3.+175+BCE+to+100+BCE

Third Macedonian War
The Third Macedonian War was between Rome and Macedonia. The king of Macedonia, King Phillip V, died and passed his throne to his son, Perseus, in 179 BC. Perseus had an arranged marriage with Laodike, who was the daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia. This marriage increased the size of his army and it made an alliance with the enemy of Rome, and also created debt relief in his kingdom. Perseus moved into areas north of Macedon and south to Greece which tamper with treaties that were created before, which kept Macedonia to its original areas. Perseus also tried to restore relations with Greek poleis. Rome declared war on Macedonia in the spring of 171 BC. Perseus won the first battle. In the battle of Larissa, Perseus's army had to fight the army of Publius Licinius Crassus, which he defeated. Perseus proposed a peace treaty, but the Romans turned it down. The Roman army had a very big problem with being undisciplined. They could not successfully invade Macedonian land. The Macedonians defeated a Roman army in Illiria. The battle on June 22, in 168 BC ended it, at Pydna. The Macedonians were caught at a disadvantage, and had a very little chance of getting a victory. The Romans killed about twenty thousand of the Macedonian army, took six thousand prisoner, and five thousand from nearby forces. Perseus escaped, but then had to other option than to surrender without an army. Macedonian land was divided into four parts, and the people who lived there had to pay taxes to Rome. The end of Macedonia had finally taken place.

Third Punic War
Rome took away Carthage’s empire and the problems with the finances were taken away too. Carthage could still trade as much as they wanted to. Carthage owed money and they paid it off, and Rome was not happy about this. Carthage was damaging the Roman trade. The leader of Rome was Cato the Elder. He would give speeches, and his slogan was always “Carthage must be destroyed!” He would bring up his slogan anytime he possibly could, even at parties he would find a way to say it. Rome declared was and sent 2 armies of 80 thousand infantry and 4 thousand cavalry to Utica, which was only 10 miles away from Carthage. The people did everything that the Romans ordered them to do. They gave them their army, armor and weapons. The people of Carthage were told to leave the city, so they could punish them by ruining the city. The people were free to leave and move to anywhere within the Carthage territory, but they had to be 10 miles or more away from the sea. Carthage finally realized that they have to fight back. So the prepared themselves for the fight against the Romans. Disease hit the Roman army, and they could no longer attack when the Carthage army was unprepared. Little happened when they attacked outside the city.

Public Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus took command and he forced the enemy to leave the city of Carthage. He blockaded the harbor to prevent supply. The winter of 147 and 146BC, the Romans stayed in the outskirts of Carthage and were ready for the final attack. In the spring, there was a 6 day attack that consisted of street fighting. The Romans attacked the city, and the population of Carthage went from 700 thousand people to 50 thousand people fighting. All those who were left were sold into slavery. The Romans ruined the harbor, destroyed all of the structures made of stone, and the city burned for 10 days. Carthage was destroyed, and was not rebuilt for 150 years later.

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Gaius Gracchus was born in 154 BC. His father Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus died the same year Gaius was born. Gaius was the youngest son and had an older sister and brother. The Gracchus family was a very politically important family of Rome. His brother Tiberius was killed in 132BC during a confrontation with political enemies, which was led by their cousin.======

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In 126 BC Gaius started in his political career after inheriting the family estate. After a few years he was elected for tribunate of the plebs. Graius proved soon enough that he didn’t only inherit the family estate but his brothers ideas too. He learned from his brothers mistakes, but the senate wasn’t very pleased with his decisions. He believed that the land should be taken from the rich and given to the poor, and he also made laws that limited price of grain.======

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Due to the overwhelming support of Rome’s lower class people, in 122 BC Gaius was in for another term as tribune of the plebs. He wasn’t so lucky the third time he ran for it though. Because he did lose he had to go through watching all his laws go down the drain. He was upset with this and turned to violent measures against the senate. Gaius and his partner, Fulvius Flaccus, had to run as a result of the senate tagging them as enemies of the republic. Eventually Flaccus was murdered and Gaius got away with his faithful slave Philocrates. They found later Gaisus murdered himself in a cave that he was hiding in. The men that were accused of supporting him in his suicide were also killed.======

