key terms punic wars empire pax romana coach smith

Key TermsPunic WarsEmpirePax Romana

Coach Smith

Coach Smith

The Romans weresuccessful conquerors.They copied the battletactics of the Greeks

and Macedonians.

The Romans split their legions into smaller, highly mobile forces of 100 men called centuries.

The Romans were successful conquerors.

They allowed some conquered people to govern themselves while granting limited citizenship to others.

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Coach Smith

The Romansalso conscripted

conquered soldiersinto their legions.

In 264 B.C., Rome came into conflict with another great Mediterranean power-the Phoenician city of Carthage in North Africa.

In three Punic Wars, Rome struggled with Carthage for control of the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Ultimately, Rome destroyed Carthage.

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Coach Smith

During the secondPunic War, the

great Carthaginiangeneral, Hannibal,

attacked Romefrom the North.

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Initially, Hannibalexperienced militarysuccess. However,

he could not conquerthe Italian peninsula.

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Hannibal evenused elephantsin his military

campaign.

Ultimately, Rome destroyed Carthage.

The Roman army ruined the land of Carthage and sold its surviving people into slavery.

The Romans became kings of the Mediterranean Sea.

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Coach Smith

As the Roman armyexperienced greater

success, Romangenerals became

increasingly powerfuland popular. Generals,

like Julius Caesar, wanted more power.

As generals became increasingly powerful, Rome ceased to be a republic and became an empire.

An empire is a state that rules over different cultures.

Eventually, an emperor ruled Rome.

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Coach Smith

Julius Caesar threatened to seize

power and become adictator. However,

Senators assassinatedhim in 44 B.C.

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Eventually, Caesar’sadopted son, Octavian,became the first Romanemperor. He was calledAugustus Caesar andhis rule began a longperiod of peace in theRoman Empire known asthe Pax Romana or RomanPeace.

Why was the Roman army successful?

What were the Punic Wars?How did Rome treat Carthage after

its victory?Who was Julius Caesar and what did

he do?Why did Rome become an empire?Who was Augustus Caesar and what

was the Pax Romana?

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Choose one of the following: Alternative History: Julius Caesar was

assassinated on the Ides of March, 4 years into his reign as dictator. He was killed because he changed Rome from a republic to a dictatorship. WHAT IF he wasn’t assassinated? Do you believe Rome would have been different? Explain how his longer rule would have changed world history.

Historical Research: How was Carthage’s fate at the end of the Third Punic War similar to the fate of the city of Lidice, Czechoslovakia during World War II.

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