Scripta+6+Latin+3+2013

2/21 quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi: That which is allowed for Jove, is not allowed for an ox

quod me nutrit me destruit: That which sustains me destroys me ( Christopher Marlowe) This is usually interpreted to mean that that which motivates or drives a person can consume him or her from within. The lovely Angelina Jolie has this tatooed on her body. .

bovine: concerning cattle nurture: to provide support ( food, shelter, love, etc)

So, what did C. Gracchus do? He stuck it to the Senate in a big way. Part II of the Lesson: How to win friends, influence people and be killed( strangled and beaten in this case) After laying low for about 9 years, Gauis Gracchus took Roman politcs by storm. He was elected as Tribune of the Plebes like his brother. As an eloquent speaker, and a flamboyant character, he was able to enact much of what he wished:

From his various laws we may select those which were the most important, and which best show his general policy. First of all, he tried to help the people by a law which was really the most mischievous of all his measures. Th is was his famous “corn law”(lex frumentaria). It was intended to benefit the poor population in the city, which was at that time troublesome and not easy to control. The law provided that any Roman citizen could receive grain from the public storehouses for a certain price less than its cost. But the number of the poor in the city was not decreased; the paupers now flocked to Rome from all parts of Italy to be fed at the public crib. This corn law became a permanent institution of Rome. We may judge of its evil effect when it is said that not many years afterward there were three hundred and twenty thousand citizens who were dependent upon the government for their food. Gaius may not have known what evil effect this law was destined to produce. At any rate, it insured his popularity with the lower classes. He then renewed the agrarian laws of his brother; and also provided for sending out colonies of poor citizens into different parts of Italy, and even into the provinces.

His Efforts to Weaken the Senate.—But Gaius believed that such measures as these would afford only temporary relief, as long as the senate retained its great power. It was, of course, impossible to overthrow the senate. But it was possible to take from it some of the powers which it possessed. From the senators had hitherto been selected the jurors (iudices) before whom were tried cases of extortion and other crimes. By a law Gaius took away from the senate this right to furnish jurors in criminal cases, and gave it to the equites, that is, the wealthy class outside of the senate. This gave to the equites a more important political position, and drew them over to the support of Gaius, and thus tended to split the aristocratic classes in two. The senate was thus deprived not only of its right to furnish jurors, but also of the support of the wealthy men who had previously been friendly to it. This was a great triumph for the popular party. []

2/25 res publica: the public thing e pluribus unum: one out of many

unity: acting as one republic: a form of representative democracy..."and to the Republic for which it stands..."

So, as if alienating the Senate by the whole judices ( jurors) business wasn't enough, G. Gracchus continued to strengthen the equites with two measures:

Yet further favour was granted to the equestrian class by awarding them the right to contract for the collecting of the enormous taxes due from the newly created province of Asia ( Asia Minor/Pergamum). [] How did this work? They needed to pay for the welfare program put in place to help feed the growing number of poor in Rome. They needed a lot of money, and they needed more and more as Rome grew. To get this money, Rome used tax farmers( publicani). To become a tax farmer, all you had to do was pay a flat fee to the Senate of the Roman Republic. That put you, the tax farmer, into business. Your business was the job of collecting taxes. This all sounds very nice, but there weren't any rules. Rome wanted as much money as possible. So they didn't set limits on what a tax farmer could collect. That was up to the individual tax farmer. Everyone understood that tax farmers expected to make a profit. It cost a lot of money to become a tax farmer. The fee was high. It was also understood that all citizens had to pay taxes. But, since there were no rules on how much a tax farmer could charge, or even that the charges had to be fair, or based on income or earnings - there were no rules - you can imagine, under this system, how many abuses there were. It was horrible. A tax collector had the legal right to charge one person almost nothing, and charge another person a great deal of tax, knowing that person could not pay. If you did not pay the taxes you owed, according to the amount set by the tax collector in your region, you could be sold into slavery. []

In turn, Gaius forced through huge expenditure on public works, such as roads and harbours, which once more mainly benefited the equestrian business community. And the Senate was becoming more and more annoyed. []

2/27 par: equal used in golf to suggest a target score for a hole which players attempt to equal; also “below par” meaning not up to the usual standard (of health, achievement)

sub iudice : under a judge ; ongoing or incomplete legal proceedings

parity: equality judicial: concerning judges

And Gaius Gracchus continues to antagonize the Senate:

Gaius also made a few reforms to the military through the passing of the Lex Militaris. This law required the government to clothe and equip Roman soldiers without deductions from their pay, shortened the term of military service, and forbade the draft of boys under the age of seventeen. The intent of these reforms was to improve army morale and to win the political support of soldiers, allies, and voters with small incomes. [ 8]

Politically Gaius' most farsighted proposal was the 'franchise bill', a measure which would have seen the distribution of Roman citizenship to all Latin citizens and the extension of Latin citizenship to all Italian allies. This proposal was rejected because the Roman plebeians had no wish to share the benefits of citizenship, including cheap grain and entertainment. The rejection of this measure led, in part, to the disastrous Social War of 90 BC.

