A few questions on Ancient Rome...?

How did trade affect the political/social life of Rome?





Who were the members of the First Triumvirate formed in 60 B.C.?





Why did Caesar say, The die is cast?





What "reforming" emperor divided the empire into two parts in order to make it easier to govern?





Not all must be answered, but all help is appreciated.

A few questions on Ancient Rome...?
Question 1





Trade was vital to Ancient Rome. The empire cost a vast sum of money to run and trade brought in much of that money. The population of the city of Rome was one million and such a vast population required all manner of things brought back via trade.





The Roman Empire was criss-crossed with trade routes. There were sea routes that covered the Mediterranean and Black Seas and numerous land routes using the roads built by the Romans. Trade and moving the Roman Army around were the two principle reasons for building roads.





The most important port was Ostia as it was the nearest major port to Rome itself. Ostia was situated at the mouth of the River Tiber and was only 15 miles from Rome. Many ships travelled between Ostia and the major North African city of Carthage, a journey that took between three and five days. Ships also arrived from Spain and France at Ostia. All their goods could be quickly moved to Rome itself as they were taken in barges to the city up the River Tiber after slaves had transferred the products from the merchant ships to the barges. Ironically, Ostia was to play a major part in the downfall of Rome when Alaric the Goth captured Ostia in AD 409 knowing that this would starve Rome of much needed food.





The Romans did what they could to make sea journeys safe - lighthouses were built as were safe harbours and docks. The Roman Navy did what it could to make the Mediterranean Sea safe from pirates.





The Romans made trade as easy as possible. There was only one currency used and there were no complicating customs dues. Trade was also encouraged by many years of peace within the Empire. Trade was vital to the success of the Empire. When the Empire collapsed, trade throughout the lands that had once made up the Roman Empire, also collapsed. The Mediterranean Sea became a dangerous place for merchants as there were no powers to control the activities of pirates who marauded as far north as the English Channel.





What was acquired from where?





The Romans imported a whole variety of materials: beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, marble, olive oil, perfumes, purple dye, silk, silver, spices, timber, tin and wine. The main trading partners were in Spain, France, the Middle East and North Africa.





Britain exported lead, woollen products and tin. In return, it imported from Rome wine, olive oil, pottery and papyrus. British traders relied on the Romans to provide security within the Empire. When this collapsed and Europe was seemingly overrun by Barbarians, no one could guarantee traders that their produce would get through. Also, without the power of Rome, who would be willing to buy what was produced in Britain and other parts of Europe?








Ancient Roman Slave Trade.





Slaves had always been used in Rome, but there was a sharp increase in their numbers after the 2nd century BC. Slaves could be obtained as prisoners of war or through trade outside of Roman territory. Parents also had the right to sell their children as slaves to pay off debts.





Homebred slaves eventually outnumbered those who had been free before and were enslaved. Therefore, slaves became expensive and unprofitable to use in unskilled labor, and he was eventually replaced by free labor in mines and other industry. Indeed, slaves were employed in almost every form of skilled and unskilled labor, and performed the "overwhelming" amount of work on mining, manufacture, and private labor. The state owned slaves too, for the purpose of maintaining public works such as roads and aqueducts, but was limited by the practice of contracting out public enterprises.





The agricultural labor force was far more complex, with farming estates worked wholly by slaves as well as those owned by peasants or leased out to tenants.





A large number of slaves, however, worked as doctors, architects, and teachers, amassing large fortunes.





Slaves became free men (liberati) if their emancipation was granted by their master or if they could raise up enough money to buy their freedom themselves. Formal freeing also granted a Roman citizenship and took place before a magistrate. Clients were freedmen owing legally binding services to a patron, and freedmen became clients automatically. Freedmen were not eligible for office, but their children - also citizens - were.





The more informal act of manumission did not grant citizenship, and the former slaves property returned to the owner after death. Manumission was relatively frequent, so efficient labor was practiced to gain freedom.


Most slave revolts occurred during the republic, and three great ones, in particular, towards the end: two in Sicily (135-132 BC) and that of Sparticus (73-71 BC). During imperial times slaves were apparently not apt to violent acts against owners or rebellion.





