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"For who is so useless or indolent as not to wish to know by what means and under what system the Romans in less than fifty-three years [200-146 BC] have succeeded in subjecting nearly the whole inhabited world to their sole government - a thing unique in history?"  (Polybius 1.15)

Rome: the first and only state ever to encompass the entire Mediterranean

1. Rome and Italy in the Mediterranean

Environment/geography

Apennines, Alps

communication (land vs. sea)

• agriculture
  • plains: Latium, Campania, Po valley
• minerals, esp. iron
  
• timber
  

 2. Political Periods

A. Foundation of Lavinium by Aeneas, Alba Longa by Ascanius/Iulus

B. Foundation of Rome: 753 BC, by Romulus and Remus

C. "Regal period": 753-510 BC

7 kings, each with improbably long reigns, from a mix of Italic peoples

oral tradition v. reality

D. Republic: 510-27 BC (Rome at the beginning of the Republic)

Res publica ("the public thing"): antithesis of monarchy (regnum, "rule"; rex, "king")

 
3. Roman Republican Politics: Theory and Practice

A. Theory: Polybius (Achaean Greek, mid-2C BC) and the "mixed constitution"

i. Monarchical >> consuls

• civil
• judicial
• military

ii. Aristocratic/oligarchic >> senate (senex)

• foreign policy
• finances
• decrees, not laws (senatus consultum)

iii. Democratic >> assemblies (most important: comitia centuriata)

• election of magistrates
• laws, treaties
• judicial: capital cases

result: checks and balances (cp. Sparta)

B. Practice: Political realities

assemblies: procedure, voting, role of the consuls

Senate: in charge; consuls its agent

formal powers vs. authority (cp. Pericles)

4. Roman Expansion

A. Conquest of Italy (by 270) map of Roman expansion in Italy

i. Major events

390: Gallic (Gauls from Po Valley) sack of Rome, ransom

341-338: revolt and suppression of Latin League

493 BC: Battle of Lake Regillus, foedus Cassianum (booty shared, Roman generalship, armies combined)

in conquered cities municipiae and colonae

343-341, 326-304, 298-290: Samnite Wars

Rome acquired Campania, built first military road (Via Appia, 312)

key battles: Caudine Forks, 321; Sentinum, 295

ii. Methods of and reasons for success:

military strength (legions), resilience, discipline, adaptibility, pride, and determination
       Roman military tactics: testudo, manipular

Romans live on conquered or annexed land (colonies, towns with limited citizenship)

alliances: divide and conquer (cf. Latin League)

legacies

strict hierarchy of relationships

B. Rome and Carthage: Punic Wars

1st Punic War: 264-241

• issue: control over Sicily

• fought in Sicily and Africa

• Roman navy born: the corvus ("raven" -- assault bridge)

• mare nostrum: "Our Sea"
  

2nd Punic War: 218-201

theaters: Italy, Sicily, Spain (for Rome, wars on two fronts)

Hannibal in Spain, Gaul, crosses Alps into Italy

key Roman defeats: Saguntum, Cannae (216)

201: battle of Zama (near Carthage): P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal

3rd Punic War: 149-146

Cato the Censor: Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam: "I also think that Carthage must be destroyed."

Carthage destroyed: 146

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Updated 4-12-08, bolmarcich[at]mail.utexas.edu