[|www.unrv.org] Who are these people whom Tiberius is trying to extend citizenship?

3/1 vox populi : the voice of the people style of reporting that is "man on the street"

caput mundi: the head of the world; Rome

vociferous: voice carrying; noisy

decapitate: to remove one's head

When Gaius Gracchus in 121 BC stood for yet another term as Tribune, the senate conspired to put forward their own candidate, M. Livius Drusus with an entirely false programme which was by its very nature simply designed to be yet more populist than anything Gracchus proposed. This populist assault on Gracchus' standing as a champion of the people, together with the loss of popularity resulting from the failed proposal to extend Roman citizenship and wild rumours and superstitions of curses circulating after a visit to Carthage by Gaius, led to his losing the vote for his third term in office.

Gaius Gracchus' supporters, led by no lesser than Flaccus, held an angry mass demonstration on the Aventine Hill. Though some of them made the fatal mistake of carrying weapons. The consul Lucius Opimius now proceded to the Aventine Hill to restore order. Not merely did he possess the high authority of his consular office, but he also was backed by a senatus consultum ultimum, which was the order of the highest authority known to the Roman constitution. The order demanded him to take action against anyone endangering the stability of the Roman state. The bearing of weapos by some of Gracchus' supporters was all the excuse Opimius needed. And there was little doubt that Opimius sought to bring about the end of Gaius Gracchus that night, for he was in fact the most prominent - and most bitter - rival of Gracchus and Flaccus. What followed on the arrival of Opimius with a militia, legionary infantry and archers on the Aventine hill was in effect a massacre. Gaius, realizing the situation hopeless ordered his personal slave to stab him to death. Following the massacre another 3'000 of Gracchus' supporters are believed to have been arrested, taken to jail and strangled.

The brief emergence and demise of Tiberius Gracchus and of his brother Gaius Gracchus onto the scene of Roman politics should send shock waves through the entire structure of the Roman state; waves of such magnitude that their effects would be felt for generations. One believes that around the time of the Gracchus brothers Rome began to think in terms of political right and left, dividing the two factions into optimates and populares. However questionable their political tactics at times were, the brothers Gracchus were to show up a fundamental flaw in the way Roman society was conducting itself. Running an army with less and less conscripts to oversee an expanding empire was not sustainable. And the creation of ever greater numbers of urban poor was a threat to the stability of Rome itself.

3/5 esurienti ne occurras: do not meet ( run into) the hungry man; a poor, starving person is potentially dangerous novus homo: a new man; was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul. It can also, apparently, be used in an evolutionary sense: Sheldon, homo novus

novice: one who is new at something esurient: hungry ( note the nt...ing...hungering? being hungry?)

The Gracchi brothers did attempt to address the problem of a dwindling pool pf men eligible for the military and the growing urban poor ( many of whom had in fact served, so they were trained to fight...what a nightmare), but it was not enough, especially at a time when the the campaigns were moving farther and farther away, fighting new enemies such as the encroaching Germanic tribes who would not end their raping, pillaging, and hostile takeover of Roman land so that the harvesting could be completed. Into this mix of events came Gaius Marius, a novus homo, a member of the municipal aristocracy of Arpinum. Marius, a man of extraordinary military talent, would prove to be the catalyst necessary to successfully reform the Roman military and change the course of the Roman Republic forever. The stage for his reforms was set by another war in Africa: The Jurgurthine War. Here is what our friends at Notre Dame have to say about it:

Jugurthine War 111-104 BCE
First consulship 107 BC 1.Marius won the election, although Metellus tried to obstruct it by detaining him in Africa. 2. The Plebeian Assembly vote him command of Africa ( as a novus homo no less!!!! this was no small accomplishment!)  []
 * 1) Was fought in Numidia, against its king, Jugurtha.
 * 2) Numidia's rule had been left to three brothers, who fought for control.
 * 3) In the process, Jugurtha, one rival, took Cirta, an important port city for grain, massacring many Roman merchants there.
 * 4) Rome tried to settle dispute by dividing the territory, but to no avail.
 * 5) In 111, people in Rome grew incensed over lack of action, so the consuls and senate were shamed into declaring war. Accusations of bribery had been leveled.
 * 6) Roman generals, at first, were unable to defeat the wily Jugurtha.
 * 7) Metellus took command, was more successful, but could not capture the king.
 * 8) Metellus blamed for prolonging the war, which tradesmen wanted ended as soon as possible.
 * 9) Marius encouraged such thinking, hoping to win a consulship.

