Julius Caesar assassination Octavian Roman Republic civil wars

Caesar’s death did not restore Rome’s republic

Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, but rival factions soon raised armies and civil wars followed. Caesar’s heir, Octavian, eventually took sole control and established a new Roman monarchy.

Greek settlement spread through colonization

A shortage of good farmland in mainland Greece helped drive large-scale colonization. Between 800 and 400 BC, Greek settlement spread over roughly ten times as much land, while the population grew from about 800,000 to as many as 7.5–10 million.

Ancient epic poets could build long stories from reusable lines

The Iliad and Odyssey contain many recurring phrases and repeated lines. Scholars studying oral traditions showed how performers could use familiar verbal formulas to compose and remember enormous narratives. Repetition was not necessarily a flaw or careless copying. It was part of the technology of storytelling before texts were routinely fixed in writing.

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Julius Caesar assassination Octavian Roman Republic civil wars

Caesar’s death did not restore Rome’s republic

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