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John Abernathy Rome and her Villain The concept of good vs. evil is as old as the human story and generally involves a hero and a villain. The hero is the one everyone cheers for in the hopes that they vanquish the villain and bring an end to their troubles. In a hero, we see everything that inspires us and makes us yearn for greatness or in some way aim to serve a higher purpose. With villains, we see the things that we have no desire to be or see things deemed as evil, immoral, or in any way opposite the hero. Knowing what distinguishes a villain from a hero can be very telling of a society’s values. Throughout the history of Rome, our Roman historians have shown us villainy in the eyes of Roman society to convey aspects of their culture that were deemed wicked to them. Our historians use the Gauls to show us what the Romans considered horrible within their society. When the Gauls find the senate sitting incredibly still almost like statues until further investigation and one is hit with a staff. Livy writes, “… the barbarian flamed into anger and killed him, and the others were butchered where they sat,” (418). This hints that Romans see the Gauls as a wrathful group with an eagerness to kill. The Romans saw the Gauls as greedy brutish uncivilized barbarians, who had beards and wore pants. “… no mercy was shown: houses ransacked and the empty shell set on fire” (Livy 419). The Romans think very lowly of the Gauls for being a force to be reckoned with and being so cruel as to violate Rome because Romans have a lot of pride in who they are and where they live. They hate the Gauls for not being merciful because it's something that they value and believe that they are as Romans. The Gauls are the opposite of the Romans who are smart, civilized, and serve Rome selflessly. Carthage is a villain in the story of Rome in order to convey what things Romans despise in culture. The Romans see the Carthaginians as being virtually the same as them but twisted and wicked. “Thrice over with unholy warfare did the Carthaginian leaders violate their compact

John Abernathy with the Senate and the treaty they had sworn by Jupiter to observe,” (Silius Italicus 3). The Carthaginians broke an oath sworn on Jupiter this is something that would have been egregious in the eyes of a Roman because they took oaths very seriously and Jupiter was king of the gods so to them this was a very serious oath to break even once let alone three times. Rome saw Carthage as an evil entity, most likely because of a Carthaginian general named Hannibal. In the Ab Urbe Condita , Livy wrote that Hannible’s father, “led the boy to the altar and made him solemnly swear, with his hand upon the sacred victim, that as soon as he was old enough he would be the enemy of the Roman people,” (23). The Romans hated and feared this man who stayed in Italy for over a decade and won any and all direct conflicts with Roman troops. He was such a good strategist that the Romans couldn’t attack him head-on. This was terrible for them because that was the way they preferred to fight. They fought the same way but Carthage was better at it making him evil. “If the enemy stayed still, he did the same. If they moved, He would make a detour…” (Plutarch 261). This was how Fabius Maximus had to fight in order to keep his troops alive because he couldn’t win a direct conflict and instead, he had to try and wait out. Hannible only left the peninsula to go home to defend Carthage because they decided to take the war to Carthage. From the complex narrative of Rome's history and its depiction of foes, we put together a deep understanding of Roman cultural values and their collective identity. By casting the Gauls as savage barbarians and the Carthaginians as upside-down oath-breakers, Roman historians not only justified their own actions and wars but also reinforced the ideals and principles that Romans held dear. This narrative strategy provided a mirror for the Romans, reflecting their own virtues by contrast. It showcased their commitment to honor, trust, and valor, and highlighted the moral imperatives underpinning their conquests. In Rome's historical records the distinction

John Abernathy between hero and villain wasn't just a simple chronicle of events, but an insight into the very core of Roman culture and society.

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