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Talk:World History Lecture Four (view source)
Revision as of 23:52, October 4, 2011
, 23:52, October 4, 2011→Intellectual Achievements
Julius Caesar was not an emperor as stated in the Other Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire section. The highest title he assumed was dictator (for life).
Julius Caesar was not an emperor as stated in the Other Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire section. The highest title he assumed was dictator (for life).
:There are some factual inaccuracies about Roman History in this articles that I'd like to correct. And because I can't edit the page, I'll have to make them here and hope anyone using these lessons as study aids sees this. Let's start at the very beginning:
==Early History of Rome==
Rome was not ultimately founded by Greeks fleeing Dorians. The wording of the first paragraph is slightly confusing in this respect. It was actually founded by Trojans who fled Troy during an attack by Greeks (the famous 'Trojan Horse' incident). Aeneas received a message from the gods telling him he was to sail to another land and found a new city. After many years of travels (chronicled in Vergil's ''Aeneid'', he sailed to the settlement Latinum in modern day Italy and married a local princess. His son Iulus founded the city Alba Longa, where Romulus and Remus would be born. Their grandfather Numitor was ruler of Alba Longa, and their mother, Rhea Silvia, was a Vestal Virgin. Vestal Virgins (obviously) were forbidden to have sex, so she created a great scandal when she gave birth to not one but two babies. Rhea claimed that the father was the war god Mars, but she was nevertheless buried alive, as was the punishment for Vestal Virgins who strayed. Romulus and Remus were placed by their uncle in the Tiber River to die. But they were rescued by a she-wolf (and in some stories, a woodpecker) who nursed them until they were taken in by a Shepard and his wife. They later decided to found a city, but argued about the location and Romulus ending up killing Remus with a shovel. He founded the city on the Capitoline Hill, populated the city with outlaws, criminals and kidnapped women, and made himself the first king. Upon his death, he was deified under the name Quirinus.
:Rome was not conquered by Etruscans. The word conquered implies force, which did not occur. Etruscans simply assimilated into early Roman society, and three of them became kings (Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus)
:The revolution that started the republic began when the son of Tarquinius Superbus, Sextus, raped a noblewoman, Lucretia. This was the last straw, and the people could no longer stand being ruled by kings. Junius Brutus and Lucretia's husband lead the revolution and began the first two consuls.
:The article claimed that Antonius had Cicero put to death. This is untrue. In actuality, it was Octavian who ordered the proscription of the famous orator, although most historians believed that Antonius put him up to it.
:People have already made arguments considering the whole "Romans did not believe in truth" thing, so I won't discuss this, other than to say I find it a baseless, irresponsible claim.
:Caligula (a name that means "little boot" and would have resulted in your immediate death if you said it to his face) was truly an insane man. He attempted to name his horse a Senator and operated his own personal brothel from the palace.
:Despite what it says in this article, Romans were actually quite tolerate of other religions. The people in the territory they conquered were allowed to continue their worshiping their own gods as long as they acknowledged the Roman gods as well. The Roman problem with Christianity lied mostly within their calling of Jesus as King. In Rome, the emperors were kings, and the Christian philosophy of considering Jesus the one and only king displeased them.
==Intellectual Achievements==
==Intellectual Achievements==