Calliope articles from October 2002

Calliope archives from October 2002

Musings.
October 1, 2002... THEY SAY THAT THE WISEST PERSON IS THE ONE WHO CAN DECIDE FOR HIMSELF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE: THE NEXT WISEST IS THE ONE WHO ACTS ON ANOTHER'S GOOD IDEAS. Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and statesman "THE GLORY THAT WAS ROME" IS...

Time line (all dates are B.C.).(Roman Republic )(Chronology)
October 1, 2002... 509 Roman Republic is established and the first consuls are elected. 343 The First Samnite War begins. The Third and final Samnite War ends in 290. 280 Rome battles Pyrrhus, 280-272. 264 The first of three Punic wars begins. All...

Rome's early years: according to the record, kings ruled Rome for the city's first 245 years. While the tale of each reign is steeped in tradition, it is certain that some ruled nobly and others were toppled by scandalous behavior.
October 1, 2002... Legend said that twin boys Romulus and Remus founded Rome and that their parents were Mars, the god of war, and Rhea Silvia, the daughter of Numitor. Numitor was the rightful ruler of Alba Longa, a town that lay southeast of Rome, but his...

Death to the monarchy.(Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... In 509 B.C., Rome's seventh king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, sat on the throne. His flame, which translates as "Tarquin the Proud," suggests his arrogance, and the people despised him. One night, his son Sextus was dining with other...

Rome on the move.(Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... THE APPIAN WAY, OR VIA APPIA, AS IT WAS KNOWN TO THE ANCIENT ROMANS, IS A VERY LONG ROAD. IT BEGINS OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF ROME, EXTENDS THROUGH the rolling hills of Campania in central Italy, and ultimately thrusts its way eastward through...

Imitating the successful.(borrowing of ideas and inventions by ancient Rome)
October 1, 2002... AS ROME EXPANDED ITS CONTROL, IT DEVELOPED THE TRADITION OF BORROWING ideas and inventions from those whom it defeated and adapting them to its own needs. Rome's increased territory meant increased commerce and a steady stream of foreign ideas...

Climbing the political ladder.(official positions in Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... A ROMAN CITIZEN WITH POLITICAL AMBITIONS HAD TO FOLLOW THE cursus honorum ("course of offices"), a ladder of official jobs of increasing responsibility. However, before a person could step up to the first rung, he usually had to complete a long...

Fun with words.(English words derived from Latin)
October 1, 2002... WORD ORIGINS ELECTION By definition, "election" means "a choosing or choice" and usually refers to the selection of a person for a particular political office by means of voting. If we do a bit of digging to find the roots of...

For the people.(class conflict in Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... The growth of the Roman Republic did not always proceed smoothly. As the city expanded, its society and economy changed, and these changes often set one group against another. The most important of these conflicts was between those with...

Make a toga. (Activity).
October 1, 2002... WORN ONLY BY MEN WHO WERE CITIZENS OF ROME, THE TOGA WAS A DISTINCTIVE ROMAN OUTER GARMENT. EACH WEIGHED SEVERAL POUNDS AND required frequent cleaning. Chalk was often rubbed over a toga to make it whiter. A broad purple stripe marked a...

The forum Romanum: the area destined to be the Great Forum of Rome was once a swamp surrounded by hill. Inhabitants from the hills gradually moved onto the edges of the swamp, using it for burials and shrines.
October 1, 2002... The Etruscans altered the picture. A major project was the construction of a drain through the swampy area in 650 or 575 B.C. Eventually named the Cloaca Maxima, this was an uncovered canal for the first 400 years or so and physically divided...

A tour of Republican Rome.
October 1, 2002... AS A CITY, ROME DEVELOPED SLOWLY. FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, VILLAGES DOTTED THE TOPS of the hills along the Tiber River, and not much effort was made among the people who lived on them to communicate for business or religious purposes. When the...

