History

• Punic wars


  A series of three wars between Carthage and Rome from 264 to 146 BC
• Causes of the Punic wars

  • Both Carthage and Rome wanted control over the island of Sicilly because of it's resources and important strategic position in the Mediterranean
  • They were both trading powers and they wanted to expand their trading routes
  • They wanted to expand their territories and influence and power
  • Tensions in diplomacy
• First Punic War


  From 246 to 241 BC
• The cause of the First Punic War was that both Rome and Carthage wanted control over Sicilly
• First Punic War


  • Navy was important
  • Carthage dominated the west Mediterranean with it's navy, while Rome had to build one from scratch
  • Rome built their navy by stealing one of Carthage's ships and copying them, they also made the corvus which was a bridge used by the Romans to capture and cross the Carthage ships
  • Rome at first was losing battles from Carthage, but later with combination of some navy victories and ground warfare they won
  • War was fought at Sicilly
  • One of the things that led to Rome winning was them capturing the city of Agrigentum
• The First Punic War ended with a peace treaty and Rome's win, meaning they had control over Sicilly and Carthage had to pay a large indemnity
• After the First Punic War

  Carthage weakened, they lost much territory and resources, so they turned their attention to Hispania, modern-day Spain and Portugal
• Hispania was rich with resources and had wealthy fertile land which, Carthage believed, could establish new source of wealth and expand their trade routes and they thought it would cut off Rome's access to the region and weaken them
• Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic

  • Archaeological evidence shows settlement dating back to 8th century BC in Rome
  • Three tribes settled: Sabines, Latins and Etruscans
  • Rome established in 753 BC by Romulus
  • Rome transformed into a walled city in 6th century BC
  • Marshes around seven hills drained in 4th century BC for more settlements and improved health
  • First structures not on hills built on Roman Forum/Forum Romanum
• Seven kings of Rome

  • Romulus
  • Numa Pompilius
  • Tullus Hostilius
  • Ancus Marcius
  • Tarquinius Priscus
  • Servius Tulius
  • Tarquinius Superbus
• Tarquinius Priscus


  • Built Cloaca Maxima and Circus Maximus
  • Improved Roman army with phalanax formation and maniple system
• Servius Tulius


  • Credited with many political and social reforms
  • Servian Constitution organized citizens into social classes based on wealth and military service
  • Built new wall around seven hills of Rome
• Tarquinius Superbus's reign marked by oppression and tyranny, leading to overthrow and making of the Roman Republic in 509 BC
• Structure of Roman society during Roman Kingdom


  • King
  • Senate
  • Assembly
• King


  Had absolute power, high-priest of Rome, commander of army, made decisions on religion, war and justice
• Senate


  Made of patricians, advisory body to king, responsible for governing city in king's absence, played role in administration of justice and maintenance of order
• Assembly


  Made of patricians and plebeians, could approve or reject laws proposed by senate or king, but could be overruled
• SPQR - Senatus Populusque Romanus - The Senate and People of Rome - gave idea that senate and people were equal
• Roman Republic


  • Founded in 509 BC
  • Division of power between consuls, senate and popular assemblies
• Consuls


  • Highest-elected officials, two elected for one year term, significant powers including commanding army and convening senate and assemblies
  • Had special toga with purple stripe
• Dictatorship


  Consuls could become dictators with absolute power in war, but position was temporary
• Senate


  Made of 300 men elected for life, advised consuls, controlled finances and managed foreign relations
• Popular Assemblies


  • Tribal Assembly (represented plebeians)
  • Centuriate Assembly (based on wealth and military service)
• Etruscans


  An ancient civilization that flourished in central Italy from the 8th to the 3rd century BC, inhabiting the area of modern-day Tuscany, as well as parts of Umbria and Latium
• Etruscans


  • Ruled by a powerful aristocracy
  • Government was a confederation of twelve city-states
  • Skilled metalworkers, artists, and architects
  • Known for their elaborate funeral rituals and fascination with the afterlife
  • Believed the afterlife was a continuation of earthly life
• Etruscan graves


  • Large burial mounds called tumuli
  • Contained multiple chambers with sarcophagi or urns, sometimes decorated
• Wax funerary masks


  Placed on the faces of the deceased during funeral rites to preserve their likeness and provide a representation of their identity in the afterlife
• Etruscans


  • Highly religious people
  • Believed in a number of gods and goddesses
  • Practiced divination and interpreted signs like the flight of birds and patterns of lightning
• Etruscan language


  • Written in an alphabet borrowed from the Greeks
  • Longest Etruscan text ever found is the Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis or the Linen Book of Zagreb
• Etruscans


  • Significant impact on the development of Roman civilization, particularly in art, religion, and government
  • Many elements of Etruscan art and culture were adopted by the Romans
  • Etruscan architecture was highly influential on later civilizations
• Much of Etruscan history and culture remains shrouded in mystery, as little of their literature has survived, and many of their artifacts and monuments have been lost over time
• Romulus and Remus


  Legendary founders of Rome, abandoned as babies and raised by a she-wolf
• Founding of Rome


  1. Romulus and Remus disagreed on where to build the city

  2. Decided to consult the gods

  3. Romulus claimed to have seen twelve birds, so he became the sole founder of Rome
• Aeneas


  Trojan prince who escaped the destruction of Troy and arrived in Italy, where he founded the city of Lavinium and was believed to be the ancestor of the founders of Rome
• The earliest history of Rome according to archaeology is a topic of ongoing research and debate
• Early development of Rome


  1. Inhabited by various tribes and groups, including the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans

  2. Earliest settlements were small agricultural communities

  3. Grew into a major urban centre, with a strategic location on the Tiber River
• Transformation of Rome into a walled city

  1. Began in the 6th century BC

  2. Series of walls and fortifications built to protect the city

  3. Swamps between the hills drained to create new areas for settlement
• Forum Romanum


  The heart of ancient Rome's public life, a large plaza surrounded by important government buildings, temples, and other public spaces
• Abduction of the Sabine women


  Legendary event in which the Romans seized the Sabine women during a festival and took them as wives
• The Sabine women intervened to stop a war between the Romans and their Sabine relatives