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650 BCE
Etruscans Rule Rome
The Etruscans found Rome as just a village. They made a building program which turned Rome into a city. The Etruscans wore togas and short cloaks which the Romans later adopted. 2/7 kings that ruled Rome were Etruscans but were kicked out and subbed for a republic. The Etruscan economy was based on trade, agriculture, and mineral resources. -
264 BCE
The 1st Punic War
264BC- 261BC. The war began when the Romans sent an army to Sicily. The Carthaginians, who considered Sicily a part of their empire, thought of this as an act of war. The Romans created a large naval fleet to win over Sicily. Carthage gave up all rights to Sicily and paid a fine to Rome. Carthage vowed to get revenge which led to another Punic War. -
218 BCE
The 2nd Punic War
218BC- 201BC. Hannabil decided to take the Carthaginians to fight in Rome. The Romans decided to meet them head on. Rome lost 40,000 men but refused to surrender. Rome decided to invade Carthaginian instead of fighting Hannibal in Italy. Carthage lost Spain and Rome became the dominant power in the Western Mediterranean. -
149 BCE
3rd Punic War
149-146 B.C. The 3rd Punic War was the final struggle Rome had with Carthage. For years, many Romans wanted to destroy Carthage. 146 B.C. Carthage was destroyed, and the following 10 days Roman soldiers burned all of the buildings. Romans made the citizens-50,000 men, women, and children- sold into slavery. Carthage was then became a Roman province called Africa. -
73 BCE
Spartacus
Spartacus escaped with 70-80 gladiators. He raised about 70,000 slaves to revolt. The Romans set an army after him. Spartacus beat the first two armies. The Romans finally defeated Spartacus' army and killed him. -
60 BCE
1st Triumvirate
Caesar joined forces with Crassus and Pompey to form the 1st Triumvirate. Each in command of a province. Crassus died in battle, leading senators wanted to make Pompey rule alone. Caesar refused and illegally crossed the Rubicon, the river that sets the boundary for his province. He then marched to Rome and started a civil war, which he won, and declared himself ruler in 45 B.C. -
43 BCE
2nd Triumvirate
Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus formed the 2nd Triumvirate. Only two men split the empire, the empire still wasn't big enough for the both of them. Octavian and Antony soon came into conflict with each other, Antony allied with queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Octavian's forces crushed Antony and Cleopatra's army and navy at the Battle of Actium. The two then fled to Egypt and committed suicide. -
31 BCE
The Age of Augustus
31BC- AD14. In 27BC Octavian knew that the Republic could not be restored to the way it was before. The senate gave him the title Augustus which means the revered one. The system he established is called a principate which is first among equals. Officials continued to be elected but Augustus had more authority. This caused involvement in elections to decline. -
40
Gospels begin to be written
40AD. The gospels were written about Jesus' time on earth. They were documented by four different people- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are from four different point of views which means the wording is not the same. Mark is the shortest gospel. Luke is the longest gospel. -
70
Colosseum
The colosseum was built by Emperor Vespasian as a gift to Rome. It was used to fight wild animals and gladiators. Two-thirds of the building has been destroyed over time. It held more than 50,000 spectators. The colosseum was used for 4 centuries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGoRf1My62g -
80
Colosseum Opens
Was used for gladiator fights. Naval battles also taken place taken place here. Christians renounced going to these fights. There were battles between dwarves and women. Massacred anywhere from 5 to 9,000 animals a day. Also gladiators fought to death. -
313
Constatine the First Christian Emperor
Constatine made Christianity legal. For the first time people were allowed to openly worship. Under him, churches were quickly built, not just in Rome but throughout the empire. In A.D. 391, the worship of other gods became illegal. Before Christianity was legal, many went to underground tombs to worship. -
476
Fall of Roman Empire
After Constatine, the empire kept on dividing into eastern and western parts. Many blame Christianity weakened military virtues. Another reason could be that one-tenth of the population was wiped out due to a plague. Traditional Roman values declined as Italians gained prominence. Rome was unable to put together a workable political system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITVUBXVyR8 -
Scripture Reflection
Acts 17:26 says "He makes nations great, and destroy them; He enlarges nations, and guides them." God, even at the beginning when Rome wasn't Christian, He lead them. He also destroyed Rome. God enlarged Rome and guided them.
