Verified Document

Personal Character And Virtue In Ancient Rome Discussion Chapter

Related Topics:

The Roman Constitution

1. The Three Key Elements of the Roman Government According to Polybius

Polybius describes the Roman government as comprising three key elements: the Consuls (executive), the Senate (deliberative), and the People (legislative). This tripartite system is successful because of its balance and checks and balances, so that no single element gains overwhelming power.

First is the Consuls. They basically represent the executive branch, with the authority to implement laws and command the army. Polybius discusses their role in providing swift, decisive leadership, particularly in times of war (Polybius 6.1112).

Then there is the Senate. This body acts as the deliberative branch, responsible for foreign policy, financial matters, and providing counsel. The Senate's wisdom and experience is such that it can be used for the sake of making sure that Roman society and government have stability...

They represent the legislative branch. They consist of the assemblies of the people who have the power to elect officials and pass laws. This element is there so that the citizenry has a say in the governance, which helps to legitimize the system (Polybius 6.1518).

Polybius argues that this arrangement is successful because it combines the...

welfare over individual gains (Polybius 6.5256; Livy, AUC 5.1923).

These features when all combined with one another can be seen as helping to establish and maintain a clearly unique society that is capable of sustaining such a balanced constitution. The Roman emphasis on discipline, communal welfare, and a balanced government structure helped to provide support for its governance. It also contributed to Rome's expansion and longevity as a dominant power. Rome could sustain itself by virtue of the character of its people and its leaders and their good behavior, as well as the system and structure of government that Rome put in…

Sources used in this document:

References

Livy, The Early History of RomePolybus, The Rise of the Roman Empire 

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ancient Rome Timeline of Military
Words: 1082 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Ancient Rome and the Events of the Late Republic (end of the Republic), you will create a timeline of major events that led to the end of the Republic. Your timeline should have at least 7 events. 200 CE: The rise of populist or democratic sentiments and political philosophy. Rome was not a democracy, although it was a Republic. By the 2nd century CE, populist tribunes started to make waves on

Ancient Rome What Exactly Is So Very
Words: 2343 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Ancient Rome What exactly is so very fascinating and interesting about the struggle between the two very closely matched adversaries of Rome and Carthage is how very close Carthage came to victory and acclaim, despite being quite completely outnumbered on the scale of one to ten by the Romans. Even more interesting and impressive is the fact that all the most important engagements were actually fought on Italian soil, except for

Ancient Rome--Definitions Constantine: The Emperor Constantine Has...
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

ANCIENT ROME--DEFINITIONS CONSTANTINE: The emperor Constantine has rightly been called the most important emperor of Late Antiquity. His powerful personality laid the foundations of post-classical European civilization; his reign was eventful and highly dramatic. His victory at the Milvian Bridge counts among the most decisive moments in world history, while his legalization and support of Christianity and his foundation of a 'New Rome' at Byzantium rank among the most momentous decisions

Ancient Rome
Words: 1279 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Introduction Ancient Rome is the Roman Civilization founded in 8th Century BC in the ancient city of Rome. Ancient Rome succeeded the Western Roman Empire which fell in the 5th Century AD. Before it fell, the Western Roman Empire comprised of the Roman kingdom, the Roman Empire and the Roman republic. Ancient Rome simply refers to the great kingdom and the republic period which replaced the subsequent that Western Roman Empire

Life in Ancient Rome
Words: 724 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Rome EP 9/10 Rome: A brief study of life and politics in ancient Rome In the first season of Rome, the audience is introduced to Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, two Roman soldiers whose lives intertwine with the historic events that transpire in the series. The ninth episode of the first season, "Utica," helps to depict the striation between the classes that was present at the time. In the tenth episode, "Triumph,"

Role of the Woman in Ancient Rome
Words: 1014 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Women in Ancient Rome What was the role -- or roles -- of women in ancient Rome? There are a number of sources in the literature that point to a wide variety of interesting and sometimes humiliating roles and positions that women were linked to in Ancient Rome, and this paper reviews several of those. Women in Ancient Rome -- The Literature has researched and reported on a number of interesting instances of

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now