Notes 3/8/10

• Rome owns almost all of the Mediterranean except Egypt
• Most of Rome lived in the Subora, unsanitary and high risk for fire
• Patricians built villas out in Naples away from the Plebs
• This caused more tension between the two
• The Gracchi brothers were tribunes that argued on land rights for Plebians.
• Two Political parties formed, the Optimares, Patricians, and the Populares, the Plebians
• Many people in the Senate do not like this, The Gracchi Brothers were assassinated. This is the first political assassination in the city of Rome. This is an ominous sign for Rome
• Around 95 BC, a war begins were the states around Rome revolt against the Patricians, this is called the Social War. (91-88 BC)
• Marius and Sulla are generals with Rome that put down rebels handily
• Both Marius and Sulla both have standing armies that are loyal to them. They grow antagonistic against each other.
• Marius is in Rome and Sulla decides to march into Rome. Sulla overpowers Marius's army and pushes them out of Rome. Sulla does not take power in Rome. The door is open for generals leading their armies against Rome.
• Julius Caesar born into powerful family but it has diminished recently. He wants to bring it back so he runs for the highest seat in the Senate. Men running Consulship needed the support of Petrician allies. Caesar decides to go straight to the people of Rome. He gets the vote of the man on the street. He wins the Consulship to the disliking of the Senate. They make it miserable for Caesar. The other Consulship is the political opposite of Caesar.
• After Consulship, you are sent off into the Provinces of Rome to become governor
• They send Caesar to Gaul, the middle of nowhere, to be governor
• He conquers Gaul.
• The city of London was founded by the Romans, not the British
• Senators of Rome say that his wars were illegal and is going to be put in jail.
• Caesar crosses the Rubicon River with his army to conquer Rome
• The Romans send Pompey to defeat Caesar. This starts the civil war
• At Pharsalus, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony defeat Pompey and his forces, but Pompey escapes to Egypt
• As soon as he gets there, he is met by an assassin who kills him.
• Caesar said it was disrespectful for an Egyptian to kill a Roman general
• Caesar has an affair with Cleopatra, the last of Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt
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