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[Music]
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centuries before the
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Empire long before the
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Republic it was a
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monarchy this is the story of Rome and
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how it almost never came to be
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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all across Europe and the Mediterranean
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from Spain to Greece to North Africa
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you'll find the ruins of once Majestic
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buildings evidence of a civilization
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that thrives for over 1,000 years and
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still found a way to continue even after
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its
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fall this was Rome an expansionist power
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that has been recognized and studied
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more than any other in history but
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before it was a continent spanning
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militaristic Empire it was far less and
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nobody knew what it was destined to
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become according to the famous
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Foundation myth of Rome the story starts
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here on the Italian peninsula
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the city of albalonga part of the small
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community of Latin cities resting south
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of the Tyber River was ruled by King
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Numa the Latins claimed descent from the
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legendary eners a hero from the Trojan
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War who left the devastated City and
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traveled West settling in Italy King num
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had an envious brother
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amulius younger than num he would never
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see the throne as num had many sons who
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were next in line so amulius did the
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only thing he could do he had the king's
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Sons murdered and ran num himself out of
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the city num's daughter Ria Sylvia was
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also made to become a priestess of the
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Goddess Vesta which would become known
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as a Vestal Virgin she was to remain
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chased under penalty of death
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effectively killing off any chance for
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Num to have another
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successor amulius was unaware though
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that Ria Sylvia was already pregnant
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with twins from the
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godmars once they were born amulius
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ordered both to be drowned in the Tyber
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River his servant brought them to the
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river but it was in flood so the babies
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named Remis and Romulus were left on the
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River Bank to die of
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exposure it all could have ended here if
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not for a She Wolf named Looper she
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found the Twins and nursed them back to
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health soon after a Shepherd found the
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infants and took them in raising them
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once the boys became adults they got
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their revenge on amulius deposing him
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and restoring num to the throne the
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Twins then set out to found a city for
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themselves near the Tyber River where
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they were found as
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infants but Numa and amuia familial
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patterns manifested in Remis and Romulus
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and they began to bicker over who should
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be king of this new city to solve this
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problem they asked the gods for a sign
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Remis went to wait on the Aventine Hill
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the hill he prefer referred to build the
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city while Romulus waited on the
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Palatine Hill Remis was the first to see
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a sign six Birds which flew by ancient
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Roman religion interpreted Omens from
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the behavior of
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birds later on romula saw 12
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Birds both believed they won as Rema saw
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his sign first but romula saw double the
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amount deciding to settle the dispute in
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a more conventional method they came to
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physical blows and during the fight
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Remis was killed by his brother Romulus
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then founded the city of Rome around the
