Early Roman History to the fall of Tarquin
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The reign of Servius
As already indicated, Emperor Claudius identified Servius Tullius with the Etruscan king Mastarna, and as such Servius appears to be a historic figure. Servius is credited with the reorganisation of the army on a timocractic basis - that is service in the army would be based on ownership of property. He is also credited with building a wall. Finally, he is believed to have established a cult of Diana on the Aventine hill, which was a plebian quarter. Some of the neighbouring Latin towns accepted this as their federal sanctuary. The new military comprised 6000 infantry in sixty centuriae. At this time the round shield and the sword were adopted as standard military equipment. This military reform was to bring the Roman defence into line with the Greek invention of the hoplite - heavy-armed infantry. The military reform may have been one of the causes of the downfall of the Etruscan monarchy in Rome. It is likely to have strengthened the position of the middle-classes at the expense of the aristocracy. The downfall of Tarqunius Superbus was a revolution led by the aristocracy. Owing to the increase of the urban population a reorganisation was required. The three original tribes were abolished and twenty new ones created, with four city tribes named after the hills of Sucusana, Esquilina, Collina and Palatina. The country population was divided into sixteen tribes named after gentes - leading families. The census of Servius divided the people according to their property - those whose property was below the minimum level for military service were classed as lesser class citizens or proletarii. At the same time the classes were divided into centuries. There were 193 centuries in all. A new form of Assembly, the Comitia Centuriata, was instituted, which was summoned by trumpet and met on the Campus Martius. Whilst the Comitia Curiata continued to function for a while, the Comitia Centuriata gradually became the more important of the two Assemblies. The centuries voted in order of precedence, starting with the equites, and down through the classes. The centuries of cavalry, numbering 18, and those of the first class, numbering 98, gave them a majority in the Comitia Centuriata.
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Contents of
Early Roman History to the fall of Tarquin
1 Latium and Rome - the site of Rome
2 The ancient Latins
3 The problem of sources
4 Fabius Pictor and Cincius Alimentus
5 The Roman annalists
6 Greek references to early Roman history
7 The work of the Roman annalists
8 Primary sources for Roman history
9 Further primary sources for early Roman history
10 The traditional account of early Roman History from Livy
11 Ascanius
12 Romulus
13 Numa Pmplius
14 Tulius Hostilius
15 Mettius
16 Ancus Marcius
17 Tarquinius Priscus
18 Servius Tullius
19 Tarquinius Superbus
20 The Rape of Lucretia
21 Lars Porsenna
22 Rome, Latium and the foundation of Rome c. 1200 BC - c. 750 BC
23 The founding of Rome
24 Mont Cavo in the Alban Hills
25 The Palatine Hill
26 The myth of the Sabine women
27 The early Kings of Rome c. 750 BC - c. 600 BC
28 Early constitution of Rome
29 The period of the Etruscan preponderance: c. 600 BC - c. 510 BC
30 The reign of Servius
31 The reign of Tarquinius Superbus
32 The foundation of the Roman Republic
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