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Ancient Rome
360BC

Before the Gauls had sacked Rome she had become the leading city in her neighbourhood – i.e. the leader of the “Latin League”, a group of Latin-speaking city-states in central Italy. The Gallic raid left her very much weakened, and her prestige diminished. Other Latin towns sought to displace Rome as their leader. It took Rome a generation of struggle to recover her position.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

 

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Ancient Rome
240BC

Having conquered almost the whole of Italy and seen off a threat from king Pyrrhus, the Romans fought a long, bitter war with the great sea power of Carthage, from 264 to 241 BC (this war was called the First “Punic” War because the Romans knew the Carthaginians as Phoenicians). This involved Rome building large fleets (several of which were lost to storms), and in sending armies overseas for the first time. Ultimately she won. This put her in a position to gain her first overseas provinces, in Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
220BC

The Carthaginians reacted to losing territory after the First Punic War by building up an empire in Spain. This was largely the work of one family, the Barcids, who were especially bitter enemies of the Romans. By 220 the supreme Carthaginian commander in Spain was Hannibal Barca, who was to go down in history as one of the greatest generals of all time.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

 

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Ancient Rome
200BC

Tensions between Rome and Carthage led to the renewal of war in 218. Hannibal immediately carried out one of the most daring military feats ever undertaken – he led his army through southern Gaul and right across the Alps into northern Italy. The Romans were suddenly confronted with the main Carthaginian army in their own backyard. Hannibal hoped to encourage the people of Italy to come over to him and destroy Rome’s power.

In the years 218 to 216 the Romans sent three large armies against Hannibal – only to have them all annihilated, the last one (the largest army the Romans had ever raised) at the Battle of Cannae. 

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
100BC

The annexations in Macedonia, Greece and North Africa were followed by further Roman gains (in two cases, in Asia Minor, kings donated their kingdoms to Rome on their deaths). By 100 BC Rome dominated the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and directly controlled some of the wealthiest areas of the region.

While this expansion had been taking place overseas, at home things had been deteriorating fast for the Romans. The wealth that now flowed into Rome from her overseas territories increased social tensions at home, and this led to political instability and violence.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
50BC

The greatest Roman general of the period – probably of all time - was Julius Caesar. He outdid all his predecessors by conquering the whole of Gaul and even invading the semi-legendary islands of Britain, twice, in 55 and 54 BC.

And then Caesar followed the example of other Roman generals by leading his victorious army on Rome.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
44BC

Caesar’s many enemies in the senate turned to Pompey, and he (and they) fled to Greece to organize resistance against Caesar. There ensued the inevitable civil war, in which Caesar followed his enemies to Greece and defeated them at the battle of Pharsalus. He then chased the remnants around the Mediterranean, mopping up resistance. By 45 BC he was master of Rome.

Caesar took the office of dictator, a traditional Republican office which gave its holder supreme power for a short period of time to deal with a particular crisis. Caesar, however, seemed to be intent on keeping power on a permanent basis, which aroused the opposition of some of the senators.

On the 15^th March, 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by some of his enemies. The Republic then began to slip into anarchy until Caesar’s three chief lieutenants, Antony, Octavian (Caesar’s grand nephew and adopted heir) and Lepidus, took control of the government. This arrangement became known as the “Second Triumvirate” (43 BC). Caesar’s assassins meanwhile fled to Greece. There, in 42, they were defeated by the forces of the triumvirs.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
30BC

Rome now dominates the Mediterranean lands, but not before an orgy of civil wars between ambitious generals have convulsed the entire Mediterranean world.

This turmoil has now been ended (31 BC) by the first of the Roman emperors, Augustus, the adopted son of Rome's most famous general Julius Caesar. In all but name, he has replaced the old republic with a monarchy, concentrating effective (i.e. military) power in his own hands. Augustus' statesmanship has brought about peace and stability, which will hold for two centuries or more with only one brief intermission. With peace has come an increase in trade, and the Graeco-Roman cities of Europe and the Mediterranean have entered a phase of prosperity and expansion.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
27BC

In all the civil wars of the last few decades, the Republican form of government had been completely undermined. Octavian was now the sole master of the Roman world, and was to become the first of the long line of Roman emperors.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
200AD

The Roman Empire has continued to flourish and expand over the past two century. A brief civil war followed the death of the emperor Nero in 68, but stability was quickly restored. For most of the past century the Roman world has been ruled by a succession of able rulers such as Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The reign of the dreadful Commodus was followed by a civil war in 193-6; but peace and stability have again returned under the victor, the Emperor Septimius Severus.

The empire is divided into many provinces, each under the authority of a governor. The ancient cities – together with hundreds of new cities founded by the Romans – retain much of their autonomy, however. Millions of the empire’s inhabitants now enjoy the rights of Roman citizenship, with full access to the famed Roman legal system.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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Ancient Rome
500AD

In the third century AD the Roman empire came under great pressure from neighbouring peoples along all her frontiers. Soon, barbarian invasions were penetrating deep into Roman territory, and in the middle of that century the empire came very near to breaking up before a succession of very able soldier-emperors retrieved the situation. In the fourth century the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which shortly became the official religion of the empire. He also founded a new city, called Constantinople, to act as the joint capital of the empire.

In 410 a barbarian army sacked the city of Rome – a huge shock to the entire Roman world. Within a few decades the Roman empire had disappeared in the west; its place taken by a group of barbarian kingdoms. In the eastern Mediterranean the Roman empire is still very much a going concern, wealthy, civilized and stable.

Topic TimeMap: The Rise of the Roman Empire

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