ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 71
the 230s bce. In 218 bce, Hannibal,
Carthage’s commander in Spain,
took his army across the Alps to
attack Italy. Despite a series of
victories in what became known
as the Second Punic War, Hannibal
could not take Rome itself and in
202 bce, he returned to Africa.
The Romans had proved their
strength, put an end to the idea
that Carthage was invincible in
the Mediterranean, and paved the
way for their own rise to power.VERCINGETORIX IS
DEFEATED AT ALESIA
(52 bce)In 52 bce, the Gaulish chieftain
Vercingetorix led a revolt of local
tribes against the Roman conquest
of Gaul (modern France). At the
Battle of Alesia, in Burgundy
(eastern France), Roman forces
under Julius Caesar built an
ingenious donut-shaped
fortification around the town,
blocking Vercingetorix inside
while also creating a stronghold
against Gaulish reinforcements.
The chieftain was forced to
surrender, and after five years in
captivity he was strangled on
Caesar’s orders. The battle resulted
in an all-embracing Roman Empire
stretching right across Europe.ROMANS OCCUPY BRITAIN
(43 ce)In 43 ce, on the command of the
emperor Claudius, a Roman
invasion force landed in Britain.
In spite of opposition from local
chieftains such as Caratacus, and
a later revolt by the Iceni tribe
under their leader Boudica, Roman
rule eventually extended acrossEngland to the Scottish border and
into Wales. The Romans governed
Britain until c.410, founding towns,
developing a system of roads, and
introducing such innovations as
underfloor heating and the use of
concrete for building. Many Britons
benefited from Roman rule and
from strong trading links with
the empire in products such as
metals and grain.CHINA IS DIVIDED INTO
THREE KINGDOMS
(220 ce)The last years of the Han dynasty
in China were marked by bitter
divisions and fighting that led in
220 ce to the country being divided
between three rival emperors,
all claiming to be the rightful
successors of the Han. These
Three Kingdoms—the Wei in the
north, the Wu in the south, and the
Shu in the west—reached a fairly
stable agreement over territory
until fighting broke out from
263, when the rival Jin dynasty
challenged and then conquered
them. The wars had a devastating
impact on the population.THE MAYA CLASSICAL
PERIOD BEGINS
(250 ce)The Maya civilization reached its
Classic phase in the 3rd century
ce, with a large number of cities
across Mexico and Guatemala
that featured distinctive temples
shaped as stepped pyramids,
carved monuments inscribed
with dates from the complex
Maya calendar, and a large and
extensive trade network. The
largest city was Teotihaucan incentral Mexico, although lowland
cities such as Tikal were also
powerful. Maya civilization left a
lasting mark in North and Central
America, its culture influencing
later peoples, such as the Aztecs.OBELISKS ARE ERECTED
IN THE KINGDOM OF AXUM
(4th century ce)In the 4th century ce, the people of
the Ethiopian city of Axum erected
tall stone obelisks that would be a
feature of their civilization. Axum
dominated the maritime trade
routes around the Horn of Arabia
and into the Indian Ocean, offering
traders a vital link between Asia
and the Mediterranean making the
kingdom an impressive income.
The obelisks are up to 108 ft (33 m)
tall and are thought to be memorials
to prominent people. They testify
to the power of this early African
kingdom and its development
of a distinctive civilization. The
obelisks have become symbols
of enduring African culture.CLOVIS UNITES GAUL
(late 5th century ce)The end of Roman rule in Gaul
(modern France) came about
when Clovis, leader of the Salian
Franks, defeated the Roman leader
Syagrius in 486 ce. This victory,
which added to those of Clovis’
father Childeric, brought virtually
all of France north of the Loire
under the rule of his dynasty,
called the Merovingians, after
his grandfather Merovech. The
Merovingians ruled France for
some 300 years, making real
the idea of a united France
independent of outside rulers.US_070-071_CH2_Further_Events.indd 71 16/03/2016 17:06