Transcript Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome
Section 1
Part 2 Political Structures and Punic
Wars
Roman Political Structure
Rome was made up of:
 Patricians
 Plebeians
Patricians
 Wealthy landowners who became
Rome’s ruling class
 Could vote
 Could be elected to office
Plebeians
 Less wealthy landowners, small
farmers, crafts people, and
merchants
 Could vote
 Could not be elected to office
Chief Executive Officers
Consuls
 2 chosen every year
 Ran the government
 Led army into battle
Praetor
 In charge of laws that applied to
Roman citizens (civil laws)
Roman Senate
 Made up of 300 patricians
 Served for life
 In the beginning its only role was to
advise the government
 Later it had the force of law
Struggle for Order
 Conflict between patricians and
plebeians
 Plebeians wanted political and social
equality
 Eventually led to success for
plebeians
Roman Law
Twelve Tables
 1st written set of laws
 Publically displayed
 Protected right of all citizens
Law of Nations
 Laws for both Romans and non-Romans
 Based on natural laws or laws based on
reason
Example: Person accused allowed to
defend themselves or person innocent until
proven guilty
Twelve Table
Roman Expansion
 After Rome’s conquest of Italy, they
looked to new areas
 One area was Carthage
Carthage
 Found on the northern coast of Africa
 By 800 BC had an enormous trading
empire in the western Meditteranean
 Had colonies from Spain to Sicily
 Largest and richest state in the area
Punic Wars - Background
 Between Rome and Carthage
 Three Punic Wars
 The Carthage presence in Sicily made
the Romans fearful
First Punic War
 War over Sicily
 Carthage had control over Sicily and
the Romans were fearful because
Sicily was too close to the Italy coast
 Rome built a large navy and defeated
Carthage
 Sicily became the first Roman
province
2nd Punic War
 Carthage brought war to Rome
 Carthage was led by Hannibal, the
greatest Carthaginian general
 Used horse and elephants in battle.
All the 37 elephants died
 No match for the Roman leader,
Scipio, who crushed Hannibal’s forces
and Rome won the war.
3rd Punic War
 Occurred 50 years later in Carthage
 Carthage was destroyed by burning
the entire city down
 Inhabitants sold into slavery
 Carthage becomes a roman province
called Africa
 Romans win the war
Activity #2
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Get a book
Turn to Page 150-151
Review the information on the Punic Wars
Illustrate a poster on one of the wars
Must include:
Which war
Lots of color
Who won
Example: Naval battle over Sicily (war
#1), elephant battle in Rome (war #2), or
burning of Carthage in Africa (war #3)