Rome, the eternal (part 5).

San Bonaventura Church. Palatine Hill, Rome.
Photo: Jean-Paul GRANDMONT, 2011. Lic. CC BY 3.0

Times would come, when the Roman throne was occupied by Etruscan personages. This might be a hint, that Rome was on a disadvantageous situation, maybe as a result of a military defeat. But, there is no evidence about this, in its historians´ writes. Is well known their trending to manipulate and mythicise the facts, to glorify the past of the city... they attempted to keep its aura of greatness. Hence, their narrations from the early times, are plentiful in fantasy descriptions and Roman virtue lessons.

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. From: Promptuarii Insigniorum, 1553.
Published by Guillaume Rouille. {{PD-US}}

The fifth king of Rome was Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. His name seem to suggest, that he was born in Tarquinia, an Etruscan city. According to the tradition, Lucius was the son of a wealthy greek man. Despite of his immigrant origin, he stood out as a soldier and he earned a strong reputation. It finally led him to become an advisor of the king Ancus Marcius. Moreover, this monarch also designated him as protector of his sons, and regent, if necessary. His ascending run, took him to the throne, when the king died. The historian Titus Livius wrote, that it was the first manipulated election of the Roman king. But it could be only a legend, which hides the possibility of an Etruscan control, during the monarchic age of Rome.

A view of the Palatine Hill, from the Circus Maximus. Photo: Lil Herodotus, 2019.
Lic. CC BY-SA 4.0

The balance under his reign, was possitive for the young city. The Etruscan influence, served as an important stimulus, reflected in a visible progress. Rome would begin to acquire the splendor of its coming glory days. Great public spectacles, added new interest to the citizens life. From that period, dates the impressive Circus Maximus and its exciting chariot races. Also, the athletic competitions became popular. But with the passage of time they degenerated, to turn into gladiators´combat. At the same time, there was a marked religious influence... they began to raise the Temple of Jupiter, at the Capitoline Hill. It would be very important in the future of the city.

Campo Vaccino (Roman Forum), by Claude Lorrain, 1636. Museum of Louvre, Paris, France.
Source: The Yorck Project (2002).

The advances also were showed in many civil engineering works. Between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, there was an extent of land, used for citizen meeting. Was a place for several activities, such as trading and also to debate issues of collective interest. It was the forum, or the main market of the city. Nevertheless, the swampy terrain was a problem... so they conceived a clever drainage system: the Cloaca Maxima. That place, known as the Roman Forum, would become one of the symbols of Rome.

Triumph of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, ca. 1541. By Jörg Breu´worshop. From the Chronicle of Hans Tyrol.
Eton College Library. Source: Art Collections and Ausburg Museum. Germany {{PD-US}}

Everything seems to show that Tarquinius Priscus was a learned man. But he had an authoritarian nature too. As he beated the neighbor tribes from the Latio, was annexing their territories. Due to his bellicosity, the metal industry had an impulse, the same as the whole economy. By virtue of his military successes, he introduced the Triumph, in Rome. It was an Etruscan tradition, to celebrate the important victories, with a great parade. For several centuries, the winning generals would be honored that way. One thing is certain, with his projects, this king produced the proper atmosphere, to aim Rome towards its brilliant destiny. 

The temple of Jupiter, at the Capitoline Hill, in times of the Republic.
From: Geschichtbilder Book, 1896. By Frierick Pollack.

Nonetheless, as we said, to rule that city was a dangerous job. In the year 578 bC. Lucius Tarquinius Priscus was assassinated. It could have been a plot of the sons of the former king, Ancus Marcius. By then, was evident that the electoral monarchic system had fallen in crisis. Finally, the throne ended in hands of the slained king´s son-in-law. It was equivalent to an inherited transfer! As a consequence, Rome was governed by another Etruscan, Servius Tulius, for the next forty four years. He was the sixth king of the city, who ruled wisely and became a respected monarch.

Servius Tulius, sixth king of Rome. By Franz Huys, 16th century.
Source: Deustche Fotothek. {{PD-US}}

He is credited for the creation of the concept of Roman citizenship and established the periodic population census, as a duty. Also continued with the enlargement and the ornamental works of Rome. Servius Tulius extended the city area, to the sixth and seventh hills, surrounding it with a large wall. Those Servian Walls would mark off the city limits, over the next five centuries. Last and very important, he made improvements in the military organization. He formed a League, with the neighbors of the Latio, of course, under Roman control. 

