Ancient Rome – The Rise of the Roman Republic
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Expansion in the Italian Peninsula and Beyond
------------------------------------------------------------------------------I. Roman armies became the most advanced of their day.
a. Building on Greek phalanx tactics, the Romans conquered all
of Italy.
b. The military was broken into legions, 5000 soldiers.
c. Like Greece, these are citizen-soldiers.
1. Fought for no pay, but combat success led to rewards.
II. Rome in Victory
a. After conquering a people, Rome was very lenient.
b. Defeated foes had to acknowledge Roman rule, pay taxes and
supply soldiers.
c. They could keep their own customs, religion and local
government. Some were granted Roman citizenship.
d. To protect and maintain the lands it conquered, Rome posted
soldiers throughout its territories and connected them to Rome
with thousands of miles of roads.
III. The Punic Wars
a. Rome’s great adversary was always Carthage.
b. The Carthaginians were descended from the Phoenicians.
c. Rome and Carthage fought three bloody wars called the Punic
Wars.
IV. The First Punic War
a. Rome defeats Carthage for control of Sicily.
V. The Second Punic War
a. The great Carthaginian general, Hannibal, led his army across
the French Alps into Italy.
b. His elephant troops were extremely effective. But, many died
in his march across the mountains.
c. For 15 years, they stormed across Italy, defeating all Roman
opposition.
d. Finally, a desperate Roman attack is launched against the city
of Carthage itself.
e. Hannibal was forced to remove his army from Italy to defend
his home.
f. He is finally defeated by a Roman Consul named Scipio
Africanus ( Scipio of Africa)
VI. The Third Punic War
a. Finally, Rome decided to destroy Carthage forever.
b. Carthage, now extremely weak, was burned by the Romans.
C. Rome conquers all of Carthage and its territories.
I. Life after the Punic Wars
a. Rome now controls all of the Mediterranean coast.
b. Wealthy landowners begin setting up large estates for profit
farming.
c. These farms are called latifundia.
1. They produce grain, sheep, olives and fruit for markets.
2. Labor is mostly captured slaves from the Roman
conquests.
3. Former citizens who were paid for work, flock to the
cities for jobs.
4. There are no jobs available.
- They end up in roaming political “street gangs.”
II. Revolts
a. With more and more poor Romans being created from work
shortages, revolt becomes a constant threat.
b. Legions are stationed in most provinces, ‘just in case’.
c. Spartacus
- slave who leads a rebellion across Rome.
- Achieves several victories before his final defeat.
III. Reforms
a. The Gracchus Brothers
b. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
1. Tribune of the Plebs
2. Proposed distributing latifundia land to the poor.
3. Killed in street fighting.
IV. Time of the Tyrants
a. Consul Marius
1. Recruits an army from Rome’s urban poor.
2. Promises them pay, uniforms and equipment and land
after they are discharged from service.
-. Loyal to Marius, not the Republic.
3. Battles co-consul, Sulla, for control of Rome.
4. Sulla drives Marius into exile and had himself appointed
dictator.