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Palatine Hill naming it after
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himself the legendary date for this was
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April 21st 753
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B.C apart from this myth the true story
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of Rome's founding is perhaps lost to
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history the oldest Roman sources we
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currently have are from around the turn
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of the Millennium and they were clearly
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influenced by stories from other
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cultures from the Greeks the myth of a
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virgin birth like that of dionis and
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similarities to the story of the twins
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Casta and
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pox from further east they took aspects
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of the story of the birth of sagon of
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aad which in turn influenced the story
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of the birth of
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Moses archaeological discoveries tell us
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other parts of the myth could possibly
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be based in
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reality settlements seem to have begun
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in the 900s BC and we believe Rome
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itself began as two settlements one on
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the Aventine Hill and one on the
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Palatine Hill occupied by different
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Latin tribes perhaps joining sometime in
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the 600s
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B.C it's possible the Palatine Hill
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tribe overcame the Aventine which
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parallels the Romulus and Rema story
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these weren't the only Hills in the area
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while the Palatine Hill was the nucleus
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Rome eventually expanded to cover seven
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nearby Hills the Hills made the area
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easy to defend and the Tyber River was a
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perfect natural barrier as
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well early Romans were mainly Farmers
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taking advantage of the Fertile Plains
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of the
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Tyber and so Rome had almost everything
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it needed to
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thrive but how can one thrive in so
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small a
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space while Rome was growing Italy was
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already filled with other cultures and
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civilizations directly around them were
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the other Latin tribes all descended
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from the italic language family part of
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the
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indo-europeans in the south of Italy was
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what the Romans would call Magna
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Grecia these were colonies from Greece
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which we have mentioned in previous
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episodes of this chapter across the
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Tyber to the north were the atrans a
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loose Alliance of cities that controlled
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all of Northern Italy until the po
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valley the atrans were not induran
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predating their arrival but they would
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ually be influenced by the Greeks they
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adopted the Greek alphabet adopted Greek
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gods and traded extensively with the
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Greeks Rome's Beginnings weren't much
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different from the other Latin tribes in
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the region they were just a small
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Kingdom and would stay this way until
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the late
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500s Roman history claims that seven
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Kings ruled over Rome starting with
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Romulus in 753
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B.C Son of Mars God of War Rome under
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Romulus was filled with
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conflict the most notorious incident
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involved the sabines a nearby italic
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tribe according to Livy the Roman
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historian Romulus had opened up his new
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settlement to fugitives and travelers in
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order to grow the city which stagnated
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at a population of around 3,000 but this
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caused a very disproportionate male
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population to remedy this he held a
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festival and invited the sabines to join
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at his signal his men abducted all the
