Ancient World 7.1
Jan 03, 2016
Rome was originally ruled by kings, the Etruscans.
509 B.C. Romans overthrew the Etruscans and started a republic.• What is a republic?• Citizens pick leaders to rule in the name of the
people.• This is different than direct democracy because
the elected officials make decisions as opposed to citizens voting on every mater (like the Greeks) Is our government more like a republic or direct
democracy?
Two citizen classes• Patricians: Nobles who owned
large estates and where descended from the founders of the city. Were interested in staying rich and
staying in power.
• Plebeians: Ordinary peasants and craftsmen. Eventually grew frustrated that laws
were not equal. Refused to fight in the army, until
laws were made equal.
Citizens had the right to vote at assembly.• Slaves and women were not
originally citizens.
Laws of the Twelve Tables
The Senate gave advice to the Consuls. Eventually controlled Rome.
Consuls:• Always 2, had to agree on decisions.• Governed the city.• Elected for one year.• Almost always listened to the
senate.
Magistrates:• Judges.• Look after the money.• Retired to the senate.
Tribunes:• Protected ordinary people against
unfair treatment.
Believed people were innocent until proven guilty.
The system was inflexible, kept the rich aristocrats in power.• People were elected often by the
amount of bribes they gave ($).
Rich people essentially voted other rich people in.
The only way to fix the system, was to break the system.
Dispute over control of Sicily and trade routes in the western Mediterranean brought Rome
into conflict with the powerful
North African city-state of Carthage
Carthage
Carthage had been
founded as Phoenician colony 500
years earlier
Result was the three Punic Wars
264-146 BC
Mostly navy battles.• Rome is continually
defeated by the larger and more experienced Carthaginian navy.
Rome turns the tides by putting hooks on their ships, hooking the enemy ships and turning it to a land battle.• Rome was very good at
this and won the war.
Carthagian general Hannibal surprises the Romans by attacking from the North.
Defeats the Romans in many battles, but does not attack Rome.
Romans know they can’t beat Hannibal in Italy, so they travel to Carthage and battle there.
This forces Hannibal to go back to Africa, where he is defeated.
Hannibal leading his armyof elephants through Italy
Hannibal commits suicide.
Carthage looses all territory to Rome.
Some still worried that Carthage would rise again.• So Rome attacks Carthage.• Entire city’s population sold
into slavery.• Everything valuable taken to
Rome. • Everything else burned and
thrown into the sea.• City completely destroyed,
and then land sowed with salt.
Cato the ElderHannibal
Rome drawn into the affairs of the
successor kingdoms
Successor kingdom
increasingly called on
Roman aid in their incessant wars against each other
Rome always responded in
the belief that achieving a balance of
power in the east was better than having one
successor kingdom
become too powerful and
challenge Rome
Rome eventually became weary of
playing this endless refereeing role and realized
that the continued independence of
the successor kingdoms threaten
Roman interests
Took over Greece, Macedonia, some of Asia Minor, Syria, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean
islands by 133 BC
Later, the conquests of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla,
Pompey Magnus, and Julius Caesar would add more
territory
Gaul, the rest of Asia Minor, Mesopotamian, Mediterranean
Middle East, Belgium
Caesar was the greatest general Rome had ever seen.
He wanted both power for himself, and power for the people.
He decided to “fix” the problems of the republic by offering “strong leadership”
Caesar brought his army to Rome battled (and beat) the Republic.
Caesar is assassinated in 44 BC, causing several years of civil war.