About this episode

This episode discusses the events in Rome during 387 BCE, focusing on the aftermath of the Gallic Sack, the dedication of a temple to Mars, and the implications of agrarian reform.

It’s 387 BCE and Rome is working on getting back of her feet. What’s even happening in Rome? It can be hard to tell because of the nature of the extant sources and just how much seems to be missing. The Gallic Sack casts a long shadow over Rome, it was just a couple of years ago but the consequences of the situation linger. Livy notes that Rome is continuing its rebuilding program. Land Allotment Anyone? If there’s one thing you can count on in this era, it’s the cyclical focus on war and land allotment. And we have a tribune of the plebs on the record, which is a hint that there’ll be agitation for agrarian reform. We know this has a literary legacy for our late Republican writers like Livy, but that’s not to say that there wasn’t a need to reform in the middle republic. Enter stage right: the Pomptine Marshes! A Temple to Mars Back during the conflict with Gauls, the Romans had vowed to establish a temple to Mars. And we’re finally up to the dedication of the temple in 387 BCE. This is an exceptionally important event for the Romans as it is way of cementing their relationship with Mars. A temple requires some specific activities to establish and seems to have involved the…

People in this episode

Host: The Partial Historians

Topics covered

• Roman history
• temple dedication
• Carthaginian invasion
• agrarian reform
• Pomptine Marshes
• Livy
• Gallic Sack

Keywords

• Rome
• 387 BCE
• Livy
• Carthage
• temple to Mars
• Gallic Sack
• Pomptine Marshes
• agrarian reform

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Carthage

Places: Rome, Pomptine Marshes

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