The Roman
Republic
• Brutus, Collatinus, Lucretia’s father rally
the people and overthrow the king
• Tarquin is expelled from the state
• Brutus and two sons of Tarquin consult
the oracle to see who will rule
• Oracle says man who kisses his mother
first will rule
509 BC
• Rome is at war with a local tribe
• Cincinnatus is ploughing his fields
when the people make him
(unwillingly) a general
• Cincinnatus becomes the first dictator
• Roman Army is victorious
• after war end, Cincinnatus refuses to
rule and returns to his farm
458 BC
• Rome divided by the question of
citizenship
• lasts from the 5th Century into the 4th
Century
• Rome’s ultimate military success lies in
how they settle the citizenship issue:
conquered peoples allowed to continue
living as before, but are under a military
draft
The Social Wars
• 450s BC
• first codified, written, and publicly
displayed laws
• foundation of Western law
The Twelve Tables
• 390s- Gauls sack Rome
• Romans saved by sacred geese at the
Temple of Juno
• The Appian Way is built
• Alexander the Great (334-323)
• Rome expands through all central Italy
th
The 4 Century
• Rome goes to war with Carthage over
control of Sicily
• first international conflict and conflict
with imperial power
• lasts 20 years: from 264-241
• begins a 100 year conflict with
Carthage spanning three wars
The First Punic War
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lasts from 217-202
greatest war ever for the Romans
fought against Hannibal
early battles were crushing defeat for the
Romans
• Hannibal invades Italy for 10 years
Second Punic War
• Roman general Qunitus Fabius Maximus
“Cuntator”- “The Delayer”
• delays open conflict until Hannibal’s army
runs out of food
• 202 Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal at
Battle of Zama.
• Carthage laid waste
End of the Second Punic
War
• 168-146 Romans conquer Greece
• Horace “Graecia capta, Romama
victoriam cepit”
• influx of Greek art, literature,
culture, slaves
• Third Punic War
• Carthage defeated 146
Third Punic War