A. Rome began as a small city state in Italy, but ended up ruling the entire Mediterranean world
B. Italy is a peninsula that looks like a boot, jutting into the Mediterranean Sea and kicking the island of Sicily toward North Africa
C. Because of its geography, Italy was much easier to unify Greece
II. Roman Beginnings
A. The Romans, like the Greeks, were and Indo-European people
B. Their ancestors, the Latins, had migrated into Italy by about 800 B.C.
C. The Romans shared he Italian peninsula with other peoples, whos ideas they adapted
III. The Early Republic
A. The Romans drove out their hated Etruscan king in 509 B,C,
B. Determined never again to be ruled by a monarch, the Romans set up a new government in which, officials were chosen by the people.
C. They called it a republic or �thing of the people�
IV. Expansion in Italy
A. Rome�s success was due partly to skillful diplomacy and partly to its efficient well-disciplined army
B. Roman armies consisted of citizen-soldiers who fought without pay and supplied their own weapons
C. Rome generally treated its defeated enemies with justice
V. Rivalry With Carthage
A. Rome�s conquest of the Italian peninsula brought it into contact with a new rival, Carthage
B. Carthage was a city-state on the northern coast of Africa, in present-day Tunisia
C. Between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C., Rome fought three wars against Carthage
VI. War With Hannibal
A. Hannibal dedicated his life to the destruction of Rome
B. Several years after his father�s death, Hannibal was selected as leader of the Carthaginian army
C. He commanded a mixed force of troops from Europe and North Africa
VII. Rulers of the Mediterranean World
A. While Rome fought Carthage in the west, it was also expanding into the eastern Mediterranean
B. There, Romans confronted the Hellenistic rulers who had divided up the empire of Alexander the Great
C. Sometimes to defend Roman interests, sometimes simply for plunder, Rome launched a series of wars in one area
VIII. Effect of Expansion
A. Romans glorified in their successes as they set out to rule the newly acquired provinces.
B. Victory put them in control of busy trade routes, and incredible riches flooded into Rome from the conquered lands
C. A new class of wealthy Romans emerged
IX. Caesar�s Bid for Power
A. Out of the chaos emerged Julius Caesar, an able commander who combined soaring ambition with a determination to make drastic reforms
B. For a time, Caesar dominated Roman politics with Pompey, one of Rome�s most brilliant generals
C. Caesar�s enemies feared that he would make himself king of Rome, so they plotted against him
X. Imperial Rome
A. Through firm but moderate policies, Augustus helped Rome recover from the long period of civil war
B. Augustus undertook economic reforms, too
C. Not all of August�s successors were great rulers
XI. The Roman Peace
A. The 200-year span that began with Augustus and ended with Marcusa Aurelius is known as the period of the Pax Romana, or �Roman Peace�
B. The Pax Romana created �a world every day better known, better cultivated, and more civilized than before�
C. With legions to maintiain the raods and fleets to chase pirates from the seas, trade flowed freely to and from distant lands in Africa, India, and China
XII. Family and Religion
A. The ideal Roman woman was loving, dutiful, dignified, and strong
B. Patrician women, especially, played a large role in society than did Greek women
C. Women from al classes ran a variety of businesses, from small shops to major shipyards
XIII. Bread and Circuses
A. Rich and poor alike loved spectacular entertainments
B. Gladiator contests were even more popular
C. During the Pax Romana, the general prosperity hid underlyinh social and economic problems