287 BC: Lex Hortensia(law of Hortensia) created This law gave full rights to the plebeians as well as equality. Rome then became a democracy, although in reality, Rome was still controlled by the wealthy.

This was the first war Rome fought against a non Italian enemy. Pyrrhus was the Greek leader of the enemy. For a moment, he savoured victory, but doing so harmed him. He was weakened to the extent that he was soon defeated by the Romans. The Romans then gained control of the peninsula south of the Po Valley

The First Punic War was against the north African city of Carthage. Carthage controlled almost all of the western Mediterranean. Rome defeated Carthage in this war, thus gaining control of Sicily. Carthage was replaced by Rome as the dominant power in the western Mediterranean.

After their defeat in the First Punic War, Carthage had expanded into Spain under the control of the brilliant general Hannibal (no, he was not a cannibal). Under his power, the Carthaginians attacked Italy, and almost defeated Rome. However, Publius Cornelius of Rome eventually defeated the Carthaginians in Africa and became the victors of the Second Punic War. Carthage had to rebuild from their ashes of defeat.

The Romans attacked Macedonia because they had aided the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars. Rome became the dominant power in Greece. The Romans gave the Greek cities their independance.

Hannibal had advised Antiochus, the king of Syria to attack Greece. The Romans responded with a sound defeat of the Syrians. Syria's strength in the Middle East is weakened.

The Romans were annoyed by the intriging culture in Macedonia. They then made Macedonia into one of their provinces.

Carthage was defeated quickly in the Third Punic War. Under the general Publius Cornelius Aemilianus Africanus(the grandson of Publius Cornelius), the Roman army destroyed Carthage.

In the same year, Corinth was destroyed. The inhabitants of the Greek city were sold as slaves.