The Law of Twelve Tables, the first codified legal code in the history of the Roman Republic, was enacted in 450 BCE, in the middle of the fifth century. It provided for a degree of equality under the law for all Roman citizens and attempted to bridge the social divide between patricians and plebeians.

Cicero was a politician, philosopher, political theorist, linguist, and orator who lived in Rome during the waning years of the Roman Republic. He is primarily remembered by contemporary history as a skilled orator. He notably opposed Julius Caesar when Caesar took control of the Roman Republic and he issued a series of diatribes against Mark Antony when the latter tried to take power for himself after Caesar’s death. Cicero was executed for his troubles, but history remembers him as a great public speaker, an important contributor to the development of European language, and a principled defender of republicanism.

The Aeneid was written by the Roman poet, Virgil, in the first century BCE. It tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a refugee fleeing the conflict caused by the Trojan War. According to Virgil, Aeneas fled to Italy where he established the city of Rome. The Romans were great admirers of Greek literature and culture and The Aeneid represents how the foundational myths of Rome were associated with the continuation of Greek legacy.

Dido is the legendary founder of Carthage. The veracity of her existence is hard to prove, but the ancient Romans believed that Dido founded the city of Carthage during the tumultuous years after the end of the Trojan War. She appears as an important character in The Aeneid.

Social life in the Roman Republic was organized around tight-knit and extremely patriarchal families. The Romans placed great emphasis on family life and practiced ancestor veneration. Roman society was dominated by men and Roman families were no exception.

Roman Senators were generally appointed for life. Unlike other elected positions in the Roman Republic, Senators had relatively few checks on their power. Senators were drawn from the aristocratic patrician families of ancient Rome.

In the latter years of the Roman Republic, the power of individual generals was growing due to a series of reforms and political changes. Originally, imperium, or “the right to rule and command the army,” was bestowed on an individual by the Roman Senate. Over time, however, as generals grew more and more powerful, they began to bestow imperium upon themselves and used their personal armies to reinforce their claim.

Praetors are one of the branches of magistrates in the government of the Roman Republic. At various times in the history of the Roman Republic, praetors had different responsibilities, but they were always primarily judges. For example, the praetor urbanus settled legal disputes between citizens in the city of Rome.

The Roman Forum was the social and ceremonial center of the city of Rome. The Roman Forum grew organically and gradually, throughout the history of settlement in Rome. Among many other functions, the Roman Forum served as the final stop on the procession of so-called triumphs, which were a sort of military parade to celebrate Roman conquest of a new territory.

The Latin word imperium most closely means “the right to rule and command the army.” It was a title that originally was bestowed on a would-be ruler by the Roman Senate effectively as a coronation. Once an individual was granted imperium, they had the ultimate political authority in the Republic.