The Rise of Roman Influence

The Rise of Rome

After the last Etruscan king was overthrown in 509 B.C.E., the Romans began to extend their influence throughout Italy

In 493 B.C.E., Roman leaders established an alliance with the other Latin-speaking tribes encircling Rome.

Following this diplomatic move, Roman armies - with support from their new Latin allies - defeated three powerful tribes to the north and east, and took control of the mountainous areas surrounding Latium.

In 390 B.C.E., however, the tide of Roman expansion was turned back when Celtic tribes from Gaul crossed the Alps and sacked the city of Rome.

Still, over the next hundred years, through a combination of perseverance, military skill, and insightful diplomacy, the Romans re-established their supremacy in central Italy.

The Rise of Rome

Finally, in 272 B.C.E., the Romans captured the Greek colony of Tarentum in southern Italy, and by 264 B.C.E. they took control of the entire Italian peninsula

The Romans perfected two methods of consolidating their control over the territories they conquered

First, they established military colonies in strategically important areas

Second, they offered full Roman citizenship to those who quickly adopted the Latin language and promised to obey Roman laws

In return for such faithfulness, the Romans built

roads and public buildings in these conquered lands

This policy of Romanization proved highly effective, as it provided Rome with loyal allies

However, the policy also brought Rome into conflict with Carthage - the other major imperial power of the Mediterranean region - as both competed for territory on which to establish new colonies.

The Rise of Rome

• After the last Etruscan king was overthrown in 509 B.C.E., the Romans began to extend their influence throughout Italy. In 493 B.C.E., Roman leaders established an alliance with the other Latin-speaking tribes in Latium, the broad plain encircling Rome. Following this diplomatic move, Roman armies - with support from their new Latin allies - defeated three powerful tribes to the north and east, and took control of the mountainous areas surrounding Latium.

• In 390 B.C.E., however, the tide of Roman expansion was turned back when Celtic tribes from Gaul crossed the Alps and sacked the city of Rome. Still, over the next hundred years, through a combination of perseverance, military skill, and insightful diplomacy, the Romans re-established their supremacy in central Italy. Finally, in 272 B.C.E., the Romans captured the Greek colony of Tarentum in southern Italy, and by 264 B.C.E. they took control of the entire Italian peninsula.

• The Romans perfected two methods of consolidating their control over the territories they conquered. First, they established military colonies in strategically important areas. Second, they offered full Roman citizenship to those who quickly adopted the Latin language and promised to obey Roman laws. In return for such faithfulness, the Romans built roads and public buildings in these conquered lands.

• This policy of Romanization proved highly effective, as it provided Rome with loyal allies. However, the policy also brought Rome into conflict with Carthage - the other major imperial power of the Mediterranean region - as both competed for territory on which to establish new colonies.

Rise of Carthage

Following the collapse of Phoenician power, wealthy Carthaginian merchants and landowners established an oligarchic republic in the former colony.

A Council of Four Hundred, similar to the Roman Senate, followed a policy designed to produce wealth through trade.

To protect themselves and acquire new territories, the new leaders of Carthage created an enormous navy.

With their powerful navy, the Carthaginians seized control of the former Phoenician colonies.

By 264 B.C.E., they controlled all of North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, parts of Sicily, the Balearic Islands, eastern Spain, and the Strait of Gibraltar.

With the control of such vast territories, Carthage became a

superpower and seemed to have an advantage over Rome.

The city of Carthage had a population of 100,000 to 200,000 people compared with Rome's population of 50,000 to 75,000.

The city was three times as large as Rome and far more impressively laid out.

Carthage could boast of a splendid harbor, spacious markets, busy manufacturing quarters, and beautiful homes for the wealthy - all surrounded by a massive protective wall.

Furthermore, the Carthaginians had access to a population of 1.5 million people through their colonies and allies.

Rise of Carthage

The city of Rome, on the other hand, was moderate

in size, dirty, and contained few large stone buildings.

The Romans and their subject people numbered less than one million.

Still the Romans confidently believed that their well-trained soldiers could resist Carthaginian aggression, and they exercised their military power on land.

Rise of Carthage

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First Punic War

After four years of fighting, the Romans decided the only way to drive the Carthaginians out of Sicily was to build their own fleet of ships.

In 264 B.C.E. the Romans captured a Carthaginian quinquereme in battle.

Roman engineers carefully studied the design, and then used what they had learned to construct 140 ships in the astonishingly short time of 60 days.

The Romans also added a new feature to the ships they built, called a corvus (pronounced KOR-vuss) - a wooden gangway with a spike on the end. The corvus stood in an upright position until the Roman ship came next to the enemy ship.

Then, the plank was lowered onto the other ship, the spike secured it, and well-trained Roman soldiers rushed across the gangway onto the enemy ship to slaughter the Carthaginian sailors.

