Roman History

IntroductionPeople have lived in Italy for a long time, because Italy is a fairly fertile area, but the time when Rome was powerful did not begin until after the greatest power of Egypt and Greece. 


divided into three main periods: *before the rise of Rome, *the Roman Republic, and *the Roman Empire

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/history/newkingdom.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/history/hellenistic.htm

Founding of Rome~ Mythology

The founding of the city is mostly legend and many people prefer the myth to the fact. Aeneas and his followers, with help from Venus (a goddess) escaped Troy as it fell to the Greeks in the Trojan War (We will talk about the mythology in the next couple of days). Romulus and Remus twin sons of the god called Mars. Raised by a she-wolf (her name was Lupa ~ a female Grey-wolf). Romulus defeats Remus and becomes the 1st king. In reality, it probably started by people that came from Greece by boat.

Bronze Age ~ 2000 BCE - 500 BCEThe people of Italy learned to use bronze from the people of West Asia, perhaps from the Phoenicians (which would be people from present day Lebanon) traded with them.

Sometime during this period, around 2000 BC, Italy, like Greece, was probably invaded by Indo-Europeans coming from West Asia. The language these invaders spoke gradually became the language of Italy: Latin

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/arts/bronze.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/maps/mediterranean.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/history/phoenicians.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/history/middlebronze.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/literature/index.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/maps/indoeuropean.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/literature/latinlit.htm

2nd Period: Early Roman RepublicAround 509 BC, just as democracy was getting started in Athens, the Roman aristocrats (the rich people) decided they didn't want to be ruled by kings anymore. Instead of voting about what to do themselves, the Romans voted to choose leaders, who decided for them, the way the United States President and Congress do today. But the only people who could be elected to the Roman Senate were the rich people!

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The 1st Punic War ~ 264 BC - 241 BCThe war was between Carthage and Rome. Carthage, was in Tunisia & North Africa, owned some of the island of Sicily, which the Romans wanted.

The Romans lost, because to go to Sicily you had to go in boats (they had a bad Navy), and the Romans weren't very good sailors. But the Romans learned how to sail by capturing a Carthaginian (Punic) ship and copying it. Better & ready for the next battle

VIDEO: Extra History: The Punic Wars (stop at 8:20)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBHk_zLTmY&list=PLxtGvW8CM3eqFcTqY4kL3XFuVfrOHF-Go

Early Roman Republic cont.The Roman army had been little by little (city by city) conquering the cities around them.

the Romans, when they conquered a city, did something new: they made that city part of the Roman Empire. The people who lived in that city got the right to vote in Rome (at least sometimes), and they paid taxes to Rome, and they sent men to be in the Roman army.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/economy/taxes.htm

The 2nd Punic War~ 218 BC - 201 BC about 40 years later, War #2 starts Carthage had problems paying taxes to Rome, so they started taking over Spain for silver mines. (Hamilcar) Rome took over northern Spain for gold mines. Promised to stay out of each others territories.

The leader of the Carthaginians, Hannibal, decided to attack Rome. Hannibal took a huge army and a lot of elephants and horses and crossed over the Alps to Italy.

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The 2nd Punic War cont.

When the Romans heard that Hannibal was coming, they kept one half of their big army in Italy to fight Hannibal and they sent the other half of their army to Spain, to take over the silver mines. Without Spain, the Carthaginians would not be able to pay their soldiers. The general who went to Spain was named General Scipio.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/mining/silver.htm

Carthage - today

The 2nd Punic Wars cont..The war went on for a long time. Hannibal could not conquer Rome, and Rome could not get Hannibal out of Italy. Many thousands of men were killed on both sides. All the elephants died. The Greeks sent some ships to help the Carthaginians. But finally Scipio succeeded in taking over Spain. Then Scipio took his army to Africa and attacked Carthage itself. The Carthaginian Senate got frightened and told Hannibal to come home and help them. There was a big battle at Zama, near Carthage, in 202 BC, and the Carthaginians lost. Carthage was set on fire and that’s why it’s still in ruins today.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/history/hellenistic.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/africa/environment/index.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/africa/history/carthage.htmhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/bc.htm

The 3rd Punic Wars ~149 BCE - 146 BCEabout 50 years later, War #3 starts Rome wanted to take over (punish) Greece for helping the Carthaginians, but just wanted their land as well. Carthage was getting harassed by Roman Soldiers and they complained to the Senate. Senate would not help so they fought back. Carthage lost and was totally destroyed. Greece was later taken over and so was Western Asia. When Roman soldiers came home (after fighting Greece) they discovered that their lands had been taken away while fighting because they did not pay taxes.