3/7 vincere scis, Hannibal,victoria uti nescis: you know how to win, Hannibal, you do not know how to use a victory aut vincere aut mori: either to win ( conquer) or to die moribund: dying utilize: to use

Marius, however, knew exactly how to win a victory, and how to use a victory: Land Reform: When Marius became consul (107 BCE) after his Numidian command, he became sure of himself and began to taunt the aristocracy. Plutarch suggests that Marius had a sympathy with the lower class because he himself grew up in the remote town of Arpinum. According to the source, Marius in his speech no longer wanted to force the landed aristocracy to enlist in the army if they did not want to, and he invited volunteers to enlist. ||  || The landless poor, who had received no help from the state, were now recruited into the army, a community in which they were taken care of. The recruits had to take an oath, the sacramentum, upon enlistment which was a promise to serve loyally and obediently. The promise was made to the general. ||
 * The need for land reform had been felt for years by the army and by the small landholders, who feared losing their land whenever they were called for military service. The Gracchi brothers had seen the need of the people and had attempted land reform to fill the ever dwindling ranks of an army constituted by landholders. Gaius Gracchus had instituted such reforms as the state supply of equipment and clothes to legionnaires and the forbidding of enlistment of men under 17. These were meant to ease the economic hardships felt by the small farmers serving their military duties. These reforms, however, are more significant in the lengths the state was willing to go to remedy the declining army than in the good the reforms actually accomplished.
 * Marius enrolled volunteers without thought to class or money, and they were quick to join with the prospects of booty and land. Marius was also careful to enlist veterans. The Senate did not oppose Marius' bold move for, according to Sallust, they believed that he would lose his popularity by inviting plebeians into the army. If anything, Marius' removal of the land requirement won him more popularity from the small landowners, who did not wish to lose or destroy their land by forced military service, and from the plebeians who had a chance at improving their financial situation through winning treasure and land through war.

The long-lasting effects of the army reform is a shifting of loyalty from the state to the commanders of the armies. Eventually this shift can be seen as a necessary element to the disintegration of the Republic. Conscripted soldiers were soon replaced by professional soldiers, who served on average for about 16 years. The sacramentum was an oath of loyalty taken by all recruits enlisted in the army. After a soldier's service was over the state had no responsibility to take care of him; whereas, the generals of the armies took on the responsibility of finding soldiers land and means of survival. In each of these aspects of the new army, loyalty and dedication to the general precedes loyalty to the state. Those soldiers who had once been the urban poor had no future except the army, and so they looked to their generals to make the state give them what they needed.

http://faculty.vassar.edu/jolott/old_courses/republic1998/marius/effects.htm

Hello! The Senate just took itself out of the loop!!!!! Duh!

3/11 imperium sine fine: empire without end in effigie: in likeness

imperious: Assuming authority without justification; arrogant; domineering. effigy: 1. A crude figure or dummy representing a hated person or group. 2. A likeness or image, especially of a person. dictionary.com marian reforms

