General Historical Background

The late republican period witnessed Rome’s ascendancy as the dominant power in the Mediterranean world. By the middle of the third century bc the Romans had conquered most of the Italian peninsula and, by the end of the first century bc, they held sway over the entire Mediterranean basin.^{^[26]} It was during this period that the Romans came into direct contact with the Greek world and were fully exposed to the influence of the Greek and Hellenistic culture.

The massive influx of Greek ideas and practices had a profound impact on every aspect of Roman life, including education, religion, art and science. As the demand for instruction in Greek language, rhetoric and philosophy increased, schools began to be established under the patronage of prominent men.^{^[27]} Furthermore, Rome’s expansion was accompanied by profound changes in economic life. In the course of the second century bc the city of Rome emerged as an important commercial centre and private businesses of all kinds were set up that provided services and manufactured goods.^{^[28]}^{^[29]} Rome’s increasingly sophisticated economic life required enterprising men to direct her trade, undertake the construction of public works, manage war contracts and collect taxes. This entailed the emergence of an important new class of merchants and entrepreneurs, which were known as the equestrian class (ordo equester)?⁹

However, Rome’s dramatic expansion also brought about severe problems and upheavals in the Roman state. The central problem was to devise a suitable government for the territories conquered. The republican system of government, originally designed for a small city-state, was inadequate to meet the organizational and administrative requirements of the vast empire that evolved. This central issue was accompanied by acute economic, social and political problems at home, as Roman society was transformed from a relatively small, closely-knit and

homogenous grouping into a complex stratified society with diverse and often competing interests.

At the same time, the influx of Greek models had an erosive effect on the long-established moral and ethical norms on which the unity of Roman society hinged. As the ideological underpinnings of the Roman state began to crumble with the weakening of the old value system, the governing senatorial nobility found it increasingly difficult to achieve satisfactory solutions to the problems generated by Rome’s expansion. The oncoming crisis manifested itself in the intensification and widening of factional political strife within the ruling class. This, combined with growing social unrest, gave to ambitious political and military leaders an opportunity to attain power by gaining the support of discontented social groups demanding various kinds of reform. The problems and tensions in the Roman state found expression in a series of civil wars and rebellions, which became the norm by the first century bc. Out of this strife there emerged, in 31 bc, Octavian, who became the sole master of the Roman world. In the period that followed, the senate and the assemblies legitimised his de facto control of the state by bestowing upon him a range of powers that placed him in a unique position. Armed with these powers, Octavian, who assumed the honorary title Augustus Caesar, ushered in a new form of government known as the Principate.

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Source: Mousourakis G.. Roman Law and the Origins of the Civil Law Tradition. Springer,2015. — 339 p.. 2015

General Historical Background

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