Ancient Rome Flashcards
Founding of Rome
The legend about the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus
3 divisions of the history of Rome
Kingdom of Rome, Roman Republic, Roman Empire
What marked the end of the Roman Republic and the start of the Roman Empire?
Caesar and Augustus
Who built the city of Rome on where near where in where in when?
The Latins built the city of Rome on the 7 hills near River Tiber in Central Italy in 753 BC
When was the last king of the Kingdom of Rome overthrown?
509 BC
Structure of the Roman society (social class)
Patricians, Plebeians, Slaves
Who were patricians?
Members of the old, rich and important families in Rome. Only they could become consuls and senators. They were often unfair to the plebeians
Who were plebeians?
Common ordinary people like (poor) farmers and traders
Who were slaves?
Captured people from wars who did all the work in society
Number of consuls
2
Term of office of consuls
1 year
Membership of consuls
Patricians, chosen from the Senate, chosen by the Assembly
Membership of Upper House (the Senate)
Patricians (~300 people)
What was the power of tribunes?
They had the power to say “I forbid”, also know as the power to veto
Membership of tribunes
2 plebeians elected by the Assembly
Duties of tribunes
Made decisions on spending, made decisions about taxation, made laws
Membership of Lower House (the Assembly)
Plebeians
Duties of Lower House
Elected the 2 consuls and tribunes, voted on laws suggested by govt officials
Why is the structure of the Roman Republic a balanced system?
- tribunes can veto -> beneficial to plebeians
- plebeians can elect consuls -> patricians will treat plebeians well
- 2 consuls -> no dictatorship (concentrated power)
- 1 year term of office -> no one will have power over the entire Roman Republic for too long, and the consuls have to choice but to work together
Julius Caesar’s social class
Born in a patrician family
What did Julius Caesar do and become?
Became an army general -> elected a consul and grew in power and popularity -> defeated his enemies and became a dictator
Who was Julius Caesar killed by?
Some senators (led by Brutus)
Popular actions of Caesar
- Gave land to poor peasants and retired soldiers
- Gave jobs to the unemployed
- Allowed people in the conquered land to govern themselves
Unpopular actions of Caesar
- Wore purple clothes, like a king
- Introduced a new calendar, the Julian Calendar
- Put up his own statue among the statues of the old kings of Rome
- Put his friends and supporters in powerful positions
What happened to Rome after the death of Julius Caesar?
The Roman provinces were divided
Who ruled the Roman provinces?
Octavian and Mark Anthony
Which part of Rome did Octavian rule after?
Italy and the western provinces
Which part of Rome did Mark Anthony rule after?
Egypt and the eastern provinces
What happened to Octavian and Mark Anthony?
They quarrelled and fought for the leadership of Rome -> Octavian won and Mark Anthony killed himself
What happened after Octavian won Mark Anthony?
- Octavian called himself Augustus (meaning “majesty”)
- Augustus Caesar became the first Roman Emperor
- The Roman Republic ended and became the Roman Empire
What were the 1st and 2nd centuries called? Why?
“Roman Peace” (Pax Romana), because it was the golden age of Roman civilization as Augustus Caesar made the Empire rich and strong
4 reasons why the Roman Empire fell
- Barbarian invasions
- Corruption and weak leadership
- Heavy military spending and unfair tax system
- Political division
Examples on barbarian tribes who invaded the Roman border
German tribes
Why couldn’t the Roman army defend Rome?
Rome was too large
Expand on “corruption and weak leadership”
Weak and incapable emperors left Rome in financial ruins and civil wars -> the Romans lost hope in the government
Relating heavy military spending to an unfair tax system?
- Spending on war began to dry up and the economy weakened as there was inadequate money to strengthen the army
- Tax was raised to finance war -> tax burden became heavy
- Distribution of tax was unfair: patricians tried to get out of taxation and paid less than the plebeians
What did the Roman Empire divide into?
Western and Eastern Empire
What happened after the Roman Empire division?
The division made the Western Roman Empire more difficult to survive, as the Eastern Roman Empire was stronger both economically and militarily
Did the Eastern or Western Empire fall first?
Western Empire fell first
6 achievements of Ancient Romans
Roman calendar, the romance languages, the spread of Christianity, architecture, Roman numerals, Roman laws and government
Expand on the relation between Rome and the Roman calendar
- Our modern calendar is based on the Julian calendar, named after and planned by Julius Caesar
- Some months in the calendar were named after famous Roman generals (e.g. Julius, Augustus)
Expand on the relation between Rome and modern languages
- Many modern languages are based on Latin, which we call the Romance languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Italian)
- The English language had words which came from Latin, and the English alphabet was developed from the Roman alphabet
Expand on the relation between Rome and the spread of Christianity
Emperor Constantine stopped the persecution of Christians and made Christianity legal. He made Christianity the state religion and encouraged its growth throughout the whole Roman Empire, covering most parts of Europe.
6 examples of Roman architecture + definition
- Roman roads: for transporting soldiers and supplies to the battlefields
- Amphitheatres: for gladiator fights
- Roman baths: for Romans to enjoy themselves
- Circuses: for holding chariot races
- Aqueducts: for transporting water to the city
- Temples: for worshipping gods and goddesses
Characteristics of ancient Roman roads
- wide and straight
- not easily flooded
-long lasting/ durable
Why were ancient Roman roads not easily flooded and long lasting/ durable?
There were sloping surfaces and drainage ditches on the sides
Why did the Romans build such a big network of roads throughout the empire/
- for trade
- for transporting soldiers and supplies all over the empire
Example for circus
Circus Maximus
Example for amphitheatre
Colosseum
Example for templs
Pantheon
What kind of people would become gladiators?
People captured from wars, war slaves, slaves
What is the Roman architectural style called?
Greco-Roman style of Classical style
Characteristics of Greco-Roman style
dome, pediment, high columns, arches
Examples of modern buildings with Greco-Roman style
Former French Mission Building, Court of Final Appeal
Where do we use Roman numerals today?
Watches and clocks, page numbers, volume number
First codification of laws in Rome
The Twelve Tables
Why did the Romans take the trouble of codifying laws?
They believed that there must be clear laws which everyone knew and obeyed to social order.
What was the nature of the Roman laws?
Just and fair laws (everyone was equal in law court)
Example of modern government systems based on the structure of the Roman Republic
the UK Parliament and US Congress are divided into Upper House and Lower House
