According to a Roman story a princess name Rhea Sylvia had 2 twin boys by Mars, the god of war. A jealous uncle who had stolen the throne from her father ordered her twins

to be drowned in the river. But a servant took pity on the boys, put them in a basket and let them float down the river. Hopefully someone would find and care for them. Down the river they floated until they came to rest at the foot of a hill. There a wolf found the crying orphans and cared for them. Later, a shepherd found the children and took them home to raise as his own. He named them Romulus  and Remus. Years later, the two brothers

decided to build a city. This would be a city where others who were homeless, as they once were, could come

to live. But the brothers argued over where to build the city. One night Romulus and Remus agreed to watch for an omen, a sign from the gods, to settle their argument. At dawn , Remus saw six vultures flying overhead. However, as the sun rose higher in the sky, Romulus saw 12 vultures. The brothers quarreled and began fighting over the meaning of the vultures in the sky, and in a rage, Romulus killed Remus. Romulus then began to build his city on the spot he had chosen-the hill where the tiny basket containing the two babies had come to rest years before. He named his new city after himself- Rome. According to this legend, the date was 753 B.C. and Romulus was the first of seven kings. He was believed to be a great warrior-king and started Rome’s first army and its first government. 

Rome’s Early Kings    Rome’s 2nd king was Numa Pompilius. He brought peace to Rome and began the

Roman religion. The early kings got advice from a group of men known as the Senate (from the Latin word for “old men”) .They came from Rome’s wealthiest and most important families.

    At the time of the early kings, government and religion went together. The king was also the Chief Priest. He chose other priests from members of the Senate, and they all performed religious duties and interpreted omens. ( Imagine today in America if there was only 1 religion, one church and the  President of the United States was

also the President of that American Church !!)

The Etruscans

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     During the rule of the early Roman kings, Rome had powerful neighbors to the north called Etruscans. They wanted the Roman's land. The Etruscans were good at trading and had  many wealthy cities . About 575 B.C., the Etruscans moved into the city of Rome and ruled Rome for the next 60 years.     The Etruscans came from an older, more advanced civilization.  Rome learned quickly from them. The Etruscans taught Romans the alphabet and new building techniques, such as the arch. The Etruscan kings helped Rome grow from a village of straw-roofed huts into a walled city with paved streets. They also built a sewer that is still in use today.

The Romans learned so well, they became the teachers.The Romans built the Circus Maximus, an arena that seated thousands. Romans drained a

marshy valley and built a beautiful town center known as the Forum.

Rome continued to grow under the Etruscans, until Tarquin the Proud came to power. He was the seventh and last Roman king. He was a cruel ruler who ignored the Senate and terrorized the people. In 509 B. C., the people rebelled against him and finally sent him into exile (which means he had to live somewhere outside of Roman territory).  The Roman people decided that they would never again be ruled by a king. Rome becomes a Republic.

ROME BECOMES POWERFULRome became powerful because its location offered 3 advantages. First, Rome was built on seven hills, so it was difficult for enemies to attack. Second, the Tiber River allowed food and goods from inland to be brought to Rome.

    The Rise of the Republic The common people of Rome were very angry over harsh treatment by the rich and powerful people of Rome, so they moved out of the city. A Roman historian named Livy wrote about this terrible time in the city of Rome in 494 B.C. "There was great panic in the city, and everyone was afraid. Many of the common people were leaving the city. The rich and powerful people wondered how long  the crowds who stayed in Rome would remain peaceful? And what would happen if an army was needed to fight foreign invaders?" The leaders

knew that their city was in serious danger unless the common people returned.  So they

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agreed to give the people more rights. This struggle between the Roman leaders and the common people continued for 200 years as the common people of Rome tried to gain equal rights.

 Patricians and Plebeians – Classes of People in Early Rome    When the last Etruscan king was thrown out of Rome in 509 B.C., Roman leaders decided to begin a very new form of government - a republic.  In a republic, citizens elect leaders to run their government.  In Rome, the leaders chosen to replace the king were called consuls.  These consuls were elected by ordinary citizens known as an assembly, and  given advice by a group of rich people known as the Senate.  Citizens were divided into two classes, patricians and plebeians.

Romans were born into their class. Patricians were members of the small amount of wealthy Roman families. They had most of the rights and only they could be senators, and hold high office. Plebeians were the majority of the population –workers,

shopkeepers, and peasants. Then there were slaves. They had no rights whatsoever and were only considered property of their masters.

 Plebeians believed that was unfair. When a poor plebeian had to borrow money from the rich to survive, he and his family were forced into "debt bondage", which means he became a servant of the man to whom he owed the money. He was treated almost like a slave, and, without getting paid, he could never get the money he needed to buy his freedom. The government did nothing to end this cruel practice. Although the plebeians had fewer rights than the patricians they still had to serve in the army and pay taxes to the very people that were hurting them.      By 494 B.C., the plebeians had suffered long enough. They formed their own assembly, known as the Council of Plebeians. They also elected their own

leaders, called tribunes to protect their rights.  Now the plebeians could vote against any bad law passed by the Senate. Next, the plebeians demanded that the laws be changed. Since Rome’s laws had never been written down, patrician judges often ruled unfairly against plebeians.

THE TWELVE TABLES Finally in 450 B.C.E., the laws were engraved on 12 bronze tablets called the Twelve Tables. The tablets were then displayed in the Forum, Rome's marketplace, so all citizens could see the rights given to them. But few people could actually read them.  

