Emperors of Rome Flashcards
Accomplishments of Caesar
- Granted citizenship to more people. 2. Distributed land to the poor. 3. Created jobs through a public works initiative. 4. Introduces a new calendar- the Julian Calendar- 365 1/4 day calendar (calendar we use today with minor changes.)
Accomplishments of Octavian
Creates efficient civil service to enforce lawsRoman tax system more fairSet up postal serviceIssued new coins to make trade easierCreated public work jobsBuilt grandiose structures
Alea iacta est
The die is cast, you can’t take it back in gambling
Caesar first name
Julius
Caesar’s job creating accomplishment-what does this mean and why is it useful?
A. Fixing bridges, paving roads, building buildings , etcB. Useful because its a win win- Rome is beautiful and people have jobs
Caesar’s job creating accomplishment-what does this mean and why is it useful?
A. Fixing bridges, paving roads, building buildings , etcB. Useful because its a win win- Rome is beautiful and people have jobs
Cassius
Instrumental senator to the liberatori
Colosseum
Gladiator fight arena
Crassus
One of wealthiest men in Rome, put down Spartacus revolt, general of the part of the Roman army that tried to stop the gladiators from escaping.
Did Caesar end up becoming power hungry?
Yes
Dignitaries
Personal reputation, moral standing, ethical worth. Directly related to a man’s entitlement to respect and proper treatment.
For Brutus, why was the matter of Caesar’s assassination not just a political matter but a personal one?
He claimed descent from a person who helped overthrow the rule of the last king of Rome, Tarquin the proud. Rome became a republic and the Romans swore to never allow one man to rule again.
Gaul
Modern day France
How can an army of slaves stand a chance against the greatest professional army of the ancient world?
Better training, joined by other slaves, Spartacus brilliant strategist
How did the Triumvirate bully their way into the Republic?
Caesar has popularity, Pompey has might, Crassus has $
How did they increase crowd safety?
They dug a ditch around the edge of the arena. A revolving barrier was later placed there.
How many times did Caesar marry? Why? What happened to him while he was married to his third wife?
Three, for political advantage. While he was married to his third wife, he met Queen Cleopatra and had a son with her
How many times was Caesar stabbed?
23 times
How were slaves often acquired?
Taken captive in battle and taken back to Rome w two options
Ides of March
March 15
Liberatori
Assassins
Ludus Magnus
Gladiator training school where they practiced w wooden swords and became more skilled then Roman soldiers
Magnus
The great
Marcus Brutus
Caesar’s former best friend and assassin, possible illegitimate son. “Et tu, Brute?”
Mark Antony
Right hand man Caesar
Mediterranean basin
Named because of resemblance to a washbasin; alongside Greece and Italy
Octavian Augustus Priceps
Biological grand nephew, adopted son of Caesar
Patrician
Rich
Pax Romana
The period of time starting w/ Augustus, 27-180 CE. Roman peace.
Peninsula
Piece of land surrounded by water on three sides
Plebeian
Normal/poor
Pompey
Great military leader, earned the title of Magnus
Retiarius
A gladiator w a net and pitchfork (net to trap)
Rex
Having a king
Rhea Sylvia
Descendent of Aeneas. Impregnated by Mars, has twins Romulus and Remus.
Rubicon River
Separates Italy and Gaul.
Samnite
Gladiator w straighter sword, longer shield, face mask
Spartacus
A slave made into a gladiator
Stages of Rome under its leaders
Republic under consuls and Senate➡️Dictatorship under Caesar➡️Empire under Augustus
Thracian
Sword and circular shield gladiator
Tiber river
Direct connection between Rome and the Mediterranean Sea, Good for the TTC
Toga design color importance
Red stripe shows importance, emperor’s completely purple
Toga design importance
Forces people to hold hands up to hold the toga up. Just kept people from complaining BC people would complain that they move their hands around, Which you cannot do with the Toga.
Triumvirate
Political alliance btwn Caesar, Pompey, Crassus
Types of gladiators
Thracian, Samnite, Retiarius
Via Appia
Long Roman road
Was there impeachment in Rome?
No.
