3.2 Wars of the Republic

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AGE 2. The Time of Greeks and Romans

3.2 Wars of the Republic

What is this lesson about?

The Romans kept conquering land in Italy. By 265 BC, they controlled Southern Italy. More and more, Rome became a threat to another powerful empire in the region: Carthage. Which was the strongest?

What you can explain /  do after this lesson

• Why were Rome and Carthage at war with each other?
• Who was Julius Caesar?
• How did Rome eventually get an emperor?

Word Duty

Augustus: the first emperor of Rome.

Civil Wars: a period of fighting between different groups in Rome.

emperor: title for the absolute ruler of the Roman Empire who was not a king.

Hannibal: Carthaginian general who led his army over the Alps, to fight the Romans on their own ground.

Julius Caesar: one of the most famous and powerful generals of Rome. Caesar was murdered because people thought he wanted to be king.

triumph: a procession through Rome, with the general dressed as a god and featuring the spoils of war.

KEY WORDS

TIMELINE of this CHAPTER

B: Competitors in trade

Rome grew its influence and was even starting to expand beyond Italian territory. But there was another powerful city-state in its way: Carthage. This trading city ruled the coast of Northern Africa and Spain, and the island of the Western Mediterranean Sea. For the Romans, trade also was very important. Both powers now wanted to control the Mediterranean Sea, because it was the essential access to all seaports. Carthage had a far stronger navy than the Romans, but Rome had its great army. 

War was coming…

1. Read Competitors in trade (Theory B).
Why did both Rome and Carthage want to control the Mediterranean Sea?

Source 3.6

2. Study source 3.6

Drag the names to the correct place in the map

Rome

Carthage

Mediterranean 

Sea

C. Rome at war with Carthage

The first war with Carthage was fought over the island of Sicily, because it was in a strategic location. After many years of bloodshed, Rome turned out to be strongest. But Carthage recovered and started a second war. Their brilliant general Hannibal surprised the Romans. Coming from Spain, he led his large army - including sixty war elephants – over dangerous mountains into Italy. Hannibal won several battles. Of course, the Romans were worried that Hannibal would attack the city of Rome. So they decided not to fight Hannibal in Italy, but to attack Carthage. Therefore Hannibal was forced to return home to help his city. At Carthage the Roman army defeated Hannibal.

Then, even a third war broke out. As before, Rome was too strong. Carthage fell and this time the Romans had no mercy: they destroyed the city completely. They even put salt on its fields, so nothing could ever grow there again. Carthage would never recover. Rome was now the only superpower in the region.

Read Rome at war with Carthage (Theory C).
3a. true or false?

Carthage was stronger at sea than Rome.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Read Rome at war with Carthage (Theory C).
3c. true or false?

The Romans won all the wars against Carthage.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

Read Rome at war with Carthage (Theory C).
3b. true or false?

Rome and Carthage were at war with each other four times.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

4a Look at the map.


From where had the Romans expected that
Hannibal would attack Italy?

1. from the south
2. from the west
3. from the north
4. from the east

4b Look at the map.


The Romans were surprised when Hannibal
attacked Italy:

1. from the south
2. from the west
3. from the north
4. from the east

4c. Why do you think the Romans never expected
Hannibal to attack from the north?

5. After their last war with Carthage, the Romans showed no mercy.

What did the Romans do to ensure that Carthage could never recover?

D. Julius Caesar

After the defeat of Carthage, Roman legions started to conquer Spain, Gaul (modern-day France) and Greece. They all became part of the Roman Empire. Successful Roman commanders became very mighty. One of the most famous and powerful generals was Julius Caesar. Between 58 and 50 BC, Caesar conquered Gaul, which was not easy at all. The Gallic tribes resisted strongly. It was only after a long and fierce battle at Alesia that the Gauls surrendered. Their leader Vercingetorix was taken captive and brought to Rome.

In honour of his victories, Caesar held three triumphs in Rome. A Roman triumph was a procession through Rome. Caesar was dressed as a god and the spoils of war were carried along for Rome to see. The people of Rome loved it, but some were worried. Did Caesar plan to become a new king?

