06a: Introduction

The ancient Romans and their civilization continue to fascinate the Western world to this day. The study of Roman civilization has a lot to teach us Americans - to this very day. Chances are that you're not quite as fascinated with the ancient Romans as I have always been, but then not everyone grows up to become a professor of Classics. For the purposes of this class, I urge you keep feeling fascination as best you can.

In segment 06b: Why Rome?, we will encounter some of the reasons for history's fascination with the ancient Romans. Sure, there were gladiators and orgies and crucifixions and all the other good stuff you can see in movies -  but we will focus on some of the Romans' lesser known pastimes. History buffs have traditionally looked to the Roman experience for enlightenment and useful parallels. Kings and queens and would-be superpowers have looked up to the Roman Empire as some sort of role model. The Romans are the first nation in Western history to have appointed itself as the world's policeman. Finally, the fall of the Roman empire (whenever and wherever it took place) is considered the prime example of how not to run an empire.

Segment 06c: Podunk on the Tiber examines the Romans' oldest myths about their city's foundation. In the process, we dredge up a few stray kernels of historical fact. The city was founded by Romulus, who celebrated by killing his twin brother Remus... hence the name Rome instead of Reem. From that point on, it seems, the Romans showed a talent for getting into civil wars. Romulus built the city's population by recruiting refugees and other riff-raff, and the men in turn had to steal wives from neighboring tribes. If you're familiar with Australian culture, which prides itself on Australia's prison colony beginnings, you know these things still happen. Once Rome had become more powerful, a more attractive foundation myth was discovered and merged with the old one. But myth can hide things too, and one thing the Romans seem most concerned to hide is their history with the Etruscan kings.

In segment 06d: A Farewell to Kings, we sift myths and legends of the Roman monarchy for even more kernels of historical fact. There were warlike kings and peaceful kings, Roman kings and Etruscan kings, nice kings and mean kings; it reads more like a soap opera than anything else. The same is true of the dramatic "Rape of Lucretia" which supposedly motivated the manly Roman Brutus to depose the hated Etruscan king Tarquin the Proud. Even though we can safely say that things didn't happen exactly that way, it's worth keeping in mind that the Romans themselves considered these stories real. Or if not real, at least they were thought to illustrate Roman ways the Romans themselves considered important. So we have to learn 'em anyway!