第8章 古罗马——希腊色彩染成的拉丁人乡土文化(2)
Roman Republic：A series of checksand balances of power
According to legend， the Roman Republic was established around 509 BC， when the last of the seven kings of Rome， Tarquin the Proud， was deposed by Lucius Junius Brutus， and a system based on annually elected magistrates and various representative assemblies was established. A constitution set a series of checks and balances， and a separation of powers. The most important magistrates were the two consuls， who together exercised executive authority as imperium， or military command. The consuls had to work with the senate， which was initially an advisory council of the ranking nobility， or patricians， but grew in size and power.
Other magistracies in the Republic include tribunes， quaestors， aediles， praetors and censors. The magistracies were originally restricted to patricians， but were later opened to common people， or plebeians. Republican voting assemblies included the comitia centuriata（centuriate assembly）， which voted on matters of war and peace and elected men to the most important offices.
In the 4th century BC Rome had come under attack by the Gauls. The Gauls had been penetrating deep into Etruria， so the Romans decided to join in on the melee. With Etruria completely gone， the Gauls continued their advance south which led them into a fight with the Romans. On 16 July 390 BC， a Gallic army under the leadership of a tribal chieftain named Brennus， met the Romans on the Banks of the small Allia River just ten miles north of Rome. Brennus defeated the Romans， afterwards the Gauls marched directly to Rome. Most Romans had fled the city， those who were capable of fighting barricaded themselves upon the Capitoline Hill for a last stand. The Gauls looted and burned the city， then laid siege to the Capitoline Hill. The siege lasted seven months， the Gauls then agreed to a compromise peace. The Romans were forced to pay the Gauls 1，000 pounds of gold. According to legend， the Roman General supervising the weighing noticed that the Gauls were using false scales. The Romans then took up arms and drove the Gauls back， and then an army led by Camillus defeated the Gauls and he said， "With iron， not with gold， Rome buys her freedom."
The Romans gradually subdued the other peoples on the Italian peninsula， including the Etruscans. The last threat to Roman hegemony in Italy came when Tarentum， a major Greek colony， enlisted the aid of Pyrrhus of Epirus in 281 BC， but this effort failed as well. The Romans secured their conquests by founding Roman colonies in strategic areas， establishing stable control over the region of Italy.
罗马共和国：一系列的权力制衡和分立体系
根据有关传说，罗马共和国是建立在公元前509年罗马的最后七大国王统治期间。当时，傲慢王塔克文被布鲁图斯废黜，一个建立在每年选举地方行政官和各种各样的代表大会基础上的政治体系终于成立了，随之，一系列的制衡和权力分立体系也相应建立起来。当时最重要的地方行政官是两名执政官，他们共同行使帝国的行政权或军事指挥权。执政官不得不与参议院，参议院最初上级贵族或显贵的咨询委员会，但规模和权力日益增长。
共和国的其他执政官包括保民官、财务官、市政官、法官和监察官，他们最初仅限于贵族，但后来也吸收普通人和平民百姓。共和党投票委员会包括军伍大会（百人团大会），投票议题是有关战争与和平问题，以及最重要官员的人选问题。
公元前4世纪，罗马遭到高卢人的攻击。那时高卢人已经深入到伊特鲁里亚，所以罗马人决定参与混战。随着伊特鲁里亚人的完全消失，高卢人继续南进，于是高卢人与罗马人之间的战争爆发了。公元前390年7月16日，高卢军在一个名叫布伦努斯的部落首领的领导下，遭遇了罗马以北10英里的小阿利亚河畔的罗马军。布伦努斯击败了罗马军，接着高卢人长驱直入罗马城。大多数罗马人逃离了城市，那些有作战能力的人躲进了最后一站——卡匹托尔山。高卢人洗劫并烧毁了城市，然后包围了卡匹托尔山，这次围攻持续了7个月，最后高卢人同意和解，罗马人被迫支付高卢人1000磅黄金。相传，罗马将军监督衡器，注意到高卢人使用假秤，而后罗马人拿起武器奋起反抗，赶走了高卢人。后来，卡美卢斯率领下的一支军队打败了高卢人，他说：“罗马人是用铁，而不是用黄金，买回了她的自由。”
罗马人逐渐征服了意大利半岛上的其他民族，包括伊特鲁里亚。意大利罗马霸权的最后一个威胁到来了，希腊的主要殖民地塔伦特姆城，于公元前281年请求了皮洛士的帮助，但这一努力以失败告终。罗马人通过在战略领域建立罗马殖民地和稳定控制意大利地区来达到征服的目的。
Roman Empire：The zenith of the Roman civilization
In 27 BC， Octavian （63BC–14AD） was the sole Roman leader. His leadership brought the zenith of the Roman civilization， that lasted for two centuries. In that year， he took the name Augustus. That event is usually taken by historians as the beginning of Roman Empire – although Rome was an "imperial" state since 146 BC， when Carthage was razed by Scipio Aemilianus and Greece was conquered by Lucius Mummius. Officially， the government was republican， but Augustus assumed absolute powers. Besides that， the Empire was safer， happier and more glorious than the Roman Republic.
罗马帝国：罗马文明的顶峰
公元前27年，屋大维（公元前63年～公元14年）成为罗马的唯一领袖。他的领导引来了罗马文明的顶峰，这段文明持续了两个世纪。那一年，他被尊称为奥古斯都。该事件通常被历史学家称为罗马帝国的开端——尽管从公元前146年开始，罗马就是一个“帝国”了，可当时迦太基被小西庇阿夷为平地，希腊被穆米乌斯侵占。政府正式成为共和政体，但奥古斯都拥有绝对权力。除此之外，帝国比罗马共和国更安全，更快乐和更辉煌。
2. Architecture wonders in the background of Latin Native Culture
Under the influence of Etruscan and Greek culture， the civilization of ancient Rome was built up by absorbing their essence. Since the 3th century BC， Rome became a Mediterranean power， and its architecture was highly developed.
拉丁人乡土文化背景下的建筑艺术奇迹
古罗马文化是在伊特鲁里亚和希腊文化的影响下，吸收其精华并融合而成的。公元前3世纪以后，罗马成为地中海地区的强国，其建筑艺术亦高度发展。
Colosseum：The greatest sports venue inhistory
The original name of the Colosseum in Rome is Amphitheatrum Flavium. It was built from 72 AD to 82 AD. It is the symbol of the Ancient Roman Civilization， and also the greatest sports venue in history.
The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome， Italy， the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.