Why weep you by the tide, Ulysses?(Play)
October 1, 2002... Customs, religious beliefs, and architectural styles were not the only facets of Greek life that the Romans admired and adapted to their own needs. Roman playwrights readily borrowed from their Greek counterparts. In fact, early Roman drama...

A struggle for power.(Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... IN SETTING UP THEIR REPUBLIC, THE ROMANS PLACED THE POWER OF THE STATE IN THE hands of its citizens. Technically, the Roman Republic was based on citizens who debated and voted on issues and elected leaders. Only free adult Roman males who...

"Shattered morals".(effect of foreign wealth on morals in Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... During the Republic, the Romans were exposed to the art and comforts of their wealthy new provinces. By the end of the Republic, they so loved acquiring luxuries that Augustus Caesar, Julius Caesar's successor, introduced laws limiting displays...

Clientes & their patrons.(political barter in Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... THE ROMANS PRACTICED A UNIQUE FORM OF POLITICAL BARTER BETWEEN a dependent client and a well-to-do patron, with advantages for both sides. A patron could be a client's former master, someone who had pleaded the client's case in court, a person...

Relief sculptures in miniature. (Activity).(how to make a cameo)
October 1, 2002... THE ROMANS LOVED CAMEOS, ESPECIALLY LARGE ONES. BY DEFINITION, A CAMEO IS A HARD stone with one layer carved in raised relief on a background of one or more different colored layers. Following early Greek models, Romans preferred hard stones...

All for power: as a means of recruiting for the army, Rome's third king, Severius Tullius, divided the citizens of Rome into five classes based on wealth.
October 1, 2002... This method made the ability to purchase weapons a qualification for service. The richest recruits served as the cavalry, and the rest as infantry. Any citizen whose wealth placed him below the five classes was ineligible and became part of the...

Threats to the Republic.(Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED THE DEATHS OF THE STATESMEN-GENERALS MARIUS AND SULLA, two military strongmen, Crassus and Pompey, enhanced their positions within the Republic. They did so by rescuing it from rebellious slaves and attacking pirates....

Come to the Colosseum. (Calliope's World).(Poem)
October 1, 2002... Come to the Colosseum Come to the Colosseum at midmorning. If you have a weak stomach, we give you warning! Get there early to find a seat. If you're late, there'll be a crowd to beat. All admission is completely free....

Rome. (Calliope's World).(Poem)
October 1, 2002... ROME The legend says that Romulus founded Rome. He built it up and made it home. Remus was his twin brother Rhea Silvia was their mother. The god Mars married her in that case; the sons were In line to be...

The soldier. (Calliope's World).(soldier of William the Conqueror)
October 1, 2002... Bonjour, my name is Fred. I am one of the soldiers of King William. We beat King Harold. It was a great defeat. We went across the channel. They were going toward us. But then they were on our fort and we were on their fort, so they had to go...

Books. (Off the Shelf).(books on ancient Rome)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2002... The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome by Peter Connolly and Hazel Dodge (Oxford University Press, 1998) Ancient Rome by Mike Corbishley (Facts On File, 1989) Ancient Rome by Peter Connolly (Oxford University Press, 2001) ...

On the net. (Off the Shelf).(web sites on ancient Rome)
October 1, 2002... For a great diagram and explanation of the cursus honorum, as well as links to several sites related to Rome and the Republic, try: www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romangvt.html For a synopsis of Roman history with links to sites that focus on...

Cobblestone resources. (Off the Shelf).(resources on Ropman Republic)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2002... The following issues of CALLIOPE provide a good cross-reference for this issue on "The Roman Republic": Africa's Carthage (September/October 1992) Heroes and Heroines of Early Rome (September/October 1995) The Roman Army in the...

The republic falls.(Roman Republic)
October 1, 2002... Rome had many clever and determined generals, but none has seized the modern imagination as firmly as Julius Caesar. In less than 10 years (59-50 B.C.), he conquered what is today France, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland with a relatively...