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
Notable Woman of the Roman Republic: Livia, the Wife of Caesar Augustus
August 18, 2012 By 1 Comment
Caesar Augustus’ wife Livia Drusilla was born in 58 BC during the closing years of the Roman Republic. Her father was Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, who was born Appius Claudius Pulcher but was adopted as an infant by Marcus Livius Drusus. Rome, during Livia’s early years was marked by constant tumult and civil war. […]
Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Hortensia
August 7, 2012 By 6 Comments
Hortensia was the daughter of Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, 114 BC to 56 BC. Hortensius was regarded by many as the best legal advocate and orator of his day, rivaled only by the great Marcus Tullius Cicero. Hortensia, growing up in her father’s household was well educated and had studied Greek and Roman history, philosophy and […]
Notable Woman of the Roman Republic: Fulvia Flacca Bambula
July 30, 2012 By 9 Comments
In the days of the late Roman republic, it wasn’t wise for a woman to involve herself in politics. (It probably wasn’t wise for a man to involve himself in politics either, but that’s another matter.) Fulvia Flacca Bambula was married to three politically prominent Romans at successive times and she was wielded more […]
Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Sempronia the Sister of the Gracchi
July 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In our last blog in our series Notable Women of the Roman Republic we wrote about Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi. Cornelia was the daughter of the great Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus who conquered Carthage at the end of the second Punic war. She was married to Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and had twelve children […]
Notable Women of The Roman Republic-Aemilia Paulla
July 2, 2012 By 4 Comments
Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Aemilia Paulla Lucius Aemilius Paullus was one of the two Roman Consuls in 216 B.C. when the disastrous battle of Cannae took place. Killed in the battle, he left a widow and at least two young children. His son, Lucius Aemilius Paullus was born around 228 B.C., […]
The Death of Verginia
June 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Death of Verginia This is the fourth in a series of stories about notable women of the Romen Republic. Verginia is more of a tragic victim in this story than a heroine, but her story sharply illustrates the conflicts between the classes in the early days of the Roman Republic, and the […]
Notable Women of the Roman Republic: Veturia the Mother of Coriolanus
June 19, 2012 By 2 Comments
This is the third in a series of blogs about notable women of the Roman republic. Veturia, sometimes also known as Volumnia, was the mother of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. She single-handedly saved Rome from imminent destruction. Quotations are from Plutarch’s Life of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Veturia, a patrician woman, was widowed soon […]
Women of the Roman Republic: Cloelia
June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This is the second in a series of blogs that will tell the stories of women who were notable in the history of the Roman Republic. In our first blog we saw that the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Supurbus, or Tarquin the Proud, was precipitated by the violation of the virtuous […]
Famous Women of the Roman Republic: Lucretia
June 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
Women of Ancient Rome This is the first in a series of blogs about women of ancient Rome. All of the societies of the ancient world were male dominated. In no society was a woman routinely allowed to vote, hold public office, plead law cases or lead military forces. (A rare exception […]
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