CLCV 2904 Lecture 4: Roman history-lecture 4.docx

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Classical Civilization
• Course: CLCV 2904
• Professor: Greg Fisher

Document Summary

Rome is looking toward the rest of the world. First major overseas adventure (cid:190) major social, economic, political consequences. Sources: polybius: greek historian from 2nd century bc. Part of upper class literary circle run by scipio aemelianus, grandson of scipio africanus. Looks down on others, tried to be funny. Taken as political hostage: plutarch: greek biographer. Biographies of famous greeks and romans: livy: pseudo-historian, more of a fiction writer. Carthage was huge for trading and has a famous round harbour. Rome and carthage had a lot of treaties, spheres of influence: but they ended up clashing because of interests in sicily. Carthage had a desire to protect economic interests. Rome was interested in further expansion to the south, of course. 289: mamertines (men of mars) were mercenaries from campania who were expelled from syracuse: death of agathocles, kind and employer (therefore their contract ended, they went to messana, killed elites there and built a mini-kingdom for 25 years.