Post by Senbecc on Jan 4, 2008 16:22:34 GMT -5
Romulus
Romulus was the founder and first king of Rome. Romulus was the son of Mars and Ilia (or Rea Silvia), daughter of Numitor of Alba Longa. Romulus was the brother of Remus.
Romulus and his small group of followers first settled on the Palatine Hill. The city grew larger, due to the people flocking to the city. Romulus realised that he doesn't have enough people in his new city, offered asylum for refugees. Most of them were runaway slaves and outlaws seeking refuge. But it was the city without women.
Romulus tried to persuade the Sabines to allow his people to marry their women, which were rejected. Romulus devised a plan, where he invited the Sabines to a festival. Then the Romans took the Sabine women by force.
Titus Tatius, the king from the Sabine town of Cures, brought his army in and attacked Rome, capturing the Capitoline. The Sabine women intervened during the battle, bringing peace between their Roman husbands and Sabine relatives. It was decided that the Romans and Sabines would live together, ruled jointly between the two kings. The Romans occupied the Palatine, while the Sabines settled in the Capitoline.
Tatius didn't rule long. A quarrel broke out between the two kings, where Romulus killed Tatius. Romulus ruled the city until he was taken to heaven in a chariot, belonging to his father, Mars.
Hersilie mourned for Romulus' disappearance. Taking pity on the queen, Juno (Hera) spirited Hersilie away to Olympus, to be with her husband. Romulus became the god Quirinus, while Hersilie became the goddess Hora.
It was said that Romulus was deified as Quirinus, a god of obscure function. Quirinus was possibly the god of war.
It was said that Romulus was involved in organising political and military institutions, such as the establishment of the Senate. The Senate advised the king in civil matters, which would later become advisers to the magistracies in the Roman Republic. This was definitely fictional.
Romulus was also said to have created the Roman calendar. One calendar year has 304 days, and the year was divided into ten months, beginning on the month of March.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Romulus was written by Plutarch.
Metamorphoses was written by Ovid.
Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius was the second king of Rome. It is common belief among scholars that Numa come from Sabine stock, since he came from the same Sabine town as Titus Tatius, in Cures.
Numa was chiefly responsible for the establishment of Roman legal and religion customs and practices. His reforms introduced priests to the temple of Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. The twelve Salii or leaping priests performed the services for Mars Gradivus. And more importantly a new appointment was also established, called the Pontifex, the highest office for priesthood. Numa had also appointed priestesses for the temple of the Vesta Virgin.
Numa added two months to the Roman calendar, January and February; thereby, each month had 29 or 30 days. See Roman Calendar for more description.
Numa ruled Rome for about 43 years (c. 715-676 or 672 BC). His reign was remarkably different from Romulus and his successor, Tullus Hostilius, because Rome had a very long peace. He chose not to antagonise his neighbours in any way.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Numa Pompilius was written by Plutarch.
Metamorphoses was written by Ovid.
Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius was the third king of Rome (c. 673-641 BC), after the death of Numa Pompilius. Tullus Hostilius was the grandson of the Roman champion, Hostius Hostilius, who served under the rule of Romulus.
Tullus was a very aggressive king, who sacked Alba Longa.
During the fighting, one of Tullus' men, named Publius Horatius, challenged three Alban champions against three Roman warriors. Two of Horatius' companions were killed in the fighting. The three Albans were wounded, but Horatius was outnumbered three to one. The three Albans pursued Horatius. Since the three Albans ran at different speed, it gave Horatius to stop and fight one Alban warrior at a time. Each time, Horatius would stop and face, then kill an Alban before running again. Only Horatius survived.
When Horatius returned home in triumph, his sister saw her brother holding the clothes of her Alban betrothed. When she mourned for her betrothed's death, Horatius killed her for being unpatriotic. Horatius was acquitted for killing his sister.
Tullus had captured Mettius Fufetius, the Alban leader. He had Mettius torn to pieces by tying his limbs to horses. Tullus also wage a long and successful war against the Sabines.
Tullus may have built the Curia Hostilia, the building for the Senate.
Legend has it that Tullus had become superstitious after ruling for 32 years if reign. Rome was suffering from the plague. Tullus was at the temple of Jupiter Elicius when he was struck down by lightning. Ancus Marcius succeeded Tullus Hostilius.
His descendants probably survived in the Roman Republic, because the name of Hostilius had been elected several times to the consulship.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Ancus Marcius
After the death of Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius was elected as the fourth king of Rome and ruled for 25 years. On his mother's side, Ancus was the grandson of Numa Pompilius.
Ancus was said to have built the port city of Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber River. Ancus was also said to have built the bridge across the Tiber and extended Rome's boundary to include the Janiculum Hill.
In foreign policy, Ancus had also conquered several Latin towns.
At Ancus' death, he was succeeded by Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Ancus' two sons were jealous that an Etruscan foreigner became king, at the end of Tarquin's reign; they hired assassins to kill Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus come from a noble Etruscan family called the Tarquinii. Actually, his wife was a Tarquin, named Tanaquil, while his father, named Demaratus had come from Corinth. Demaratus had married an Etruscan woman. His original name was Lucumo, but changed it when he came to Rome. He was sometime called Tarquin the Elder.
