Question

How did the Roman devotion to mos maiorum create contribute to the succession problem of the Roman Empire? In your essay make sure you define mos maiorum, the nature of the succession problem, and why the 'solutions' failed to work. Give SPECIFIC examples!

small topic History

Answer 1

Introduction- the Mos Maiorum has a specific historical meaning, the term means “Custom of the Ancestors”. Mos is best translated as custom or tradition, the plural is Mores, as in morals, morality. As think of Cicero’s classics, O tempora, o mores.

The Mos Maiorum was an unwritten code which the ancient Romans derived their social norms. It was a core concept of Roman traditions, rituals and worships, these positive laws had a strong impact on Roman’s daily life. The term Mos Maiorum was used in ancient Rome, especially during the Republic and the early imperial period. It worked as a moral guide in a highly flexible social system, where the manners of the forefathers were positive guiding principles that showed how Rome was best led for the good of the city-state and the citizens.

To understand the concept of Mos Maiorum, it is important to note that Roman lacked a common legal code before 500 AD. Laws were certainly passed before this date too, but practices and rhetorical skills were often more decisive for the outcome of particular trials.

            The succession problem has two basic components: skill succession and power succession. The Mos Maiorum failed to fulfill both conditions due to its ethical norms so that the solutions failed to work. Actually, the Mos Maiorum was moral codes while succession needs everything possible to work for empire so that we can say that solutions had failed to work.