The Birth of the Roman Republic
Tides of History
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Reconceptualizing the Roman Republic's Historical Periods
The traditional understanding of Roman history with early, middle, and late Republics is challenged by Harriet Flower's perspective. Flower proposes a division of the Republic into 13 coherent sections instead. While her fine divisions in the first century BC may not be as useful, her approach up to the time of Sulla to divide the Republic into four distinct political systems seems to align better with the available evidence. This perspective will guide the discussion on the birth and rise of the Republic, emphasizing that the early concept of a Republic was different from what later institutionalized, and the transition from the Regal period to the Republic was not a predetermined move towards a familiar Republic-like system.
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