07 The Roman World, 4-6 Flashcards
Pax Romana
“Peace of Rome,” a 200-year period without foreign wars from the reign of Augustus to the death of Marcus Aurelius
collegia
a compulsory trade association for workers in cities
Colosseum
a great amphitheater/stadium that hosted gladiator fights, humans fighting beasts, and executions of criminals or slaves by beasts
Tacitus
a great Roman historian, wrote Annals, a history of Rome under the Julio-Claudian Emperors
Circus Maximus
a large racetrack in Rome where spectacular chariot races were held
Attila
a leader of the Huns
Alaric
a leader of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in A.D. 410
Huns
a nomadic Asiatic tribe that moved into the region north of the Black Sea; lived by raiding and plundering
inflation
a rise in prices caused by a decrease in the value of the currency
Constantine
a Roman emperor who declared himself a Christian in A.D. 312 afer seeing a blazing cross in the sky and supported Christianity throughout the empire
Galen
a Roman physician who compiled and summarized the medical knowledge of his day
Praetorian Guard
a small, elite force stationed in Rome to protect the emperor
colonus
a tenant farmer who replaced slaves as labor on larger farms by renting a small plot of land
Diocletian
an able emperor who reorganized the empire by appointing a co-emperor
Ptolemy
an astronomer from Alexandria who believed that Earth lay at the center of the universe
poor people
ate simple diets consisting of bread, cheese, fruit, and vegetables
aqueducts
bridgelike structures that carried water from the mountains to Roman cities
Roman decline
caused by political weakness, economic decline, and social decay
patriarchs
Christian bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem
political weakness
examples include inefficient government for such a large empire, weaker armies, and a lack of loyalty to Rome by generals and soldiers
economic decline
examples include inflation, more money leaving the empire than coming in, and decreased trade due to increased banditry
social decay
examples include loss of patriotism, little interest in government, and lack of political honesty
disciples
followers of a teacher or leader
paved roads
how cities in the provinces were linked to Rome
rabbis
Jewish scholars learned in the scriptures and commentaries on religious law
wealthy people
led lives characterized by leisure, including rest, exercise, public baths, and banquets
Rhine & Danube Rivers
northern border of empire in the west
martyrs
people who are killed for refusing to renounce their beliefs
anarchy
the absence of government
Romulus Augustulus
the last Roman emperor in the west
Vandals
the most destructive of the foreign invaders
Constantinople
the new capital city on the site of former city of Byzantium, dedicated in A.D. 330
pope
the patriarch of Rome, who claimed supremacy over the other patriarchs (by way of succession from Peter)
Commodus
the weak, spoiled son of Marcus Aurelius who became emperor and contributed to its decline
A.D. 476
when the Roman Empire fell in the west
A.D. 70
when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in response to a Jewish revolt
Nazareth
where Jesus grew up
Bethlehem
where Jesus was born
Jerusalem
where Jesus was crucified
Virgil
wrote the Aeneid, an epic poem which tells the story of Aeneas
Ovid
wrote love lyrics and the Metamorphoses, a collection of myths written in verse
