The Romans Essay, Research Paper
The Roman people were a overly proud and highly
religious people, whose sense of identity as
romans came primarily from their accomplishments
in war and their respect of their ancestors. By
examining Livy?s The Early History of Rome, we can
identify these traits through roman patterns of
behavior and the foundation myths that their
nation is built upon.
The romans repeatedly display not only an
overdeveloped personal sense of pride, but an
exceptional pride in their nation – taking
precedence over even family loyalty. The first
example of this Roman pride is seen in the very
first foundation myth of Rome, the tale of Romulus
and Remus. The second of the two versions of this
story tells how after the auspices have indicated
Romulus as the rightful leader of this new nation,
?Remus, by way of jeering at his brother, jumped
over the half-built walls of the new settlement,
whereupon Romulus killed him in a fit of rage,
adding the threat, ?So perish whoever else shall
overleap my battlements( P.40 Livy) .?? Not only
do we see a foreshadowing of Rome?s violent nature
in this tale, but it seems to indicate a strong
belief in the superiority of this ( barely
existant ) nation, one that necessitates a
national pride of greater magnitude than the even
the strength of the loyalty between brothers.
This kind of loyalty to country, as displayed by
the Rome?s founder, certainly sets a precendent
for later roman citizens. Not surprisingly then,
we see this same kind of pride with similar
consequences later on following a battle between
Rome and the Albans. The victory had been
decided, not by a full scale war, but by a contest
between three men from each country ( two sets of
three brothers ). This contest left Rome
victorious and five people dead – only one roman
brother stood living. The victor returned to rome
carrying the ?triple spoils? and,?slung across [
his ] shoulders was a cloak, and [ his sister ]
recognized it as the cloak she had made with her
own hand for her lover. The sight overcame her :
she loosened her hair and, in a voice choked with
tears, called her dead lovers name. That his
sister should dare to grieve at the very moment of
his own triumph and in the midst of national
rejoicing filled horatius with such uncontrollable
rage that he drew his sword and stabbed her to the
heart( Livy 62).? Again we see the word ?rage?
used to describe this similarly extreme exhibition
of extreme national pride.
Back in the foundation myth of Romulus and Remus,
we see another aspect of Roman pride. There is
some indication
some suspicion that Greek infulence in Rome was
detrimental to Roman society. Livy seems to
emphasize the absence of any kind of formal
schooling ( which would have been greek ) in the
adolescence of both Romulus and Remus ( P.38 Livy
) The idea that Romulus in particular, was a
self-made man, shows that Rome owes nothing to
previous and other nations like Greece and so the
pride of such a great nation is all theirs.
There is plenty of evidence that Rome was always
a highly religious nation. From even as early as
the founding of the nation we see their dependance
on auguries of the gods to make important
decisions – namely the choice between Romulus and
Remus as their leader. ? As the brothers were
twins and all question of seniority was thereby
precluded, they determined to ask the tutelary
gods of the countryside to declare by augury which
of them should govern the new town once it was
founded, and give his name to it ( p.40 Livy ).?
More than any one other aspect of Roman behavior,
I feel that recognition and respect of the ways of
their ancestors as the ways of ?True? Romans was
the most primary source from which Romans defined
there identity. This respect stemmed from oral
tradition and early historians works that have not
survived to us, but which Livy owes his knowledge.
From the respect of great deeds that made their
cultural history so worth of pride, came their
habits of dedicating particular places and
edifices in the name of honorable contemporaries
and ancestors. Take for instance the story of
Caius Mucius Scaevola, a man who was willing to
risk anything to save rome from a Etruscan attack.
It cost him his hand, hence the name Scaevola-
translating as the Left-Handed Man, but his
efforts brought peace to the struggle. Livy
tells of the recognition of this Roman hero:
?Cauis Muscius was rewarded by the Senate with a
grant of land west of the river; it was known
subsequently as the Muscian Meadows ( P.120 Livy
).? Not only was this naming of places
indicative of the honor, but the name they chose
showed something – the congnomen Musius was
chosen, not his prinomen or Scaevola, the name he
won for himself. It was recognized that the honor
was for the family and for the family, though
Caius would be remembered, the gaine family pride
of the Mucius family only contributed to their own
pride in their country.
Roman society encouraged being proud and
respectful of the honors of the city and its
citizens. Roman tradition and respect for the mos
maiorum ( ways of the ancestors ) was not only a
trait that de