Tullia drives over the corpse of her father. By Jean Bardin, 1765. 
Landesmuseum, Mainz, Germany. Source: http://galatea.univ-tlse2.fr

Regarding the internal politics, he attempted to increase the rights of the plebeian. This, motivated the reaction of the powerful families, and was very likely, one the reasons of his murder, in the year 534 bC. The truth was, that the same old conspiracy story, had repeated again. The displaced heirs of a previous king, seemed to never stop, till they got rid of those who they considered as intruders.

 

The Etruscan expansion, by the begining of Rome.Author: NormanEinstein, 2005.
 Based on a map from National Geographic.
Permission GNU_FDL

According to the narration, his own daughter and his son-in-law, plotted to kill him. In that violent way, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (also known as the Proud), became the seventh king of Rome. He was the son of the old king Tarquinius Priscus. Soon, he showed a despotic nature. It looks possible that the Etruscan power was at its peak by those times, and they installed a tyrannic regime in Rome. He declared void his predecessor´s reforms, referred to the increased rights of the plebeian. Also ordered to kill some uneasy senators and did not allow to substitute those who died. He surrouded himself by a fierce personal guard and his will, became the true law of Rome. However, it must be said that he continued the works and projects, his father had left unfinished.

The Sibil of Cumae. By Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1510. Sixtine Chapel, Rome.
{{PD-US}}

One day, a prophetess came before the king Tarquinius... she wanted to sell nine books, with important revelations. That woman, was the famous sybil, who lived into a cave, near the Greek city of Cumae (near to Naples). But she asked a high price. Three hundred gold pieces, for a written rolls? Facing his refusal, she burnt three of the books and asked the same sum for the six remaining books. 

Annoyed, the king rejected her new deal. But, as he saw three other books in flames, finally changed his mind. In that manner, he accepted to pay the same price, for the last three volumes. They contained the prophecies about the future of Rome. From then on, those books were consulted every time the situation demanded it. A group of priests of the temple of Jupiter took care of them, until they were destroyed by a fire, in 83 bC.

Tarquinius Superbus, seventh king of Rome.
By Guillaume Rouille. Source: Promptuarii, 1553.
{{PD-US}}

The permanent outrages of Tarquinius, finally earned him the hostility from most of the influential people of Rome. They only waited for the right moment to rise up... The ocassion came when he left, to combat the cities of the Latio, in clear violation of the agreements of Servius Tulius. Meanwhile, the abusive behavior of his son, only made the situation worse. After he raped the wife of a patrician, she decided to commit suicide. It stirred the hardly contained rage in the city. The rebellion unleashed, leaded by Collatinus, who was the widower of the victim, and by Lucius Junius Brutus.

Tarquinius Sextus, rapes Lucrezia. By Tiziano, ca. 1571.
Fizwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK. Source: The Yorck Project. {{PD-US}}

Rome rebelled against the oppression. When Tarquinius came back, most of the people rejected him. Then, he had to leave the throne and departed into exile. In that manner, the city closed the doors to its last king... The monarchic system decay, obviously required a change in the form of goverment. In that new and troubled, but fecund period of its history, Rome would turn into a republic.

Despite this, Tarquinius the Proud was still not finished. He first found the support of another Etruscan rulers, and later, from other cities of Latio, which also rebelled against the Roman domain. In both cases, he failed, and never was able to get back to the throne. But, that is another story...

The Etruscan cities were stronger and more refined than the young Rome, there is no question. But their lack of capacity to act together, allowed the bellicose city to grow and develop in silence. It could well have been defeated and destroyed, on those times. But the Tyrrhenian civilization would start a rapid decline. As the Greeks defeated them, to the South, the permanent siege of the Gauls, to the north, began to confine the weakened Etruscan into their territories... It was then, when the young Roman eagle took the offensive, increasing their influence at the lands of Latio. After the invasion by Brennus in 390 bC. Rome would recover, to become one of the most powerful cities of the region. They gradually took on Etruria, and their culture melted in one.