Chapter 5: An Age of Empires: Rome and Han China, 753-600 CE

Question 1

What is the mythical founding of Rome?

Answer 1

Romulus and Remus were abandoned in the Tibre, raised by a wolf, and founded Rome.

Question 2

What is the historical founding of Rome?

Answer 2

Latin people settled on Palentine Hill in Rome and were conquered by the Etruscans. A monarchy was formed and lasted 200 years. In 509 BCE the Etruscans were overthrown and established a Republic (indirect type of democracy) with representatives.

Question 3

Rome was a republic of what?

Answer 3

Rome was a republic of farmers. The Senate was composed of a few families with a large amount of land, making it the center of wealth and influence.

Question 4

What were the 2 consols?

Answer 4

The 2 consols were chosen from the Senate. One was in charge of the military and the other was in charge of domestic affairs. Both served for 1 year.

Question 5

What were the 2 social classes in the Roman Republic?

Answer 5

Patricians, the wealthy aristocratic class, and plebeians, landowners, merchants and farmers, as well as wealthy nonaristocratic people.

Question 6

What was the “Conflict of Orders” and what did it lead to?

Answer 6

The Plebeians protested inequalities in Roman society and the patricians. It led to the first set of Roman laws, written on 12 tables. They were a check on arbitrary decisions. Tribunes, from lower classes, were created and could veto any patrician actions deemed against the interest of lower orders.

Question 7

What did the Romans worship?

Answer 7

They worshipped nature spirits, and later gods and goddesses. They borrowed Greek deities and renamed them.

Question 8

What was family life like in the Roman Republic?

Answer 8

The family was the basic unit of society. The father was the head, but women asserted influence. Wives had few legal rights, but more influence than those of the Greece.

Question 9

What was the patron-client relationship in Rome?

Answer 9

The patron was a wealthy aristocrat who offered support to the client in return for political support. Some patrons had many clients.

Question 10

What were the characteristics of the Roman military?

Answer 10

They had a strong army. Every male citizen had to serve when needed. They improved Greek tactics, with smaller more mobile divisions.

Question 11

The Punic Wars were a period of what?

Answer 11

Expansion.

Question 12

What happened during the 1st Punic War?

Answer 12

The Romans had complete control of Italy by 275 BCE, and Carthage expanded to Sicily. Rome wanted to control the entire Mediterranean, and they defended the Strait of Messina. They made Carthage pay a huge indemnity and give up Sicily.

Question 13

What happened during the 2nd Punic War?

Answer 13

Carthaginian general Hannibal travelled through Spain over the Alps with 40,000 men and 40 elephants. A lot of them died due to sickness, hunger, snow, and attacks. The Romans attacked at Carthage and demanded control of Spain and an indemnity.

Question 14

What happened during the 3rd Punic War?

Answer 14

“Carthaga delenda est” Carthage must be destroyed- the Romans burned Carthage and sold their population into slavery. Rome gained control over the entire Mediterranean.

Question 15

What did wars and expansion in Rome lead to?

Answer 15

Italian farmers were away from their homes, so they were replaced by “latifunda” or “broad estates.” They grazed cattle and crops for MONEY, so there was not as much grain production. There was a decrease of small farms and an increase in slaves. There was also a shortage of men with minimum required land for military service.

Question 16

Increased slave labor after the Punic Wars led to what?

Answer 16

Increased slave labor made it difficult for farmers to find work, which led to growing urban masses that were idle and prone to riot. They were not loyal to the Republic and instead were loyal to independents and military leaders. This caused bloody civil wars from 88-31 BCE.

Question 17

What did Julius Caesar do?

Answer 17

He formed the Triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey. There was a civil war, and Julius Caesar won and declared himself “dictator for life.” He established social reforms such as assistance to the poor and re-distributed land, and expanded the Republic.

Question 18

How was the emperor chosen in the Roman Empire?

Answer 18

In theory, he was affirmed by the Senate, but in reality he was chosen by armies. The adoption of mature men by the emperor was common.

Question 19

What was the Pax Romana?

Answer 19

A 200 year period of peace and prosperity during the rule of Augustus/ Octavian. Citizenship was granted for 26 years of military service and good behavior. Citizens could travel easily and had more rights.

Question 20

What other events characterized the Pax Romana?

Answer 20

Public work projects, such as the Colosseum and aqueducts. Roads using concrete were constructed, trade increased, and the economy rose. There were still many poor Romans.

Question 21

Why was there tension in Judea between the Jews and Romans?

Answer 21

The Jews believed in one God and were waiting for the Messiah, which the Romans saw as a threat because they refused to worship the emperor, which was seen as disloyalty. They crucified Jesus.

Question 22

Who was Jesus?

Answer 22

He was either a rabbi/ teacher, fiery prophet, or political revolutionary. He was believed to be the Messiah/ son of God.

Question 23

What was the Gospel?

Answer 23

The Gospel was the spread of Christianity. Paul traveled widely to spread it

Question 24

Why was Rome able to sustain a larger population than Greece?

Answer 24

They had better climate which allowed for a longer growing season and fertile soil.

Question 25

What rights did women have in Roman society?

Answer 25

Women never stopped being children in the eyes of the law. They couldn’t own property or represent themselves in legal proceedings. However, they were less constrained than their Greek counterparts and gained more freedom over time.

Question 26

What was the Roman Principate and who started it?

Answer 26

The Roman Principate was the period following the Roman Republic. Julius Caesar’s grandnephew and heir Octavian redesigned the Roman government. He maintained honors, offices, and the senatorial class, but altered power.

Question 27

During the Principate who was the major source of new laws?

Answer 27

The emperor.

