Gaius Gracchus, like his brother Tiberius Gracchus, was a populares politician in the Roman Republic in the second century BCE. Like his brother, he attempted to reform aspects of Roman society so as to provide more power and equality for the poor. He is most notable for his failed attempts at addressing the problems of citizenship in the Roman Republic. He attempted to extend Roman citizenship to all Latin people living on the Italian peninsular, as well as to assorted peoples within the territory of the Roman Republic. These proposals were condemned, even by the Roman plebeians, who had no interest in sharing rights and privileges with the rest of the Roman Republic. Gaius, like his brother Tiberius, was eventually murdered by political factions opposed to his reforms. The Social War, which broke out in 90 BCE, was primarily caused by citizenship issues in the Roman Republic and might have been avoided had Gaius Gracchus got his way.

The Carthaginian Empire, at one time the largest empire in the Mediterranean, is believed to have been founded as a Phoenician settlement around the eighth century BCE. The Phoenicians were a seafaring, mercantile people who established colonies all over the Mediterranean in the centuries before the rise of the Roman Republic.

The Roman Forum was first constructed in the seventh century BCE, after the draining of wet marshland allowed more people to settle and build in the burgeoning city of Rome. For the next several hundred years, the Forum would serve as the social and ceremonial center of Roman life and witnessed countless public spectacles, religious festivals, and military parades.

The Apennines run through the center of the Italian peninsula. Rome is located on the west of the Apennines and was protected from some foreign invasions by this mountain range.

The Roman Forum was the social center of life in the city of Rome throughout the history of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It most likely began life as a central marketplace, which over time grew into a hub and a shared social space.

The Strait of Messina is a narrow body of water that separates mainland Italy from the island of Sicily. It was historically of great importance, especially during the First Punic War.

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were brothers and were both populares politicians in the Roman Republic in the second century B.C.E. Populares were politicians who relied on the support of the people, particularly plebeian assemblies, to gain power in the Roman Republic. Populares were generally opposed by optimates (who served the conservative interests of the patricians). Tiberius and Gaius two of the more prominent populares in Roman history. They both served as tribune and were both murdered for their attempts at reforming Roman society and improving the lives of the common people.

The city of Rome grew dramatically in population throughout the history of the Roman Republic, in part as a result of small farmers being displaced by the burgeoning estates of Rome’s wealthy patricians. As large scale farming and luxury estates spread around the countryside surrounding Rome, poor small scale farmers were displaced and forced to move to Rome in search of work and a reliable income.

Thrace was a Roman province that was absorbed into the Roman Empire in the first century CE. Thrace was located in territory that includes modern-day Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria.