Activity 1

Every civilization develops stories about its origins. Through such stories succeeding generations understand where they came from and what their likely future will be. For example, Biblical story of the creation has told generations of Jews and Christians of how they and their world began; and the story of the covenant-in both its Old- and New- Testament versions-has suggested what the future holds for God's people. Now consider what the Romans told about their origins. Read the following selections from Books 1 and 2 of Livy's Histories, in which the historian tells of the founding of Rome. When you finish, read Livy's account of an important event in the early history of Rome, the rape of Lucrece by Tarquin. What do these stories tell us about how the Romans viewed their past? What values and ideals do they represent? What role does myth play in them? Why do you think these stories were important to the Romans' sense of themselves? Finally, as you know one of the most important events in the history of the Roman Republic was the establishment of the law code known as the Twelve Tables. Read the following selections from the Twelve Tables. What values do these laws suggest? What principle of justice appears to underlie them? Do these laws strike you as rational, as participating in the Greek tradition of rational government?

Activity 2

With the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic entered the final phase of its collapse. The civil wars between the pro- and anti-Caesar factions and then among Caesar's former lieutenants broke the Republic and enabled Octavian to establish the Empire. Take a look at two accounts of the assassination and its aftermath, one by Seutonius, a Roman historian who wrote biographies of Caesar, Octavian, and the dynasty that descended from them; the other by Plutarch, a Roman Greek who wrote biographies of several notable figures from Roman history. Read The Deified Caesar from Seutonius' Lives of the Caesars, section LXXXII to the end. When you finish, read this excerpt from The Life of Marcus Brutus from Plutarch's Lives. How do these accounts resemble and differ from each other? How is Caesar's death portrayed in each? How does each account portray the assassins and their motives? How do the narratives of the aftermath differ? What do the differences suggest about what each author hoped to accomplish through his account?