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young Sabine Women and took them for
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themselves anywhere from 30 to almost
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700 women were
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kidnapped Furious the Sabine Army
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composed of the women's fathers and
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husbands marched on Rome repeatedly but
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the women urged them they were treated
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well and there was no need for
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Bloodshed the men were convinced and
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there was peace both the Romans and
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sabines created a joint Kingdom
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though Rome began as a kingdom the king
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wasn't an autocratic ruler Romulus had
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established the Senate a body of 100
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noblemen which served as an advisory
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Council and kept the king in check other
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citizens would be represented in the
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curiate assembly after Romulus died
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around 716 B.C it was the Senate who
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chose the next king who took power in
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715 Numa
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pompilus Numa was a saine but most
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likely also
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legendary under his rule Rome became
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less militaristic and grew into a more
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civilized
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society he constructed the Temple of
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Janus and after establishing peace with
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Rome's neighbors closed the doors of the
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temple signifying A New Beginning for
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Rome Free of
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conflict he established the Vestal
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virgins in Rome along with the Cults of
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Jupiter Mars and quirinus the latter of
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which was thought to be a deified
00:08:57
Romulus the Roman Cath calendar was also
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reformed and he established the position
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of Chief priest of Rome called ponteix
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maximus in 672 BC Numa died with Rome
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still at peace the next king however to
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loose hostilius brought back Rome's
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Killer
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Instinct he waged war with all
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surrounding cities including the at
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truscan cities to the North and the
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remnants of the Sabine region more
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importantly albalonga the Latin City
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from which Rome originated was conquered
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and destroyed tulo died around 640 BCE
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said to be struck by a lightning bolt
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from
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Jupiter the next king anus marcius was
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King numa's grandson and continued his
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peaceful
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methods he used diplomacy to unite the
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smaller Latin cities around Rome and
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relocate them to the Aventine Hill anus
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was also responsible for founding the
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important port of osta and the building
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of Rome's first aqueduct
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Rome's fifth King taking power in 616 BC
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was Lucius tarius priscus or twiin the
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Elder he wasn't Latin or Sabine but at
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truscan he migrated to the city at a
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young age as a wealthy
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nobleman sources differ but he either
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bribed his way to the top or was chosen
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by the former King ankus as an heir this
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began a period of at truscan influence
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over Rome the the atrans had been older
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more established and more developed than
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Rome and now the Romans became more
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familiar with their culture a culture
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which itself was influenced by
00:10:40
Greece after a 38-year rule he was
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replaced by his son-in-law cus tulus who
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was King for over 40 years both of these
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atrasan kings were quite beneficial to
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Rome fending off attacks from other
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atran kings to the north and subduing
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some Latin cities to the South the accus
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accumulated wealth was used for
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magnificent building
00:11:02
projects under tarquin Rome constructed
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the circus Maximus a stadium for Chariot
