Damien Russell
BHR Ch3
A Brief History of the Romans
Study Guide: Chapter 3—Rome and Italy in the Fourth Century
Items and questions on this guide are likely to appear on your next quiz, during which you may use the notes you have
taken on the following. The use of another student’s notes will be treated as academic dishonesty.
Fall of Veii and the Sack of Rome
Siege of Veii 396 BC: Veii was located about 10 miles from Rome. It was a wealthy and powerful city state
similar to Rome and it dominated some of its smaller neighbors, similar to Rome. In the fifth century Veii had
fought over land and leadership of smaller cities. Rome eliminated Veii as an autonomous city state. Veii’s land
became Rome territory, and some of its citizens became Romans. The remainder of the population was enslaved
or expelled. Roman officials placed some citizens on some of the vacant Veii territory.
Gallic invasion 387 BC.: A large army of Gauls were plundering in the upper Tiber Valley when they came down
the river defeated a Roman army and entered the City. Gauls had no political or social organization they would
assemble warbands and raid across the Apennines for centuries. Greeks and Romans regard Gauls as uncivilized,
warlike, predatory, and expansionist.
Marcus Furius Camillus: Roman historians made Camillus the hero both of the final war against Veii and of the
Recovery after the sack of Rome. As dictator he commanded the Roman Army that captured Veii. When the
Gauls entered the city, he was supposedly made dictator again, defeating the Gallic army, recovering the treasure
that the Gauls had taken from the city. As dictator yet again, he was reported to have had a central role in opening
the highest offices to plebeians in 367, a crucial event in the struggle of the orders. Rome’s historians thought he
had been military tribune with consular powers six times and dictator five times.
The City and Its Institutions in the Fourth Century
Two consuls- By 366 military tribunes with consular powers were no longer used. Instead two consuls were
elected each year. During their year they primarily served as generals in Rome’s wars. They entered office in
March, just in time to raise an army for the campaigning season. When they were in the city, they made sacrifices
and performed other rights of the public cults, presided over meetings of the senate, addressed assemblies of
citizens, listened to complaints, and rendered judgment.
Toga praetexta- a special toga bordered in purple worn by the consuls.
Sella curulis- aka “curule; a special chair for the consuls, inlaid with ivory.
Lictors – attendants of various kinds that followed the Consuls around and maintained order in his presence.
There were usually twelve of them per consular.
Fasces- Lictors double headed axe bound in rods.
Replacement of military tribunes by consuls- connected with and important episode in the struggle of the
orders. Two tribunes of the plebs, Gaius Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius Lateranus, successfully had a series of
laws passed, the Licinian-Sextian Laws.
Licinian-Sextian Laws- Some of their provisions allegedly addressed matters of land use and debt, but the most
important ones (we are told) fixed the office of consul as the highest in the city and permitted plebeians to
compete for it. Two decades later a law was passed requiring one of the two consuls, elected each year, be a
plebeian. What is important was not the opening of offices to all adult male citizens, but the creation of new
political elite, composed of some patrician families and some plebeian ones.
Praetor- an office created by the Licinian-Sextian reforms, the leading official in Rome when the consuls were
absent on campaign. When necessary the praetor could command an army.
Plebeian office-holding- By 337 plebeians would gain access to this office as well.
Imperium- related to the verb imperare meaning to order or to command. For Romans it had strong religious
associations and its possession provided the essential basis for a higher magistrate’s authority to lead armies and
to punish offenders.
Auspices- Auspicium denoted their right to seek the approval of the gods for their tenure in office and for their
official actions, through the rituals of divination known as the auspices.
Pomerium- the sacred boundary of the city of Rome.
Curule and plebeian aediles- The four aediles maintained temples and the city’s streets, and they also supervised
its markets, where they judged disputes arising from business there.
Quaestors- holders of an office that dated back to the mid-fifth century, they took care of public money and
supervised the treasury and oversaw the funds that generals took on campaign.
