The Roman Republic began around 509 BC when nobles drove the king and his family from Rome. This monumental incident helped begin the transformation of the monarchy into a republican system of government. We know that it began with Roman nobles trying to retain the power they had acquired. The Republic was “[a] city-state [that] was the foundation of Greek society in the Hellenic era; in the Hellenistic period, Greek cities became subordinate to kingdoms, political pantry units ruled by autocratic monarchs” (Perry 105). This new republican government, administered by the consuls, was not the easiest to transform. Due to the expansion in Italy, the government began to establish political institutions. These institutions enforced laws and provided authority very similar to that of the imperium. “The Romans had a clear conception of executive power, embodied in their word imperium, or “the right to command” (Spielvogel 117). Since the Romans were very sensible in their actions, they did and implemented them only when necessary. The most essential positions held were the few elected magistrates and the two consuls who were “chosen each year, administered the government, and led the Roman army into battle” (Spielvogel 117). If the consul were otherwise occupied, either a dictator or a praetor would assume responsibility for the time being. Due to the coercion of the plebs, the council of decemviri “was created with the task of regularizing and publishing the laws” (Spielvogel 118). The result was the creation of the Twelve Tables, published around 450 BC, which only “led to further agitation on the part of the plebeians” (Spielvogel 118). The benefits of this were...... middle of paper ......belief in various gods and goddesses. After the expansion of Rome, they began to develop other forms of deities based on Greek culture, essentially meaning "Greeco-Roman" religion. Although many religious cults linked to Rome, including Greece, were often accepted, many were banned. Families formed the basis of Roman society while the dominant males, the paterfamilias, “held absolute authority over his children” (Spielvogel 129) and other members of his household. . Roman citizens were classified with three names to differentiate them from other families, but women were generally known by only one. “Women must remain under guardianship even when they have reached their majority” (Spielvogel 119). Upper-class women never achieved true freedom, but they began to make inroads and find ways to circumvent the "guardianship" of men in their homes...