For all of the glory and grandeur of Ancient Rome, the Roman economy never developed into anything terribly complex compared to modern economies. Ancient Rome was an agrarian and slave based economy whose main concern was feeding the vast number of citizens and legionaries who populated the Mediterranean region. Agriculture and trade dominated Roman economic fortunes, only supplemented by small scale industrial production





The staple crops of Roman farmers in Italy were various grains, olives, and grapes. Olive oil and wine, outside of direct food stuffs, were among the most important products in the ancient civilized world and led Italy's exports. Romans did use a limited form of 2 tier crop rotation, but crop production was largely low output and required a vast number of slaves to operate at any volume.





Farmers could donate surplus crops to the government in lieu of a monetary tax. This system allowed both Republican and Imperial rulers to gain popularity with the masses through free grain distribution and also help to feed the legions at no direct monetary cost. Unfortunately it also left farmers with little incentive to increase productivity or output, since more crop translated to more taxes (and more free grain distributions). Citizens grew dependent on these grain doles and the large volume of trade that ensued. The need to secure grain providing provinces was one important, of many factors that would lead to the expansion and conquests of the Roman State.





Among these conquests were the provinces of Egypt, Sicily and Tunisia in North Africa. These areas were of vital importance in the processing and shipment of grain to Rome. Grain was shipped directly to Ostia, the official port of Rome, and penalties for disruption of the most direct route included deportation or execution. Once delivered to Ostia the grain was weighed, checked for quality, and then sent up the Tiber River on barges to Rome, where it would be repacked for distribution throughout the Empire.





While the production and transportation of foods dominated the trading industry, there was also a vast exchange of other goods from all parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The prosperity of the Empire and many of it citizens generated a need for luxurious and exotic imports. Silks from China and the Far East, cotton and spices from India, Ivory and wild animals from Africa, vast amounts of mined metals from Spain and Britain, fossilized amber gems from Germany and slaves from all over the world discovered that all roads did indeed "lead to Rome."





The importance of industry and manufacturing was comparatively light to that of agriculture. The growth and influence of the Empire can not be underestimated, however. The largest industry in ancient Rome was mining, which provided the stones for the enormous building projects and metals for tools and the weapons that conquered the western world. Greece and northern Italy provided marble for the buildings that awed the ancients and modern people alike. Large quantities of gold and silver were mined in Spain to mint coins and create jewelry, while mines in Britain produced iron, lead and tin for weapons. Cities and towns throughout the empire established small-scale manufacturing plants which turned out hand-made pottery, glassware, weapons, tools, jewelry and textiles.





Extensive Trade routes were established on land and sea. The Roman roads are one lasting legacy of Roman domination and many are still in use today. While a benefit of a large network of roads was the transport of goods, their most significant purpose was the fast mobilization of the Legions.





Following in the wake of marching soldiers, vast numbers of goods were carried along these roads. Transporting goods by land was slow and expensive, however, as large loads in wagons and carriages were pulled by lumbering oxen. Large, slow shipments were vulnerable to raids and adverse weather so faster horse drawn loads were used, but they could only deliver lighter cargos. Caravans of camels or donkeys carried loaded baskets called panniers and some goods were hauled by slaves, providing cheap labor. Trade by land was only profitable if goods were going short distances or if the cargo was small, expensive luxury items.





Most large-volume, cumbersome goods, such as food, precious metals, stones and building supplies, were shipped by water. Numerous sea lanes provided cheap and easy access to all parts of the Mediterranean. The consolidation of the Roman navy under Augustus virtually wiped the threat of piracy out, but inclement weather, inaccurate charts and poor navigational equipment could still wreak havoc on a convoy. Still despite the dangers, there was no better way to move cargo than by ship.





