ancient rome 2 Flashcards
What is a patriarchy?
a society in which men have all the power
Who was in charge of roman families?
men
What could men do?
vote or hold public office, fight in wars, perform important ceremonies
Who was at the head of every family?
senior male (paterfamilias)
What did the paterfamilias do?
Made all decisions
What eventually limited the power of the paterfamilias?
the twelve tables
What was it like for boys from poorer families?
They received little education and often couldn’t read or write
What did poorer boys do instead?
Went out o work beginning at an early age
What was it like for boys from wealthier families?
They received education at school
Who were Roman teachers?
Often Greek slaves
What did they learn at school?
reading, writing, arithmetic, public speaking
How were mistakes punished with?
a beating
What happened to boys at the age of 14?
Boys destined for government jobs continues their education with private tutors at home
At what age were boys considered to be men and registered as roman citizens?
17
What were roman women a subject to?
The authority of men
What could women eventually do?
own property and manage their own business and finances (manage husband’s business)
What were women prohibited from?
Voting
What was a woman with powerful husbands like?
They had some political influence
What was a woman’s main role in Rome?
To be a good wife and mother
Was it possible for women to have paying jobs?
yes
What was a wealthy family household like?
Women managed household and its finances, slaved did all the physical labor
Was it possible for girls from wealthy families to receive some education at home?
yes
What did girls mainly learn?
household skills to prepare them for married life
What were most marriages like?
Had little to do with love but were arranged to benefit the family
What was divorce like?
It was easy and acceptable
Why did some ambitious politicians remarry many times?
To gain support from important families
Who was at the top of society?
Aristocracy
What was the aristocracy?
a small group of wealthy patricians who owned most of the land and dominated the government
What were the majority of citizens?
plebians
What were plebians like?
some were well-off and owned farms and businesses, but many were very poor
Who was at the bottom of Rome’s population?
slaves
Where did the wealthiest families live in?
luxurious country estates
Where were the luxurious country estates built?
Around elegant courtyards, and decorated with works of fine art
Who made the houses?
Slaves
Where did most poor romans live?
In small farms
What did the wealthy often do with their money?
Used it to buy up land and create huge farms worked entirely by slaves
Where did farmers come looking for work?
The city
What was life like for farmer in cities?
They lives in overcrowded buildings and worked at manual labor for very low wages
What did the poor use to eat?
cheap pottery bowls to eat porridge or bread with vegetables
Why did even wealthier plebians rely on restaurants for hot food?
Only the largest houses had kitchens
What was the plebians’ representative assembly?
the council of plebs
What did slaves do in Rome?
They worked at manual labor, from household chores to construction work or agriculture
When did the plebians achieve political equality
when the council of plebs was allowed to make law for all citizens
What did skilled slaves do?
They might be craftspeople
What did educated slaves do?
They might be teachers, doctors, or managers of their master’s business
What were the worst slave jobs?
In the mines or factorie
What did excessive punishments lead to?
rebellion
Who led the most famous rebellion?
Spartacus
What did Spartacus do?
For 2 years, his slave army fought the roman soldiers and controlled large areas of the countryside
What happened when Spartacus was finally defeated?
6000 of his followers were executed as a warning
What was the roman religion based on?
a pantheon
What is a pantheon?
a group of many gods
What names did the gods have?
roman names
What were the gods believed to have?
Human traits, and to control areas of roman life
who was the king of gods?
jupiter
Who was mars?
the god of war
Who was venus?
goddess of love
Why did the pantheon grow?
To include the gods od people Rome conquered
What did romans worship their rulers as after their death?
gods
What claims made rulers unpopular?
to be living gods
What did almost every home have?
a shrine where the paterfamilias would make daily offering to the gods that protected his family and house
What did the roman calendar have?
many religious festivals
Why did the government fund any of the festivals?
To ensure that the gods granted Rome good harvests or victories in war
What kind of qualities did roman gods have?
qualities most prized by the romans
What qualities did the romans value?
qualities that would help them achieve success
What traits did they value?
discipline, strength, loyalty
What is gravitas
having gravitas means being solemn and serious
What did roman qualities help them acoomplish
remarkable achievements in war, politics, law, commerce, engineering
What were roman qualities known as
the roman way