What did Augustus build as a tribute to Caesar?
Temple of Caesar (example of his sixth accomplishment.)
What did Caesar do after destroying Pompey’s army?
Told his army to stay outside the Senate meeting floor, went inside the Senate, and said “I want to be a dictator for life. If you have an issue with that, you can take it up with my army outside.”
What did the Romans used to do as a sport for fun? How is this similar to today?
Kill each other. Today we have a lot of the violence, in sports, such as hockey, in books and movies, such as the hunger `
What did we get from the Romans?
We got structure of stadiums from them, but we also got the behavior that occurs inside the arena
What does Caesar do after becoming part of the Triumvirate
Conquers and becomes governor of Spain and Gaul
What does Caesar do after being forced to come home?
Takes his army and cross the Rubicon River.
What does Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon do?
Starts a civil war.
What does Pompey do to Caesar as a result of his jealousy?
Goes before the senate, trying to convince them to give up his title of General and disband his army before he gets too much power.
What does Spartacus choose?
Rebellion
What does the Senate do after reviewing Pompey’s statement?
Force Caesar to come home
What does the Triumvirate set the stage for?
Caesar to become dictator of Rome
What followed Caesar’s assassination?
Panic of Rome. While most of the other senators fled, the assassins barricaded themselves on the Capitoline hill. Meanwhile, Mark Antony whipped the Roman crowds up into a frenzy, sparking civil war.
What happened to Caesar after being in the army?
He became consul, and then part of the Triumvirate
What happened to Caesar at age 25?
He was kidnapped by pirates while sailing for the Greek island of Rhodes
What happened to Caesar one day as he walked down the streets of Rome? What was his reaction?
A fortune teller yelled at him to beware the Ides of March. He scoffed, saying no one could do anything to the dictator.
What happened to Spartacus’s gladiator army?
Crucified on the Via Appia as a public demonstration of force.
What happened to the fatal triangle?
Antony and Octavian turn on each other.
What happened when Caesar saw the fortuneteller again on March 15? What was her reply?
He showed her that he was fine, and she said that the Ides of March to come but not yet gone.
What happened when he arrived on the Italian peninsula?
His men sat down, took grape leaves, poured grain on them, and ate them-eating their plates, causing him to realize he must build the new Troy here.
What happened when people in ancient Rome wanted to complain?
They were reminded that they must remain proper and in control.
What happened years later when Romulus and Remus learned of their heritage?
They go explore and found the people who are building Rome, Who asked them which one of them wants kingship.
What happens after Caesar dies?
There’s a power grab.
What happens to Antony and Cleopatra?
They fall in love
What happens to Octavian?
Defeats Antony and proclaimed Augustus by Senate
What happens when Spartacus chooses?
70 men break out of the Ludus Magnus and grab what they can to attack the Roman soldiers
What happens when Spartacus’s army is crushed?
They are given a choice: turn over Spartacus and return to slavery, or die by crucifixion
What happens when Spartacus’s army is given this choice?
They all stand up, claiming to be Spartacus.
What is Aeneas known for?
Founding Rome
What is an example of Caesars cruelty on the battlefield?
While fighting for Gaul, he surrounded the enemy army and prevented them from getting water. When they got close to dying of thirst, he ordered their hands chopped off.
What is Brutus’s legacy?
To some, a selfless fighter against dictatorship. Too others, an opportunistic traitor.
What is the arch of Titus?
When Titus came home from destroying Jerusalem, they made an arch to celebrate and commemorate their stealing the menorah.
What is the fatal triangle?
Octavian’s and Antony’s joining forces to hunt down Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and Cassius.
What is the TTC?
Trade, transportation, communication
What phrase do some ancient sources report as Caesar’s last words? What speculation does this fuel?
And you, child? This fuels speculation that Brutus was Caesar’s illegitimate son.
What phrase is derived from Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon?
“Crossing the Rubicon River” means you’re diving into something and can’t look back.
What problems became prevalent in Roman society?
Corruption, slave revolts, and a widening gap between rich and poor
What river goes thru middle of Rome?
Tiber
What type of land is Italy?
