The Roman Empire

1. The Roman Empire Powerpoint presentation created by Robert L. Martinez pbs.org coins-auctioned.com Primary Content Source: Prentice Hall World History Images as cited.

2. Rome’s conquest of the Italian peninsula brought it into contact with Carthage, a city-state on the northern coast of Africa. samuraiknitter.blogspot.com

3. Carthage ruled over an empire that stretched across North Africa and the western Mediterranean. As Rome expanded westward, conflict between these two powers became inevitable. livius.org

4. Rome fought three wars against Carthage between 264 B.C.E. and 146 B.C.E. They are called the Punic Wars. crescentok.com

5. In the First Punic War, Rome defeated Carthage and won the islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. redrampant.com ancientdigger.com

6. The Carthaginians sought revenge in the Second Punic War. In 218 B.C.E., the Carthaginian general Hannibal led his army on a march across the Pyrenees, through France, and over the Alps into Italy. thenagain.info

7. The trek cost Hannibal nearly half his army. However, the Carthaginians surprised the Romans who had expected an invasion from the south. For 15 years, Hannibal and his army moved across Italy, winning battle after battle. militarygenius.com

8. The Carthaginians failed to capture Rome itself. In the end, the Romans outflanked Hannibal by sending an army to attack Carthage. pc.gamespy.com

9. Hannibal returned to defend his homeland, where the Romans defeated him. At last, Carthage gave up all their lands except those in Africa. thestar.com

10. Nevertheless, many Romans still saw Carthage as a rival and wanted revenge for the terrible destruction that Hannibal’s army had brought to Italy. jonathancg.net

11. During the Third Punic War, Rome completely destroyed Carthage. Survivors were killed or sold into slavery. The Romans were now the masters of the western Mediterranean. hannibalofcarthage.yolasite.com

12. The Romans were committed to a policy of imperialism, or establishing control over foreign lands and peoples. irisharchaeology.ie

13. Sometimes to defend Roman interests, sometimes simply for plunder, Rome launched a series of wars in the area. goldismoney2.com

14. One by one, Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Asia Minor surrendered and became Roman provinces. suite101.com

15. Other regions, like Egypt, allied with Rome. By 133 B.C.E., Roman power extended from Spain to Egypt. 7sssauder.wikispaces.com

16. Conquests and control of busy trade routes brought incredible riches into Rome. Roman generals, officials, and traders amassed fortunes from loot, taxes, and commerce. public.iastate.edu

17. A new class of wealthy Romans emerged. Wealthy families constructed huge estates called latifundia. westcivi.blogspot.com

18. As the Romans conquered more and more lands, they forced people captured in war to work as slaves on the latifundia. arthursclipart.org

19. The widespread use of slave labor hurt small farmers, who were unable to compete with the latifundia. The farmer’s problems were compounded when huge quantities of grain pouring in from the conquered lands drove down grain prices. Many farmers fell into debt and had to sell their land. amscoextra.blogspot.com

20. In despair, landless farmers flocked to Rome and other cities looking for jobs. There, they joined a restless class of unemployed people. As the gap between rich and poor widened, angry mobs began to riot. mitchellteachers.org

21. The new wealth increased corruption. Greed and self-interest replaced Roman virtues such as simplicity, hard work, and devotion to duty. teachers.saschina.org

22. Rome was plunged into a series of civil wars. At issue was who should hold power – the senate, which wanted to govern as it had in the past, or popular political leaders, who wanted to weaken the senate and enact reforms. britishbattles.homestead.com

23. The turmoil sparked slave uprisings and revolts among Rome’s allies. spartacus.wikia.com

24. The old legions of Roman citizen-soldiers became professional armies. Rival generals marched their armies into Rome to advance their ambitions. culturalresources.com

25. Out of this chaos emerged Julius Caesar, an ambitious military commander. For a time, Caesar dominated Roman politics. Then, in 59 B.C.E., Caesar set out with his army to make new conquests. After 9 years of fighting, he completed the conquest of Gaul (France.) gardenofeaden.blogspot.com

26. Fearful of Caesar’s fame, the senate to order Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome. Caesar defied the order. Secretly, he led his army toward Rome. Civil war erupted across the Roman world. thepublici.blogspot.com

27. Caesar crushed all opposition. Later, returning to Rome, he forced the senate to make him dictator. Although he kept the senate, in reality he became the absolute ruler of Rome. hoocher.com

28. Between 48 B.C.E. and 44 B.C.E., Caesar launched a program of public works to employ the jobless and gave public land to the poor.

29. Caesar’s lasting reform was the introduction of a new calendar based on Egyptian knowledge. The Julian calendar was used in western Europe for over 1,600 years. With minor changes, it is still our calendar today. worldslastchance.com

30. Caesar’s enemies worried that he planned to make himself king of Rome. In order to save the republic, they plotted against him. In March 44 B.C.E., as Caesar arrived in the senate, his enemies stabbed him to death. wethesheeplez.blogspot.com

31. The death of Julius Caesar plunged Rome into a new round of civil wars. Mark Antony, Caesar’s chief general, and Octavian, Caesar’s grandnephew, joined forces to hunt down the murderers. wga.hu

32. The two men soon feuded, setting off a struggle for power. In 31 B.C.E., Octavian defeated Antony and his powerful ally Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. wwwcinemastyle.blogspot.com

33. The senate gave Octavian the title of Augustus, and declared him princips, or first citizen. Augustus had absolute power. en.wikipedia.org

34. Augustus laid the foundation for a stable government. He created a well-trained civil service to enforce the laws. High-level jobs were open to men of talent, regardless of class insuring some allegiance of the populace. roebuckclasses.com

35. To make the tax system more fair, he ordered a census to be taken in the empire. He set up a postal service and issued new coins to make trade easier. urantiaproject.com

36. Augustus put the jobless to work building roads and temples and sent others to farm the land. brims.co.uk

37. Who would rule after an emperor died? Romans did not accept the idea of power passing automatically from father to son. As a result, the death of an emperor often led to violence. karenswhimsy.com

38. The 200 year span that began with Augustus and ended with Marcus Aurelius is known as the period of PaxRomana, or “Roman Peace.” During that time, Roman rule brought peace, order, unity, and prosperity to lands stretching from the Euphrates River in the east to Britain in the west. roman-empire.net