Ancient Rome Notes
Roman Expansion
Under the leadership of ambitious generals, Rome’s highly trained soldiers took over most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean.
The ancient Romans called the Mediterranean mare nostrum, meaning “our sea”.
Punic Wars
Punic is the Latin word for Phoenician
The Phoenician traders had established territory in Corisca, Sicily and Sardinia.
They also began to work their way into Iberia – modern day Spain
In the first war the Romans defeated the Carthaginians (Carthage)
Hannibal seeks revenge on the Romans
Travels through the Pyrenees (through France) and then over the Alps, to get to the Italian peninsula and surprise the Romans from the North
Sicily and other Carthaginian states were to the south.
He traveled with 50,000 men and 60 elephants
1/3 of his men were lost in the Alps
They fought for nearly 15 years, devastating much of Rome, but unable to take over it.
The Romans went to Carthage and attacked, forcing Hannibal to give up and return to his home to defend it.
The Romans are angry for the terror placed on them by Hannibal
They want to seek revenge on their enemies
They completely destroy Carthage and take any person still living after the attacks and sell them into slavery.
After this the Romans gained control of much of the Mediterranean.
They sought world domination through the policy of imperialism – the establishment of control over foreign lands and people
The End of the Roman Republic
A successful Roman general and famous speaker, Julius Caesar, was a governor of the territory of Gaul and managed to take control of many nearby territories.
A triumvirate of great minds come together to take power - Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus.
Crassus dies and Caesar and Pompey are now vying for control
Before Caesar can return to kill him, Pompey is murdered
Caesar takes control and becomes both Consul and Dictator
He feared the senate, but paid many off to maintain relationships with them
Caesar fought for control and won, becoming the dictator of the Roman world, ending the Roman Republic.
The Pax Romana
The Roman empire expands rapidly
Augustus makes sure that the borders are always secured so that the people of the Italian peninsula are protected
Augustus is responsible for many of the great public works that Ancient Rome is known for
Puts a civil service in place to employ Romans
After many of the slaves had been taken employment was hard to come by in Rome.
Had jobless build roads and temples
During this time trade increased with olive oil, wine, pottery, marble, and grain being shipped all across the Mediterranean.
Lighthouses were constructed to guide ships into port.
This was also a time of great Roman literature.
The age that is covered from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius is called the Pax Romana, or age of peace
How did they pass time?
Festivals were common place in Ancient Rome
Chariot Races
Gladiator Battles
Reenactments of great war victories
Underlying Problems
Although they fed the poor and had public entertainment, many felt that this was hiding the real problems that existed in society