Study Guide for Zoch: Roman History - Class Conflict, Law, and Leaders - Prof. John V. Car | Study notes World History

Damien Russell

Study Guide for Zoch, Chapters 8–9

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.

Ch. 8. Class Conflict in Rome

1. What were some of the problems the common people faced in the early

Republic? What was the patron-client relationship? Whom did this benefit

the most, the patrons or the clients? What is ironic about the scars on the

body of the aged centurion?

Many of the common people were farmers and farming was

difficult, but as Romans they had to serve time in the military as

well, for which they did not get paid. Many, under the double

burden of farming and soldiering, fell into debt and became

subject to debt laws, which allowed the debtor in default of his

loan to be sold into slavery or even killed by his creditor.

A poor person in need sought the help of a patron usually a

noble, who would give the poor person, now his client, the legal

and financial help he needed, but in turn would expect help and

support from the client when his own time of need arose.

 Patrons helped clients at their own pleasure and to meet their

own goals. Many nobles amassed great numbers of clients

because doing so increased their political power. The scars on

his chest were from each battle he had fought for Rome. The

scars on his back were not from battle, he had never turned his

back to run in battle, the scars were from the whip.

2. How was the imminent attack by the Volsci greeted by the common people?

How did the consul, Servilius, temporarily re-unite the social classes? Where

did the plebeians secede? What concessions were granted to them by way of

negotiating a settlement?

The common people cheered and encouraged each other not to

fight. They preferred the city to perish rather than the patricians

continuing to rule.

The consul Servilius issued an edict making it illegal to put a

Roman citizen into chains or into prison for debt, thus keeping

him from serving in the army; to seize or sell the property of any

soldier on active service; or to interfere with his children or

grandchildren. The Romans then conquered the Volsci.

They encamped on the Sacred Mount, outside the city.

The plebeians were to have their own officers, called tribunes,

who would represent them and protect them from the

magistrates’ abuses of power. The tribunes would be sacrosanct

(immune to the power of those holding the power of imperium),

and no man from the patrician class could be a tribune.

Eventually the tribunes gained the power to veto any action of

the magistrates; armed with this intercessio, one tribune could

put a halt to what the senate and consuls were doing

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Study Guide for Zoch, Chapters 8– 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. Ch. 8. Class Conflict in Rome

What were some of the problems the common people faced in the early Republic? What was the patron-client relationship? Whom did this benefit the most, the patrons or the clients? What is ironic about the scars on the body of the aged centurion?  Many of the common people were farmers and farming was difficult, but as Romans they had to serve time in the military as well, for which they did not get paid. Many, under the double burden of farming and soldiering, fell into debt and became subject to debt laws, which allowed the debtor in default of his loan to be sold into slavery or even killed by his creditor.  A poor person in need sought the help of a patron usually a noble, who would give the poor person, now his client, the legal and financial help he needed, but in turn would expect help and support from the client when his own time of need arose.  Patrons helped clients at their own pleasure and to meet their own goals. Many nobles amassed great numbers of clients because doing so increased their political power. The scars on his chest were from each battle he had fought for Rome. The scars on his back were not from battle, he had never turned his back to run in battle, the scars were from the whip.
How was the imminent attack by the Volsci greeted by the common people? How did the consul, Servilius, temporarily re-unite the social classes? Where did the plebeians secede? What concessions were granted to them by way of negotiating a settlement?  The common people cheered and encouraged each other not to fight. They preferred the city to perish rather than the patricians continuing to rule.  The consul Servilius issued an edict making it illegal to put a Roman citizen into chains or into prison for debt, thus keeping him from serving in the army; to seize or sell the property of any soldier on active service; or to interfere with his children or grandchildren. The Romans then conquered the Volsci.  They encamped on the Sacred Mount, outside the city.  The plebeians were to have their own officers, called tribunes, who would represent them and protect them from the magistrates’ abuses of power. The tribunes would be sacrosanct (immune to the power of those holding the power of imperium), and no man from the patrician class could be a tribune. Eventually the tribunes gained the power to veto any action of the magistrates; armed with this intercessio, one tribune could put a halt to what the senate and consuls were doing

