Ancient Rome Flashcards
When was Rome founded ?
753 BC
Which two brothers was Rome founded by ?
Romulus and Remus sons of Rhea Silvia
What did Rome cover ?
Western Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Rome became a republic country. What does that mean ?
It means that Rome got to choose its own leaders
What does senate mean ?
Parliament
Who are the senators ?
Members of the parliament
Explain what a consuls is ?
A consuls is a 1 year position to ensure no one person gained too much power.
Who were considered the real rulers of Rome ?
The soldiers
How much did they have to march per day..?
30 kilometres
What were the army divided into ? And how mange soilders were there in it ?
The army was divided into legions 5000 soldiers per legion.
How many legions in the whole empire?
30
How many years did the soldiers have to serve ?
20 years
What did someone have to be to become a soldier?
They had to be a roman citizen
What was the backup army called ?
An auxilia
What is a mutiny ?
When an army goes against/tries to betray their leader
What is a decimatio ?
When a mutiny happened everyone involved was lined up and every 10th person was killed
What did the soldiers wear over their tunics ?
A chain mail vest
What did they carry ?
A shield sword and dagger
What was a pilum?
A javelin like weapon
What were greaves ?
Shin pads
Calvary ?
Soldier on horseback
Artillery?
Soldier in charge of machinery
Gruel
A soup soldiers ate
What were the poor of Rome called ?
Plebeians
What were the rich if the poor called ?
Patricians
What was a forum ?
The centre of Rome
What was the via sacle ?
A path soldiers walked down when they won a war or battle
( patricians house ) antrium ?
Open square in the centre of the house
Impulvium
Small pool ( filled in by rainwater )
What was the bedroom called ?
Cubicula
What was the kitchen called ?
Culina
Peristylum ?
Small walled garden
What’s the difference between frescos and mosaics ?
Frescos are pictures on the wall depicting daily life.
Mosaics are small pieces of tile on the floor.
What’s a villa ?
Patricians house in the countryside
What was a domus ?
Patricians house in the city
( plebeians house ) what is an insulae?
The apartment blocks plebs lived in
Thermopolia ?
Where they cooked their food
True or false ? The wealthier you were the closer to the bottom you lived in an insulae
Trueeee
What did men wear ?
Toga’s
What did woman wear ?
Stola’s
What was dole?
Grain given to 200,000 people every month by the emperor for free
What was the main meal of the day called ?
Cena
What did the patricians eat ?
Live parrots, camel feet, jellyfish, rotten fish guts, flamingo brains, bees, doormice, sows udders.
What did the plebeians eat ?
Bread, wheat and porridge
Who was the head of the family
The father
Who did he have power over ?
Everyone including the slaves
We’re marriages arranged ?
Yes by the father
What was life for women like ?
They weren’t allowed to vote or become citizens but they could inherit property
What did women do
They ran shops they also worked in arts and crafts
Was education important to Romans ?
Yes
Did poor people go to school ?
No most poor families didn’t but educated slaves thought in school
What did they study ?
Reading, writing, arithmetic and oratory
What was the primary school called ?
Ludus
What was secondary school called ?
Grammaticus
Explain Roman baths
Roman baths were pools that men went to as a past time. Woman we’re only allowed to go at certain hours to to women only pools
What was a strigil?
A rod shaped object used to scrape off dirt off someone’s body after a massage
Caldarium
Hot pool / bath
Tepidarium
Warm pool / bath
Frigidarium
Cold pool / bath
What is a palaestra ?
An exercise yard or gym for people to talk and exercise in before they go into the baths
Where did chariot racing take place ?
Circus maximus
How many people could it hold ?
250,000
How many teams competed in the race ?
4
We’re crashes common ?
Yes which cause deaths of racers and horses
Where would gladiators fight take place ?
Arenas or the colosseum
What other things did romans watch for entertainment?
Wild animal shows beast fights and chariot racing
Who were gladiators?
Criminals or captured prisoners slaves trained to fight ( sometimes volunteers )
Explain the gladiator fights
The fights were to entertain the emperor and the crowds
Explain what would happen if a gladiator was injured
If a gladiator was injured he would lift his hand and if the emperor and the crowd were entertained enough the emperor would lift his thumb sparing the injured one but if his thumb went down that would give permission for the gladiator to get killed
What was the name of the father of gods
Jupiter
Who was the goddess of love
Venus
What was mars the god of
War
Did gods have their own temples ?
Yes
Household gods
Have a shrine to its households god
What did they think of their ancestors spirits ?
That they looked down upon them
We’re romans tolerant of other gods ?
Yes
How did they feel about Christianity?
They thought it was treason and anyone who was Christian was tortured and executed
When did Christianity become the main religion
337 AD
Why did the romans put coins on the dead people’s eyes ?
To pay for their journey to the other world
What river were they towed down
River Styx
Where were funerals held ?
The Forum
What did professional mourners do ?
Cry and wail
Were the bodies cremated ?
Yes
What were the underground cemeteries called ?
Catacombs
What was a polytheism ?
When people believed in more then one god
What were aqueducts ?
Concrete structures designed to bring water from the mountains to the cities
