Our Sea

Part 5 - Rome

The city of Rome grew from farming settlements in the middle of the 8th century BCE. It was ruled by Latin, Sabine and Etruscan kings until the Romans established a republic in 509 BCE.

The oligarchic rulers were in constant conflict with small landowners (plebeians) and the neighbouring Etruscan, Latin and other tribes of central Italy until they established the state of Latium. The Roman rulers gradually expanding the areas under their control by conquering the Gauls, Osci-Samnites and the Greek colony of Taranto in southern Italy and by the first century BCE, Roman had conquered the whole of Italy and most of the Mediterranean making Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Hispania (Spain), Macedonia, Greece, Syria, Iran, Egypt and north Africa Roman provinces.

The Macedonian Wars (212–168 BCE)

Perseus of Macedon, ruler of the Antigonid Kingdom (one of four dynasties* established by Alexander's successors), was unable to stop the advancing Roman legions and Macedon's defeat at the Battle of Pydna 179-168 BCE was the end of the dynasty.

(*the others being the Seleucid dynasty, Ptolemaic dynasty(Egypt) and Attalid dynasty).

Seleucid Empire 

In the east, the unwieldy Seleucid Empire gradually disintegrated, although a rump survived until 64 BCE. The Greek Aetolian league, wary of Roman involvement in Greece, sided with the Seleucids in the Roman - Seleucid War; and, when the Romans were victorious, the league was absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Ptolemaic Kingdom 

The Ptolemaic Kingdom continued in Egypt until 30 BCE, when it too was conquered by the Romans. 

Greece

The Hellenistic period lasted until Greece was defeated by the Roman Republic in 146 BCE. Although the Greek Achaean league outlasted both the Aetolian league and Macedon, it was ultimately defeated and absorbed by the Romans bringing an end to the independence of all Greece. Although this meant the end of Greek political independence, Hellenistic society remained virtually unchanged until the advent of Christianity.

The Punic Wars (Rome v. Carthage 264–146 BCE) 

The First Punic War (264–241 BCE) began when the Romans sent a garrison to help secure the city of Messina in Sicily and, when the Carthaginians sent aid to their allies in Syracuse, a full-scale war ensued. 

Rome defeated the Carthaginians in a land battle in 262 BCE but Carthage defeated the much smaller Roman navy in 260 BCE. Within months, the Romans rebuilt their navy with a fleet of over one hundred warships, some equipped with an assault bridge that enabled Roman legionaries to board and capture Carthaginian ships. Rome was successful in almost every following battle and, in 241 BCE, Carthage signed a peace treaty, evacuated Sicily and agreed to pay Rome a large war indemnity. However, the Roman popular assembly was not satisfied with this and Rome occupied Corsica and Sardinia and the Carthaginians were forced to accepted the loss of these islands and an increased war indemnity.

The Second Punic War (218–201 BCE)

The Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca, blamed for the loss of Corsica and Sardinia and the increased war indemnity, moved his army to Iberia (Spain) where he subdued several tribes, captured rich silver mines and added native troops to his army. The silver mines paid not only for his army but also the war indemnity to Rome. When Hamilcar died in battle in 228 BCE, his son-in-law, Hasdrubal, became Carthaginian commander in Iberia.

When Rome learned of an alliance between Carthage and the Celts of northern Italy, the Romans pre-emptively invaded the Po river region in 225 BCE. But Hasdrubal was assassinated in 221 BCE and his brother Hannibal, surprised the Romans in 218 BCE by attacking the town of Saguntum (near modern Valencia, Spain). This action was a reprisal for the massacre of pro-Carthaginian factions. Although Rome had no legal responsibility to protect tribes south of the Ebro River, the Roman senate demanded Carthage hand Hannibal over and, when the Carthaginian oligarchy refused, Rome again declared war on Carthage.