How was Roman democracy different from American democracy? Robin Levin, The Roman Republic was not a democracy. It was a plutocratic oligarchy. And the U.S. Republic is also not a true democracy, it is also a plutocratic oligarchy. The Greek historian Polybius, lived in the second century B.C. and spent seventeen years as a hostage […]
How Does the Political System in Ancient Rome Differ from That of Modern Day America
September 1, 2019 By Leave a Comment
What Role Did the Berbers (Numidians) Play in the Destruction of Carthage?
August 26, 2019 By Leave a Comment
The Romans called the native peoples of North Africa Numidians, which meant nomads. They were distinct from the Carthaginians who were descended from Phoenician colonists. The Numidians provided the Carthaginians with mercenaries, and at the start of the Second Punic War in 218 B.C. both major tribes, the Masaesyli under King Syphax and the Massylii […]
Why did Hannibal not Besiege and Conquer Rome after his Victory at Cannae.
May 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment
After the battle of Cannae one would have thought that Hannibal had Rome on the ropes. It is believed that one in five Roman or allied men of military age died at Cannae, Trasimene or Trebia. The story goes that Hannibal’s cavalry chief, Maharbal offered to take his cavalry to Rome and besiege the city, […]
Why Did Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Refuse to be Buried in Rome?
April 16, 2019 By Leave a Comment
“Ingrata Patria, ne osse quidem habebis”- Ungrateful fatherland, you won’t even have my bones. Scipio Africanus was by far the most effective Roman military figure of the Second Punic War. After his father and uncle were killed in the Battles of the Upper Baetis in 211 B.C., he somehow got himself elected to take their […]
Quora Question: When and Why did the Romans Begin to Conquer Other Peoples
April 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment
The Romans were always warlike. Their only prolonged period of peace was under their second king, Numa. The doors to the Temple of Janus were closed only during time of peace, and they were only closed once during the period between the reign of King Numa and the Principate of Augustus, a period of perhaps […]
Quora Question: What did Hannibal Think of the Romans
March 18, 2019 By 2 Comments
Hannibal was indoctrinated by his father, Hamilcar Barca, to hate the Romans. There is a story that, before taking Hannibal with him to Spain, Hamilcar took him to the Temple of Elissa at Carthage and made him swear an oath: “When I come to age, I shall pursue the Romans with fire and sword and […]
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