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1200 BCE
Aeneas' loyalty to Troy leads to the eventual founding of Rome
When Jupiter orders Aeneas, prince of Troy, to found a new city in a new place, Aeneas obeys and leaves the burning city of Troy with his old father on his back and his young son Iulus by hand. Aeneas stops in Carthage, but gets kicked back into continue his journey. After a terrible shipwreck, Aeneas and his Trojans are desperate on the beach. When a soldier piles his food on a leaf and eats it, Aeneas realizes his men are "eating their plates" and that he has finally arrived at his new city. -
Period: 753 BCE to 510 BCE
The Regal Period and the Elimination of the Monarchy
After Romulus, the first king of Rome, died and became a god upon death, there was a shadowy period in which Rome was ruled by a series of seven kings. When a noblewoman named Lucretia was assaulted by relative of the seventh king, an Etruscan named Tarquinius Priscus, Tarquinius Priscus and his family were ousted out of town and an end to kings was declared. Romans simultaneously eliminated both foreign domination and one-man king rule. Romans were obsessed with kings because they hated them. -
494 BCE
The Twelve Tables
Due to the growing and sprawling Plebeian population, Patricians had no choice but to write down the laws of the nation. The laws of the land were drafted by Decemviri Consulari Imperio Legibus Scribundis and were carved into stone so that all would have access. The creation and publication of the Twelve Tables was an important victory for the Plebeians. -
405 BCE
Rome attempts to conquer Veii
In 405 BCE, Rome set to dominate over the Etrurian town of Veii. Though Rome's resources were nearly depleted, this endeavor was a turning point in the military's history and marked the first step towards future world conquest. -
390 BCE
Gauls occupy Rome and burn the city down
The Gauls, attracted to Rome's mild climate and natural resources, entered the region peacefully, but by 400 BCE resistance quickly developed. At the "Disaster of the River Allia", the Gauls' charge and long swords could not be stopped. Rome was occupied, burned down, and held under siege for seven months. After receiving a payment of gold, the Gauls retreated to the south of the Alps near the Po River. -
338 BCE
Rome expands and establishes colonies
By 338 BCE, Rome had established fourteen colonies under the Latin League which were considered new Latin cities. Moving forward, colonies that were founded held Latin status, but about 4000 families were not of Latin origin and were outside of the region of Latium. -
287 BCE
Conflict of the Orders formally ends
Once the kings were expelled, all free men were allowed to participate in the new form government. However, in reality, Patricians controlled all the important political, military, and religious offices. The Patricians and Plebeians struggle for equal access became known as the Conflict of the Orders. The Conflict of Orders formally ended when a law proposed by Hortensius (Lex Hortensia) guaranteed that legislation passed by the plebeian assembly was binding on all Roman citizens. -
Period: 264 BCE to 241 BCE
The First Punic War
Carthage, a Phoenician colony, was a wealthy trading city. During the First Punic War, the Romans engaged in a series of battles and successfully conquered Carthage. As a result, it immediately became necessary to maintain a professionally trained navy. In addition, the creation of the office of the praetor, or governor, set the path for an over-sized government that would eventually contribute to the fall of Rome. Lastly, there was now a distinction between Italian and non-Italian Romans. -
Period: 218 BCE to 202 BCE
The Second Punic War
The Carthaginian's loss of Sicily and other islands made things more difficult, and so they set to enhance their holdings in Spain and began to operate there. Hannibal, surprised the Romans and his troops rode into Italy on elephants and battled the Romans for 15 years. When Hannibal returned home to defend Carthage against Roman armies, he was defeated and the Second Punic War ended. Carthage was forced to surrender Spain to Rome along with huge sums of money. -
Period: 146 BCE to 143 BCE
The Third Punic War
The Third Punic War began as Cato the Elder demanded that Carthage be destroyed and the Roman attacked once more. The Romans burnt Carthage to the ground, as many people were killed and others were sold into slavery, and the land was sowed with salt. Rome became the greatest power in the Mediterranean region and controlled North Africa, much Spain, Macedonia, and Greece. -
Period: 133 to 122
The Gracchus Brothers
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus denied their Patrician backgrounds and devoted themselves to land ownership reform to move away from plantation style farming and to return to family farms. Through the process, popular assemblies were used as political tools to neutralize the hostile senate. The assassinations of the brothers resulted in years of civil violence and ultimately dismantled the Republican form of government.
