Chapter I: Preface

This sketch of the History of Rome to 565 A. D. is primarily intended to meet the needs of introductory college courses in Roman History. However, it is hoped that it may also prove of service as a handbook for students of Roman life and literature in general. It is with the latter in mind that I have added the bibliographical note. Naturally, within the brief limits of such a text, it was impossible to defend the point of view adopted on disputed points or to take notice of divergent opinions. Therefore, to show the great debt which I owe to the work of others, and to provide those interested in particular problems with some guide to more detailed study, I have given a list of selected references, which express, I believe, the prevailing views of modern scholarship upon the various phases of Roman History.

I wish to acknowledge my general indebtedness to Professor W. S. Ferguson of Harvard University for his guidance in my approach to the study of Roman History, and also my particular obligations to Professor W. L. Westermann of Cornell, and to my colleagues, Professors A. L. Cross and J. G. Winter, for reading portions of my manuscript and for much helpful criticism.

A. E. R. BOAK. University of Michigan, October, 1921

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION PAGE
THE SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF EARLY ROMAN HISTORY xiii
PART I
THE FORERUNNERS OF ROME IN ITALY
CHAPTER I
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ITALY 3
CHAPTER II
PREHISTORIC CIVILIZATION IN ITALY 7
CHAPTER III
THE PEOPLES OF HISTORIC ITALY 13
The Etruscans; the Greeks.
PART II
THE EARLY MONARCHY AND THE REPUBLIC, FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES
TO 27 B. C.
CHAPTER IV
EARLY ROME TO THE FALL OF THE MONARCHY 25
The Latins; the Origins of Rome; the Early Monarchy; Early
Roman Society.
CHAPTER V
THE EXPANSION OF ROME TO THE UNIFICATION OF THE ITALIAN 33
PENINSULA: _C._ 509–265 B. C.
To the Conquest of Veii, _c._ 392 B. C.; the Gallic Invasion;
the Disruption of the Latin League and the Alliance of the
Romans with the Campanians; Wars with the Samnites, Gauls and
Etruscans; the Roman Conquest of South Italy; the Roman
Confederacy.
CHAPTER VI
THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ROME TO 287 B. C. 47
The Early Republic; the Assembly of the Centuries and the
Development of the Magistracy; the Plebeian Struggle for
Political Equality; the Roman Military System.
CHAPTER VII
RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN EARLY ROME 61
CHAPTER VIII
ROMAN DOMINATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: THE FIRST PHASE—THE 67
STRUGGLE WITH CARTHAGE, 265–201 B. C.
The Mediterranean World in 265 B. C.; the First Punic War; the
Illyrian and Gallic Wars; the Second Punic War; the Effect of
the Second Punic War upon Italy.
CHAPTER IX
ROMAN DOMINATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: THE SECOND PHASE—ROME 89
AND THE GREEK EAST
The Second Macedonian War; the War with Antiochus the Great and
the Ætolians; the Third Macedonian War; Campaigns in Italy and
Spain.
CHAPTER X
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION IN THREE CONTINENTS: 167–133 B. C. 99
The Spanish Wars; the Destruction of Carthage; War with
Macedonia and the Achæan Confederacy; the Acquisition of Asia.
CHAPTER XI
THE ROMAN STATE AND THE EMPIRE: 265–133 B. C. 105
The Rule of the Senatorial Aristocracy; the Administration of
the Provinces; Social and Economic Development; Cultural
Progress.
CHAPTER XII
THE STRUGGLE OF THE OPTIMATES AND THE POPULARES: 133–78 B. C. 125
The Agrarian Laws of Tiberius Gracchus; the Tribunate of Caius
Gracchus; the War with Jugurtha and the Rise of Marius; the
Cimbri and the Teutons; Saturninus and Glaucia; the Tribunate
of Marcus Livius Drusus; the Italian or Marsic War; the First
Mithridatic War; Sulla’s Dictatorship.
CHAPTER XIII
THE RISE OF POMPEY THE GREAT: 78–59 B. C. 151
Pompey’s Command against Sertorius in Spain; the Command of
Lucullus against Mithridates; the Revolt of the Gladiators; the
Consulate of Pompey and Crassus; the Commands of Pompey against
the Pirates and in the East; the Conspiracy of Cataline; the
Coalition of Pompey, Cæsar and Crassus.
CHAPTER XIV
THE RIVALRY OF POMPEY AND CAESAR: CAESAR’S DICTATORSHIP: 59–44 166
B. C.
Cæsar, Consul; Cæsar’s Conquest of Gaul; the Civil War between
Cæsar and the Senate; the Dictatorship of Julius Cæsar.
CHAPTER XV
THE PASSING OF THE REPUBLIC: 44–27 B. C. 185
The Rise of Octavian; the Triumvirate of 43 B. C.; the victory
of Octavian over Antony and Cleopatra; Society and Intellectual
Life in the Last Century of the Republic.
PART III
THE PRINCIPATE OR EARLY EMPIRE: 27 B. C.–285 A. D.
CHAPTER XVI
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRINCIPATE: 27 B. C.–14 A. D. 205
The Princeps; the Senate, the Equestrians and the Plebs; the
Military Establishment; the Revival of Religion and Morality;
the Provinces and the Frontiers; the Administration of Rome;
the Problem of the Succession; Augustus as a Statesman.
CHAPTER XVII
THE JULIO-CLAUDIAN LINE AND THE FLAVIANS: 14–96 A. D. 226
Tiberius; Caius Caligula; Claudius; Nero; the First War of the
Legions or the Year of the Four Emperors; Vespasian and Titus;
Domitian.
CHAPTER XVIII
FROM NERVA TO DIOCLETIAN: 96–285 A. D. 244
Nerva and Trajan; Hadrian; the Antonines; the Second War of the
Legions; the Dynasty of the Severi; the Dissolution and
Restoration of the Empire.
CHAPTER XIX
THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE PRINCIPATE 264
The Victory of Autocracy; the Growth of the Civil Service; the
Army and the Defence of the Frontiers; the Provinces under the
Principate; Municipal Life; the Colonate or Serfdom.
CHAPTER XX
RELIGION AND SOCIETY 293
Society under the Principate; the Intellectual World; the
Imperial Cult and the Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism;
Christianity and the Roman State.
PART IV
THE AUTOCRACY OR LATE EMPIRE: 285–565 A. D.
CHAPTER XXI
FROM DIOCLETIAN TO THEODOSIUS THE GREAT: THE INTEGRITY OF THE 317
EMPIRE MAINTAINED: 285–395 A. D.
Diocletian; Constantine I, the Great; the Dynasty of
Constantine; the House of Valentinian and Theodosius the Great.
CHAPTER XXII
THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF THE LATE EMPIRE 333
The Autocrat and his Court; the Military Organization; the
Perfection of the Bureaucracy; the Nobility and the Senate; the
System of Taxation and the Ruin of the Municipalities.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE GERMANIC OCCUPATION OF ITALY AND THE WESTERN PROVINCES: 351
395–493 A. D.
General Characteristics of the Period; the Visigothic
Migrations; the Vandals; the Burgundians, Franks and Saxons;
the Fall of the Empire in the West; the Survival of the Empire
in the East.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE AGE OF JUSTINIAN: 518–565 A. D. 369
The Germanic Kingdoms in the West to 533 A. D.; the Restoration
of the Imperial Power in the West; Justinian’s Frontier
Problems and Internal Administration.