Tarquinius Priscus (616-578 BC) succeeded Ancus Marcius and continued the war against the Sabines, and conquered the other Latin cities.
Tarquin was responsible for several public work buildings in Rome, and was the first to begin the construction of drainage systems, which still existed today. Tarquin had also established the Roman Games in honour of Jupiter.
Tarquin had two sons named Lucius and Arruns, and a daughter named Tarquinia, who was the mother of Lucius Junius Brutus. While his son Lucius would later become known as Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
The sons of Ancus Marcius had murdered Tarquin, because they believed that they had the right to succeed their father. Tarquin's cunning wife Tanaquil managed to help put their son-in-law in power. Tarquinius Priscus was succeeded by Servius Tullius.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the son-in-law of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, and was the sixth king of Rome (578-534 BC). It's not certain whether Servius was a Latin or an Etruscan. If he was an Etruscan, then his name was originally Mastarna.
Servius was responsible for the construction of Rome's defensive walls. Servius also reorganised the administrative and tactical units of Roman army according to the property classes of the Roman people. The army was divided into centuries; each century would contain about a hundred men.
Lastly, Servius established the temple for the cult of Diana on the Aventine Hill.
Servius ruled for 44 years before he was assassinated by his own daughter Tullia and his son-in-law, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the seventh and last king of Rome (534-510 BC). Tarquinius Superbus was commonly known as Tarquin the Proud. Tarquinius Superbus was either the son or grandson of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.
Tarquin was married to Tullia, the daughter of Servius Tullius. Tullia had encouraged her husband to murder her father, so that Tarquin ascended to the throne.
Tarquin was responsible for the building of Capitoline Temple (Jupiter Capitolinus) and the Cloaca Maxima, the sewerage system that discharged into the Tiber. Tarquin concluded a treaty with Gabii, a town east of Rome.
Livy portrayed Tarquin as a wicked tyrant, ruling like a despot. Tarquin alienated the Senate, having put many of them to death.
Tarquin was the father of Titus, Arruns and Sextus. It was Sextus who would cause him to lose his throne. Tarquin was deposed and exile. Tarquin was also the uncle of Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. See the Birth of the Republic about Tarquin's downfall.
The Romans abolished the monarchy and established the government system called the Republic. Tarquin lived the rest of his life in exile in Etruria.
Tarquinius Superbus died at Cumae in 496 BC.
Related Information
Name
Lucius Tarquinius
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus – Lucius "Tarquin the Proud".
www.timelessmyths.com/classical/rome.html
Romulus was the founder and first king of Rome. Romulus was the son of Mars and Ilia (or Rea Silvia), daughter of Numitor of Alba Longa. Romulus was the brother of Remus.
Romulus and his small group of followers first settled on the Palatine Hill. The city grew larger, due to the people flocking to the city. Romulus realised that he doesn't have enough people in his new city, offered asylum for refugees. Most of them were runaway slaves and outlaws seeking refuge. But it was the city without women.
Romulus tried to persuade the Sabines to allow his people to marry their women, which were rejected. Romulus devised a plan, where he invited the Sabines to a festival. Then the Romans took the Sabine women by force.
Titus Tatius, the king from the Sabine town of Cures, brought his army in and attacked Rome, capturing the Capitoline. The Sabine women intervened during the battle, bringing peace between their Roman husbands and Sabine relatives. It was decided that the Romans and Sabines would live together, ruled jointly between the two kings. The Romans occupied the Palatine, while the Sabines settled in the Capitoline.
Tatius didn't rule long. A quarrel broke out between the two kings, where Romulus killed Tatius. Romulus ruled the city until he was taken to heaven in a chariot, belonging to his father, Mars.
Hersilie mourned for Romulus' disappearance. Taking pity on the queen, Juno (Hera) spirited Hersilie away to Olympus, to be with her husband. Romulus became the god Quirinus, while Hersilie became the goddess Hora.
It was said that Romulus was deified as Quirinus, a god of obscure function. Quirinus was possibly the god of war.
It was said that Romulus was involved in organising political and military institutions, such as the establishment of the Senate. The Senate advised the king in civil matters, which would later become advisers to the magistracies in the Roman Republic. This was definitely fictional.
Romulus was also said to have created the Roman calendar. One calendar year has 304 days, and the year was divided into ten months, beginning on the month of March.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Romulus was written by Plutarch.
Metamorphoses was written by Ovid.
Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius was the second king of Rome. It is common belief among scholars that Numa come from Sabine stock, since he came from the same Sabine town as Titus Tatius, in Cures.
Numa was chiefly responsible for the establishment of Roman legal and religion customs and practices. His reforms introduced priests to the temple of Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. The twelve Salii or leaping priests performed the services for Mars Gradivus. And more importantly a new appointment was also established, called the Pontifex, the highest office for priesthood. Numa had also appointed priestesses for the temple of the Vesta Virgin.
Numa added two months to the Roman calendar, January and February; thereby, each month had 29 or 30 days. See Roman Calendar for more description.
