner étiole, the worship of the ancestors was transformed into worship of the heroes. The populus will become aware that it forms the Plèbe and the institutions to recognize its existence and the function subordinate of this plebs.

After the fall of Tarquin, the idea of monarchy continued, even during the empire, with being hated. Jules César, whereas it accumulated all the capacities, refused the symbol which the white diadem of the hand of Marc Antoine under the applause constituted. The honorary load of Rex sacrorum , under the Republic, however essential with the religious rites, was badly considered by the Romans.

History of Rome during this period

Context with the Foundation of Rome

Archeology noted that since X E, the area records a slow development of agriculture in all the zone of the Latium with the establishment of many villages, whose Rome is only one among others (Ardée, Lavinium, Alba Long the, etc). Latin and thus the Romans cultivate poor cereals (German wheat or far and Orge), vine (the vitis will vinifera is attested in the tombs of the Roman Forum), the olive-tree and the fig tree is known. Like all the people of the area, the company rests on the Clientélisme and the most influential people direct within assembly called the curiae . These assemblies are essential to organize the defense and the management of the collective goods. The ground is indeed to some extent, common property and must thus be managed. Each house has its garden, including in the perimeter of Rome, producing cabbages, turnips, broad beans, lenses. The breeding, on the Ager publicus , is an important activity, symbol of richness (Latin pecunia has the two directions, cattle and richness). The Romans raise sheep and goats for the meat and cheese, oxen, asses and horses like draft animals. The Aviculture does not seem to be intensively practiced. In the lagoons with the mouths of the Tiber one collects the salt, produced exported towards the mountains by the way which will become the Via Salaria, while the coastal forests provide in abundance wood. Many agrarian divinities testify to the agricultural activity: Liber for the vine, Pomone for the fruit trees, Terminus for the terminals limiting the fields, etc the Roman civilization of the time were pastoral. Starting from the VIII E, whole Italy changes, the Greeks install colonies, the Etruscan extend their kingdom towards the south, the trade intensifies agriculture takes form bus of the sabins, traditionally farmers settle. The tradition says that the city accommodates robber, slave in escape and another undesirable. Many cities are created, while the village communities tend to regress. Rome with is crossed new trade route. An assembly of seines (man wall) and shepherds familiarum having authority on the members of their family but also on the greatest possible number customers directs. The concept of patrician, those which go down from the shepherds , to constituting itself at that time.

The development of Rome

The senate (of 100 members) as the comices curiates , according to the tradition, are created by Romulus. The comices train an assembly of 30 members and is elected starting from colleges tribal. Three colleges of sabins, Romans, and for all the others, elect each one ten members in a curia . To the beginning of Rome, several victorious wars, allotted to Romulus, extend the control of the city in the Latium. The ager publicus romanus is wide. To the VII E, in Rome, the reges Tullus Hostilius created the curiae novae , not on toponymic or ethnic origins, but while resting on the gentilices , it is the end of the tribalism. In the campaigns the Masters and the servants live a common life, which on the bottom is not very different.

To the VI E, Rome is more the big city of the Italy. The most powerful armies are organized according to the Greek technique of the Phalange of Hoplite S which are pedestrian soldiers heavily and uniformly armed and protected. The cavalry, and more particularly the tanks, prerogative of the gentilices , are marginalized by this type of military formation. In addition, these same gentilices is not any more able to align and especially to equip a sufficient number of hoplites to be able to fight against Etruscan cities resting on a many demonstrations . Rome is then conquered by the Etruscan S which will equip the town of many infrastructures, temples, ports, public buildings, water conveyances, and it is per thousands that foreigners come to settle in Rome. The Greek influence, which also strongly marks the Etruscans, is increasingly present. The Greek manufactured goods as the potteries testify some. Philosophy, the religion, art of warfare hellénise.

To be able to resist the external invasions, the Etruscan kings of Rome will seek to create their own army of Hoplite S. to escape the pressures patricians, the kings will seek to decrease the influence of the crowned bonds ( fides ) which connect the owners and their customers. They manage to bind the free men in sodales by the fides to defend the city. This relation is fundamental. According to the tradition, Servius Tullius, first king not elected and of servile origin as its name indicates it, transforms the armed and consequently the role with each one within the city. It thus changes the base of the Roman company. As the level of equipment of hoplite depends on its fortune, to know the number and the type of the combatants available, the Cens is created, the Comices centuriates and the Tribus deal with this spot. Servius Tullius goes until distributing the Ager publicus , it is the first land reform known.

The population, consequently increases constantly, 80.000 civites with the O C, 130.000 in -508, 157.000 in -498.

Sources

Historiography

The history of Roman monarchy reached us, in particular by Fabius Pictor, towards 260 av. J. - C., draws up a list of seven sovereigns for 243 years of reign, therefore with 35 years an extraordinary average per reign. Later, other authors like Tite-Live, Plutarque, Denys d' Halicarnasse, Varon will write their accounts while probably resting on that of Pictor. Aucunes files were not available for these ancient authors because Rome was burnt in -390 by the Gaulois (see Oies of Capitole).

In the opinion of modern historian, the names like the dates of the reigns of the four first of these kings, just like the alternation of names sabins and Latin, are more legendary than historical, while the last three kings, of Etruscan origin , have an existence which appears less dubious.

Some interpret the succession of events brought back by Tite-Live. Thus J. Heugron proposes the following scenario: Porsenna, king de Clusium, organized an invasion of the Latium like had previously done it Tarquinia and Vulci, drove out Tarquins and occupied Rome, from where it attacked then Aricie, being opposed to a Latin coalition and of Cumes, which put it in failure. Heugron raises that the consular Fastes of the first years of the Republic count several names of Etruscan origin as magistrates: Larcius in 506,498,490, Herminius in 506, Aquilius Tuscus in 487, indices of an Etruscan presence perdurant in Rome with of 509. The departure of Tarquins would thus not mean the end of the Etruscan influence.

Contributions of Archeology

Archeology observes for the period of Roman monarchy a Net enrichment of the tombs with the presence of imported luxury articles (fourth phase, said orientalizing, of - 730 with -570 for the chronology of Müller-Karpe-Peroni). Greek and Etruscan ceramics is present in all Latium and attests early contacts with the Greek tradesmen. It is at this period that the oldest known written document of the Latium is attached, the Fibule de Préneste dated from the beginning of the VII E. One from of deduced the probable introduction from the writing to Rome at that time.

In Rome even, many vestiges of the monarchical time were excavated during the 20th century with increasingly fine methods: