Roman Empire:

1

• HANNIBAL General form Carthage
• He participated in the Second Punic War
  218BC-202. He conquered almost all western roman
  territories an decided to march with his
  elephants into Rome.
• He crossed the Alps and marched against Rome on
  a long victorious campaign.
• Romans decided to appoint Scipio the Africanus as
  commander in chief of the operations against
  Hannibal.
• Scipio destroyed troops of Hannibal in Spain and
  invaded Carthage in North Africa forcing Hannibal
  to surrender.
• - Scipio received one last charge from Hannibal
  the battle of Zama in 202BC very close to
  Carthage . Hannibal lost and Carthage was burned.
  Rome took control of the Central Mediterranean Sea

• SENATE Was created after the expulsion of the
  last Etruscan king Tarquin. (509BC)
• It had 300 members. 900 during Julius Caesar.
• Two consuls were elected every year to act as
  presidents.
• In the beginning of the republic only the high
  class could vote. Later plebeians (middle class)
  gained the right to vote as well.
• SENATE comes form a Latin word senexold. Most
  of the senators were elders form rich families.
• Senate had also different types of assemblies and
  other administrative charges.
• It distribute the power and control the economy
  of Rome.
• - It became more corrupted at the end of the
  Republic

• Roman Empire
• -The Roman Empire began in the year 31 BC with
  the appointment by the senate of the first
  emperor Augustus (Octavius)
• The Empire control Spain, England, all Europe,
  Turkey, North Africa and shorelines of the Black
  Sea
• Maximum expansion was achieved by the emperors
  Trajan and Hadrian. Hadrian also built a huge
  massive wall in England to avoid the invasion of
  the barbarians form the North.
• The empire was divided in two West (Rome) and
  East (Constantinople) by Theodosius in 395 AD.
• - The collapse of the empire is attributed to
  Barbarian invasions (W)/ Turks (E) Internal
  tensions between aristocrats and commoners/
  Taxes/ Continuous wars/ Corruption/ Bad
  administration

2

• Julius Caesar 102? BC-44BC Great general and
  dictator of Rome
• Julius Caesar was part of the first triumvirate
  with Pompei and Crasus. He was the strongest in
  that alliance.
• -He was sent to France (Gaul) by the senate. He
  conquered all that region and defeated
  Vercingentorix in the final battle of Alessia
  (52BC).
• After Alessia he decided to return to Rome. He
  was denied permission to enter in the city by the
  Senate. He ignored the order and crossed the
  Rubicon River with his troops (Vini.Vidi, Vinci).
• He destroyed the armies of Pompei and took power
  as supreme dictator.
• - He improved the life of the Romans and always
  fought for the wealth of the poorest.
• - He will be assassinated by Brutus in what is
  called the Ides of March (march 15 44 BC) when he
  was walking out from he Senate.

• Constantine (285 AD- 337AD) Emperor of Rome
• -Constantine was one of the most incredible
  emperors of Rome. He unified the empire after
  several years of internal wars.
• In his last battle over his enemies he said he
  had a dream with the sign chi-ro (First initials
  of Christus). After this vision he ordered his
  soldiers to paint the symbol on the shields. He
  won the battle and decided to turn himself
  Christian. (first Christian emperor)
• He signed the Edict of Milan (313AD). No more
  Christian persecutions nor crucifixions. Allow
  people form different religions to worship their
  gods. Stop the massacres in the coliseum.
• - He secured almost all borders of the empire and
  stoped several invasions of the barbarians coming
  from the north

3
Story of Romulus and Remus
The kingdom of Alba Longa was ruled by the wicked
king, Amulius. Amulius fought his brother,
Numitor, and sent him into exile. Amulius forced
Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, to become a
Vestal Virgin. Vestal Virgins were not allowed to
marry and have children. One day Mars, the god
of war, saw Rhea Silvia and fell in love with
her. Some time later she gave birth to twin boys.
Amulius ordered his slave to throw the two twins
into the River Tiber. But the slave left the
twins in their cradle to give them a chance. They
floated down the river. A she-wolf rescued the
two babies and looked after them. A shepherd
called Faustulus saw the she-wolf with the baby
boys. He took them home to his wife and they
called them Romulus and Remus. When they grew up
the boys became shepherds like Faustulus. One day
they had a fight with some shepherds who looked
after Numitor's sheep. Remus was arrested and
sent to Numitor as a prisoner. When Numitor heard
the story he realised that Remus was his
grandson! He told Romulus and Remus what had
happened to him and their Mother. Romulus and
Remus attacked their Great Uncle Amulius and
killed him. Now Romulus and Remus lived with
their grandfather in Alba Longa, but they got
bored and missed the countryside where they grew
up. They decided to move back to the place where
Faustulus had found them and build their own city
on the banks of the River Tiber. But the twins
argued over where the city should be built.
Romulus wanted to build it on the Palatine Hill
and Remus wanted to build it on the Capitoline
Hill. In the end they built two cities! The
arguing didn't stop. Remus teased his brother
about the height of his city walls, saying they
were too low. The brothers had a fight and
Romulus killed Remus. Romulus became King of the
new city, which was called Rome in his honour.
Taken fromhttp//www.myread.org/romulus_remus.h
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