6a. Caesar conquered Gaul.
This is modern:

1. Spain
2. France
3. Germany
4. Greece

6b. Caesar captured the leader of the Gauls and brought him to Rome. Who was the leader of the Gauls?

6c. What happened to the Gauls at Alesia?
They.......against Caesar

1. won
2. lost

7a. After a great victory on the battlefield, Roman generals held a triumph in Rome.

What is a triumph?

7b. Why were some people worried about the triumphs of Julius Caesar?

E. Crisis of the Republic

In the first century BC, the situation in Rome was tense. There was a surplus of men. Crime was high and the leaders were corrupt. There was a lot of quarrelling and fighting between different groups. This period is known as the Civil Wars. Julius Caesar promised the Roman citizens that he would solve these problems. In 49 BC, he took control and assumed the title of ‘dictator for life’. Now he was the mightiest man of the Roman Empire. But some people did not trust him. A dictator for life is the same as a king, they said. And Rome did not want to become a kingdom anymore! Was the Republic at risk?

A group of senators planned to save the Republic by killing Julius Caesar. On 15th March 44 BC, the murderers attacked: Caesar was stabbed 23 times. According to a legend, Caesars last words were: ‘You too, my child?’ He is believed to have said this to Brutus, the leader of the group of murderers – and possibly, the son of Caesar.

44 BC: Caesar is murdered by senators

7a. What is a civil war?

It is a war in which:

1. two (or more) countries fight each other
2. two (or more) groups within a country fight each other

7b. What caused the Civil Wars?

1. group of senators killed Julius Caesar.
2. Julius Caesar became dictator for life and took all power.
3. There was a surplus of men, crime was high and the leaders were corrupt.

8a. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar became dictator for life. Was there a difference in power between being dictator for life and a Roman king?

8b. Why, do you think, did Julius Caesar prefer the title ‘dictator for life’ and not ‘king’?

F. What happened to the Republic?

Caesar was dead. His nephew Octavian took revenge on the killers. After that, everyone wondered if Octavian had the ambition to become king. But Octavian had learned from Caesar’s death. He said he was happy to control just a few minor functions. But those functions gave him great power. For example, Octavian became high priest of Jupiter. The Romans believed in many different gods and Jupiter was the most important one. It was seen as an insult to the gods if you killed a high priest. Now no one dared to hurt Octavian. He also became a consul, so he could command the army.

In 27 BC, Octavian called himself Augustus (‘the honored one’) and became the first emperor of the Roman Empire. But Augustus never called himself emperor. He was, in his own words, a caesar. Under his rule the Empire would grow and prosper, but Rome was no longer a republic.

Octavian, also known as:

Augustus, the first Roman EMPEROR

9a. Who was Octavian?

He was Caesar's:

1. son
2. mother
3. dog
4. nephew

9b. What was the first thing Octavian did after Caesar was murdered?

1. have a party
2. marry Caesar's wife
3. take revenge on the killers
4. become the new king

10. Fill in the missing words.

Octavian

emperor

republic

Brutus

Augustus

king

senators

10a. Octavian became the high priest of which god?

1. Zeus
2. Thor
3. Mr Sanders
4. Jupiter

10b. In what role is Augustus shown here?

Source 3.10 Augustus shown as a high priest of Jupiter. When a Roman has his toga over his head, as Augustus does here, he was acting as the role of a priest (relief, 9 BC).

1. Augustus is shown as consul of Rome.
2. Augustus is shown as high priest of Jupiter.
3. Augustus is shown as emperor of Rome.
4. Augustus is shown as military leader

10c. Why did no one dare to hurt Augustus
in this role?

Source 3.10 Augustus shown as a high priest of Jupiter. When a Roman has his toga over his head, as Augustus does here, he was acting as the role of a priest (relief, 9 BC).

11a. What does the title Augustus mean?

1. the honoured one
2. the stupid one
3. the powerful one
4. the evil one

11b. When Octavian became emperor, Rome became a:

1. republic
2. monarchy

12. Put the events in the correct chronological order

A group of senators kills Julius Caesar.

Rome is at war with Carthage.

Octavian becomes the first emperor of Rome.

Julius Caesar becomes dictator of Rome.

Julius Caesar conquers Gaul.

Write down one question about something from this lesson that you find difficult.

congratulations