Western Civilization 500 BCE- 500 BC

Rome break from the Etruscans

509 BCE

The Romans had been living under Etruscans and their king for a long period of time. Eventually overthrown the last Etruscan king and established a full Republican form of government. This new republican government was like a monarchy, but no one titled themselves as king.

Republic Expansion

338 BCE

A key expansion for the republic was after their defeat of the Latin League. Citizenship was offered to people conquered by the republic rather than punishment, in return for loyalty and troops.

First Punic War

264 BCE

Conflict broke out in Sicily, and a victory for the Romans would result in more power, so their allies helped them. Rome pushed through the war due to their wealth and power, and learned how to carry out effective naval warfare. All of these factors not only allowed Rome to expand and defeat their enemies, but turn on their allies too.

Julius Caesar

70 BCE

As the republic fell a new Caesar was appointed as a politician. He began to become the first step in forming the republic into an empire. He began replacing members of the senate, and expanding and shifting Rome to resemble an empire.

Mark Anthony and Octavian

44 BCE

After Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators who wanted to save the republic, the power of Rome was placed upon Octavian. He later teamed with Mark Anthony and they begin to campaign to kill the men that assassinated Caesar. They eventually started to put in place Caesar's ideas of change.

Roman Aqueducts

23

A vital part of the Roman empire was their quaducts. During this time they boosted eleven aqueducts that brought fresh water in the city from miles away. This water was used in sewers, the houses of the rich, libraries, temples, public baths, race tracks, and the Colosseum.

Roman Military

23

Also in 23 BC the strength of the military was expanding. The republic had a strong military, so the empire was able to build off of that and expand it. The armies were broke up into legions, and also during this time groups of auxiliaries formed that were not Roman citizens but wanted to fight for the empire.

Social Classes

44

The social classes of the Roman empire were similar to those of the classes before them. The rich were still getting richer, slaves were widely used, and women, non citizens, and under class rights were low. This division all started toward the beginning of the empire until it ended.

Height of the Roman Empire

200

This was the period during the Roman Empire where it began to reach its height. People were able to travel from the Atlantic Coast all the way to Mesopotamia using good roads, speaking a common language, and enjoying official protection from bandrity.

Fall of Rome

476

Rome eventually fell in 476 BC creating one of the most iconic events in history. There were/are many ideas formed as to why Rome fell, but it simply breaks down into the fact that their political unity had shattered.