LO-2

• Romans were militrary people-patriotic farmersoldiers
• As romans secured position at home they began to reach out for territoires and allies
• Romans had superior army
• Romans generous to defeated enemies
• They were given status of allies
• They kept their laws, government systems, and armies but under Roman authority
• Romans lacked good commanders, soldiers but they always had another army to take its place
• colonists enjoyed rights of citizenship almost equal to citizens that lived in Rome itsel
• By 250 B.C. all of Italy south of the river Po was under Roman command
• Carthage came inot a collision with Rome because of the expanding
• Carthage was founded around 700 B.C. by Phoenician colonists
• Carthage had become an oligarchic and empire building republic similar to Rome
• Spread infulences across Noreth Africa, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corisica, and Sicily
• Interest in Sicily that brought them into collision with Romans
• The most at stake was command of whole western Mediterranean
• Punic Wars were waged on land and sea in three vicious rounds between 264 and 146 B.C. 
• After warfare ROmae was able to force Carthage out of Sicily
• In second phase Hannibal invaded Italy. defeated Roman armies and brought Rome to the brink of defeat
• Roman allies brought troops from all over Italy to eventually over power Carthage 
• After end of second Punic War Carthage was disarmed and helpless
• Fearing a Carthage revival Rome provoked 3rd war in 146 BC and Carthage was captured after bitter fighiting
• Senate ordered city to be leveled, people sold to slavery, and ground to be cursed
• 202 BC Rome had control of the western Mediterranean
• Carthage in Sicily, Spain and Africa became first Roman Provinces
• not unlit 27 BC when Augustus came they began to share benefits of Roman Order
• Conquest of mediterranean west meant enormous increase in bothresources and military power
• from 500 BC to outbreak of Punic wars Romans had unified most of Italy in next 250 years
• They spread their rule from eastern Mediterranean to the British ISeles
• In Spain Rome first gained substantial foothold among peoples of barbarian Europe which they began to expand
• Prospects were promising  for Hellensistic kingdoms, beggining to lose grip
• Rome's first involvment was in Greece
• around 200 BC ambassadors from various city states appealed to Rome for aid in resisting king of Macedonia who had been allied by Carthage
• Romans replied by sending army because of admiration for Hellenic cultrue and greed
• Proffessed aim was to secure liberties of proud and quarlesome Greek cities and then to withdraw
• soon began to acitvely intervene in politics and conflicts of Hellensistic kingdoms
• Romans carved one province after another out of eastern Mediterranean and made many a local ruler into a client king
• By late first century BC they were supreme in the region
• From GIbraltar to Jerusalem fell shadow of mighty Rome