00:00 In the 6th century BC, the shepherd witnesses the arrival of a group of men on horseback and foot, who take two of his sheep, leading him to reflect on the upheaval caused by the ruling aristocrats and the birth of the Roman Republic.

04:19 The Romans believed that the foundation of the Republic in 509 BC, when they expelled the last king and established a mixed form of government, was the most important story in their history, representing their values and uniqueness as a city.

09:08 Rome experienced a significant political shift at the end of the 6th century and beginning of the 5th century BC, leading to the birth of the Republic, although the exact details of this shift are uncertain due to the lack of reliable historical records.

13:15 The traditional stories about the foundation of the Roman Republic cannot be trusted for their accuracy, but they do provide insights into the political and social dynamics of central Italy during that time.

17:46 By the end of the 6th century BC, Central Italy had become one of the most urbanized, densely populated, and sophisticated places in the Mediterranean world, with a politically complex aristocracy that was ambitious and constantly competing for power and prestige.

22:13 By the end of the 6th century BC, central Italy was a region of rich cities that were closely tied to the countryside, and while there were some differences between Latium and Etruria, overall there were more similarities than differences in terms of language, culture, and political organization.

26:21 Central Italy was a prime example of pure polity interaction, where political units of similar size and organization competed with each other, and the constant conflict and balance of power between these units helps explain why Rome didn't rise sooner, as the other powers in the region were constantly trying to diminish its influence; the kings of Rome, who were drawn from aristocratic clans, had two main roles: foreign policy and religion, acting as both warlords and intermediaries between the people and the gods.

30:31 The fall of the monarchy and the birth of the Roman Republic was a result of a power struggle between the people and the aristocracy, with the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbius, being exiled and replaced by his grandson after being overthrown by ambitious and powerful figures within the ruling dynasty.

35:18 Servius Tullius, the successor of Tarquinius Priscus, had a contradictory origin story in Roman and Etruscan traditions, with the Etruscan version suggesting that he was an Etruscan warlord named Mustarna who became king of Rome, and the Roman version claiming that he was a slave who married into the ruling dynasty before being murdered by his son-in-law.

39:22 The stories about the end of the Roman monarchy were likely influenced by Greek ideas of tyrants and moral unfitness, and the events surrounding the expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus and the birth of the Republic were probably more about power struggles and feuds between ambitious aristocrats than a fundamental rejection of royal power.

43:27 The stories surrounding the end of the Roman monarchy and the birth of the Republic were a result of later attempts to make sense of multiple independent traditions, and the transition to a republic was likely driven by an aristocratic conflict over control of Rome and a deep-rooted distaste for kings among the Roman people.