The three main periods in Ancient Rome

As you might know, Imperial Rome was not built in a day. It took hundreds of years for Rome to expand from a little city into the glorious empire we remember it today. Intelligence, roughness, ambition, lots of wars, blood, and sacrifices made the empire so wealthy and so strong that it became one of the biggest empires ever known. In this article, I would like to talk about the three main periods of the Roman empire in order to understand its history.

So, in the last article, I already talked about the legend that presents the foundation of Rome by the two brothers, Romulus and Remus. After Rome was founded, the history of the Roman Empire can be divided into three distinct periods: The Period of Kings (625-509 BC), Republican Rome (509-31 BC), and Imperial Rome (31 BC-AD 476).

The Period of Kings (625-507 BC)

In this early period, Rome was ruled by a king(REX) that had absolute power over the people. The Senate, that later became one of the most important institutions in Rome, was just a weak oligarchy that had to deal with the tasks given by the king.

It is said that Romulus was the first king of Rome followed by six kings who were elected by the people of Rome from the candidates chosen by the Senate from any source they wanted.

The king had supreme power over everyone, this was symbolized by the purple toga, that could be worn only by the king.

During the Battle of Allia(390 BC), fought between the Romans and a Gallic tribe called Senones, Rome’s records were destroyed so it is impossible to tell exactly how many kings ruled in Rome, but traditionally we count the following seven kings:

-Romulus

-Numa Pompilius

-Tullus Hostilius

-Ancus Marcius

-Lucius Tarquinius Priscus

-Servius Tullius

-Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Around 509 BC a political revolution took place in Rome. The results?The overthrown of the Roman monarchy, the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, and the establishment of the Roman Republic.

Legends and historians like Livy tell that while the king was away on campaign, a noblewoman, named Lucretia was raped by his son Sextus Tarquinius. The women revealed the offense to some noblemen and committed suicide. The Roman noblemen, led by Lucius Junius Brutus, obtained the support of the Roman aristocracy and the people to expel the king and his family and to institute a republic. Brutus was supported by the Roman army, and the king went into exile. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus attempted on several occasions to reinstate the monarchy,  but the citizens established the republic.

Republican Rome (509-31 BC)

This is the period of great expansion. It is the time when Rome established a new form of government, where the upper class ruled and at the start the poor men had no chance of changing their social class. About the new form of government I will have an article on the blog, so stay tuned.

  Rome gained control over the entire Italian peninsula by 338, making them an important force in the Mediterranean.

A very difficult period is the period of the Punic wars against Carthage, their greatest enemy by the time. During this time Romans managed to gain control over Carthage. This time gave one of the greatest military leaders, Scipio Africanus, the men who defeated Hannibal.

Soon after defeating Carthage, Rome’s rapid expansion and political atmosphere pushed the Republic into a chaotic period with lots of civil wars. This is the period where strong men have the chance to rise and to gain power. Eventually, this is exactly what happens. First Marius gained respect in 106BC when he put an end to the war against the Numidians. He then also managed to defeat the Teutons and Cimbris, two gallic tribes, in 102, respective 101.

In 91 BC the Social War broke out in Rome because they did not give their former allies their rewards. This time of crisis was the best for Lucius Cornelius Sulla to start a civil war with the battle of the Colline Gate. Appian is the only source who provides details about the battle. This battle led to a series of street fights and wars between Roman troops. The people of Rome had to choose between Sulla and Marius. Sulla gained the support of the Optimates(the wealthy and the noble people of Rome) while Marius had the support of the lower class.

After defeating Marius and even Marius’s son, Sula was declared dictator of the Roman Republic.

The last uprising of this period was the most serious, the uprising of the gladiators led by Spartacus, involving between 120.000 and 150.000 slaves. The uprising was a clear alert for the Romans that they have to fix their defenses. Officially Pompeius Magnus put an end to the rebellion, but in reality, Marcus Licinius Crassus was the one that made the hard job.

I will have a detailed presentation of the uprising in another article, where you can find out what kind of humiliation this was for the Romans.

The latest period of the republic is probably one of the best known by the normal people, and probably the most exciting period too. This is the period of the first triumvirate and the rise to power of Caesar.

The first triumvirate was an unofficial political alliance between Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Although the alliance worked really well when Iulius Caesar conquered Gaul, and for the first time Rome’s borders had spread beyond the Mediterranean region, in Rome the Senate and Pompey started to be jealous of Caesar.

Because of this, and because they feared that Caesar might proclaim himself as a king, in 51 BC, some Roman senators demanded that Caesar not to be permitted to stand for Consul unless he gives his armies to the state, which would have left Caesar defenseless. Caesar did know that if he accepts the Senates demands, he would face trial, so he chooses civil war over laying down his command.

In 49BC Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his legions and went to Rome, while Pompey ordered the abandonment of Rome.

Then, initially Caesar was defeated by Pompey, but then at the battle of Pharsalus in 48BC Caesar defeated the double bigger forces of Pompey. Pompey then fled to Egypt, where he was murdered.

In 47BC Caesar proclaimed himself dictator and wanted to achieve control over the government. The lower class was by Caesar’s side, but the noblemen were very angry at Caesar’s actions, so they decided to kill him.

On March 44BC Caesar was assassinated. The assassination was led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Brutus.

The second triumvirate was between Mark Anthony(Caesar’s lieutenant), Gaius Octavian, and Marcus Lepidus. They fought against Caesar’s assassins at the battle of Philippi, where Brutus and Cassius lost their life.

After the winning battle, Mark Anthony was sent to Egypt to rule, but the alliance between Octavian and Mark Anthony broke up, and in the battle of Actium in 31BC Mark Anthony was defeated and committed suicide with his lover Cleopatra.

In 27BC Octavian was proclaimed sole emperor, got the name “Augustus”, indicating his primary status above all Romans, and a new era of emperors started in Rome.

Imperial Rome (27 BC-AD 476).

It started with the rise of Rome’s first emperor in 27 BC and lasting until the fall of Rome in AD 476.

Imperial Rome was the start of something glorious, a period where the architecture and art were in full development, and where the empire reached its biggest territory under the command of an emperor.

During this period, Rome saw several decades of peace, prosperity, and expansion.

In AD 286 the Empire was split into eastern and western empires, each ruled by its own emperor. The western empire suffered several Gothic invasions and, and was sacked by Vandals in 455AD. Rome continued its decline until AD 476 when the western Roman Empire came to an end.

The eastern Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, survived until the 15th century. It only fell when the Turks took control of its capital city, Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in AD 1453.

Don’t forget to take a look at the animation that shows the (territorial) rise and fall of the Romans from 753BC to 1453AD by clicking the link below:

My goal with this article was to make a presentation about the Ancient Roman periods. But don’t forget that this was just a very small presentation of this time. In the next articles, I will try to divide the great story of Ancient Rome into small pieces and analyze them much better in order to get a very clear image of the Romans. The reason I want you to understand this significant historical period is that I think it is very important to know the past, the history in order to understand the present. As Richelle Mead said, “History is important because it teaches us about the past. And by learning about the past, you come to understand the present, so that you may make educated decisions about the future.”

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