Foundations of the Republic

To understand Roman Political Philosophy we must first examine the beginning of Rome itself. The story of the beginning of Rome is shrouded in mystery, but the Roman’s have their own grand legend of how they came into existence. During the eighth century B.C. the city of Rome is said to have been founded by the first king Romulus. Who along with his brother Remus were the divine offspring of the deity Mars thus why pure blood Romans and soldiers were referred to as the sons of Mars. Mars was the god of  war and this notion of being descendents of a war god would fuel the militaristic part of society that influenced Roman Political Philosophy.Another unique feature is how many of the ruling family  groups within the government and high society trace their family linage back to the beginnings of the city. These old aristocratic families would traditional be the authority of Roman political Philosophy within the Republic.

(Senatus Populusque Romanus or SPQR was the acronism for the grovernment of the Roman Republic) http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h19/CainRae/RomanRepublic.jpg

From its humble beginnings as a city built by a legendary son whose ancestors included the Greek hero Aeneas; who traveled from Troy to find a new home for his people. Rome has exhibited a strong sense of traditional values and being ultra conservative in that sense. This idea of traditional values or mos maiorum, was the silent developer of social norms and directly influenced political thought during the Republic. These three aspects legend, tradition, and ruling families would be the building blocks of the Republic and ultimately shape society and Roman Political Philosophy.

Ripat, Pauline, Milorad Nikolic, and Matthew Gibbs. Themes in Roman Society and Culture: An Introduction to Ancient Rome. 1st ed. Ontario: Oxford UP, 2014. Print.

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