Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity

Question 1

patrician

Answer 1

a member of the landlord upper class that controlled positions in the Roman Senate

Question 2

consul

Answer 2

one of two patricians selected each term to supervise the business of government and command the armies

Question 3

dictator

Answer 3

a ruler who has complete control over the government

Question 4

plebeian

Answer 4

a member of the class of farmers, merchants, and artisans that made up most of the population of Rome

Question 5

tribune of the plebs

Answer 5

an official elected by the plebeians to protect their interests

Question 6

veto

Answer 6

the ability of tribunes to block a law they found harmful to plebeians

Question 7

legion

Answer 7

the basic Roman military unit of 5,000 men

Question 8

The Romans established the res publica, or republic, which is a form of government in which ____________

Answer 8

the people chose some of the officials

Question 9

How were tribunes able to check the power of the Senate?

Answer 9

they could veto laws they felt were harmful

Question 10

republic

Answer 10

a form of government in which people choose officials who make laws

Question 11

Etruscans

Answer 11

the civilization that ruled northern Italy prior to the Romans

Question 12

imperialism

Answer 12

establishing control over foreign lands and people

Question 13

latifundia

Answer 13

huge farming estates bought up by wealthy families

Question 14

Tiberius Gracchus

Answer 14

tribune elected in 133 B.C.; called on the state to distribute land to poor farmers

Question 15

Gaius Gracchus

Answer 15

tribune elected in 123 B.C.; sought to use public funds to buy grain to feed the poor

Question 16

Julius Caesar

Answer 16

military commander who ruled Rome as absolute dictator from 48 B.C. to 44 B.C.; began many reforms before being murdered

Question 17

Augustus

Answer 17

title meaning “exalted one”; given to Octavian, who became the first Roman emperor

Question 18

census

Answer 18

population count

Question 19

Hadrian

Answer 19

emperor who codified Roman law in all the provinces and built a wall across Britain to hold back attackers

Question 20

What was a result of the Punic Wars?

Answer 20

Rome gained control of the western Mediterranean

Question 21

How did the Senate change during the Roman Empire as compared to the Republic?

Answer 21

It held much less power than under the republic

Question 22

What were some of the main events in Caesar’s life in order?

Answer 22

Caesar conquered Gaul, defeated Pompey, made reforms as dictator, and was killed by the Senate.

Question 23

Who was the rule of Rome at the beginning of the empire?

Answer 23

Augustus

Question 24

Virgil

Answer 24

poet who wrote the epic poem The Aeneid

Question 25

satirize

Answer 25

to make fun of

Question 26

mosaic

Answer 26

picture made from chips of colored stone or glass

Question 27

engineering

Answer 27

the application of science and mathematics to develop useful structures and machines

Question 28

aqueduct

Answer 28

stone structure that carried water from the hills to the cities

Question 29

Ptolemy

Answer 29

astronomer-mathematician who proposed a theory that the Earth was at the center of the universe

Question 30

What is the basic plot of Virgil’s Aeneid?

Answer 30

A hero escapes from the city of Troy to find Rome

Question 31

What did Roman architecture emphasize?

Answer 31

grandeur or power

Question 32

What was probably Rome’s greatest legacy to the western world?

Answer 32

commitment to the rule of law and justice