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Plebeians gained more and more rights.  Eventually plebeians could even become members of the Senate. But the plebeians and patricians still held their meetings in different places. (America too has two groups of lawmakers who meet in two different places in one building)The laws passed by the patrician senate applied to everyone. However, the laws passed by the plebian assembly applied only to plebeians.

Roman GovernmentAs the plebeians gained power, Rome became more democratic. The government was ruled by two consuls, and one of those consuls had to be a plebeian. The consuls were like kings, but they could serve only one year, and each consul could veto the other's decisions. Our word veto is from the Latin word "I forbid". So, one consul could forbid the decision of the other !      The consuls took care of the daily business of the government and of the army. They got advice from a senate made up of 300 citizens.  Though the consuls changed each year, Senators were chosen for life. The senate controlled the treasury and Roman laws.  Most of the senators were members of wealthy Roman families.  The Senate was the most powerful group in the government of the Roman Republic. When the Senate wanted laws passed, it had to get the citizen assemblies to agree. Consuls were also elected by these assemblies. In this was the government of the Republic spread its power among different groups. This is called "Checks and Balances" because it balances power between many people.

ROMAN WARS OF EXPANSION As Rome became more powerful, they needed resources and man power to help them to grow. How did they get them? Rome declared war on many of their neighbors. Many conquered people became slaves. As Rome grew more and more, slaves outnumbered the citizens. By 275 BC, Rome ruled all of Italy !

 Rome had more citizens and well-trained soldiers than any other people in the Mediterranean area. During the next 100 years, Rome used those soldiers to conquer the Mediterranean world.

On the opposite side of the Mediterranean was another military power and trade rival, Carthage. It was a wealthy city located on the coast of North Africa trading with cities all around the Mediterranean. Carthage and Rome became fierce enemies and fought three long and bloody wars (called the Punic Wars) over which power would control the Mediterranean.

THE FIRST PUNIC WAR      Carthage controlled some towns on Sicily (the large island at the toe of Italy). Carthage controlled much of the trade routes going in and out of Rome. Rome was afraid Carthage would eventually try to control Italy and Rome itself.  In 246 B.C., they declared war.  This war became known as the first Punic war.  "Punici" was the Roman word for "people of Carthage".

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    They fought on land and sea.  Rome had a stronger army,  but Carthage had a stronger navy. At the beginning of the war, Rome did not have many ships or experience at sea. The Romans found a clever answer to their problem. They invented a device called a "crow" which was a kind of wooden walkway with a sharp spike at the end.  The crow was held upright until the Romans pulled their ship up next to an enemy ship. Then they quickly lowered the crow so the spike stuck on the enemy ship's deck.  The crow served as a bridge for the Roman soldiers to get on to

the enemy ship easily. This invention helped Rome win the war against Carthage.     The first Punic war lasted 23 years. Carthage had a hard time, but Rome could handle the heavy losses of men because of it's huge army and loyal allies.     Eventually Carthage surrendered. Rome began to take over the Mediterranean world. At the end of the 1st Punic War an important event occurs.

The time is 238 BC., Carthage has just been defeated by Rome. The place is Carthage. The Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca, is preparing to leave for Spain. He is hoping to raise a new army to fight another war against Rome. He is angry and humiliated that Carthage lost the war with Rome. The historian Livy describes the event: "Hannibal, then about 9 years old, was teasing his father. "Take me with you, take me with you to Spain!"  His father, still angry, led Hannibal to the altar and made him swear to be the enemy of Rome as soon as he grew up."     Hamilcar took his son Hannibal to Spain with him and taught him to be a soldier. Twenty years later, Hannibal honored his promise to his father. He became a brilliant general and became one of Rome's greatest enemies!

THE 2nd PUNIC WAR      Carthage may have been beaten by Rome, but it was still an important power.  General Hamilcar took an army to Spain and began to conquer it.  But In 229 B.C. Hamilcar was killed in battle. Hannibal was only 26 years old when he took his father’s place, but it was time for him to fulfill the oath he had made as a child. Rome was nervous as Hannibal continued to conquer Spain, including one of Rome's allies in Spain.

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  Rome declared war on Carthage, called the Second Punic War, and it would last 18 years !

The Romans sent soldiers to Spain, but Hannibal wasn't there.

    He was heading for

Italy, through the Alps! He gathered an army of about 70,000 soldiers, 12,000 horses, and 37 elephants. They marched across the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain and through southern Gaul (modern France), crossed the Rhone River (the elephants on rafts) and reached the Alps five months later, in winter. Only one half of the army was left, and they still had to cross the rocky, wind-whipped Alps to reach Italy. Imagine the scene as it was described by the historian Polybius: "After nine days' climb Hannibal's army reached the snow covered summit of the pass over the Alps--all the time being attacked by mountain tribes.  However, when the enemy attacked the army, the elephants were of great use to the Carthaginians. The enemy was so terrified of the animals' strange appearance that they dared not come anywhere near them."   Finally, Hannibal and his army entered Italy and began fighting the Romans. Although all of Hannibal's elephants died except one, Hannibal continually defeated the Romans in battle after battle.  One battle known as the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal surrounded the Romans and destroyed their entire army, killing 70,000 Romans and selling the rest as slaves.

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Roman armies did not give up. They knew that this was a real danger to the civilization that they had built. They continued fighting until a general came who could defeat Hannibal. That was the Roman general Scipio Africanus. First, Scipio made a secret agreement with one of Carthage's allies in North Africa. Then, while Hannibal was still in Italy, Scipio attacked Carthage.

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