1. Through a number of long wars, a series of internal struggles, and a system of confederation, the Romans unified the Italian peninsula under their rule. Plebeians struggled with the long-dominant patricians for political power.
2. Wars and interventions in Africa, Spain, Greece, and Asia Minor made Rome the supreme Mediterranean power.
3. In their religion and culture, Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks, but they developed their own rites and literature.
4. Between 133 and 31, Rome experienced a slow revolution marked by the rise of powerful men, such as Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, resulting in the fall of the Republic.
5. Octavian defeated his competitors, brought the Republic to an end, and established the structures of the Empire.
