A History of Rome: from the Earliest Times to the Establishment of the Empire. With Chapters on the History of Literature and Art

A History Of Rome: From The Earliest Times To The Establishment Of The Empire. With Chapters On The History Of Literature And Art by Henry George Liddell. Thisexcerpt surveys Part 3 of 4, tracing the Late Roman Republic from the Gracchi era through the rise of Sulla and the Mithridatic War. It outlines the tension between reformist aims and entrenched aristocracy, the growing power of popular generals, and the expansion of Roman citizenship and franchise, which spur social and political upheaval such as the Social War and its consequences. Key figures include the Gracchi brothers, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Crassus, Mithridates, Jugurtha, and Cicero, along with Jugurtha and Numidian politics that catalyze military reform. Major conflicts—Jugurthine War, Cimbrian/Teutonic invasions, Social War, Mithridatic War—are presented alongside the shift toward autocratic rule. The piece emphasizes political crisis, demagoguery, corruption, and the transformation of Rome’s governance from reform-oriented republic to imperial-like authority, setting the stage for the rise of a centralized state.