The Punic Wars (264 BC-146 BC), plus conflicts with Greece, allowed Rome to gain control of Carthage and Corinth, and become the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean.

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Rome's Republican period began in 510 BC. During this period, a new form of government was established, in which Rome was ruled by its upper classes known as senators and equestrians (or knights). An absolute ruler (or dictator) could be selected in emergency situations. In 451 BC, a standardized code of laws was established to regulate political, public, and private matters. This was known as the Twelve Tables.

Expansion continued, and by 338 BC, Rome had gained complete control over the Italian peninsula. 



Republican Era

The Roman Empire: A brief history. Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/anthropology/anthropology-collections-research/mediterranean-oil-lamps/roman-empire-brief-history#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20the%20Roman,31%20BC%20%E2%80%93%20AD%20476). 

History of Ancient Rome

Punic Wars

Changes in the political atmosphere caused the Roman Republic to become engulfed in chaos and civil war. A dictator was elected in 82 BC, serving until 80 BC. After his formal resignation in 79 BC, Rome returned to a state of unrest. While Rome would continue to be officially governed as a republic for another 50 years, a gradual transition to Imperialism and permanent dictatorship began with the rise to power of Julius Caesar in 60 BC.

By 51 BC, Caesar had successfully conquered Celtic Gaul, expanding Rome's borders outside the Mediterranean region for the first time. While Rome was still nominally governed by the Senate, its power was weakening. In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated. He was subsequently succeeded by his heir, Octavian, along with Mark Antony. Antony died in 31 BC during the Roman conquest of Egypt, leaving Octavian as Rome's unchallenged ruler. Octavian then became the first Roman emperor, assuming the title of Caesar Augustus.

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