h people keeping their day jobs. When Romulus died in 717 BC, thetwo main tribes, the Romans and the Sabines, couldn't decide how to pick a king. Finally itwas decided that the Romans would pick a Sabine king. They picked Numa Pompilius.This is what Plutarch had to say about him: "He banished all luxury and softness from hisown home, and... in private he devoted himself not to amusement... but to the worship ofthe immortal gods." (Nardo 19) One of Pompilius' notable achievements was rearrangingthe calendar so it had twelve months instead of ten. The third king, Tullus Hostilius, was awar monger. He believed his subjects would grow soft if they weren't engaged in a war.Conquering neighboring people, including Alba Longa, he extended Rome's rule out totwelve miles. Supposedly the gods got angry with him and killed him with a lightning bolt(Burrell, 12). The fourth king, Ancus Martius, was a Sabine. He extended Rome'sboundary to the sea and built the Pons Sublicus, the first bridge across the Tiber. He alsocaptured the Janiculum hill on the far bank. The fifth king, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, wasthe first Etruscan king. He got the throne when he persuaded Martius to send hissonsaway. He was an architect king. He built the capitol temple, drained the marsh betweenthe Paletine and Aventine Hills, built the Cloaca Maxima, or great sewer, and designed theCircus Maximus. The sixth king was Servius Tullius, another Etruscan. He divided thecitizens into five social classes, from richest to poorest. All but the poorest had to providesoldiers. The seventh, and final, king was Tarquinius Superbus. He was a bad king. He gotthe throne by marrying Tullius' daughter, Tullia. He then pushed Tullius down a flight ofstairs. He sent men to finish him off, but Tullia ran over her father with a cisium, Latin fora light, two-wheeled carriage. As king, he paid absolutely no attention to what the peoplewanted. According to Asimov, when he was off at war with the...
