Punic Wars
- Series of 3 wars
- Rome vs. Carthage
- 1ST war was over control of Sicily
- 2ND war – when Hannibal became general of Carthage and he wanted to avenge first defeat. Hannibal attempted a sneak attack through the alps to attack and capture Rome
- 3RD war – Scipio attacked Carthage and Hannibal retreated and fought back at native city.
- Hannibal – elephant warfare – elephants would break through line – stop enemy – really effective.
- Hannibal was general for the second and third war
- Rome defeated Carthage in all 3 of the wars. Each war was harder for the Romans to win though.
- War 1-2, Rome was on the defensive. Aggressor in the last war.
- Key Players: Hannibal (C), Scipio (R), Cincinnatus (R)
Lasting Effects
- Showed the civilizations in the Mediterranean that Rome was a dominant force.
- By 70 B.C., Rome had conquered a lot of land around the Mediterranean coast.
Roman Republic
- Shortly after their victories in the Punic Wars, the quick and rapid expansion began to hurt the empire.
- The land was going to large estate and the small farmers were not making any money and were out of jobs.
- One of the reasons leading to a civil war.
- Another civil war broke out because of Julius Caesar’s death.
Avengers of Caesar
- Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus avenged Caesar and became the 2nd triumvirate.
- Even jealousy here, Octavian forced Lepidus to retire his power.
- Octavian and Mark Antony then became rivals till he left.
- Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra and followed her to Egypt
- Leaving Octavian to be the sole leader.
Augustus
- Augustus: the term given to Octavian meaning “Exalted One”
- Rome was at the peak of its power and at peace throughout Augustus’s Rule and even to 180 A.D.
- Pax Romana- “Roman Peace”
- Unfortunately by end of empire, used up most of the land
- Majority of work done on the farm was by slaves and servants
- Farms created main source of income for Romans
- Cows provided mile, oxen and mules did a lot of the heavy work, Sheep and goats were used as cheese producers
- Some farmers raised snails as luxury food
- Used crop rotation
- After conquering Egypt, able to import lots of wheatMost of crops raised on large estates called latifundias
Comments