Download NOTES on AFTERMATH OF PUNIC WARS and

NOTES on AFTERMATH OF PUNIC WARS and ATTEMPTED REFORMS
Spread of Influence through Military Conquest: SEE MAP ON PAGE 159
□ Punic Wars gave Romans dominance over Western Mediterranean. They went on
to conquer large portions of the Eastern Mediterranean as well.
o Defeated Macedonia in 197 B.C., and again in 168 B.C.
 Destruction of Epirus in 167 B.C. brought Rome 150,000 Greek
slaves.
o Defeated Seleucid kingdom (old Persian empire) in 190 B.C.
o Sacked Corinth and made all of Greece a province of the Roman
Republic in 146 B.C. (Same year as sacking of Carthage)
o Last ruler of Pergamum (Hellenistic kingdom in Asia Minor) bequeathed
it to Rome upon his death in 133 B.C.
MAJOR problems at home though:
□ With all the conquest, the RICH GET RICHER, but the poor get poorer.
□ “Scorched earth” policy and ravages of war in Italy during Second Punic War left
many Roman farmers without homes and jobs. Tens of thousands of them went
to Rome in search of work—thus Rome gained a large population of unemployed,
impoverished people with no where else to go.
o At the time, they could not even enter the military, because the poorest
classes were not eligible for military service.
o The farmers’ plight became acute in 130s B.C.
□ As the rich landowners became even richer and created bigger enterprises, the
small farmers (many of them former soldiers) could not compete. They too went
to Rome in search of work.
□ Wars also brought thousands of slaves into Roman economy—some estimates are
as high as 1/3 of the population.
□ Urban poor totaled about ¼ of Roman population. Rome’s society was not set up
for such a large group of impoverished people—no welfare state, no tolerance for
beggars, no shelters or organizations to help.
Attempted Reform
□ 133 B.C.—Tiberius Gracchus elected TRIBUNE and tried to initiate reforms.
o Member of aristocracy, but schooled in Greek philosophy.
o Proposed that public land (which the rich had grabbed) should be
redistributed to the poor in small plots. Proposed the reform directly to
Assembly, without going through the Senate!
o Challenged Senate on foreign policy.
o Tried to have himself re-elected Tribune, against custom.
o Senators had Tiberius and 300 of his supporters CLUBBED TO
DEATH in 133 B.C.
** Beginning of the use of political assassination—which becomes frequent in
Roman history!
o 123 B.C.—Gaius Gracchus (Tiberius’ brother)—more radical, elected as tribune.
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Re-enacted his brother’s reforms.
Proposed establishing colonies of landless citizens at Carthage.
Proposed subsidizing grain for the poor. Auctioned tax rights of new
provinces to the Roman knights (equestrians), who were the secondmost powerful class. Also transferred other rights to them.
All of this activity reduced the power of the Senate.
Senate also had Gaius killed in 121 B.C. when he failed to be
elected for a third time as tribune.
Following the upheaval created by these issues, two political groups emerged in Senate:
optimates (reactionaries) and populares (who took the peoples’ side or used the people
for their own ends.)
Military Upheaval Too…
o Continued conquests taking toll on military.
o 107 to 100 B.C.—Gaius Marius elected consul 6 times in a row. NOT from
nobility (shows growing power of Assembly)
o Creates reforms in military
 Gets rid of property qualifications for military, so that even landless
citizens (proletarians) can join military. (This is because military
badly needed new recruits)
 Encourages soldiers to look to generals instead of Rome for reward
and direction. Indirect result—soldiers become loyal to
commanders, not Rome.
Other problems:
o 90 B.C.—Italian allies (non Romans) rose in revolt because they had been
promised but not given full Roman citizenship. Result: Lex Julia—granting
all free men south of the Po Valley citizenship. War left more soldiers and
farmers uprooted and in need of work.
o 73 B.C.—Slave revolt at Capua, led by Spartacus, a gladiator. Suppressed
by Crassus (a wealthy Roman) and Pompey, a general.