The Roman Monarchy

Dates: 753 BC-510 BC

1. 753 BC - 715 BC: Romulus

• Considered the founder of Rome
• Killed twin brother Remus for control of the city
• Allowed exiles, refugees, homicides and runaway slaves to populate empire
• Stole Sabine women to compensate for shortage of women
• Created class distinctions-the 100 advisers (patres) were the forefathers of the patrician class

2. 715 BC - 674 BC: Numa Pompilus

• Created the religious structure of Rome (became official state religion)
• Began offices: pontifices, vestals, flamines
• Introduced land reforms
• Worked on the calendar-added Januarius and Februarius (now a solar calendar); days of commerce and days of religion

3. 674 BC - 642 BC: Tullius Hostilius

• Declared war against Albans (reason: cattle raiding)
• Pit 2 sets of 3 brothers against one another
• Increase Roman influence in Latium
• Plague of Rome during his reign
• Tullius fell ill, tried to make a sacrifice to Jupiter but failed and was killed by a thunderbolt

4. 642 BC - 616 BC: Ancus Martius

• Built the Pons Sublicius-a bridge at the foot of Aventine Hill across the Tiber River
• Opened a trading route via Salaria
• Built a prison
• Established the Port of Ostia (mouth of the Tiber River)

5. 616 BC - 578 BC: Tarquinius Priscus

• Obtained the throne by fraud
• Introduced the culture of the Etruscans to Rome
• Laid out the Circus Maximus, instituted games
• Built sewers, began construction of the temple of Jupiter
• War against the Sabines, subjugated Latium
• Increased # of senators to 300, doubled number of knights
• Assassinated by the sons of Ancus Martius

6. 578 BC - 534 BC: Servius Tullius

• Victory of Veii
• Built the Servian City Wall-enlarged the city boundaries to include all 7 hills
• Organized assembly into centuriae
• Replaced bartering with coinage
• Created the first census
• Created the caste system-assigned citizens to social classes based on wealth

7. 534 BC - 510 BC: Tarquinius Superbus

• Haughty ruler
• Constructed the Cloaca Maxima
• Attempted to set up pure totalitarianism/depotism
• Deprived lower class of arms, forced them to build (like slaves)
• His son was guilty of the rape of Lucretia
• End of the monarchy-died in exile

Romulus and Remus