From Sumer to Rome
Written by Alex Song on April 08,24 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
Since its founding in 509 BCE, the Roman Republic stood as one of the very few democracies in the ancient world that defeated neighboring monarchies and ascended from a mere city-state to a territorial behemoth … Continue reading Imperial Transformation
Written by Alex Song on March 02,24 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
When Caesar crossed the Rubicon, Pompey and the Senators fled Rome and left the capital devoid of political leadership. The Senate was apprehensive of relinquishing its power to the populist leader, while also fearing the … Continue reading Man of the Greatest Dignitas
Written by Alex Song on February 06,24 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
By the time Caesar was born, Rome occupied almost all the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, from the Iberian and Italian Peninsula to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and the lands of the North African coast previously … Continue reading Gallic War for Caesar
Written by Alex Song on January 09,24 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
“It’s over, Anakin. I have the high ground”. As much as Star Wars fans criticized the silly way that the iconic lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan ended “just by having the high ground,” the … Continue reading The High Ground
Written by Alex Song on November 23,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
Repeated conflicts between the people and the aristocrats deteriorated the sociopolitical environment of Rome into a maelstrom of an uncertain future. On the external front, Rome saw itself become the predominant power in the Mediterranean … Continue reading The first “real” dictator
Written by Alex Song on November 07,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
The Roman Republic was considered a representative democracy, but in reality, the state was organized under an oligarchy of a privileged few who yielded significantly more power than the majority. Even after the Conflict of … Continue reading Gracchi Reforms: Catalyst of Societal Transition
Written by Alex Song on September 02,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
The Punic Wars–a series of three conflicts fought between the Roman Republic and Carthage from the 3rd to the 2nd centuries BCE–were instrumental in transforming the republic into an empire. In the series of three … Continue reading Empire within the Republic
Written by Alex Song on August 10,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
The Conflict of the Orders refers to the political struggles between the people and the aristocrats in ancient Rome from 500 to 287 BCE. Ancient Rome’s populace was classified in two major categories: plebeians (free … Continue reading Transfer of Power in Roman Politics
Written by Alex Song on June 05,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
The history of Rome is formed by the endless cycle of conquest and assimilation. From the very beginning, Rome grew by conquering neighbors and assimilating them into Roman culture. The Romans defeated the Latin League … Continue reading Roman Militarism
Written by Alex Song on May 03,23 Posted in 1.2. Classical Empires
Nobody knows where the Etruscan people came from. Some people think that they originated from the Villanovan culture that swept the Italian peninsula in 700 BCE. Others argue that they came from Anatolia in the … Continue reading The Etruscans