Roman Dominance Spreads Romans expanded through trade and conquest Dominate central Italy by 4 th Century BCE Great value was place on the military All landowning citizens were required to serve Legions were the largest Military unit Consisted of 5,000 men Divided into infantry and Cavalry Century consisted of 80 men Etruscans and Greeks were defeated by 265 BCE Romans controlled nearly all of Italy Romans maintained a lenient policy toward defeated enemies Some became full Roman citizens Some got rights of a citizen except the vote Some became allies of Rome and supplied the Roman army

Cause of the Punic Wars Rome’s Commercial Network Prime location on the Mediterranean  control over the trade network on the Mediterranean Both land and sea trade routes Needed resources to compensate for personal lack Could trade wine, olive oil, raw materials, some manufactured goods Other powerful cities interfered with Rome’s access to the Mediterranean Carthage Colony of Phoenicia on the North African coast

The Punic Wars: Part I 264 BCE-241 BCE (23 years) Carthage controlled Sicily and the maritime trade routes in the Western Mediterranean Carthage had a FAR superior navy Rome had a FAR superior army Rome began building their navy during the war Romans learned fast Had an almost unbroken string of victories Rome ended up in possession of Sardinia and Corsica Carthage had to pay HUGE war indemnity Rome was now the most powerful state in the Western Mediterranean

The Punic Wars: Part II 218 BCE-201 BCE (17 years) Hannibal, a Carthaginian General attacked the town of Saguntum (219 BCE) A mining town on the Iberian Peninsula under the protection of Rome Hannibal led an attack on Italy through the Alps Assembled an army of 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants Hannibal defeated the Romans in almost every engagement Could NOT take Rome Rome started attacking Africa Hannibal rushed home to defend his city Troops defeated at Zama

The Punic Wars: Part III 149 BCE-146 BCE (3 years) Between the second and third wars, Carthage had paid off its indemnity Numidia had been raiding Carthage Rome had been “mediating” the disputes— Numidia was a Roman province… Carthage began to gain wealth and power Rome attempted to draw Carthage into conflict by making ridiculous demands Give all the children of nobles as hostages Destroy government Destroy city and rebuild it somewhere else Carthage refused all the demands so Rome declared war Rome held the city under siege for three years before gaining access Carthage was burned to the ground in 146 BCE and all the inhabitants were sold into slavery

Results of The Punic Wars Roman victory Complete destruction of Carthage Expansion of trade and wealth for Rome Over the next 100 years, Rome was able to dominate the Mediterranean basin Lead to the diffusion of Roman culture Lead to expansion of Roman influence