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racing and other Mass
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Entertainment also under his rule the
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cloa Maxima was built regarded as one of
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the earliest sewage systems in the world
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this drained the sight of what would
00:11:20
become the Roman Forum a plaza that
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became the most important in Rome they
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also constructed the pomerium a great
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wall around their Hills and replace
00:11:29
simple house huts with houses made of
00:11:32
stone servus also reformed the curiate
00:11:35
assembly by grouping citizens based on
00:11:38
economic class creating the centuriate
00:11:40
assembly which dealt with the military
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he would also create the tribal assembly
00:11:46
which grouped citizens based on region
00:11:48
and dealt with civil
00:11:50
issues cus ruled well for over 40 years
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but would become victim to a conspiracy
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by those closest to him his daughter
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Tulia was engaged in an affair with his
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nephew a man named Lucius tarus or
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tarquin the younger both were married
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but the Scandal didn't end there they
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murdered both their spouses and married
00:12:13
each other then they conspired for the
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throne before long tarquin got what he
00:12:20
wanted Tarin threw cus down the Senate
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steps into the arms of his men and the
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King was
00:12:26
assassinated Tulia then rode her Chariot
00:12:29
over her father's
00:12:32
body the plan was a
00:12:35
success twiin was now King little did he
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know he was not to pass down this Royal
00:12:42
lineage tar Quinn's Reign was brutal and
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autocratic giving him the name Taria
00:12:47
Superbus meaning arrogant or proud he
00:12:51
confiscated property had Petty
00:12:52
troublemakers killed and ignored the
00:12:54
traditions of the Senate and assembly
00:12:57
the main accomplishment of his Reign was
00:12:59
the completion of the Temple of Jupiter
00:13:01
Optimus Maximus the most important
00:13:03
temple in ancient
00:13:07
Rome the Tipping Point occurred when the
00:13:10
King's son sexually assaulted lucrecia
00:13:12
the daughter of a prominent Roman
00:13:14
nobleman in shame she then took her own
00:13:17
life her lifeless body being seen by all
00:13:20
in the Public Square her husband tarus
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catinis pleaded with his fellow people
00:13:25
to avenge this
00:13:27
wrongdoing catinis and friend Junius
00:13:30
Brutus gathered citizens to revolt and
00:13:32
when King Superbus was out of the city
00:13:35
catinis and Brutus took
00:13:37
control when Superbus returned the doors
00:13:40
to the city were closed to him and he
00:13:42
ended up going into Exile in 509
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BC and so with the last of the seven
00:13:48
Roman kings deposed the Roman kingdom
00:13:50
was dissolved and
00:13:52
reformed this account from Livy is most
00:13:55
likely not fully accurate it could be
00:13:58
based on Greek counts of city states and
00:14:00
their tyrants but it could be an
00:14:02
explanation of how the Romans shed
00:14:04
themselves of foreign rule as their last
00:14:06
three kings were all at
00:14:11
trusa the Senate then abolished the
00:14:13
position of Monarch and catinis and
00:14:16
Brutus were elected as
00:14:17
Leaders they could veto each other's
00:14:20
decisions and their powers would only
00:14:22
last a year once the year was over they
00:14:25
could be prosecuted if they had abused
00:14:27
their powers while leading
00:14:30
though they held the highest office in
00:14:31
Rome they would not be Kings they were
00:14:34
instead
00:14:36
consuls the Romans all agreed to never
00:14:38
let a King rule again this marked the
00:14:41
end of the Roman Kingdom and the birth
00:14:43
of the Roman
00:14:45
Republic generally accepted as beginning
00:14:47
in 509 B.C this date has been questioned
00:14:51
by modern historians as it might have
00:14:53
been adjusted to predate the founding of
00:14:55
Athens and Athenian democracy in 508 or
00:14:58
507 7
00:14:59
BC whichever came first shouldn't matter
00:15:02
as both Rome and Athens took different
00:15:08
paths from the north the atrans
00:15:11
attempted to reclaim their important
00:15:13
cities to deal with these attacks Rome
00:15:16
appointed their first dictator a man who
00:15:18
held the entire power of the state and
00:15:21
could Act without an appeal to the
00:15:22
senate or
00:15:23
assembly this might sound like Rome
00:15:26
reverting to kingship but this dictator
00:15:28
was forced to relinquish all his power
00:15:30
after a six-month term it was more of an
00:15:33
emergency
00:15:35
General Roman citizens were encouraged
00:15:37
to assassinate any dictator who dared
00:15:40
hold on to the power and for centuries
00:15:43
no dictator did Rome fought back against
00:15:46
the atrans and was
00:15:48
Victorious but Rome's Northern neighbors
00:15:51
only sought to expand Southwoods because
00:15:53
they were losing their own territories
00:15:55
around the po valley to another enemy
00:16:02
the golly later known as GS were part of
00:16:05
the Kelts who expanded around Europe
00:16:07
during the bronze and iron ages the
00:16:10
gouls themselves emerged north of the
00:16:12
Alps and spread all throughout Western
00:16:14
Europe and eventually the east as well
00:16:17
at this time in the late 500s they would
00:16:20
begin expanding into a truscan land in
00:16:22
Northern Italy defeating them the gallic
00:16:25
tribes then created settlements of their
00:16:27
own like Milan and
00:16:29
Verona with Rome to their South and the
00:16:32
GS to the north the atrans ceased to be
00:16:35
a factor and became a misplaced nuisance
00:16:37
between two more powerful foes who
00:16:39
themselves were perhaps destined to
00:16:45
clash while there was conflict Brewing
00:16:47
outside of Rome Rome had its own
00:16:50
internal
00:16:51
problems the conflict of the orders was
00:16:53
a class struggle lasting from around 500
00:16:56
to 287 BCE
00:16:59
wealthy landowners and Aristocrats were
00:17:01
called
00:17:02
patricians they were the descendants of
00:17:04
the senators from the Roman Kingdom the
00:17:07
rest of the free citizens were just
00:17:09
commoners or
00:17:11
plebians they greatly outnumbered the
