Please read the Preface and Book I of Livy's History of Rome). Read the preface carefully. Skim through Book I, concentrating on stories you find particularly interesting.Unfortunately, the formatting and arrangement of the online Livy history makes for tough reading. You might find it easier to look at the Baldwin project version of Livy. This are "retellings" of the stories, but close enough for our purposes. Just click on any of the first six links in the left hand column, and you'll get to a story you can easily read and comment on.
After you've done the reading, choose one (1) character from one of the Livy stories that you think particularly interesting. What parts of the story do you think really happened, and what parts do you disbelieve? Why? How is the story of this character important for understanding Roman history/subsequent history?
I liked the story of the prodigy also known as Servius Tullius. His hair was ablaze with fire whilst he lay sleeping. People were amazed at seeing such a sight. Seeing someone’s hair on fire and the person not noticing it or getting hurt by it. The kid’s hair would have no fire once he woke up and this amazed the king and queen who were in the story. The kid was apparently a student under neither someone in the kingdom and with how his hair was when he slept the king and queen started to treat the boy as their own because they wanted to use him. Servius Tullius would go on to become the sixth king of Rome. I would say the whole story of Servius Tullius having blazing hair on fire was not true but it probably meant something in the story that Livy created. The young Servius Tullius was, I do believe, treated by the King and Queen of Rome like their own for Servius became the King of Rome during his lifetime. The blazing hair could represent the potential they saw in the child. They saw that the child could become a light to the people of Rome. Why I disbelieve that hair on fire is because if your hair was truly on fire then you would feel the pain and eventually die from it as well as when the kid woke up the fire went out. The Romans liked to add spice to their stories making what may be uninteresting stories interesting. The story of Servius Tullius is however very important because the previous king did not have a son to take over the Roman Kingdom. The death of Tarquinius Priscus marked the end of the legitimate kingship in Rome. Meaning Tarquinius Priscus was not succeeded by an elected king but rather by his son-in-law, Servius Tullius, who ruled from 578 BCE to 535 BCE. So even if the story may have some exaggerations the story does revolve around the true history of Rome and how one old king died and a new king came to power. Servius Tullius was picked out to actually marry one of the King’s daughters because of how his hair was according to the story. This occurred so Servius Tullius could become a future king. So the turn events of them seeing his hair that was on fire supposedly led him to become the future king of Rome. Overall, the hair on fire was the part I disbelieved about but the rest of the story was quite interesting and true.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I have chosen is Hercules. The story itself is quite interesting, especially surrounding the cattle that Hercules had. The cattle were beautiful, and typically after slaying someone the cattle might not be as beautiful or flamboyant, but the opposite was, in fact, the case. Obviously the parts of being tired and laying down after a battle seem to be true because that is typically an initial response to conflict or battle, as well as the cattle being dragged by Cacus to the cave seems to be true as well. In modern times as well as ancient times any object or creature of significance or value was manipulated and interpreted for personal gain or benefit. This was the case as well as Cacus sought out only the best of the best cattle or the most gorgeous cattle that Herculus had to offer. I also agree with and am able to believe that the noises the animals were making brought back Hercelus to find the missing cattle. Whenever a person or an object is taken from their owner, a typical reaction is displeasurement or the idea that something is coherently wrong. The part to me that is confusing or the part that I don’t completely agree with or am unable to comprehend stands from the dragging of the cattle in hopes of Hercules not finding the trace of the animals; hence knowing where to locate them. I understand that direct footsteps are easier to follow, especially if there’s a trail such as through sand, but even dragging an animal of that magnitude size of the cattle, still seems that following a massive animal’s track is not that difficult. There were obviously many faucets that implore the significance of ancient Roman history, and one of the examples in this reading with Hercules is the idea of strength and or fortitude. Courage is associated with this Hercules and his ability to be courageous by sacrificing himself to an extent for the greater good of others that were surrounding him. An example of this comes from the heroism that was associated with his name, to begin with, “...whom they accused as undeniably guilty of murder; and when he was informed of the fact, and of the cause of it, observing the person and mien of the hero, filled with more dignity and majesty than belonged to a human being, he inquired who he was; and being told his name, that of his father and his country, he addressed him in these words; “Hail, Hercules, son of Jove!”. I think this idea of heroism is important for understanding heroes in Greek mythology and Ancient Rome history because most, if not all of these charters are perceived as heroes each for their own distinct features or presence they possessed. I think this also relates to the persecution of individuals for certain crimes and actions that they committed and how it has changed and evolved over a period of time to where we are in today’s society by reviewing the same materials and actions that certain individuals create. - Nile Hesson
ReplyDeleteThe character I am focusing on is Caius Curtius. In this story, while he and another man were appointed as government officials, Curtius came up with a law that would allow for the patricians to marry with the plebeians, which was to "confound" the distinctions of nobility. A great concern arose with the noble class as some did not want to mix with with the lower social class. Upon the unrest of a neighboring nation, the issue had to be put on pause and could not be resolved right away. This story was written as to be a historical account thus I believe it is all true. Understanding Curtius' role is important when learning about Roman government and the social issues of the time; it might make us wonder if we are any similar or different from their society.