Romans thrived off of its imports, and importers were among the wealthiest citizens of the Empire. The trading of goods for goods barter system was alive and well in the ancient world, but the Romans also used one of the world's most developed coinage systems. Coins of brass, bronze, copper, silver and gold in the Imperial system were minted and circulated under strict rules for weights, sizes, value and metal composition. The popularity and value of Roman coins became so great that they could be found as far east as India. Roman coins were greatly detailed and of high artisanship, and often were used as tools by the Emperors to circulate various forms of news and propaganda to the people and the world. In fact, numismatics (the study of ancient coins), is among the greatest sources of historical facts, events and living conditions as it relates to the Romans





Question 2


Caesar was already in Crassus's political debt, but he also made overtures to Pompey, who was unsuccessfully fighting the Senate for ratification of his eastern settlements and farmland for his veterans. Pompey and Crassus had been at odds since they were consuls together in 70 BC, and Caesar knew if he allied himself with one he would lose the support of the other, so he endeavoured to reconcile them. Between the three of them, they had enough money and political influence to control public business. This informal alliance, known as the First Triumvirate (rule of three men), was cemented by the marriage of Pompey to Caesar's daughter Julia.





Question 3


Caesar said 'The die will be cast' as he crossed the Rubicon.





It's what


Julius Caesar said on crossing the river Rubicon to invade Italy in


49 B.C. The "die" is a gambling die, and "cast" means thrown. The


phrase means "An irrevocable decision has been made." (The Latin


words, "Jacta alea est", are given in Suetonius' Divus Julius,


XXXII. Alea denotes the *game* of dice, rather than the physical


die: the dice game is in its thrown state.


Plutarch wrote two accounts in Greek of Caesar's crossing the


Rubicon. Both times, he gives the words as Anerriphtho: kubos =


"Let the die be cast." In one of the accounts (Life of Pompey), he


says that Caesar actually uttered the words in Greek; in the other


(Life of Caesar), he suggests that the words were already a proverb


before Caesar uttered them.





Question 4


By the middle of the third century barbarian invasions from the north were cutting into the Empire. The Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two halves, with the Eastern capital in Constantinople. The Eastern Empire prospered while the West crumbled. Rome was sacked by Alaric in 410 AD.
Reply:Who were the members of the First Triumvirate formed in 60 B.C.?


Julius Caesar, Pompey and Macus Licinius Crassus





Why did Caesar say, The die is cast?


He was basically saying he was stepping past the point of no return before he crossed the River Rubicon and entered Italy withhis army in defiance of the Roman Senate and began the long civil war against Pompey and the Optimates.





What "reforming" emperor divided the empire into two parts in order to make it easier to govern?


Emperor Diocletian
Reply:I think the reforming emperor was Constantine.
Reply:The members of the First Triumverate were Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey.





Caesar spoke those words in regards to his rebellion against Pompey, which resulted in civil war.





The "reforming" emperor was Theodosius.





I hope that helped. :)
Reply:!) Trade was a very important resource for Rome. For example, the vast majority of Rome's grain had to be imported from various parts of its empire. If not enough grain reached Roman ports due to famines or piracy, Rome's citizens grew hungry and rioted. The emperors made sure that the grain supply remained uninterrupted. hence, Rome made a mighty effort to rid "Our Sea" (the Adriatic and Mediterranean) of pirates and made sure all coastal ragions was in their control (you need only to look at a map of the Roman Empire to see this.





2) The First Triumverate (60 BCE) : Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar





3) When Caesar crossed the Rubicon (the creek that marked the boundary between Italy proper and Gaul, Caesar is reported to have said, "The die is cast" - which means, "There is no going back now." Crossing the Rubicon with his legions meant that Caesar is challenging the Senate militarily - it meant civil war.





4) Emperor Diocletian was responsible for dividing the Roman Empire into two parts. In order to more adequately defend the empire from rebellion and foreign invasions, Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into the West Empire and the East Empire. He then appointed an able general, Maximian, to be his co-ruler with the responsibility of defending the West. Diocletian moved his capital to Nicomedia in Asia Minor to guard and defend the East. Maximian on the other hand move his capital from Rome to Milan.





Hope this helps :)
Reply:Trade? Hard to say. It made Rome cosmopolitan...





The first triumvirate? That would be Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus - the three of them had an agreement to take control of Rome via politics at home and military adventures abroad.





"Alea Jacta Est" - Caesar said this when crossing the Rubicon, the river on the northern border of Italy. He was taking up arms against Pompey, his former ally, and trying to become sole dictator of Rome.





I believe it was Diocletian who divided the empire.





What's all this for, anyway?