Government and Politics
- 133 BC- Tiberius Gracchus-held Office of the Tribune
- Proposed to distribute land to the poor
- Did not consult Senate first, went straight to the people
- Although land bill was passed, at the next election, he was murdered
- 123 BC-Gaius Gracchus elected to the tribunate
- Introduced state-subsidized corn rations
- Murdered
- Gaius Marius
- Held consulship for seven times
- Conflict with Sukka (Roman warlord)
- 82 BC-Sulla declared himself dictator
- Intended to give a leading politician short term powers in an emergency
- Held position for 2 years, put 1000+ political opponents to death
- The First Triumvirate
- Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey)-had the support of traditionalists (fled)
- Crassus-killed by Romans
- Julius Caesar-promoted radical policies, last survivor
- 48 BC - Pompey was dead, Caesar was now the first emperor of Rome
- Cancellation of debts, settlement of landless veteran soldiers
- Murdered by senators
- 31 BC - Octavian defeats Antony in a battle near Actium
Social, Cultural and Religious Trends
- Small farmers came to Rome for employment and cultural benefits, bad living conditions
- Thousands of slaves imported to work in artisan labor
- 60% of urban population were slaves/had slave origins
- Roman aristocracy-senators and wealthy knights-conspicuous consumption to demonstrate high rank
- Knights became a powerful social group
- Developed a slave agricultural economy in Italy and Sicily to produce wine and oil for export
Major Events and Persons
- 136-130 BC: slave revolt seized control of Sicily
- 105 BC: slave revolt caused chaos in Italy and Sicily
- 72 BC-Spartacus led a large army through Italy undefeated until they met Crassus in 70 BC
Major External Factors
- Overseas conquest-too much wealth too quickly for equitable distribution
- Rome became an Imperial capital
- 2nd Century BC-Spain and Lusitania rebelled constantly
- 176 BC-Corsica and Sardinia revolted, resulted in 89,000 enslaved Sardinians
- 88 BC-80,000 Romans, Italians, families, slave staffs massacred in Asia
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| First Triumvirate |
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