Rome Expands It’s Borders

Chapter 7 Section 2

Review• What natural barrier protects Italy in the

North?

• who made up most of the population in Rome?

• How did the Romans gain loyalty of conquered people of nearby cities?

• Who prompted the engraving of the Roman laws on the Twelve Tables?

Rome Fights Carthage• By the mid 200’s BC the Roman republic

controlled all of the Italian Peninsula• Carthage a city on the coast of N. Africa was

once a Phoenician colony• {Carthage which was a great commercial power

spanned the Mediterranean and had colonies and markets on Sicily.}

• As the Romans moved into southern Italy the Carthaginians feared they would take Sicily

• The Romans feared Carthage’s navy would control the Mediterranean and prevent Roman expansion overseas.

• This led to three conflicts between the countries

The First Punic War• Carthage vs. Rome 264 BC• Rome at first had no navy but quickly built one• Rome commandeered a Carthaginian ship and

replicated it to build their own navy.• Rome employed land war tactics at sea• After ramming Carthaginian ships They lowered

“boarding bridges” To allow soldiers to board.• After 23 years of war Carthage asked for peace• In addition to a large sum of $ for damages

Rome won Sicily

The Second Punic War• Appx. 20 years later in 218 BC, in Spain,

Hannibal assembled a great Carthaginian army that included, infantry, horses & elephants.

• The army marched across the Alps into Italy• Despite the many lives lost in the journey, Rome

was continually pushed back by Hannibal’s army• But Hannibal did not have the equipment to

attack the cities so…• he spent his time riding up and down the Italian

boot laying waste to the countryside• They took crops and livestock and terrorized

farmers

{The second Punic war changes• Rome turned the tables by invading Africa and

attacking Carthage.}• Carthage ordered Hannibal home to defend the

city.

The real Hannibal

{Second Punic War Continued

• In Africa Hannibal met his match in a general named Scipio}

• Scipio and the Romans defeated Hannibal and his army

• Thanks to this victory not only did Rome acquire yet again more $ but also most of the Carthaginian navy and their colonies in Spain

• Making them the most powerful force in the western Mediterranean

• Carthage remained independent, but lost all of its power

The Third Punic War• Although Carthage was no longer a threat many

still hated the city. Rome later decided to decimate the city anyway

• In 149 BC Rome declared war on its old enemy• Carthage was defeated in only 3 years• As a bit of revenge, Rome then started a war

with one of Carthage’s allies from the second Punic war Macedonia and defeated them as well

• The cities came under Roman “protection”• This extended Rome’s control and power over

the entire region

The Problems of Expansion• Because Rome controlled such a large area the

Republic and their government had to change• {The Punic Wars increased the size of Rome

and increased the power of the Senate} • The senate now controlled the army and the

foreign policy• The nobles gained even more power• {The people Rome conquered became

“subjects” of Rome}• This did not make them citizens or allies of

Rome but they had a governor that was backed by the Roman army

Continued

• Some of the governors took bribes and paid little attention to the needs of the people

• And tax collectors wanted to take as much of the provinces money as they could

• The Romans also had problems at home• When the farmer soldiers returned home they

found their farms in ruin and no money to restore their farms

• They had to sell their lands and as time passed Rome came dependent on importing grain from their provinces

More Money More Problems

• Many farmers moved from the country into the cities

• They couldn’t all find jobs and most became dependent on their government for food

• {Trade within Rome’s vast empire created a class of business people and landowners called equites}

• They had great wealth and political influence and the gap between the rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless continued to grow

Review• In Africa Hannibal met his match in a

general named ______?

• What increased the size of Rome and increased the power of the Senate?

• What happened to the people Rome conquered?

• What natural barrier protects Italy in the North?

• Who prompted the engraving of the Roman laws on the Twelve Tables?

The End?