Essay - Sallust (Caius Sallustius Crispus) Introduction is the Saying, 'What Comes...

Sallust (Caius Sallustius Crispus)

INTRODUCTION

***** the saying, "What comes around, goes around," correct? Just look at the times described by historian ***** Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) during the last years of ***** Roman Republic, and it is easy to see—"History repeats itself over and over again." The events he describes could easily have happened anytime throughout American history, up to the present. The political infighting, the figurative and literal backstabbing, corruption and even assassination has occurred repeatedly in ***** United States. Due ***** ********** historical writings, such as Bellum Jugurthinum, which surp*****sed any other similar literary work at the time, a record exists of this period ***** all that took place. Sallust left a written herit*****ge that still is as noteworthy today ***** it was in early Rome, but apparently no one is any the wiser.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In order to understand what was occurring *****ly during ********** lifetime, it is necessary to go back in history before he ***** born ***** the county of Sabines in 86 B.C. Anyone who wrote about this time was from the senatorial class rather than the common people. Therefore, they described the Roman republican *****vernment as ideal with its checks and balances, monarchy re*****ed by the consuls, aristocracy embodied in the senate, and democracy exercised by ***** popular assemblies. They all believed that "there had been a strong bond of common interest between *****ristocrats and people, and in spite of constant strife ***** the orders in the state, ***** sword was said not to have been carried into the Roman assembly until the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus in 133 B.C.1

According to Taylor, during ***** period, Rome was a society where some measure of personal liberty existed for ***** freeborn, "but not equality." The citizens were divided ***** subdivided into ********** ***** were based on how much land they owned. Property ownership also determined military service and the citizen vote that was predominantly based on military standing. A major rift existed between the foot soldiers and those who had enough m*****ey to ride on horseback, and a m*****n very rarely was able to rise from being a common soldier ***** becoming *****n officer.

The Senate of ex-magistrates, who served for life, consisted of *****ficers in the cavalry class and ***** divided into several different groups based on military office rather ***** property; in descend*****g order these positions were: consular, praetorian, aedilician, tribunitial, ***** quaestorian. It was not possible for any senator to speak for himself. Rather, when the residing consul raised a question, the consulars first answered it, and then the praetorians, ***** so forth. The quaestorians rarely were able to say anything in ***** *****.

According to Syme, many people believe ***** when Sallust was born, the Roman Republic was "turbulent, corrupt, immoral. And some even ***** of decadence." Yet, it was *****hing like this, argues Syme. ***** was an era ***** liberty *****d vitality and innovation. Political strife resulted in excellent oratory, ***** the Romans ***** enjoying prosperity. Syme adds that