The Roman Republic in Sallust's Account, the Conspiracy of Catiline Essay

The Roman Republic in Sallust's Account, the Conspiracy of Catiline - Essay Example Although an account of personal observations and opinions, this document can be considered as a written eyewitness account of an indigenous intellectual of Rome - an onlooker to the establishment, growth and decline of an ancient superpower. By analysing the contents of the document, it is evident that the Roman historian attributed the ascent of the Roman Republic to the valor of the people, that their strength in arms provided them the security of their rights and liberty from various enemies. The Romans’ might and bravery allowed them to forge allies and supporters, thus having provided a firm respect from neighboring city-states and sovereignties. The people upheld valor by bestowing the military culture amongst their young ones. From the childhood up to adulthood, primarily in all generations of Romans, the republic was well protected. Honour and glory became the primary theme of Rome. Sallust furthered the explanation of Roman beginnings by recounting the virtues that ha d transpired after the military conquests and expeditions of its people. Good morals such as loyalty to citizenship, patronage in religion and the natural adherence to justice molded the Roman society. The historian also mentioned in his account that the Romans’ animosity for opponents and their preparedness for battles caused Rome’s neighbours to make ties rather than to make war. With this, the Roman Republic was born. It was built from brute strength and the consolidation of brilliant minds, which produced a formidable state that caused the creation of the Roman law. These laws were protected by the Senate and implemented by the monarchical nature of the republic. Technically, though Sallust’s account can be classified as merely a product of observation and a product of subjectivity, it cannot be denied that the supposed biography intricately described what the Roman society was through the eyes of a true intellectual Roman scholar. His experiences and role i n the writing of the history of Rome makes his account a strong primary source for subsequent scholars of this particular field. Thus, the observation of the author accounts to a very interesting point of view with relation to the climb of the Roman Republic to greatness. Its origins revealed that force and decisiveness were needed to establish an immovable government. Sallust then went to a pessimistic standpoint - the demise and the eventual fall of the Roman Republic. At the time when Rome had military supremacy in Europe, when the Roman army continuously fought battles and repeatedly won, the toils of war caused a spark in the destruction of the values. Looting the wealth of defeated states were the ingredients for the downfall of the great Republic. The need for an expanding Rome almost immediately transformed into a pure desire for the material. The Romans craved for money and treasures, which distorted the Roman theme of honour and glory. Thereafter, Sallust described the con tinuous corruption from an extreme desire for the material to the unjustifiable claim for power, which created tyranny. This attribution of the demise of Rome was simple but revolutionary for the mainstream history of the republic. Sallust had concretely specified the core causes of the destruction of Rome. This is a very humanistic approach to the problems of ancient empires alike. The temptation of grabbing too much power gets the best of its wielder. In this case, Rome which had an obvious record of