Question 28

After an error of conquest there were less slaves and a new source of labor was needed, What was this source?

Answer 28

Independent farmers were replaced by tenant farmers, who lived on and cultivated land for a portion of their crops.

Question 29

What was Romanization?

Answer 29

The spread of Latin language and the Roman way of life. IT is on eof the most enduring consequences of the empire.

Question 30

Many of the first converts to Christianity were what?

Answer 30

Disenfranchised groups such as women, slaves, and the poor.

Question 31

What was Rome’s 3rd Century Crisis?

Answer 31

The period from 235-284 CE when there was political, military, and economic problems. The loyalty of the army had to be bought, and the decreased amount of precious metal in coins devalued coinage. This led to a bartering economy. There was a frequent change of rulers (20+ who ruled for only a few months or years)

Question 32

Who took advantage of the 3rd Century Crisis?

Answer 32

Germanic tribesmen took advantage and raided the empire. Roman cities built walls for protection for the first time.

Question 33

Who was Diocletian and what did he do?

Answer 33

He gained power in 284 CE and ruled for 20+ years. He created maximum prices to stop inflation and froze people in professions and required the training of their sons to ensure a supply of workers. However, a black market arose and the empire was seen as oppressive.

Question 34

Who was Constantine and what did he do?

Answer 34

He reunited the entire empire under sole rule by 324. He claimed he’d seen a cross in battle and issued the Edict of Milan which ended the persecution of Christians. Christianity became the official rule and Christians had adbantages. He moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople)

Question 35

What was the Council of Nicea?

Answer 35

A council solving disputes over theology among patriarchs. They rejected the views of priest Arius from Alexandria, and ruled that Jesus was equal to God the Father.

Question 36

What was the hierarchy of the early Christian church?

Answer 36

Patriarchs, bishops, priests There were 5 patriarchs.

Question 37

Who was Justinian and what did he do?

Answer 37

He regained control of North Africa and compiled Roman legal tradition in the Corpus Juris Civilis.

Question 38

Who was Shi Huangdi?

Answer 38

He was the founder of the Qin dynasty in the Wei Valley, which rapidly conquered rival’s and made China’s first empire.

Question 39

Who was the power passed to after the Qin dynasty?

Answer 39

The Han dynasty.

Question 40

What were China’s capital cities?

Answer 40

Chang’ an and then Luoyang

Question 41

What was the main source of wealth and taxes in China?

Answer 41

Agriculture. It spread in the Yangzi River Valley, which led to the construction of canals connecting the Yangzi and Yellow River. The government collected and stored surplus grain and sold it in times of shortage.

Question 42

Every able-bodied man in China had to what?

Answer 42

Give 1 month a year to public work projects and serve two years of military service.

Question 43

Did the Romans depend on a large population of free peasants to contribute taxes and services to the state like China?

Answer 43

Yes!

Question 44

What was the basic unit of Qin China?

Answer 44

Family, composed of living members and ancestors.

Question 45

The Qins and Romans both worshipped what?

Answer 45

Nature.

Question 46

What structure did Shi Huangdi create?

Answer 46

A totalitarian structure in which the needs of the state come before those of the individual. He publicly burned large numbers of books and cracked down on Confucianism.

Question 47

What system did Shi Huangdi draw from?

Answer 47

Legalism. The will of the ruler is supreme and necessary to impose discipline and obedience on subjects through rigid rewards and punishments.

Question 48

What did Shi Huangdi abolish?

Answer 48

He was determined to eliminate rival centers of authority so he abolished the landowning aristocracy of conquered rival states. He also abolished slavery and created a free peasantry so that the slaves now had to pay taxes and give labor and military service.

Question 49

What did Shi Hunagdi standardize?

Answer 49

He standardized weights, measures, coinage, law code, writing, and regulations.

Question 50

What did the Hans and Romans both build?

Answer 50

Thousands of miles of roads. The Qin also built canals and a precursor to the Great Wall to protect from northern nomads.

Question 51

Who was Liu Bang and what did he do?

Answer 51

He established the Han dynasty and promised to reject the mistakes of the Qin. He combined Legalism and Confucianism.

Question 52

Who was Emperor Wu and what did he do?

Answer 52

He launched a period of military expansion after 80 years of imperial consolidation. He ruled from the Mandate of Heaven, like the Zhou Monarchy.

Question 53

The imperial Romans and Hans both depended on what type of officials?

Answer 53

Local officials of far-flung territories.

Question 54

The Qin and Han emperors allied with the gentry to do what?

Answer 54

To weaken rural aristocrats. The gentry eventually became the new aristocracy.

Question 55

What system was popular with the common people?

Answer 55

Daoism. IT said that enlightenment was achieved through contemplation and discipline, not education. It questioned age-old beliefs, and urged passive acceptance of disorder of the world.

Question 56

How was the Chinese iron process compared to the Romans?

Answer 56

It was more advanced. They hammered ores with a higher carbon content to make steel.

Question 57

What Chinese military tools helped repel nomads?

Answer 57

The crossbow and calvary.

Question 58

What was the most important Chinese export commodity?

Answer 58

Silk. It was a guarded secret, which gave the Chinese a monopoly.

Question 59

The Hans and Roman both had a primary concern of what?

Answer 59

Maintaining the security of frontiers.

Question 60

The nomad rulers accepted Chinese supremacy for what?

Answer 60

Marriages to Chinese princesses and gifts. This burdend Han finances.

Question 61

What led to the fall of the Han dynasty?

Answer 61

factional intrigues within ruling clans, official corruption and inefficiency, peasant uprisings, nomadic attacks, and rural warlords. This period of political fragmentation and regression that lasted until the rise of the Sui and Tang dynasties.