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202
Hannibal crosses the Alps with troops on elephants to attack Rome, but has to turn back and is defeated at Carthage. (202 BCE)
Hannibal of Carthage started the Second Punic War after attacking one of Rome's allied cities, called Saguntum. In the year 216 BCE, he decided to attack Rome directly. In return, the Romans launched an attack on North Africa, the place of Hannibal's birth. Hannibal fell back to defend North Africa in the year 202 BCE, when he was defeated by Publius Cornelius Scipio at Zama. He continued his attempts to defeat Rome until his death in 183 BCE. -
312
First highways and aqueducts are built. (312 BCE)
Aqueducts were used to transport water throughout the land. Eleven aqueducts were used to carry water to Rome, often being made of terra cotta, wood, leather, lead or bronze. Some of these aqueducts are still used today.
The first highway, the Appian Way (Via Appia), went southeast from Rome to Tarentum. Other important highways were the Via Aurelia, Via Flamenia, Via Aemilia, Via Latina, and Via Valeria. -
Marc Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide, leaving Octavian as the strongest ruler. (31 BCE)
After Antony suffered a defeat at the hands of Octavian, Cleopatra devised a plan. She sent an aide to inform Antony that she had died, hoping that this would drive him to suicide. Her plan succeeded, but Octavian decided to have Cleopatra become a trophy to signify his victory. Finally, she decided that she would rather commit suicide, and killed herself through poisoning. -
Cicero, a Roman Senator and philosopher, is murdered by Mark Antony. (43 BCE)
Mark Antony's biological father died while Antony was still quite young, so his mother remarried to a man named P. Cornelius Lentilus. Lentilus was strangled to death at the request of Cicero. Later in his life, Antony joined forces with Octavian and Lepidus, to oppose the corrupt government, becoming the Second Triumvirate. After suffering a defeat, the senators Brutus and Cassius commited suicide. Cicero tried to escape, but was captured and executed by Antony's soldiers. -
Conquest of Britain by Rome (43 CE)
The conquest of Britain was for the admiration and respect that would be bestowed upon whoever emerged victorious. Caligula, the former Roman empire, had been assassinated in 41 CE, and so another member of the imperial family, Claudius, assumed the throne. However, the senators were skeptical about his leading abilites, so Claudius led the invasion of Britain to secure his political position. After their victory, Rome redesigned British cities and culture to reflect Rome. -
Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March. (44 BCE)
Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator who solved many problems in the city, such as debt and unemployment. This solicited a rather negative reaction from his senators, who were unimpressed with Caesar's generosity. Thus, they divised a plan to have him assassinated. They were to kill him while he sat in the Senate, hiding daggers under their togas.
On the Ides of March, their plan succeeded, and Caesar died after being stabbed thirty-five times. -
Vesuvius explodes in Pompeii. (79 CE)
Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near the modern-day Bay of Naples, is most known for its devastating eruption in the year 79. It covered the city of Pompeii in volcanic ash, recalled by witnesses as "pouring across the land like a flood," and covering the city in the darkness of "closed and unlightened rooms."
However, Pompeii has taught us a lot about everyday life in those times. When the city was rediscovered in 1748, it was almost perfectly preserved, giving us a look into Ancient Roman life. -
Roman Republic is established and continues until 27 BCE. (509 BCE)
This began when the Roman Monarchy was overthrown, resulting in a more republican government. The constitution was very informal, most of it being unwritten and uncodified. Initially, this government was controlled by an aristocracy, However, as time passed, new laws developed that restricted the aristocracy from controlling the government. A new aristocracy was then developed, and it relied on social structure rather than law to stay in power.