-
Period: 616 BCE to 509 BCE
The First Ruling of Rome
During this time period, the Etruscans ruled Rome. They separated all of the Romans into 2 groups, the patricians (the higher class) and the plebeians (the lower class).The patricians had some say in government while the plebeians had little or none at all. -
509 BCE
The Patricians Rebel
In time, the patricians began to dislike the Etruscans. In 509 B.C.E, they decided to rebel. They drove out the last Etruscan king, and in place of the king, they created a republic. In a republic, elected officials work for the interest of their people. The patricians believed that "the people" were only the patricians, not the plebeians. They put the power in the hands of the senate, a group of men that the Patricians elected. This gave Rome a more democratic government. -
Period: 509 BCE to 494 BCE
The Conflict of the Orders
The patricians held all of the power in the government. The plebeians had to obey their decisions and rules. The patricians often would change the laws to benefit themselves because they never wrote down these laws; this resulted in the Plebeians fighting for what they wanted. They were forced to go into war and further more resented the patrician rule. -
494 BCE
The Plebeians Rebel
Angry over the lack of power, the plebeians marched out of the city and camped on a nearby hill. They refused to come back until the patricians met their demands. Rome was now in a crisis because work in the city and on the farm came to a halt, and without the plebeians, the patricians feared that the army would be helpless if an enemy was to attack them. They had no choice but to compromise. -
493 BCE
The Leaders Sign a Treaty
The Roman leaders sign a treaty with their Latin neighbors in the south. The treaty stated that there would always be peace between the Romans and Latins. -
390 BCE
Seeking Defeat
A band of Gauls, warlike people from the north, barged into the Roman territory, looted the entire city, and then burned it all down. The Romans decided to rebuild and start fresh with their city. -
264 BCE
The First Punic War
The Punic Wars were fought against Carthage, a powerful city in North Africa. The first of these wars was fought mainly at sea. The Romans won by copying the Carthaginians' ship designs. -
218 BCE
The Second Punic War
This Punic War was fought when Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, surprised the Romans by marching his troops from Spain across the Alps and into Italy. This war ended when Hannibal returned home to help protect Carthage, but then was defeated in a battle. -
146 BCE
The Third and Final Punic War
This Punic War was started when Cato, a senator of Rome, demanded Carthage to be destroyed, leading the Romans to attack once more. This war lasted 3 years and ended when the Romans burned all of Carthage to the ground. Rome was now the greatest power in all of the Mediterranean. -
91 BCE
Italian Citizens
The Romans now allowed free Italians to become citizens. -
49 BCE
Caesar Becomes Leader
A general named Caesar, who had conquered much of the Gauls, crossed the Rubicon with his army. After 3 years of fighting, he defeated Pompey. The frightened Senate name Caesar dictator for life. He made the Romans work extra hard to start making new roads and public buildings. He also adopted a new calendar that we still use today. -
44 BCE
The Death of Caesar Augustus
Caesar was stabbed to death while he was entering the Senate. -
34 BCE
Octavian Becomes the Leader
After 10 years of civil wars, Octavian, Caesars grandnephew and adopted son, became the leader. To gain power, Octavian had to defeat jealous rivals. -
179
Political Instability
One of the reasons that is thought to cause the fall of Rome is political instability. After 180 C.E, Rome had a series of weak and sometimes dishonest emperors. Not only this, but after an emperor would die, people would fight to get the crown and become leader causing a lot of death in the empire. -
330
Constantine Moves the Emprire
Constantine chooses to move the empire's capital 850 miles to the east. He renamed this city New Rome , which was later renamed to Constantinople. -
410
The Second Looting of Rome
Threatening Germanic tribes attack and loot Rome itself. -
476
The Western Empire Destroyed
The last emperor in the west is driven out. This made the western empire start to dissolve and divide into different kingdoms and tribes. Most historians think that this marked the end of the ancient world.
