Click on a name below to learn more about
famous people from ancient Rome.
Cicero was from a rich family and went to school to be a lawyer. He served in the Senate. He served as elected Consul, the highest position in government under the Republic. He was a wonderful speaker. When Cicero spoke, people listened. Julius Caesar knew that. Cicero's power with the people was a concern to Julius Caesar. If anyone could block Caesar's success, he believed it would most likely be Cicero. When Cicero spoke out about government, people listened. Cicero said: "In a kingdom, only the king has many rights. Kings can be wise and just. But rule by one person can easily become tyranny."
When Julius Caesar entered the city of Rome with his army, and declared himself dictator, Cicero was quick to respond. Cicero announced: "I see no reason for being alarmed except the fact that, once departure has been made from the law, everything is uncertain; and nothing can be guaranteed as to the future which depends upon another man's will. When Caesar declared himself dictator for life, his action was in direct violation of the principals of a constitutional republic."
That speech did not go over very well with the new all-powerful emperor, Julius Caesar. Cicero had to flee Rome for his life. He was captured by the emperor's forces, and killed. The other Senators, hearing of this, became very quiet. They, too, were afraid for their lives. Because of this, the Senate lost nearly all power, and Julius Caesar took charge. However, Cicero left us a gift - his legacy of writings that tell us a great deal about ancient Roman government & daily life. His words are still powerful today.
Julius Caesar was a great general and an important leader in ancient Rome. During his lifetime, he had held just about every important title in the Roman Republic. He reorganized the army. The Romans even named a month after him, the month of July for Julius Caesar.
When Caesar said he had something to say, the people flocked to the Forum to hear his ideas. His ideas had been good ones & people trusted him. Caesar told the people that he could solve Rome's problems. Certainly, the Republic had problems. Crime was everywhere. Taxes were outrageous. People were hungry. Many were out of work. The people supported Caesar. Leaders in the Senate began to worry. They were afraid Caesar might take over the government by force, and rule Rome as a king.
The leaders of ancient Rome had vowed that the Roman people would never be ruled by a king again. Their worried were justified. They were right. Caesar entered Rome with the Roman Legion, and took over the government. The poor people of Rome, who made up the bulk of the population, were glad. The people called him "father of the homeland“.
The Senate was furious. Eventually, many members of the Senate plotted to kill Caesar to try and save Rome from being ruled by a king again. Plotting to kill a person in the government is called an assassination. They succeeded in killing Caesar, but soon after Rome was once again ruled by one person instead of letting citizens be part of the government.
Nero was an emperor or king of Rome during the time they did not have their republic government that allowed citizens to be involved. At first, people rather liked Nero. They thought he was fun and he was always doing something outrageous or crazy.
This did not last long. Very soon people began to see the real Nero and it was scary. Nero killed his mother and his wife. In fact, Nero killed anybody he thought was against him. He liked to chariot race, but was horrible. He tried cheating to win, but still lost. Nero would order anyone that beat him racing to be killed. Soon, many Romans thought the races at the Circus Maximus were dull if Nero was there.
Eventually, Nero crossed the line and ordered the wrong people to be killed. They ganged up on him and had him killed first.
Spartacus was born a free man and joined the army. He decided army life wasn't for him and ran away. You could not desert the Roman Army (Legion) just like you cannot do that in the United States today. He was captured and sent to gladiator school as a slave.
In gladiator school he did well. He was a fierce and tough warrior. He made plans with others in gladiator training to escape. Soon, 100,000 other slaves had joined him on the run from the Roman Legion (Army). Spartacus proved to be a challenge for the Roman Legion. It took 2 years to finally capture and kill him. However, he became a hero and legend in the process.