The Rise of the Roman Republic

Dates: 300 - 130 BC

Government and Politics

• 3 Branches of Government
1. Consuls = monarchial branch
• Two consuls
• Held office for a year
• Had supreme civil and military authority
• Safeguards-1 year term period, the veto of the other consul, co-consulship
2. Sentate = aristocratic branch
• Advisory branch chosen by the kings and then the consuls/censors
• 300 citizens
3. Assembly = democratic branch
• All members of the army
• Elected consuls
• Assembly of Tribes
• Composed of all citizens
• Decided on laws and issues of war and peace

Social, Cultural and Religious Trends

• Class Differences
• Patricians-upper class, noble/wealthy landowners, had luxury and leisure time
• Plebeians-lower class (everyone in Rome except the nobility), wore shabby clothing, worked all the time, poor living conditions
• Class distinction based on birth
• Plebeians and Patricians could not marry initially
• Religion
• Public religious system-protected/enhanced the community of the Romans
• Romans attempted to get the goodwill of the gods
• Believed their military success was due to great cultivation of the gods
• Relied on the correct performance of rituals in both private and public
• Much of the culture was devised from Greek culture

Major Events and Persons

• Punic Wars
• Causes: both the Romans and Carthaginians wanted to control the lands and seas of the Mediterranean
1. 264 BC-241 BC (victory to Rome, Carthage signed a peace treaty)
• Battle of Agrigentum (Romans won on land)
• Roman Navy beat the Carthage Navy
2. 218 BC-201 BC (victory to Rome, Carthage Empire loses a lot of control)
• Hannibal (Carthage) took men and elephants through the Alps, surprised the Romans
• Battle of the Trebia
• Battle of Lake Trasimene
• Battle of Cannae
• Romans cut off supplies, counter-attacked at Carthage
• Romans beat Hannibal at the Battle of Zama
3. 149 BC-146 BC (victory to Rome, Carthage left with no control and no military)
• Romans beseiged Carthage, Carthage handed over weapons and prisoners
• Unorganized Roman siege, so Carthage could make weaponry and defend walls
• Romans destroyed the city, sold off 50,000 survivors

Major External Factors

• Threats from abroad
• Tarentum = Greek city-state, had a treaty with Rome
• Denied access to Roman fleets into the Bay of Tarantum
• Rome sent troops by sea to occupy Thurri 
• Tarentum considered this a breach of the treaty
• Sunk the Roman fleet, expelled the garrison
• Rome declared war
• Tarentum asked King Pyrrus of Epirus for assistance
• Pyrrhus wanted to invade Italy-for expansion and the fertile soil
• Romans deterred him by using ox-drawn wagons to distract the elephants
• Rome attacked the elephants on their sides with spears
• Rome was determined to be the master of the Italian Peninsula, thus beginning expansion and the Republic

Changes in Roman Territory