Download The Roman Revolution

Roman Expansion
Survival or Greed?
493 – 133 BC
The Struggle of the Orders 494 – 287
BCE
Early Roman society consisted of two classes:
Patricians and Plebeians…
• 494 BCE – Office of the Tribune created
• 460 BCE – Voting: residence replaced wealth
• 450 BCE – Twelve Tables
• 445 BCE – Lex Canuleia-marriage
• 367 BCE – Licinian-Sextian Rogation-consuls
• 287 BCE – Lex Hortensia- Plebeian Council
Roman Expansion
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493 BCE – Battle of Lake Regillus/Latin League
396 BCE – Battle of Veii/Etruscans
390 BCE – first & only setback – Gauls seige on Rome
350 BCE - Romans bounced back- rebuilt the Servian Wall
and remodeled the army
• 340- 290 BCE The Latin Wars/Roman Federation
• 282-270 BCE defeated Greeks/Tarentum & Epirus
• By 264 BCE, 5 major world powers: Syria, Egypt,
Macedonia, Carthage and Rome
By 264 BCE, 5 major world powers: Syria, Egypt,
Macedonia, Carthage and Rome
How was it possible for Rome to conquer so much so quickly?
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First, the strong and balanced government had the
total support of the Roman people.
Second, some defeated peoples (Latins) were treated
as friends and, in several cases, made citizens.
Third, Rome's army was highly disciplined and
experienced by years of warfare.
Fourth, Romans greatly valued military success. In
fact, military success was needed if a man hoped to
advance in the Roman government.
Fifth, wars brought a lot of money and treasure.
Valuables seized from the enemy made the
government, as well as individual leaders, wealthy.
Prisoners from the conquered lands became slaves.
The Punic Wars
• Three wars against Carthage started in
264 BCE and ended with Rome an
international superpower in 146 BCE.
The Punic Wars, 264-146 BCE
The first Punic War…
• The first war
started over the
Sicilian city of
Mesina
• Fighting
between 264
and 241 BCE
ended in defeat
for the
Carthaginian
admiral
Hamilcar.
• Sicily,
Sardinia and
Corsica
became
Roman
territories
Hannibal Barca
247–183 BCE
Hannibal and the Second Punic War, 219- 202 BCE
• Started over
control of a city in
Spain
• Hannibal’s army of
50,000 men,
12,000 horses and
37 war elephants
crossed the Alps in
15 days
• Hannibal hoped for
support from the
Gauls and other
Latin people
• Battle of Cannae
216 BCE ended with
60,000 Romans
dead.
Hannibal’s army
of 50,000 men
and 37 war
elephants
crossed the Alps
Battle of Cannae, 215 BCE - 60,000 dead.
Rome’s future looked very bleak!
Publius Cornelius
Scipio
Rome sent an army under
Scipio to Carthage, forcing
Hannibal to return to Carthage
to protect his homeland
Scipio Africanus
The 3rd Punic War,
149-146 BCE
• A one-sided affair!
The legacy of wars…
• Farms had been ravaged and remained
unproductive
• Citizen-soldiers returned after prolonged
absence to find their families on the brink of
bankruptcy
• Growth of Patrician latifundia (slave plantations)
• Growing slave population drove down wages
Further consequences of expansion…
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The Hellenization of Rome
Rise of a business class
Immense wealth –a taste for luxury
Most benefits of expansion went to the
wealthy, patrician class
• Serious economic dislocations for the
common people was under way
Problems for the small, independent, selfsufficient farmer…
• The increase in the slave population displaced
the common farmers…
• In debt, without prospects for work, ruined
farmers joined the ranks of unemployed in
Rome…
• By 150BCE -a revolution was brewing!
Any
Questions?