Transcript Punic Wars/Julius Caesar

Review
1. What peninsula is Rome
on?
Italian
Peninsula
2. Why was Italy easier to unify
than Greece?
 Mountains
were less rugged, no
isolated valleys, better farmland.
3. What were the two classes of
people in Rome?
 Patricians
and Plebeians
4. Rome started out as a
republic - what does this
mean?
 The
officials were chosen by the
people.
5. Who was Cincinnatus?
 Model
dictator who organized army,
led Romans to victory over enemy,
and returned home to farm within 16
days.
Rome
 By
about 270 B.C.
Rome controlled
most of the Italian
peninsula.

Basic military unit
was the legion
made up of about
5000 men.
 Rome
then let them keep their own
customs, money, and government.
 They
allowed some people the right
of citizenship.
The Punic Wars
264-146 B.C.
 After
conquering
the Italian
peninsula it was
brought into
contact with
Carthage.
 This
led to
three wars
with Carthage
- called the
Punic Wars.
 Rome
won the First Punic War
and won Sicily, Corsica, and
Sardinia.
Second Punic War
 218
BC - Carthage General
Hannibal led his army and war
elephants across Pyrennes,
through France, and over Alps
into Italy.
 Surprised
Roman army who
expected invasion from south.
Hannibal
 Won
battles for 15 years but did not
capture Rome.
 Rome
sent an army to attack
Carthage and Hannibal returned to
defend it.
 Romans
defeated Hannibal and
Carthage gave up all land except in
Africa.
Third Punic War

Rome completely
destroyed
Carthage.

Survivors killed or
sold into slavery.
Roman Estates
 Conquests
brought riches into Rome.
– Huge estates bought by
the wealthy and worked by the
slaves.
 Latifundia
 Farmers
fall into debt and sell their
land. Gap between rich and poor
increases.
 Slavery
system.
spreads in the agricultural
 This
battle between the rich patricians
(Haves) and poor plebeians (Have
Nots) leads to the Roman Revolution.
Gracchus Brothers

Try to reform Rome asked state to
distribute land to
poor farmers.

This angered the
Senate who saw
them as a threat.

Brothers were killed.
The Republic Declines
 Rome
experiences a
series of civil wars
over who should be
in charge of Rome.
 Roman
currency
loses its value which
leads to inflation.
A
slave by the
name of
Spartacus led
a revolt of
90,000 slaves
against the
Roman army.

They will fight for
two years until
Spartacus is
captured.

As a message to
other rebels the
Romans
crucified
Spartacus and
6,000 others
along the road
into Rome.
Spartacus
Julius Caesar’s Rise to Power

Military commander.

Dominates politics
along with Pompey and
Crassus.

The three make up the
First Triumvirate.

59 BC – sets out to
make new conquests.

Caesar captures
Gaul. (present day
France)

One member,
Crassus has died and
the other, Pompey
gets worried and has
Senate order Caesar
to disband his army.

He refuses and, with
his army, forces
Rome to make him
dictator (absolute
ruler) - he keeps the
Senate.
Assassination

Caesar’s enemies
worried that he planned
to make himself king of
Rome.

In 44 B.C. his enemies
stabbed him to death.

Ides of March (March
15th)

New round of civil wars.
2nd Triumvirate

Senate appoints a 2nd
Triumvirate.

Octavian (Caesar’s nephew),
Mark Antony, and Marcus
Lepidus.

Defeated opposition and then
competed amongst
themselves for power.

Octavian comes out on top.
The Roman Empire


Octavian takes
control of Rome.
Given the title,
Augustus (Exalted
One).
Now known as
Augustus Cesar- first
emperor
Roman republic
comes to an end.

Has civil service system
where the best person
for the job received the
job regardless of class.

Issued new coins to be
used by everyone.

Fails to create a plan for
peaceful succession of
Emperors.
The Pax Romana

200-year span of
“Roman Peace” and
prosperity.

Entertainment
– Circus Maximus.
(Rome’s largest
race course)
– Gladiator contests.
(slaves fought for
their freedom)
Circus Maximus
The Colosseum

Rome’s largest
stadium.

Could hold
50,000
spectators.

Floor was the
size of a football
field.