Numa ruled Rome for about 43 years (c. 715-676 or 672 BC). His reign was remarkably different from Romulus and his successor, Tullus Hostilius, because Rome had a very long peace. He chose not to antagonise his neighbours in any way.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Numa Pompilius was written by Plutarch.
Metamorphoses was written by Ovid.
Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius was the third king of Rome (c. 673-641 BC), after the death of Numa Pompilius. Tullus Hostilius was the grandson of the Roman champion, Hostius Hostilius, who served under the rule of Romulus.
Tullus was a very aggressive king, who sacked Alba Longa.
During the fighting, one of Tullus' men, named Publius Horatius, challenged three Alban champions against three Roman warriors. Two of Horatius' companions were killed in the fighting. The three Albans were wounded, but Horatius was outnumbered three to one. The three Albans pursued Horatius. Since the three Albans ran at different speed, it gave Horatius to stop and fight one Alban warrior at a time. Each time, Horatius would stop and face, then kill an Alban before running again. Only Horatius survived.
When Horatius returned home in triumph, his sister saw her brother holding the clothes of her Alban betrothed. When she mourned for her betrothed's death, Horatius killed her for being unpatriotic. Horatius was acquitted for killing his sister.
Tullus had captured Mettius Fufetius, the Alban leader. He had Mettius torn to pieces by tying his limbs to horses. Tullus also wage a long and successful war against the Sabines.
Tullus may have built the Curia Hostilia, the building for the Senate.
Legend has it that Tullus had become superstitious after ruling for 32 years if reign. Rome was suffering from the plague. Tullus was at the temple of Jupiter Elicius when he was struck down by lightning. Ancus Marcius succeeded Tullus Hostilius.
His descendants probably survived in the Roman Republic, because the name of Hostilius had been elected several times to the consulship.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Ancus Marcius
After the death of Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius was elected as the fourth king of Rome and ruled for 25 years. On his mother's side, Ancus was the grandson of Numa Pompilius.
Ancus was said to have built the port city of Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber River. Ancus was also said to have built the bridge across the Tiber and extended Rome's boundary to include the Janiculum Hill.
In foreign policy, Ancus had also conquered several Latin towns.
At Ancus' death, he was succeeded by Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Ancus' two sons were jealous that an Etruscan foreigner became king, at the end of Tarquin's reign; they hired assassins to kill Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus
Lucius Tarquinius Priscus come from a noble Etruscan family called the Tarquinii. Actually, his wife was a Tarquin, named Tanaquil, while his father, named Demaratus had come from Corinth. Demaratus had married an Etruscan woman. His original name was Lucumo, but changed it when he came to Rome. He was sometime called Tarquin the Elder.
Tarquinius Priscus (616-578 BC) succeeded Ancus Marcius and continued the war against the Sabines, and conquered the other Latin cities.
Tarquin was responsible for several public work buildings in Rome, and was the first to begin the construction of drainage systems, which still existed today. Tarquin had also established the Roman Games in honour of Jupiter.
Tarquin had two sons named Lucius and Arruns, and a daughter named Tarquinia, who was the mother of Lucius Junius Brutus. While his son Lucius would later become known as Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
The sons of Ancus Marcius had murdered Tarquin, because they believed that they had the right to succeed their father. Tarquin's cunning wife Tanaquil managed to help put their son-in-law in power. Tarquinius Priscus was succeeded by Servius Tullius.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the son-in-law of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, and was the sixth king of Rome (578-534 BC). It's not certain whether Servius was a Latin or an Etruscan. If he was an Etruscan, then his name was originally Mastarna.
Servius was responsible for the construction of Rome's defensive walls. Servius also reorganised the administrative and tactical units of Roman army according to the property classes of the Roman people. The army was divided into centuries; each century would contain about a hundred men.
Lastly, Servius established the temple for the cult of Diana on the Aventine Hill.
Servius ruled for 44 years before he was assassinated by his own daughter Tullia and his son-in-law, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
Sources
History of Rome was written by Livy.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the seventh and last king of Rome (534-510 BC). Tarquinius Superbus was commonly known as Tarquin the Proud. Tarquinius Superbus was either the son or grandson of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.
Tarquin was married to Tullia, the daughter of Servius Tullius. Tullia had encouraged her husband to murder her father, so that Tarquin ascended to the throne.
Tarquin was responsible for the building of Capitoline Temple (Jupiter Capitolinus) and the Cloaca Maxima, the sewerage system that discharged into the Tiber. Tarquin concluded a treaty with Gabii, a town east of Rome.
Livy portrayed Tarquin as a wicked tyrant, ruling like a despot. Tarquin alienated the Senate, having put many of them to death.
Tarquin was the father of Titus, Arruns and Sextus. It was Sextus who would cause him to lose his throne. Tarquin was deposed and exile. Tarquin was also the uncle of Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. See the Birth of the Republic about Tarquin's downfall.
The Romans abolished the monarchy and established the government system called the Republic. Tarquin lived the rest of his life in exile in Etruria.
Tarquinius Superbus died at Cumae in 496 BC.
Related Information
Name
Lucius Tarquinius
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus – Lucius "Tarquin the Proud".
www.timelessmyths.com/classical/rome.html