Besides the social impact of Marius' decision, he made several major changes to legion structure and tactical formations. Most importantly, he mostly replaced the maniple structure which consisted of four distinct legionary units (though it did continue as a style of formation at least until the mid 1st century AD). Each used different weapons, served different purposes tactically and were arranged in varying sizes and formations, essentially based on the class of citizen they were recruited from. Each soldier in the pre-Marian system provided his own gear and armor, resulting in wide ranges in quality and completeness. Marius supplied his new army's gear partially through the resources of the state, and through his own vast wealth. In the future, most new recruits would be uniformly equipped through the state treasury, or thier recruiting general. To replace the maniple as a formation, the cohort was adopted (though the formation had been used in moderation at least since the Punic Wars). Each soldier was equipped the same and assigned to one of six identical centuries of 80 men, making up the cohort unit. There were then 10 cohors of 480 men making up a legion, which standardized the entire system. The legion was made into a single large cohesive unit with interchangeable parts, capable of tactical flexibility not available with the complex structure of the Republican manipular system. The long single lines used prior to Marius were also eliminated in favor of a tiered 3 cohort deep battle line. This allowed rapid and easy support or rotating of fresh troops into combat. Additionally, officers began to be recruited from within the ranks on a regular basis. While political appointments and promotions based on social or client status would still occur, this now allowed the common soldier a way of advancing based on merit. This improved the strength of the legion as a whole and instilled confidence in the soldiers, knowing their officers were capable leaders, not favored clients of Senators in Rome. Marius, while adopting uniform gear for all, such as the gladius and scutum, also made significant changes to the common legionary spear (the pilum). It was made for the point to break off upon impact, making it ineffective to be thrown back by the enemy. To eliminate another problem, the way the soldier's kits and baggage were carried was completely adjusted. From this point on, the legionary would carry their entire standard package including weapons, armor, food, tents, supplies and tools. The "Marius' Mules" allowed bulky, slow and cumbersome baggage trains to be shortened, making the infantry faster and more efficient. Finally, the legionary standards of the Eagle, wolf, minotaur, horse and boar were reduced to a single standard. The Eagle, representing Jupiter Optimus Maximus, replaced them all as the single symbol or loyalty, duty and pride among the soldiers. []

3/13 extra omnes: everyone out ( for the conclave) The Cardinals will be isolated while they deliberate on choosing the next pope. sede vacante: with the seat empty; not having a pope sede vacante stamp extra omnes announcement vacant: empty extraneous: 1.introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external;f oreign:extraneous substances in our water.

2.not pertinent; irrelevant :an extraneous remark;extraneous decoration.

= Lucius Cornelius Sulla = Felix (the lucky) 138 - 78 BC The life of Sulla is one of stark contrast and yet striking similarities to those of Marius, and later, Caesar. Thanks to Sulla's own personal memoirs, which have been lost to history, though preserved through the works of others, such as Plutarch and perhaps Appian, we actually know a great deal about him and the time period. Sulla was cunning and ruthless when necessary, but a brilliant politician and formidable commander as well. While he didn't necessarily begin the "Fall of the Republic", the activities of Sulla were definitely a major contribution.

Sulla was a member of a down and out branch of the patrician Cornelii family. Born into near poverty, compared to other patricians, he spent his youth without hope of restoring the family name. Ancient sources suggest that two timely family inheritances were the catalyst that allowed Sulla to move into politics. With enough financial security to run for public office, and the fortunate (for him) situations with the Germanic Cimbri and the War with Jugurtha, Sulla was granted an opportunity to alter his course in life. Just as Gaius Marius was coming into power of his own, Sulla broke into Roman politics and was elected Quaestor. His next fortunate break was to serve under Marius in Africa.

During the War with Jugurtha, Sulla gained valuable command skills despite relatively minor military action. The war under Marius was definitely working in the favor of Rome, but bottling up the elusive Numidian and destroying his army was a near impossible task. In a brilliant act of diplomacy, Sulla went with authority of Marius to King Bocchus of Mauretania. Bocchus, an ally of Jugurtha, was tiring of the war and was concerned that Rome would eventually win out. Trying to avoid the potential punishment, Sulla was able to convince Bocchus to betray Jugurtha and capture him during a private meeting. The plan worked as suggested, and Sulla soon had custody of the Numidian King, effectively ending the war. While Marius, who was in command, claimed the bulk of the credit, Sulla would, for many years, claim the victory belonged to him. Whatever else had occurred between the men while on campaign, this incident certainly formed the foundation of a bitter rivalry.

3/15 Et tu, Brute? You too, Brutus? ( William Shakespeare...Caesar actually said "You too, my child?" in Greek); an "et tu" is a horrible betrayal by someone you trust because Brutus was Caesar's friend, and possibly his son, and he participated in the conspriacy to kill Caesar. Veni,vidi, vici: I came, I saw, I conquered; reportedly written by Julius Caesar in 47 BC as a comment on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in the city of Zela (currently known as Zile, in Turkey). It has been alledued to innumerable times by everyone from Handel, the composer, to Jay-Z, the rapper.

brutal: violent and cruel intervene: to come between

The assassination of Julius Caesar was the result of a conspiracy by 60 Roman senators who called themselves Liberators. Led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, they stabbed Julius Caesar to death in a location adjacent to the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC. Caesar was the dictator of the Roman Republic at the time, having recently been declared dictator perpetuo by the Senate. This declaration made several senators fear that Caesar wanted to overthrow the Senate in favor of tyranny. The ramifications of the assassination led to the Liberators' civil war and, ultimately, to the Principate period of the Roman Empire. []