ReplyDeleteThe character I found interesting was Spurius Tarpeius's maiden daughter, who allowed some of Tatius's troops into the citadel. She was bribed and let Sabine soldiers in, after which the killed her by throwing their armor on her. There were multiple theories as to why they killed her, which I thought was a strange detail. One suggested that she asked for what was on their left arms, as she expected them to give her jewelry but instead they threw shields at her. Another theory is that she actually wanted their shields as a reward but was killed by the reward she wanted because she was not thinking. A third theory was that they wanted to kill her to make the scene look more genuine and like they actually stormed into the city. The final theory was that they killed her because of her traitorous deed, as no traitor is good, not even one willing to help them. I think out of all of these theories the one about them killing her for being a traitor and maybe even for making the scene look genuine could be what actually happened. The Romans and many other civilizations throughout history value aspects like truth and honor, and being a traitor would go against beliefs. Their belief in a pantheon of gods would only serve to provide judgement on their actions, and I doubt treachery was looked up to. Making the scene look like a genuine struggle and attack would also keep the reputation of their forces from being ruined, as being let in by someone would not make them seem courageous or strong in battle. The death by shields and armor seems more farfetched but could have happened, as people were stoned in biblical times, so I could see it happening, yet I feel like it would be very unlikely. I think Livy included it in as some sort of lesson that nothing good would come from traitorous intent and greed. I think the story of this character is important for understanding Roman and subsequent history because it provides a backbone for the ideas and beliefs of people at the time. The Romans and many other civilizations respected traits such as honesty and loyalty, while those who lied and cheated were looked down upon. Allegiance was important at the time, and people who were greedy enough to betray those around them were not held in any sort of high regard. I know in ancient Greece funerals would have people recognized by those around them for their accomplishments and traits during their lifetime, so I'm sure other civilizations like Rome held the same, if not similar beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI chose to focus on the character Brutus. I have never heard of this Brutus before, as I thought there was only one well-known Brutus in Roman history--I stand corrected. I found this story rather enjoyable, although it was a bit difficult to understand at first. When King Tarquin's son, Prince Sextus, defiled a woman (Lucretia), Brutus swore that he would be the one to rid Rome of kings--especially the royal family. I respect Brutus' stance on that and I appreciate all the trouble he went through just for the sake of a woman and her dignity. I think this story as a whole was dramatized to a certain extent, including Lucretia's dramatic suicide and the whole "ridding Rome of a monarchy because of a woman." I do believe a certain part of this story is true, but everything is more fun and enjoyable when it's exaggerated. I do think this story is important when it comes to understanding the beginning of the Roman Republic and the move away from monarchy. As long as the point of the story gets its way across, I think making the details a bit more theatrical doesn't hurt anyone.
ReplyDelete- Lauren Bland
I chose the story of Brutus. I picked this one because it was the one that I was most familiar with. However, as I read I realized that I didn't know as much as I thought I did about the story. I found the part about how Brutus got his name very interesting as well as the part where he takes a vow to "end Tarquin the Proud with fire, sword, and all other means of destruction." To make such a vow requires a lot of passion and anger but it makes sense that what he was feeling was so intense considering what he had just witnessed. It was his lust for power and revenge and intense depth of feelings that allowed him to play the long game that eventually ended with the betrayal, destruction, and death of many people.
ReplyDeleteI have always found the story of Romulus and Remus incredibly interesting so I chose the story of them when they first decided to build a city. I overall find the faults in both Romulus and Remus especially when thinking on the fact that these stories were retellings from hundreds of years after that had mythologized these twins to the Roman people. I do believe that the Palatine and Aventine mount were chosen for how well they were suited to make cities especially for the population of people that would be following Romulus and Remus at the time. I find the omen hard to believe especially with the number of vultures being double for Romulus to see and help salute him to become the King. I also do not believe the exact quote made by Romulus after he slew Remus. Even though this is an amazing quote “So perish every one that shall hereafter leap over my wall.” I do not believe that those would be his exact words or even the first words he would say after murdering his own brother. However this quote alone is incredibly powerful for the Romans moving forward because even in their darkest hours there is this thought and believe that no one will cross over the walls without meeting their untimely end. Romulus was willing to kill his own brother, what do you think the Roman people would be willing to true invaders. Romulus and Remus are the creation myth for Rome but they are also there to connect easily to the Greeks as held the land and connected to their stories and also validated themselves with powerful characters to justify their rule and domination.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had my name on the comment as part but it was still on anonymous I am really sorry for the confusion hopefully this is fun if not I guess I can pick another story or take the missing grade. Again I am really sorry.
DeleteThe story that I chose was the one of Brutus. I was already quite familiar with Brutus from Shakespeare's "Caesar". I find Brutus' stance of overthrowing an seemingly unjust king. His story is that of an upset noble under a greater force. He found that it was best to violently overthrow Caesar through assassination by getting closer to him. He was passionate in his beliefs and in his speech. His passionate speaking to the people of Rome after the assassination helped to calm the people but the people "...did not think that they had recovered entire freedom". I find it particularly interesting that Brutus forever cemented his name as a hero to some and a villian to others.
ReplyDeleteI found the Story of Brutus most interesting, for various reasons, but most specifically the character of Brutus. In this story, he is depicted as an avenging force for women and the people. I do believe that most of the things in the story did happen, but the idea that he played off being stupid his whole life, then shrugged off that role and the people just accepted him as a ruler is suspicious to me. I don't think the people would so readily accept that he wasn't as dull as he pretended to be for years on end.
ReplyDeleteThis character, and more importantly this story is important for understanding subsequent history because it gives us a general outline of how early Rome functioned, in terms of response to assault and betrayal, along with revolutions.
- Haylee Bohnet
I found the story of Hercules' cattle herd to be very interesting in the sense that the only Hercules you ever hear about is the Greek god. This story reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep from the Bible a little bit, but Hercule's didn't look for his lost cattle for very long before moving on with the remaining herd.
ReplyDeleteThe character of Hercules is very interesting to me because it's kind of funny how he wouldn't go looking for the missing cattle from his herd. I believe that he had cattle, I just don't believe he wouldn't go looking for the lost ones since he would be losing a lot of money in the long run. This character is important to Roman history because it gives us a clear indication of how the Romans treated the rest of the stuff in their possession. If it went missing, they would always find/make more of it.