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Rome conquered the Italian peninsula & came into contact with Carthage, a city-state on the northern coast of Africa. 246BC- 146BC Rome fought wars against Carthage We call these the Punic Wars 1 st Punic war Rome won and took over Sicily Corsica, & Sardinia

Carthage sought revenge Hannibal led his army across the Pyrenees, through France, & over the Alps into Italy. For 15 years Hannibal moved through Italy winning battles, but he never captured Rome. The Romans outflanked him by sending an army to attack Carthage, & Hannibal retreated to defend his homeland where he was defeated.

After the 2 nd Punic War many Romans still saw Carthage as a rival even after they gave up all their lands except those in Africa In the 3 rd Punic War Rome completely destroyed Carthage Survivors were killed or sold into slavery Romans salted their lands to prevent growth

It has been said that while others fought for their own preservation; the Romans fought for supremacy & world domination. The Romans were committed to imperialism, or establishing control over foreign lands & peoples. Rome conquered Greece, parts of Asia Minor, & Macedonia. They then became lands under Roman rule called provinces. Egypt allied with Rome. 133BC – Roman power extended from Spain to Egypt. – Romans called the Mediterranean Mare Nostrum which translates to mean “Our Sea”

With Rome gaining more land, they also gained control of many busy trade routes. This brought many riches to Rome. Generals, officials, & traders gained fortunes from loot, taxes, & commerce. The new wealthy Romans built mansions filled with luxuries imported from the east. Latifundias or huge estates began popping up. The conquered slaves were brought to work on these

Widespread use of slaves hurt small farmers They were unable to produce food as cheaply as the latifundia Huge quantities of grain pouring in from conquered lands drove down prices. Many farmers fell into debt & had to sell their land Landless farmers then flocked to Rome & other cities looking for jobs. This developed a restless class of unemployed people & created a gap between the rich & the poor This also increased corruption because greed & self interest replaced the virtues of hard work, & devotion to duty

Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus Brothers who were the 1 st to attempt reform Tiberius was elected tribune in 133BC & sought to distribute land to poor farmers Gaius Gracchus elected 10 years later sought more reforms Use of public funds to buy grain to feed the poor These reforms angered the senate, & they were killed by the senates hired thugs

They were unable to resolve their problems, & civil wars began. Such as who should hold power This turmoil sparked slave uprisings & revolts among Rome’s allies Citizen soldiers became professional armies whose first loyalty was to their commanders.

Caesar was an ambitious military commander He dominated politics with Pompey, who was another brilliant general 59BC Set out to make new conquests 9 years of fighting later he completed his conquest of Gaul (modern day France) Pompey became fearful of Caesar’s rising fame, & ordered the senate to tell him to disband his army & return home Caesar disobeyed this order, & crossed the Rubicon River into northern Italy. He then headed towards Rome & crushed Pompey & his supporters.

After he conquered Pompey, he swept around the Mediterranean suppressing rebellions. He said “Veni, vidi, vici” --- “I came, I saw, I conquered” He returned to Rome & forced the senate to make him dictator BC Caesar’s Reforms Public works program to employ the jobless Gave public land to the poor Granted citizenship to more people Induction of a new calendar, the Julian Calendar is basically the same one we use today

Caesar’s enemies feared he would make himself king of Rome. March 44BC Caesar arrived in the senate, & his enemies stabbed him to death This caused more civil wars. Mark Antony, Caesar’s chief general, along with Octavian, Caesar’s grandnephew, joined forces to hunt down the murderers. 31BC Octavian defeated Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt after they quarreled for power

The senate gave Octavian the title of Augustus which means Exalted One. Augustus exercised absolute power & named his successor just like a king would do. He ruled from 31BC- AD14. This was the beginning of the Roman Empire Augustus laid the foundations for a stable government He had a civil-service to enforce laws. High-level jobs were open to men of talent regardless of class. He ordered a census or population count Set up a postal service & issued new coins

Not all of Augustus’ successors were great rulers. Caligula & Nero were evil & possibly insane. Caligula appointed his favorite horse as a consul. Nero persecuted Christians & had a fire set that destroyed much of Rome AD 96- AD 180 Good emperors ruled the empire Hadrian codified Roman law, which made it the same for all provinces He had a wall built across Britain to hold back attackers Marcus Aurelius read philosophy on military campaigns & was close to Plato’s ideal of a philosopher-king.

The Pax Romana was the 200 year span that began with Augustus & ended with Marcus Aurelius. Pax Romana means “Roman Peace” During this time rulers brought peace, order, unity, & prosperity to the empire that was roughly equal in size to the continental United States. Legions maintained & protected the roads & fleets chased pirates from the seas Trade flowed freely from Africa & Asia The Nile Valley supplied grain Ivory, gold, lions, & other wild animals used in entertainment came in from Africa From India came spices, cotton, & precious stones From China & the Silk Road came silk

People of all backgrounds loved entertainment The Circus Maximus Rome’s largest racecourse where chariots raced around an oval course. Fans bet on the teams- Reds, Greens, Blues, & Whites Winners were hailed as heroes Gladiator contests These were even more popular events Many were slaves trained to fight After their match, a gladiator could be awarded his freedom for a good showing, or if they gave a bad showing and received the thumbs down be executed These amusements were paid for by taxes collected, & used as a way to pacify the mobs of restless citizens. They also gave grain to the poor. This is were people warned of Roman policy of “Bread & Circuses.” Few listened & later emperors after the Pax Romana faced problems that could not be fixed with “Bread & Circuses.”