Ancient Rome Test Flashcards
Who was Julius Caesar
A young rising military star, he held campaigns in gAul/Britannia unmatched he was a hero to the lower class
What was the 1st Triumvirate
It was the rule of 3, Crassus ( put down Spartacus’ revolt ), Pompey, Julius Caesar
Caesar crossed the ____ which violated the code of what
He crossed the Rubicon, violating the law of not bringing armies into Rome
A civil war breaks out between who and what happens
A war between Caesar and Pompey, Caesar gets Egypt and they win, Caesar has Caesarian with a Leo
Caesar proclaims himself as ___ so what happens
He proclaims himself Dictator for life, he’s killed by 60 senators led by Brutus on March 15, Ides of March
The 2nd Triumvirate appears with who
Octavian ( adopted son of Caesar ), Marc Antony, Lepidus
What happens to Marc
Marc falls in love with Cleopatra and an alliance begins, Octavian gets Senate to believe Marc is a traitor, Octavian wins battle of Actium
How does Marc Antony die
He falls on his sword
What does Octavian do
He ends the civil wars, and ends Roman Republic
Octavian becomes what
He changes his name to Caesar Augustus ( exalted one ) and becomes 1st emperor of Rome
What did Augustus say
“I found Rome a city of clay but left it a city of marble”
During the golden age of Rome how many people are in the city
1mil
What is the Pax Romana
It means Roman peace, it was started by Augustus and lasted 20 years, longest peace period in Western European history
Who are the Julian Emperors
4 emperors related to Julius
Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero( insane, killed own mom and 1st wife )
Who are the 5 good emperors
Nerva Trajan, empire reaches peak Hadrian, built walls in Britannia Antoninus Pius ( peaceful ) Marcus Aurelius ( killed by son )
Who was Marcus Aurelius’ son
Commodus ( the mad emperor ), Rome’s most decadent/evil emperor, empire declines under him
What happens during the next 73 years
Rome had 23 emperors, 20 of which were murdered
Pompeii was what
A resort for the rich, and buried in 30’ of ash and pumice
Christianity was what
Born out of Judaism
Apostle Paul did what
Spread messages to non Jews, Greeks and Romans
Roman Catholic Christians has what
Pope, father or head of church
Bishops, several churches
Priests, local level, one church
Tradition says Apostle Peter is what
The 1st bishop of Rome, the “rock” but Jesus is the “rock”
Their statement of beliefs was called what
Nicene Creed
The RCC split, what happened
The Great Schism, Roman Catholics went west and Greek Orthodox went East
Christians were persecuted, why
They would not worship the Romans gods/emperors, they were Rome’s scapegoats for their problems
Who blamed Christians for what
Hero blamed them for the Great Fire of Rome, it was the 1st persecution of Christians
During Pax Romana what happened
Great buildings and structures were built
What is Circus Maximus
An arena built to watch the “circuses”, Chariot races were held in the arena that held 250k, largest stadium in history, center called Spina
The colosseum is what
An arena for the “blood sports”, gladiators fought, recreated mock battles and naval battles, animal contests, crucifixions, Christians “burned alive” built by Vespasian and his son Titus, opened it for 100 days straight
The arenas provided what
Free entertainment for unemployed and masses during the over 130 holidays a year
The Pantheon is what
The temple built to honor Roman pagan gods, built of concrete
The first and oldest Roman road was what
The Appian way, from Rome to southern Italy, 350 miles
Roman aqueducts were what
Built to carry water over long distances
Roman public baths were what
Called thermae, modern day spa
Roman Forum was what
Central square of city, like Agora
The imperial crisis almost causes what
Empire to collapse
Diocletian does what
Divides empire into 2 parts, it was too big for one person to rule
A tetrarchy forms, what is it
The rule of 4, 2 senior emperors called Augustus’ and 2 junior emperors called Caesars
The west becomes what
The Roman Empire
The East becomes what
The Byzantine empire
West is what now
Ruled by Maximian, city of Rome is now capital
The East is now what
The city of Byzantium is renamed to Constantinople, ruled by Diocletian
What was the great persecution
Last and most severe of Christian persecutions, over 3k martyred
Who is Constantine
He comes to power, fights for the power at battle of milvian bridge, claims to halve vision before battle and gives credit to Jesus for winning
What is the Chi Rho
Early Christian symbol for cross
Constantine becomes what
The sole ruler of 2 empires
What is the edict of Milan
It allows religious toleration/freedom of worship for all religions
Constantine does what
He puts an end to the persecutions, Christianity becomes the dominant religion
What happens on March 7th
The “venerable day of the sun” becomes required for all to observe, the day of rest
What are pagan holidays
Easter, New Years, all saints day, Halloween, Christmas
What happens when the empires reunite
Constantinople gets all the power
What happens on Constantines death bed
He becomes Christian and Rome rapidly declines after his death
Theodosius does what
Makes Christianity the state religion of Rome, paganism becomes outlawed, stops Greek olympics
What’s the first reason the empire starts to fall
Christianity, popes took power from emperors
What’s the second reason the empire starts to fall
Corrupt emperors, drained all the money and Rome goes bankrupt
What’s the third reason the empire starts to fall
Germanic barbarian invasion, the Gothic wars, Celts, Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, and Huns attack the borders and war drains money
What’s the fifth reason the empire starts to fall
Mercenary soldiers ( barbarians ), they were not loyal to Rome and it was expensive
What is the fifth reason the empire starts to decline
There’s a decline of morals/values, Romans become evil
Who is Aleric
A goth Barbarian king who sacks Rome, Rome pays him off to leave and gets the city back
Rome is sacked again by who
It is sacked and destroyed b Odoacer
Who was the last emperor in the west
Romulus Augustulus
The end of the Roman Empire in the west does what
Throws it into the dark ages ( medieval period )
What happens to the East empire
It lasts 1k more years, collapsed by Ottoman Turks and fell in the 15 century (1400)
