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Lecture 1

CLAS 1000 Lecture 1: A summary of Roman History - lecture 1

Classical Studies
Course Code
CLAS 1000
John Walsh

A summary of Roman History (I)
4 phases
o myths and legends <753 BCE
o monarchy 753-509 BCE
when Rome was ruled by kings
o republic 509-27 BCE
500-year republic
(propose and end date for the roman republic)
o principate (empire) 27 BCE 476 CE (west)
in which Rome functioned in various different ways as an empire ruled by
a single emperor
we will use two sources: Ab urbe condita (titus livivs from the founding of the city)
(27-9 BCE)
o beginning of rome is set to 753 BCE
varro = 1 AUC(ab urbe condita)
o our sources are hundred and hundreds of years removed
virgil the Aeneid (a new prose translation) is the national epic of Roman culture
o helps create and justify the roman identity
tells the story of a man driven by faith from Troy to the shores of Italy
(first book)
the man is aeneus
troy ca 1184 BCE in order to understand the romans we need to go back to the Trojan
o Trojan war was in the last of ten years
Greeks lead by Agamemnon sailed across the Aegean sea to seize the
walls of troy
In the tenth year by means of deception and treachery, the Greeks sneaked
into the city and created a series of murders
Priam the noble king of the Trojans meets his end
Polyxena (women) weren’t sparred and they too were killed
Astyanax (hectors son) was thrown from troys walls
o Greeks tried to murder everyone, however a small group lead by Aeneus was able
to flee amidst the slaughter
o Young man fleeing with his father and son is none other the son of Venus
(goddess of love)
o Diomedes and Aeneas (iliad book 5) d was about to kill A, the character on the
right is his mother, Venus who is saving him from death
Lares and penates are sacred and divigne
Lararium at the house of the vettii
o Shrine of the household gods
Flees troy and wonder and has a variety of different encounters and adventures.
o Stops at the north shore of Athens at a place called carthage
Welcomed warmly by the queen Dido and aeneas
Reminded of his duty that he has not found rome
Mission of the gods and I must leave, dido is heartbroken
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