Antique Rome is a state whose history covers the period from the 7th century BC. e. and until the year 476 e., - created one of the most developed civilizations of the Ancient World. During the period of the highest power, his emperors controlled the territory from modern Portugal in the west to Iraq in the east, from Sudan in the south and to England in the north. The Golden Eagle, which was the unofficial emblem of the country before the adoption of Christianity, was a symbol of the unshakable and indestructible power of Caesars.
City on the hills
The capital of Ancient Rome was the city of the same name, founded in the 7th century BC. e. in a territory bounded by three of the seven nearby hills — the Capitol, Quirinal, and Palatine. It was named after one of its founders, Romulus, who, according to the ancient historian Titus Livius, became his first king.
In the scientific world, the history of ancient Rome is considered to be ten separate periods, each of which has its own characteristic features of political, economic and cultural development. This is due to the fact that for a thousand years the state has come a long way from an elective monarchy led by kings to a tetrarchy - a political system in which the emperor shared power with three senior government officials.
The structure of the ancient Roman society
The initial period of the history of ancient Rome is characterized by the fact that its society consisted of two main classes - the patricians, to which the indigenous inhabitants of the country were ranked, and the plebeians - the alien population, which nonetheless extended all civil rights. The divisions that existed between them at an early stage were eliminated by the introduction in 451 BC. e. code of laws governing all aspects of public life.
Later, the structure of ancient Roman society became much more complicated due to the emergence of social groups such as “Nobility” (the ruling class), “horsemen” (wealthy citizens, mainly merchants), slaves and freedmen, that is, former slaves who received freedom.
Paganism in the rank of state religion
Until the fourth century, when the will of Emperor Constantine the Great became the official religion of ancient Rome, Christianity dominated polytheism, or, in other words, paganism, which was based on the worship of a large number of gods, many of which were borrowed from ancient Greek mythology. Despite the fact that religion occupied an important place in the life of society, many contemporaries noted that by the 2nd century BC. e. the upper strata of society treated her very indifferently and visited temples only because of the established tradition. Nevertheless, Christianity, which began to spread in the first century, paganism had the most fierce resistance.
The role of fine art in the culture of ancient Rome
Fine art, which is an important component of the culture of the Ancient Roman state, up to the II century BC. e. was in decline. The attitude to him was expressed in his works by a prominent political figure of that era, Mark Porzi Caton. He wrote that only architecture has a right to exist, and that only as an auxiliary tool for managing public affairs. To other genres, he did not at all take his place in the system of aesthetic values, considering them to be empty fun.
This or a close point of view was held by most of Roman society. However, after in the II century BC. e. Greece was conquered and a flood of works of art exported from it poured into the country, the opinion of the Romans changed in many ways. This process of rethinking values, spanning a whole century, led to the fact that under the emperor Octavian Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD), fine art received official status in ancient Rome. However, even in their best creations, Roman masters could not escape from the influence of the Greek school and created countless repetitions of its masterpieces.
Architecture at the service of Caesars
A different picture has developed in architecture. Despite the fact that here the influence of Hellenistic architecture was very tangible, Roman architects were able to develop and implement a completely new concept in solving spatial compositions. They also own a peculiar style of decorative design of public buildings, nowadays called “imperial”.
It is noted that Roman architecture owes its intensive development primarily to the practical interests of the state, for which it was a powerful ideological tool. The emperors spared no cost to ensure that the very appearance of government buildings generated confidence in the citizens of the country of the invincibility of the supreme power.
Death in the circus arena
Talking about the culture of ancient, Ancient Rome, one must not keep silent about the love of its citizens for mass shows, among which the most popular were gladiatorial fights. Theatrical performances widespread in Greece seemed boring to the bulk of the Romans. They were much more interested in the bloody performances in the arena of circuses, in which the lot of the vanquished was real, and not fake death.
These barbaric spectacles received official status in 105 BC. e., when a special imperial decree they were introduced into the number of public spectacles. The direct participants in the battles were slaves who had undergone preliminary training in martial art in special schools. Contemporaries noted that despite the mortal risk to which the gladiators were exposed, there were many who wanted to be among them. This is explained by the fact that the most successful fighters eventually gained freedom, which was almost unattainable for other slaves.
Legacy of the ancient Etruscans
It is curious to note that the idea of gladiatorial games was borrowed by the Romans from the ancient Etruscans - the people who inhabited the Apennine Peninsula in the 1st millennium. There, similar fights, in which not only slaves participated, but also free members of the tribe, were part of the funeral rites, and the killing of opponents was considered as a mandatory human sacrifice to local gods. At the same time, a kind of selection took place: the weakest died, and the strongest remained alive and became continuers.
Ancient philosophy of Rome
Since, in an effort to expand the territory of the conquests and spread their dominance everywhere, the Romans enriched their culture with the best that they created the peoples they conquered, it becomes clear that their philosophy could not help but feel the powerful influence of various Hellenistic schools.
Therefore, starting from the middle of the II century BC. e. the whole ancient history of ancient Rome is inextricably linked with the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers. This is extremely important, because on the basis of their works, the worldview of many generations of Roman citizens was formed and their own philosophical currents arose. So, it is generally accepted that it was under the influence of Greece that Roman philosophers were divided into followers of skepticism, stoicism and epicureism.
Three main directions of ancient Roman philosophy
The first category included thinkers who based their reasoning on the impossibility of reliable knowledge of the world and even denied the possibility of rationally substantiating norms of behavior in society. Their leader is the famous philosopher Enesidem (I century BC), who created a large circle of his followers in the city of Knossos.
In contrast, representatives of Stoicism, among which the most famous are Mark Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca Slutsky, highlighted ethical standards, the adherence to which, in their opinion, was the foundation of a happy and proper life. The greatest success of their works enjoyed in the circles of the Roman aristocracy.
And finally, the followers of the famous Epicurus, the creator of the school named after him, adhered to the concept that human happiness depends solely on the full satisfaction of his needs and on how he can create an atmosphere of peace and pleasure. This teaching found many supporters in all walks of life, and at the turn of the XVII and XVIII centuries, when ancient Rome had long sunk into oblivion, it was developed in the works of French thinkers.