How was Roman law remembered and passed down before the Twelve Tables? Who were the decemviri****? Where did the Romans look to for laws on which to base their own?  All the magistrates were patricians, and the patricians alone knew the laws, which were not recorded, but were passed down orally through the generations. The patricians changed the laws as they thought necessary.  A panel of ten men appointed to write down the laws for all to see, read, and learn. While this was taking place, normal government was suspended and the ten ruled Rome, with their decisions immune to veto or appeal.  Tradition says three Romans were sent to Athens to study the laws of Solon, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece, who had created reforms to save Athens from civil war in 594 BC.
In what year were the Twelve Tables established? What were some of the legal procedures ensured by them? What was the trinoctium****? What lasting influence did Roman law have after the fall of the Roman Empire?  In 451BC the ten tables of laws were written; on bronze or wood. Then two more were written.  One procedure was how one citizen might call another to court, or what to do if he refused to come or ran away. A person who lied under oath was to be thrown from the Tarpeian Rock. If a patron defrauded a client he was to be cursed.  A married woman and her father’s family retained legal power over her and her property if once a year she spendt three continuous nights (triniocitium) away from her husband’s house.  The Twelve Tables formed the basis of ius civile, “civil law”- that is, law that concerns the rights of citizens. As Rome expanded, its law naturally became the law of the entire empire. In the Middle Ages, scholars rediscovered Roman law and used it as the basis for the law codes of European countries, thus Roman law became an important element in the development of Western civilization.
Why were plebeians originally not allowed access to the consulship? In what year did the Senate approve pay for soldiers? In what year was the first plebeian elected consul? Dictator? Censor? Why did the growing access to high level magistracies not alleviate the class struggle in Rome? What caused the passage of the Lex Hortensia? What did it allow?  The patricians argued that the plebeians were not allowed to take the auspices (that is, to interpret the will of the gods from observations of natural phenomena), which was one of the consular duties, they could not be consuls.  In 406 the Senate approved pay for soldiers.  In 366 the first plebeian was elected Consul.  In 356 the first dictator  In 351 the first censor.  The plebeians in office did not share concerns of the ordinary plebeians. The high-status plebeians were themselves nobles and

[ His entry into Rome was an example of the Roman triumph, a sort of parade for victorious generals and their armies. First came men showing the gold, silver, weapons, and loot captured in the war. They also carried placards bearing drawings or names of the cities and generals that had been captured, indicating the rivers or mountains crossed, and depicting the major battles fought. Then came the white oxen that would be sacrificed to Jupiter, and then hostages and prisoners in chains. The general himself in a four horse chariot adorned with gold, ivory, and jewels, then approached with his entourage, which might include his children as well as his lictors, the Senate, and his assistants. ]  He was only dictator for 15 days.

In what year was the siege of Veii? What is an evocatio****?  The Romans undertook the conquest of Veii in 405 B.C., in Roman legend the siege of Veii lasted ten years. In 396, led by Camillus, the Romans took Veii by tunneling into the city.  When the Romans took over a city, they feared the wrath of the gods dwelling there, so they asked those gods to leave that city and come to Rome. Once they had brought the gods to Rome, they worshipped them along with the usual Roman gods.
Why did the Romans attack the city of Falerii? How did one Falerian teacher try to expediently end the siege? What was Camillus’ response? How was the siege resolved?  When the Romans were attacking Veii. Veii’s allies the Etruscan city Falerii, attacked Rome.  The teacher was entrusted to look after the sons of the Falerii’s chief citizens. He would take them out side of the city regularly for play and exercise sometimes father than others, one day he led them all the way to Camillus camp and tried to turn over the city using the boys.  Camillus stripped the teacher; bound his hands behind his back, gave the boys switches to whip the traitor, then sent them all back to Falerii’s.  When the city saw the boys bringing the traitor home, they unanimously sought peace. They said “We surrender, seeing that we will live better lives under your rule than under our own… Won over by your trustworthiness, we voluntarily acknowledge your victory.”

Study Guide for Zoch: Roman History - Class Conflict, Law, and Leaders - Prof. John V. Car, Study notes of World History

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