Beginning of an Empire

First Punic War (264-241 BCE)

Rome vs. Carthage

Reason Control of Sicily for trade and grain

Sicily would become the first Roman province and

then Sardinia which was an added insult for Carthage

Romans needed innovation to compete at sea

Naval Innovation
The corvus  a boarding device

They had a heavy spike shaped as a bird's beak on the

underside of the device, to pierce the enemy ship's
deck when the bridge was lowered.
Hannibal (247-182 BCE),
Rising tension
Talented Carthaginian military commander who took
on the task of destroying the Romans
Second Punic War (218-202 BCE)
Power flip flopped, Carthage now had the better army
but Rome controlled the sea

Hannibal made a legendary journey over the Alps

Lost 1/3 of his army but the Gauls joined him

Hannibal’s strategy Break the Romans from within

Instigate revolts and draw troops away from borders
Shifting Momentum
Cannae- 70,000 Romans were killed
Led to Macedon-Carthage alliance
Rome was in trouble

Drafts and taxation gave the Romans an advantage

Scipio was elected counsel and began winning battles

Zama (N. Africa)- Scipio won and Roman alliances held

 “Scipio Africanus”
Third Punic War (151-146 BCE)
Carthage accepted harsh terms after 2nd war but
Hannibal built their economy back up

Numidia (a Roman ally) goaded Carthage to attack

Rome declared war and Carthage was destroyed with

its people sold to slavery

Carthage  Roman province of Africa

Problems that came with Expansion
Class stratification
Equites= wealthy Romans who were not Senators
 “The Business class”
Publicani= Formed companies to bid on public contracts

Latifundia were constructed with lots of slave labor

Lower classes had been decimated by all the wars

Gracchi Brothers (Tiberius and Gaius)
Used the plebeian assembly to pass reform
Spit in the Senate’s face

Wanted to reallocate land

Wanted Public Works projects
Wanted a new colony in Africa

They were both killed along with thousands of their

supporters
Transition to an Empire (Civil Wars)
Politicians and generals wanted absolute power
Would recruit personal, die-hard armies

The two most powerful generals were:

Lucius Sulla Gaius Marius

Gaius Marius (157-86 BCE)
Popular from leading many military victories

Opened the army to everyone

87 BCE, Marius took Rome

Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138-78 BCE)
He took Rome in 83 BCE

Burned the city and murdered his enemies (10,000)

5 year reign of terror, “proscriptions”

Named dictator and strengthened the senate

Left more turmoil than he had found

Gnaius Pompey (106-48 BCE)
He became consul in 70 BCE and restored the
power of the tribune

Conquered Syria, Judaea and Mesopotamia

Returned in 62 BCE, disbanded his army

He had enemies in the senate and they blocked his

proposals and attempts at gaining full power
Marcus Licinius Crassus (107-53 BCE)
Became the wealthiest man in Rome and worked
with Sulla

Defeated the rebel Spartacus

Restored tribunes’ powers

The senate blocked many of his proposals

Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE)
Survived Sulla’s Proscriptions

Was active in Roman politics by spending money on

gladiators and other public spectacles

Led an army which conquered Gaul

His popularity allowed him to be elected consul

First Triumvirate
Caesar was consul and met with Crassus and Pompey

They agreed to work together for their common goals

Crassus was killed in Asia Minor

Caesar and Pompey were pitted against each other

Pompey fled to Greece
Caesar vs. Pompey
Pompey in Greece, Caesar in Rome

Caesar defeated Pompey loyalists in the “Wild West”

(Spain) and attacked them in Greece

Caesar was the better general

Pompey fled but was stabbed by a Roman when he got

off a boat in Egypt
Caesar’s Centralization
Continued to expand: Britain and Gaul

Distributed land to his supporters and soldiers

Large scale building projects

Wanted to be the sole ruler of the World

Named himself dictator in 46 BCE

Coins with his face, golden throne, a KING

"Veni, Vidi, Vici”
After Caesar
44 BCE, 60 senators stabbed him in the Roman forum
at the feet of Pompey’s statue on the Ides of March
(the 15th)
Octavian
Octavian (Caesar’s adopted son) rose to power

Octavian consolidated his power and became

Augustus in 27 BCE
A semi-divine ruler
Octavian
His rival was Mark Antony who tried to recreate
Alexander’s empire with Cleopatra

Actium, “The final war of the Roman Republic”

(31BCE)

Romans win decisively

Augustus (The Principate is 27 BCE-14 CE)
Octavian = Augustus = Princeps

Ruled a Monarchy while restoring the Republic

Important to appeal to all classes

Military commanders who all swore allegiance to him

Nobility were all trusted allies

Developed a bureaucracy
Expansion of the Empire
High point of the Empire early second century CE
Growth
Expansion  Trade, Cities, etc…

“Pax Romana” lasted for 2.5 centuries and helped

trade

Homogenization of urban culture throughout the

Empire

Roads became an engineering marvel

180 miles in one day
Via Appia
The Appian Way
Roman Law
12 Tables were written in 450 BCE
If a father gives up his son for sale three times, the son
shall be free.

If anyone has sung or composed a song against another

person that was causing slander or insult… he shall be
clubbed.

Needed to progress and become more rational

Law
Standards and rule applied throughout Roman land

Innocent until proven guilty

Right to trial

Helped influence throughout the world