00:17:13
patricians but had exponentially less
00:17:15
land and wealth and were effectively
00:17:17
shut out of government they were also
00:17:20
just one Wrong Turn Away From
00:17:22
Slavery plebians who borrowed money from
00:17:25
patricians during hard times like a
00:17:27
famine or during War had to hold
00:17:30
themselves as
00:17:31
collateral if they couldn't repay the
00:17:33
loan they became
00:17:35
slaves this came to ahead around 495 B.C
00:17:39
when an old Soldier wandered into the
00:17:41
Roman forum and told his story about how
00:17:43
he had gone into debt and become a slave
00:17:46
a very disheartening tale for the
00:17:47
plebians to hear from an old veteran
00:17:51
after all he had fought for the glory of
00:17:53
Rome the plebs didn't have much power
00:17:56
but they did have
00:17:57
numbers so the smartest strategy was to
00:18:00
go on strike the plebs formed the
00:18:03
majority of the Roman army and Rome was
00:18:05
currently engaged in a war with three
00:18:07
surrounding italic
00:18:09
tribes refusing to fight the plebs
00:18:12
waited on the sacred Mount outside the
00:18:14
city this was the first secession of the
00:18:17
plebs inside Rome the Senate panicked
00:18:20
and the consuls had to intervene and
00:18:22
offered the plebians a voice in
00:18:24
government creating the office of
00:18:26
plebian
00:18:27
Tribune this new office would put a
00:18:29
check on Patrician
00:18:31
abuses they had the power to veto any
00:18:33
legislation and the office was blocked
00:18:35
to
00:18:36
patricians declared as sacran not even
00:18:39
the consuls could oppose them throughout
00:18:42
the next few decades the power struggle
00:18:45
remained evenly Fair between the consuls
00:18:47
Senate and Tribune so Rome decided to
00:18:50
take a page from solor in ancient Athens
00:18:52
and create a fair and popular law code
00:18:55
in 451 BC the December a group of 10
00:18:59
lawmakers were appointed to write the
00:19:01
new law code for Rome written on wood
00:19:05
and displayed in the forum for all to
00:19:07
see they created the laws of the 12
00:19:09
tables the foundation of Roman law while
00:19:13
this was all brought about by the pan
00:19:15
secession there were still some laws
00:19:17
unfavorable to them such as table 11
00:19:19
forbidding marriage to a lower
00:19:24
class with class tension somewhat eased
00:19:27
within Rome it could now deal with its
00:19:29
external problems and continue expanding
00:19:32
into Central Italy the target vei V
00:19:36
rested just 16 km or 10 mi from Rome
00:19:40
just over the Tyber River and was the
00:19:42
richest atrasan city with their atran
00:19:45
allies dealing with the GIC tribes to
00:19:47
the north the Romans laid Siege to V
00:19:51
this early Roman Republic wasn't the
00:19:53
military Powerhouse it would soon become
00:19:55
and didn't have the necessary Siege
00:19:57
equipment for a quick strike
00:19:59
The Siege was on and off for many years
00:20:02
but in 396 B.C the Romans tunned into
00:20:05
the City and took the atrans unaware the
00:20:08
city fell but the long battle left the
00:20:10
Romans
00:20:11
depleted according to Livy it was at
00:20:14
this unfortunate time that another at
00:20:16
truscan City further north clusium
00:20:18
pleaded with the Romans for Aid against
00:20:21
the encroaching
00:20:22
Gauls Rome's army was tired so they sent
00:20:25
Messengers to make peace through
00:20:27
diplomatic means
00:20:30
[Music]
00:20:32
peace talks broke down into argument and
00:20:34
in 387 B.C the Gul set their sights on
00:20:38
Rome itself and under their leader
00:20:40
brenus thundered down to the
00:20:42
Tyber there the belluard Roman army
00:20:45
awaited them so few were their number
00:20:48
that brenus thought the Romans were
00:20:50
preparing an ambush soon realizing it
00:20:53
wasn't a trap at all Brena charged and
00:20:55
the Coalition of GIC tribes obliterated
00:20:58
the Roman Army those who survived tried
00:21:01
to flee across the Tyber but drowned or
00:21:03
were killed in the route brenis then
00:21:06
marched on Rome
00:21:07
itself with the Roman army defeated all
00:21:10
citizens ran and sought Refuge at
00:21:13
capitaline Hill from the hill they
00:21:15
witnessed the Gul sack and burn the city
00:21:18
while massacring any unfortunate soul
00:21:20
Left Behind the gouls then occupied the
00:21:23
city for 7 months the only time Rome
00:21:26
would be occupied by Foreigners for 800
00:21:28
years to come it could have all ended
00:21:31
here and would never have heard of this
00:21:33
now famous city but Rome was saved by an
00:21:36
unlikely Ally
00:21:40
disease the GAC tribes failed to bury
00:21:43
their dead before long plague struck
00:21:46
their
00:21:46
camps now they became more open to a
00:21:49
Roman proposition and were offered
00:21:51
Ā£1,000 of gold if they left the city
00:21:55
according to Livy the G scales were
00:21:57
faulty and when the Roman spoke up about
00:21:59
it brenus threw on his own sword further
00:22:02
unbalancing the
00:22:03
scales some Roman historians add that
00:22:06
Marcus Furious Camis a famous General
00:22:09
and dictator from the siege of V
00:22:11
returned from Exile right at this moment
00:22:14
with an army he amassed from the
00:22:15
surrounding
00:22:16
regions a fight broke out and Camus
00:22:19
defeated the GS expelling them from the
00:22:26
city though the guls had left Rome lay
00:22:30
devastated they were no different than
00:22:32
the other cities on the
00:22:36
peninsula Rome was nothing special just
00:22:39
another Latin settlement desperately
00:22:41
fighting to
00:22:42
expand but this was their new
00:22:45
reality not only could they lose a
00:22:47
battle they could lose Rome
00:22:49
itself at their lowest point all they
00:22:52
had was a second chance
00:23:00
they would rebuild bigger and better
00:23:02
than
00:23:04
ever with a Harden resolve it wasn't
00:23:07
just Italy in Rome sites anymore but
00:23:10
Europe
00:23:12
itself they knew not their Destiny but
00:23:15
knew who they were and that was
00:23:19
[Music]
00:23:26
enough in truth the the sack of Rome
00:23:29
never destroyed
00:23:34
Rome it created
00:23:39
[Music]
00:23:56
it nonetheless this was seen as a
00:23:59
rebirth for Rome and Camus was
00:24:01
considered the second founder of this
00:24:03
famous
00:24:05
city and so with this epilogue this
00:24:08
chapter comes to an
00:24:11
end through the rise and fall of ancient
00:24:14
Greece to the birth and Rebirth of Rome
00:24:16
from the 300s BC onwards the shape of
00:24:19
Europe is about to
00:24:23
change we'll get to the rest of Rome's
00:24:26
story but while Rome continue There
00:24:28
Italian campaigns we head back East not
00:24:32
to Athens or Sparta but to the north to
00:24:34
a player which had yet to
00:24:36
shine next chapter we delve into the
00:24:39
helenistic era and how this unimpressive
00:24:41
Kingdom of Macedonia took on the
00:24:43
mightiest Empire the world had ever seen
00:24:46
next episode we open up a new chapter
00:24:49
and follow the rise of one of the
00:24:50
greatest generals of all
00:24:52
time this is Alexander's age
00:24:58
oh
