What did the seven kings contribute to Rome, and how much Etruscan influence does the regal period show?
The regal period and the seven kings of Rome: the contributions of Numa, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius and the Etruscan kings (Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus), the reforms of Servius Tullius, and the influence of the Etruscans on early Rome, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the regal period and the seven kings of Rome, covering the contributions of Numa, Tullus Hostilius and Ancus Marcius, the Etruscan kings Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus, the reforms of Servius Tullius, and the influence of the Etruscans on early Rome, studied through Livy.
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What this dot point is asking
After Romulus, tradition gives Rome seven kings before the Republic. This dot point asks what each contributed to the city's development and how much Etruscan influence the regal period shows. You need the kings and their achievements (especially the reforms of Servius Tullius), and you must use Livy critically, since he is writing a patriotic narrative centuries later that may credit the kings with later developments.
The answer
The early Latin and Sabine kings
The Etruscan kings
The reforms of Servius Tullius
Etruscan influence
Rome grew up under the shadow of its more advanced Etruscan neighbours, which the period study expects you to recognise.
Examples in context
A model answer groups the kings' achievements by theme and explains how they developed Rome, rather than listing them one by one.
Try this
Q1. Name the three Etruscan or Etruscan-influenced kings of Rome. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus.
Q2. Explain why Servius Tullius is regarded as an important king. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Because he reorganised the citizen body and army, dividing citizens into classes by wealth that determined both their military role and their voting weight, which tied wealth, service and political power together and formed the basis of the later Roman state.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/02 201810 marksExplain how the kings after Romulus contributed to the development of Rome. [10-mark explanation question]Show worked answer →
A Section A explanation question (AO1 and AO2) on contribution and change.
Knowledge. Numa established Rome's religion and calendar; Tullus Hostilius was a warlike king who destroyed Alba Longa; Ancus Marcius extended Rome to the sea (Ostia) and built the first bridge; the Etruscan kings developed the city (the Circus, the great drain, the temple on the Capitol) and Servius Tullius reformed the army and citizens.
Explanation. Reward developed reasons showing how each king built up a different aspect: religion, war, infrastructure, and political organisation, so Rome grew from a village into an organised city.
Top band. Group the contributions by theme and judge which king or kind of contribution mattered most for Rome's development.
OCR J198/02 20205 marksStudy Livy's account of Servius Tullius. What does this source suggest about his importance as a king? [5-mark source-inference question]Show worked answer →
A Section A source-inference question (AO3) on a prescribed passage.
Make inferences. Livy presents Servius as a great organiser who reformed the army and citizen body, suggesting he was seen as the founder of Rome's political and military structure.
Support each point. Tie inferences to detail: the division of citizens into classes by wealth for military service and voting (the centuriate organisation), and his reputation as a wise reformer.
Top marks. Two or three developed inferences linked to the source, noting that Livy writes much later and may credit Servius with later developments.
Related dot points
- The foundation legends of Rome: Aeneas and the Trojan origins, Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf and the founding of the city in 753 BC, the rape of the Sabine women, and how Livy's narrative can be tested against the archaeology of the early settlement on the Palatine.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the foundation legends of Rome, covering the Trojan origins through Aeneas, Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf, the founding of the city in 753 BC and the rape of the Sabine women, and how Livy's narrative can be tested against the archaeology of the early settlement on the Palatine.
- The fall of the monarchy and the founding of the Republic: the tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus, the rape of Lucretia and the expulsion of the kings in 509 BC, the creation of the two annual consuls, and the new Republican constitution, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the fall of the Roman monarchy and the founding of the Republic, covering the tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus, the rape of Lucretia and the expulsion of the kings in 509 BC, the creation of the two annual consuls and the new constitution, and how to use Livy's dramatic narrative critically.
- The early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders: the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders, covering the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
- The prescribed sources for the Foundations of Rome period study: Livy as the main literary narrative (and the problem of a moralising author writing centuries later), Dionysius of Halicarnassus as a parallel Greek account, and the archaeological evidence for early Rome, and how to weigh later literary tradition against material evidence.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Foundations of Rome period study, explaining how to use Livy as the main literary narrative (and the problem of a moralising author writing centuries later), Dionysius of Halicarnassus as a parallel Greek account, and the archaeological evidence for early Rome, and how to weigh later literary tradition against material evidence.
- The AO3 source skills: making supported inferences from a source, comparing two sources, and judging how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and contextual knowledge, rather than labelling a source reliable or biased.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the AO3 source questions, explaining how to make supported inferences, compare two sources, and judge how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance and contextual knowledge, with a method that transfers across the Greek and Roman options.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book 1 — Perseus Digital Library