Ms. Areces
World History
Chapter 6 Guided Notes
Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity
Section 2: From Republic to Empire
Winning an Empire
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As Romans conquered the Italian peninsula, they came into contact with
_____________________
o City-state on northern coast of Africa
o Settled by _______________________________________ and
______________________________ traders
o Ruled an empire across North Africa and the western Mediterranean
Conflict between the two powers would arise as Rome expanded westward
264 BC – 146 BC: Rome fought three wars with Carthage called the
_______________________________________
o Rome won the First Punic War and gained Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia
218 BC – 203 BC: The Second Punic War
o The Carthaginians sought _____________________________
o General Hannibal led his army on a march across the Pyrenees, through France,
and over the Alps into Italy
 This march __________________________________________________
 But he successfully surprised the Roman army by attacking from the
__________________ instead of from the __________________ (as was
expected)
o The Carthaginians won battle after battle, but failed to ______________________
o Then the Romans sent an army to attack Carthage
 Hannibal returned to Carthage to defend his homeland
 This is where the Romans ________________________ the Carthaginians
o Carthage gave up ____________________________ except for African territories
The Third Punic War officially _______________________________________
o Survivors were killed or sold into slavery
o The Romans also ___________________________________________________
so that nothing could grow there again
This meant the Romans were now the _________________ of the western Mediterranean
The Romans were committed to a policy of imperialism,
________________________________________________________________________
o While it was fighting with Carthage in the _________________, Rome continued
to expand _________________
o This is where the Romans encountered the Hellenistic rulers that had divided
Alexander the Great’s empire
The Romans also launched a series of wars against Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Asia
Minor
Ms. Areces
World History
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o They did this to ___________________________________________, or
_________________________________________________________________
o The new lands became Roman provinces (lands under their rule)
o Other regions (ex: Egypt) _____________________ with the Romans
Rome ruled from _________________ to _________________ by 133 BC
o The Mediterranean was called Mare Nostrum, or “_______________________"
Conquests and control of busy trade routes brought ____________________ into Rome
o High-ranking officials received huge fortunes
o Wealthy families bought huge estates, called latifundia
 Conquered people were forced to
___________________________________ on these estates
The use of slave labor __________________ the small farmers, though
o New supply of grain made the prices go down, so farmers fell into debt and had to
sell lands
Former farmers moved to the cities to find jobs
o They became part of a big group of _____________________________________
o This is when the _____________________ started in the cities
New wealth also created more __________________________________
o ________________________ and __________________________________
replaced the values of simplicity, hard work, and devotion to duty
Two patricians, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, attempted to reform when they were
elected as tribunes
o Tiberius __________________________________________________________
(133 BC)
o Gaius ____________________________________________________________
(123 BC)
The reforms from these brothers angered the senate—they saw them as
_______________________________________________
o The brothers, along with thousands of their followers, were __________________
in street violence started by the senators and their hired thugs
Decline of the Republic
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Unable to reform anything peacefully, Rome entered a series of ____________________
o They could not decide who should be in power—the ____________________ vs.
____________________________________________________
o It set off ________________________ and revolts among
_______________________________
o Rival generals took their now professional armies into battle with each other
Out of all the chaos, arose a leader by the name of _______________________________
o In 59 BC, he set out to conquer new lands
o He conquered Rome swiftly and other lands in the Mediterranean
Ms. Areces
World History
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o After one victory he said, “Veni, vidi, vici.”
(“______________________________________________________________”)
He forced the senate to make him ________________________________________
o He _____________ the senate and other features of the republic
o But he did have _______________________________________ in Rome
48 BC – 44 BC: Caesar’s reforms
o Program of ________________________________ to help the unemployed
o _____________________________________________ to the poor
o ____________________________________ the government
o Granted _______________________________________ to more people
o Introduced a new calendar called the Julian calendar
 Based on Egyptian knowledge
 Still used today with just a few minor changes
 Most long-lasting achievement
Caesar’s enemies feared that he would make himself king
o March 15, 44 BC—they ______________________________________________
as he arrived to the senate
Caesar’s death meant more ______________________________ for Rome
Roman Empire and Roman Peace
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After a power struggle with Marc Antony, Octavian was given the title of Augustus, or
Exalted One—and declared him the first citizen
He did not call himself a king, but ____________________________________________
He ended the Roman Republic, and began the Roman Empire
New policies laid the foundation for a ________________________________________:
o Created a well-trained ________________________________ to enforce the laws
o High-level jobs were open to men of _______________ (regardless of their class)
o Ordered a _______________________ to make the tax system more fair
o Set up a new _____________________________________
o Issued ________________________________________ to make trade easier
o Put jobless _________________________ in infrastructure or farming
This new government functioned well for __________________________
o But every time a new emperor took power, it was always a toss-up as to whether
he would be good or bad
Not all of the successors were good
o Ex: Caligula appointed his favorite _____________________ as consul
o Ex: Nero viciously persecuted Christians and was blamed for setting a great fire
that destroyed much of Rome
96—180 AD: a period of “good emperors”
o Ex: Hadrian codified Roman law, making it the same for everyone in the empire;
and he had soldiers build a wall for defense and protection
Ms. Areces
World History
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o Ex: Marcus Aurelius read philosophy and used a Stoic philosophy to show
commitment to duty and “natural dignity”
The 200 years from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius is known as the
_____________________________________, or “Roman Peace”
o Roman rule brought peace, order, unity, and prosperity
o Trade and people moved easily throughout the Roman empire to spread wealth
and knowledge
The Pax Romana also had a policy jokingly called “_____________________________”
o People of all background loved attending the Circus Maximus—Rome’s largest
racecourse, where chariots raced furiously and people placed bets to see who
would win
o ________________________________ contests were also very popular
 Gladiators were often slaves who could win their freedom if they fought
well (or they could be killed with a thumbs down from the crowd)
Using the money from taxes, the government put on these circuses and gave free bread to
the poor as a way to keep people at peace
o People warned against policy, but people were content with it