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For the war Gaius Marius asked for sport from Nicomedes III the king of Bithynia. Tax collectors enslaved people who were not able to pay, so there were no additional troops to be supplied. Gaius then decided to have the allied/friendly Roman slaves released.======

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When Tyrphon and Athenion revolted war broke out! As Salvius, a slave, led slaves to the east of Sicily, Athenion led the western slaves to seek heir own freedom. In all there were about 800 slaves released. Salvius was elected as leader of his rebellion because of the way he fought for his rights following in the path of Eunus.======

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Tyrphon had an army of thousands of men who were trained and armed slaves. Athenion and his men he from the west eventually joined Tyrphon. This slave revolt is the second out of three. It was sparked, just like the first, by the slave abuse in southern Italy and Sicily.======

=__The Jugurthine War (112 - 105B.C)__=

The Jugurthine War gave Rome power but no territory in Africa. The most important kindom in Africa was Numida. Masinissa a Roman ally from the Punic Wars, left this kindom to his son Micipsa. The latter had two sons and a nephew, Jurgutha. Jugurtha was in a prome position to obtain power because he a knowledge of Roman military tactics and has contacts within Rome and her Senate.He was to join wih his cousins to the Kingdom of Numidia. When Micipsa had died, Jugurtha murdered one of his cousins Hiempsa. The he wamted to claim the whole Kingdom of Numidia and launched an attack on his other cousin, Aderherbal.

After Jugurtha had killed Hiempsal Rome guided by L. Opimius divided Numidia into tow parts, assigning one to Jugurtha and the other to Adherbal. Adherbal's capital at Cirta in 112 B.C. there Jugurtha attacked the Numidians and massacred the resident roman merchants. Which led Rome to declare war. L. Calpurnius Bestia, counsul in 111 tried to fight Jugurtha but his forces were nothing like Numidian light-armed horse soldiers, so L. Calpurnius negotiated with Jugurtha.

War broke out between Numidia and the Roman Republic and other legions that were dispatched to North Africa. The war dragged out into a long campaign as the Romans tried to iflict a defeat of Jugurtha. Marius the lieutenant for the Numidians went to Rome to seek election as Consul. Winning the election marius went back to Numidia and took control of the war replacing Metellus because he could defeat Jugurtha. With the help of Boccus 1 of Mauretania, Sulla was able to capture Jugurtha and bring the war to an end. Jugurtha was brought to Rome in chains and placed in the Tullianum.

= __Cimbri and Teutons (113__ ** __- 101 B.C)__ When Marius was coming to power as consul in 107 BC, so the Germanic, the Cimbri was causing consternation in northern Rome. Cimbri where on a move looking for promising land because they were under the threat of starvation from poor harvests and from external threat by other tribes. They continue to move west towards Gual. ** = = = = The Roman generals of the time, motivated in a time of great change and opportunity for personal glory probably provoked the Cimbri because the Romans thought they were an aggressive army looking for plunder. The Cimbri Crossed the Rhine and threatened territory belonging to the Roman allied Allobroges. The tribal leader attempted to negotiate land rights for their people, but from both parts requests were denied. In 104 BC the Cimbri moved on and Marius spent time reforming his legions, building roads and improving the condition of provincial public works. The Cimbri, Teutons, Ambrones, and Helvetti got = = together but failed to win new land n Spain from the Celts. In 102BC moved around the Alps to the eastern side of Italy preparing to invade. The Teutones moved to the west and followed the Alps south along the coast into Italy. Marius caught the Teutones and Ambrones at the battle of Aquae Sextiae late in the year 102BC. = = By 101 BC, the Cimbri moved down from the Alps and started to press into eastern Italy. An army led by Marius me t the Cimbri at Vercellae. Germanics(Cimbri) invaders were defeated. In the end, Marius shared a triumph with Catulus, but it was Marius who was heaped with the credit by the Roman people, and was named savior of Rome. = = =