Chpt. 4, The Roman and Han Empires Flashcards
legends of Rome’s founding
one legend is that of Romulus and Remus, who were left to die in the wilderness, were raised by she-wolves, and founded Rome; another is that it was founded by Aeneas, a refugee from the Trojan War
Rome’s founding (actual)
the early Romans were nomadic pastoralists on the Italian peninsula; they were originally ruled by the Etruscans, who moved in around 800 BC, but then established their own empire
dictator
an absolute ruler; in the Roman Republic, one of these could be appointed in times of crisis to restore order
Twelve Tables
written in 451 BC, they were the codification of current Roman law, and established the concept that citizens had the right to protection under the law
legions
military units of 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers
Scipio
the Roman general who attacked Carthage, forcing Hannibal to return there to protect it, and ultimately defeating Hannibal
latifundia
large Roman estates where people were enslaved and forced to work; their development displaced many former small-time landowners into the cities, and fueling the development of an urban poor
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
two brothers who devoted their careers to the relief of the poor in Rome, even as it became more corrupt; their major plans included redistribution of land from latifundia to peasants; Tiberius was clubbed to death by other senator’s supporters, and Gaius committed suicide to prevent the same from happening to him
Marius
became a consul in 107 BC after suppressing a rebellion in North Africa; substituted Rome’s drafted army with a professional one; this led soldiers to become more devoted to their commanders, and less to Rome
Sulla
another general who executed many of Marius’ followers in 82 BC and acted as military dictator until 79 BC
1st triumvirate
a political alliance in 60 BC between Crassus, a wealthy aristocrat, Pompey, a highly regarded general, and Julius Caesar, another general
Cleopatra
intervening in a power struggle in Egypt, Julius Caesar placed this women on the throne of Egypt as an ally of Rome
2nd triumvirate
composed of Octavian (Caesar’s nephew), Marc Antony, and Lepidus; Lepidus was forced into retirement by Octavian, and after a long power struggle against the combined force of Egypt and Marc Antony, Octavian won control of the Roman Empire, taking the title Caesar Augustus
Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
a period of peace that was created by a succession of very good and capable Roman Emperors; it was a 207-year period of prosperity starting with the rule of Augustus in 27 BC
Trajan
increased the empire to it’s greatest size
Hadrian
erected defensive walls in northern Britain
Marcus Aurelius
a stoic philosopher, he was the last of a succession the “5 Good Emperors” of Rome; when his rule ended, so did the Pax Romana
entertainment
with the establishment of the empire, new forms of entertainment arose to distract people from the poor conditions and keep them from revolting; these included major fairs with horse races, gladiator fights, and the distribution of free bread
Roman government
the government of Rome kept a watchful eye on its provincial governors, and brought the benefits of civilization and advanced technology into it’s provinces as well; Roman law involved modern legal concepts such as innocent until proven guilty and protection of citizens
Roman learning
the Roman Empire valued education only for it’s practical use, and were not very intellectually curious, as the Greeks had been; as a result, they did not have many intellectual, mathematic, or scientific achievements, though they were very advanced architecturally
Roman literature
Roman literature featured histories, essays, poetry, and biographies; Virgil, the greatest Roman poet, wrote the Aeneid, which extolls Rome’s greatness
zealot
during this time period (there is a different definition for them in general), were Jewish loyalists who aimed to rid Judea of Rome’s dominance
Paul of Tarsus
the greatest Christian missionary of the 1st century AD, he was a persecutor of the Christians who eventually converted to Christianity and became a follower himself
Gentiles
those who are not Jewish
2nd Diaspora
this was when Rome, finally fed up with zealot rebellions, broke up the Jewish state and dispersed the Jews throughout the Roman Empire
Wailing Wall
during the 2nd Diaspora, the Roman’s destroyed the temple of Jerusalem, and all that remained was the western wall of the temple; today, it still stands as the most noted Jewish shrine
Masada
a final Jewish stronghold that fell to the Romans in 73 AD
Peter
the first bishop of Rome
Coptic Christianity
the form of Christianity that spread to Egypt and Ethiopia
Nestorian Christianity
the form of Christianity that spread to parts of northern Africa
Nicene Creed
a statement of Catholic beliefs set down by the Council of Nicaea, which met in 325 in Asia Minor
Saint Augustine
a great Catholic leader who further clarified to the teachings of the Catholic Church
Huns
a nomadic group that came from central Asia and under the leadership of Attila, moved in the direction of the Roman Empire
Germanic tribes
to avoid the Huns, many Germanic tribes crossed into Roman territory; these included the Saxons, Angles, Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Vandals; Rome might have been able to withstand them if not for other factors
Roman decline
many factors impact this, among them are:
- population was lowered by disease in the packed cities, but the number of soldiers needed to defend the territory stayed the same, so fielding soldiers was harder
- Rome had mildly overextended itself to begin with
- corruption had increased
- societal values became decadent, and people increasingly sought only for their own pleasure, rather than the glory of Rome
- people no longer thought for themselves, as they had long ago substituted “bread and circuses” from the emperor for democracy
- the army became loyal to commanders rather than to Rome, and in some cases mercenaries were hired
- slavery had caused many Romans to forget how to work
barracks emperors
known as such because of their lack of leadership and general failure political instability led to a quick succession of 28 of these in less than 100 years, the last years of Rome
the fall of Rome
Rome officially fell in 476 with the defeat of it’s last emperor, Romulus Augustus; nevertheless, it had been in decline for 200 years, and had even been sacked in 410 by Alaric, king of the Visigoths
Constantine
Diocletian’s successor, who was made emperor in 324; he legalized Christianity, and he also established a new capital at Constantinople in the East, splitting up Rome into Western and Eastern halves; this was a recognition of the greater vitality of Rome in the East
Byzantine Empire
after Rome fell to the barbarians, Eastern Rome lived on, except now referred to as the this
Silk Roads
a system of overland trade routes that connected India, China, and the Roman Empire; it led to cultural and technological diffusion
Han Wudi
the longest ruling of the Han rulers, he appointed provincial administrators to promote governmental efficiency
Empress Lu
a particularly influential Chinese empress who seized and retained control over the throne by naming her infant sons as emperors
shi
the scholar class of China starting with the Han, who instituted the first civil service examination systems
the decline of China
plagued by poor emperors and internal weakness, the Han empire collapsed in 220 AD, producing 400 years of political turmoil before China was unified again
Manichaeism
a religion founded by Mani that traveled the Silk Roads and was a blend of other religions, with reach religions holy figure as a prophet (Zoroaster was the prophet of Persia, Buddha the prophet of India, and Jesus the prophet of the Mediterranean basin)
Arianism
the teaching that Jesus had been a creation of God rather than a divinity who had coexisted as part of the Trinity throughout eternity; this was a heresy of the early church
