Rise of the Roman Republic Loretta Alston

Document A: Polybius

1. Who is Polybius? When did he write this? What do you know about why he wrote this
document?
-Polybius is a Greek historian. He wrote this between 167-119 BCE, it was during a period of
rapid Roman expansion. Polybius greatly admired the Romans, and the purpose of his work was
to describe how Rome came to dominate the world.

2. Close Reading: According to Polybius, what are the “three elements” of the Roman
constitution? What powers does each of them have?
 Aristocracy, Democracy and Monarchy- the three elements balance each other out
and no one of the elements holds enough power to become corrupted and
degenerate into its debased form

3. According to Polybius, how democratic was the Roman Republic?

-Very democratic, as senators and consuls were elected to the public, although not all members
of the public could vote

4. Do you think Polybius is a credible source about how democratic the Roman Republic
was? Explain your reasoning.
-Polybius is considered a historian whose work could not survive complete, since his form or
writing, so complicated ad using complex forms of language of his own time. His successes were
to try to see the story objectively, not be sensationalist and seek to record the facts without
drama and with much truth
 Document B: Fergus Millar
1. Who is Millar? When was this document written?
-A professor written in 1998
2. What are Millar’s arguments against those who claim that the Roman Republic was a
“top down” system?
-He claims that in Roman political system, the power of the people upheld the Political process.
This means that the Roman Republic already used Democracy as their Governmental system. In
such a way, more power and freedom of choice was given to people through the process of
elections. They could influence the political course of the Republic.

3. According to Millar, what powers did the Roman people have? How did that make
Rome more democratic?
-Fergus Millar argued that Rome had a democratic model of government. Some instances were:
Roman citizens voted on proposals put forward by magistrates, the Roman Senate was an
advisory body to magistrates elected by the people, and that suffrage was a privilege enjoyed
by male Roman citizens.

4. How does Millar description of the Roman government compare to Polybius

description in Document A?
-Destroyed Europe

Document C: Alan Ward

1. Who is Ward? When was this document written?
-Ward is a historian and was a professor and this document was published in 2003

2. According to Ward, what barriers might have kept Romans from voting?
-voting had to take place within the tribunes of the plebs and in the popular assemblies, but
these took place in Rome itself, not outside of the city, and most plebeians did not have the
means to travel to Rome, which meant that they were unable to cast a vote
 3. According to Ward, why didn’t voters in the assemblies have as much power as the
magistrates or Senate?
-The senate had roughly 300 members. In the very early days or Roman history entry to the
senate was by birth or rank. Later it was the consuls who nominated new members to the
senate.

4. How does Ward’s description of the Roman government compare to Polybius

description in Document A and Miller’s description in Document B?
- Polybius description is very naïve and lacks proper research. It’s based on a study of laws and
procedures of government, elections and law making

The Roman Republic: Conclusion

1. After reading all three documents, to what extent do you think the Roman Republic
was democratic? Make sure to use historical evidence to support your argument!
-I think that it was Democratic to the fullest extinct because when comparing the Athenian
democracy at its highest which preceded y some 5 centuries the roman democracy was a step
back. Despite all the shortcomings of the Athenian democracy. It was direct democracy All the
eligible to vote citizens were directly voting on issues which directly affect their everyday life.
They would vote on taxes, I a court of law cases, they would even vote if they go to war or not.