First Punic War

After building their warships, the Romans enjoyed several victories.

Soon, thereafter, however, they began to suffer horrendous reversals.

First, they lost almost 30,000 men in an attempt to invade North Africa.

Next, their fleets were caught in several severe storms.

The corvuses made the ships top heavy, and they capsized in heavy seas.

Roman casualties totaled more than 700 lost ships and 200,000 dead sailors.

First Punic War

In addition, the Carthaginians appointed an extremely able commander, Hamilcar Barca, to lead their troops.

Hamilcar defeated a number of Roman fleets and conducted raid along the Roman and Sicilian coasts.

These victories, which were often the result of his ability to quickly outflank his enemy, earned Hamilcar the nickname "Man of Lightening.“

By 245 B.C.E., after 20 years of fighting, Rome's

treasury was empty and its people were exhausted.

Nevertheless, Roman citizens donated their private wealth to build one final fleet of 200 ships that wisely did not contain the corvus.

The strategy paid off, and in a final naval battle off the Sicilian coast, the Roman navy sank 50 Carthaginian ships and captured 70 others.

Carthage could no longer supply her troops in Sicily and sued for peace.

First Punic War

According to Polybius, the initial terms for peace

presented to Carthage included the following: "The Carthaginians [are] to evacuate the whole of Sicily...[and] to give up to the Romans all prisoners without ransom. The Carthaginians [are] to pay the Romans by installments in twenty years 2,200 talents."

This was an enormous sum of money in Roman currency. Later, vengeful members of the Roman Senate increased

the fine to 3,200 talents and reduced the payment period to 10 years.

The Carthaginians were in no position to challenge these changes and accepted the treaty.

Thus, the First Punic War came to an end in 241 B.C.E

First Punic War

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Hannibal, the son of Hamilcar Barca, sets out to take

revenge on Rome To reach Italy, Hannibal decided to lead his army over the

towering, snow-capped Alps. Wasting no time, he quickly led his army of 40,000

infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and 37 elephants out of Spain before the Romans could trap him there.

Despite the tremendous challenges involved in transporting elephants over the Alps, Hannibal decided to bring them, according to Polybius, "because enemies were so terrified of the animal's strange appearance that they dared not come anywhere near them.”

Second Punic War

To move a small group over the Alps would have been

difficult, but to move an entire army required tremendous leadership skills.

Rocks often blocked Hannibal's path, and mountain tribes ambushed the army.

Many men and animals slipped thousands of feet to their deaths.

As a result of these hardships, the soldiers often grew frightened and pessimistic.

To boost morale, Hannibal frequently gathered his men together and made passionate speeches.

Second Punic War

After five grueling months, Hannibal's army finally

crossed the Alps and entered the Po Valley in northern Italy.

His forces now numbered less than 26,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, and 20 elephants.

Two tribes from northern Italy, who were already at war with Rome, eagerly joined Hannibal's army and made up for the men he had lost.

After a short rest, Hannibal quickly defeated a Roman army and began his assault on the Italian peninsula.

Second Punic War

Second Punic War

The Romans used the Fabian strategy, choosing to avoid a decisive battle

Eventually this strategy became unpopular and they decided to meet Hannibal at Cannae with an estimated force of 100,000

The result was the worst defeat in Roman history Upwards of 70,000 Romans were killed or taken prisoner

Eventually the Romans managed to recapture much of the

cities they had lost, as well as Carthaginian cities in modern Spain

With Carthage’s other forces faltering, Hannibal retreats back to Carthage to defend it against a Roman invasion led by Scipio Africanus

Upon his return to North Africa, Hannibal spent several months preparing for Scipio's inevitable attack on the city of Carthage.

He recruited as many soldiers as he could, and by 202 B.C.E. had a force of 40,000 soldiers and 80 elephants.

Second Punic War

Second Punic War

At first, the Carthaginians were able to hold their own against the larger, better-trained Roman army.

However, when a strong cavalry attack hit Hannibal's forces from the rear, the tide of the battle turned.

Although Hannibal managed to escape, the slaughter was horrific.

Polybius wrote later that "the Romans were hindered by the quantity of slippery corpses which were still soaked in blood and had fallen in heaps and the number of arms thrown away haphazard."

Following his defeat at Zama, Hannibal himself advised

Carthage to establish a peace treaty with Rome In 201 B.C.E. Roman ambassadors arrived at Carthage

and presented harsh terms similar to those at the end of the First Punic War

However, this time Carthage was compelled to give up all her interests in Spain and the Mediterranean islands, to surrender all their elephants, to burn all buy 10 of their warships, to pay a huge indemnity (fine) for 50 years, and to never declare war without first consulting Rome

Much to the ambassadors' surprise, Hannibal declared that the terms were not nearly as harsh as he had expected and convinced his government to accept them

Second Punic War

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