Brutus and Cassius: the leaders of the conspiracy to kill Caesar Although Cassius was "the moving spirit" in the plot against Caesar, winning over the chief assassins to the cause of tyrannicide, Brutus became their leader.[8] On the Ides of March, 44 BC, Cassius urged on his fellow liberators and struck Caesar in the chest area. As Caesar realized of Brutus's play in the assassination,he said in Greek, 'You too, my child?" Though they succeeded in assassinating Caesar, the celebration was short-lived, as Mark Antony seized power and turned the public against them. In letters written during 44 BC, Cicero frequently complains that Rome was still subjected to tyranny, because the "Liberators" had failed to kill Antony.[9] According to some accounts, Cassius had wanted to kill Antony at the same time as Caesar, but Brutus dissuaded him.[10]

murder of Caesar horrible histories ides of march

3/19

Habemus papam ( I love it when you call me big papa)...so ,let's learn some church Latin that he used in his first urbi et orbi address.

in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti: in the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit ( the sign of the cross) pater noster: our father; the Lord's Prayer Pope Francis, urbi et orbi

for the record: PATER NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

[]

sanctuary: a holy place; any safe place denomination: a general name for a group or kind

[|http://www.learnersdictionary.com/]

Back to Sulla and Marius: Marius And Sulla continued to dominate the Rman political scene. Athough Sulla was still a subordinate of Marius, and probablt chaffed about the whole Jugurtha business, nevertheless he continued to work with him. Sulla did switch to a different consular command, that of a general named Catulus ( not the poet). The Roman armies then set about dealing with some feisty barbarians: the Cimbri and the Teutones. . By 112 B.C., Rome had its first encounter with migrating Germanic tribes, who five hundred years hence would overthrow their empire. Before this time, most of Western Europe was inhabited by Gauls, and the Germans were confined mostly to northern Germany and Scandinavia. The Cimbri, and Teutones, were two Germanic tribes who were thought to have left their homeland in Jutland, possibly due to flooding. They were several hundred thousand strong and were searching for a new homeland, with their wives, children, and belongings packed into wagons. To the Romans they appeared to be giants—most of the men being over six feet tall, and the women nearly as large.

The Romans first met both tribes when one of their allies in the region of Austria requested their help. The Roman army at first succeeded in driving them away, but later set them up for an ambush, which backfired. A large portion of the Roman army was annihilated and the remainder returned to Rome with stories of the fearsome barbarian hordes. But the worst disgrace was still to come. Seven years later, the Cimbri and Teutons were migrating around Gaul. Rome sent two legions to stop them from entering Roman territory. The leaders however, did not cooperate and as a result the legions were annihilated along with many camp followers. The resulting battle of Arausio was an unmitigated disaster, with more than 100,000 Romans killed, and several legions annhilated. The disaster emboldened the Cimbri to aggressively seek Roman territory, and horrified the Romans. It did, however, provide an opportunity for Marius, a long time veteran, to be elected Consul, and to make very important reforms of the army, before facing the Germans again.

Fortunately for Rome, the two migrating tribes split up and crossed the Alps at different passes, so Marius met them separately. He laid an ambush for the Teutones at Aquae Sextie, and then annihilated them. The entire tribe was slain or taken into slavery, and many of the women killed their children and then themselves. The following year, when the Cimbri passed over the Alps, they met the same fate at the Battle of Vercellae. []

By early 101 BC, the Cimbri moved down from the Alps and started to press into eastern Italy. An army, technically under the command of Q. Lutatius Catulus,but practically led by Marius' subordinate Sulla, met the Cimbri at Vercellae. Again, the Germanic invaders were crushed with losses approaching 100,000 ( some accounts are higer...and 60,00 women and children were sold into slavery). Two great Germanic tribes were nearly routed completely from historical existence, and the 3 Roman commanders bickered over who could claim the victory. In the end, Marius shared a joint triumph with Catulus, but it was Marius who was heaped with the credit by the Roman people, and he was named the 'savior of Rome'. Perhaps, even more significant than the victory, was the political and personal impact. While Marius, without an enemy to fight, would soon prove his inability as a politician, the personal rivalry between Marius and Sulla grew ever more fractured.

[]

history channel marius and the barbarians