Peninsula
What US structure is based on Greek and Roman architecture?
The Washington Monument.
What was in the forum 2,000 years ago?
Many columns and buildings that were built with cultural diffusion from Greece.
What was ironic about the assassination?
The liberators goal was to restore the Republic, but the very thing it sought to prevent occurred, the Republic died and Rome became an empire.
What was Spartacus’s choice?
Grab the sword, and rebel, or entertain the crowds.
What was special about Caesar in the army?
Brilliant general, loved by soldiers
What was the date of Caesar’s assassination?
The Ides of March, or March 15.
What was the forum?
A govt plaza in the heart of the city, next to the Palantine hill.
What was the gladiator to soldier ratio in the rebellion?
70:32,000
What was the progression of Caesar’s climb?
General➡️Consul➡️Gov of Spain➡️Triumvirate member➡️Gov of Gaul➡️Dictator for life
What were the options of a Roman slave?
House slave or gladiator
What would happen to a gladiator?
Each gladiator was trained to be specialized in a certain type of weapon or made to fight animals
Where did Augustus build the Temple of Caesar? Why?
Under the place where he saw a comet for six days, believing it the spirit of Caesar giving him a message.
Where did Julius Caesar start his career?
The army
Who does Antony ally himself w against Octavian?
The powerful Cleopatra of Egypt
Who forms the fatal triangle?
Octavian Augustus, Mark Antony, Brutus and Cassius
Who special to Caesar was in on his assassination?
Marcus Brutus, his best friend.
Who were Caesar’s rivals in the civil War that he started by crossing the Rubicon river?
Pompey and his army
Who won the battle between Caesar and Pompey?
Caesar, destroying Pompey’s army.
Why did Italian and German leaders call themselves by names similar to Caesar’s?
The power of the name-associating their name w Caesar gives them some of Caesarian power
Why do we need myths?
They’re windows into the culture of the people who wrote them
Why does Pompey initially become jealous of Caesar?
Caesar is dominating in Gaul.
Why is it significant that Caesar took his men across the Rubicon?
Decades before, the senate ordered that no Roman general may lead their troops past the Rubicon bc it’s too close to Rome. By doing so, Caesar is committing treason and becoming a traitor.
Why was joining the conspiracy not an easy choice for Brutus?
He sided with Pompey in the civil war against Caesar, but Caesar saved his life. Caesar not only pardoned him but also accepted him as a personal adviser.
How could gladiators win their freedom?
Fighting hard enough
Two examples of evil emperors of Rome
Nero and Caligula
Proof of Caligula’s insanity
appointed his favorite horse to senate on top of killing many
What catastrophe did people accuse Nero of being responsible for? Why?
The Great Fire of Rome, because he was fiddling as Rome burned, though the cause was unknown.
What Roman catastrophe is on record? How many people died?
The Great Fire of Rome, thousands of Christians
What did Nero do, seeing people thought he started the fire?
Accused the Christians of starting it and killed the accused by having them die for Roman amusements in the Colosseum.
What happens today as a result of the clash between Nero and the Christians?
Romans erect a cross in the Colosseum in memory of those Nero killed.
Two examples of good emperors of Rome
Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius
Accomplishments of Hadrian
Added on to the 12 tables, built Hadrian’s wall, extended empire to Great Britain
Why did Hadrian build his wall?
To keep out British warriors who hated Rome
Who is the closest Roman emperor to Plato’s philosopher-king ideal?
Marcus Aurelius
What was Marcus Aurelius? Who was he close w?
A philosopher, Yehuda HaNasi
What did Marcus Aurelius accomplish?
He wrote Meditations (a book,) in which he said that a man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions.
Who won the civil war between Antony and Octavian? Who won the Battle of Actium (at sea?)
Octavian (both.)
Why did Antony commit suicide?
Knew Octavian would kill him/take him captive.
Why did Cleopatra kill herself? How?
Didn’t want to live w/o Antony. Made a snake bite her.
Meaning of Augustus
powerful/excellent/exalted one
What did Augustus build?
Arch of Augustus, temple of Caesar
Priorities of Hadrian
safety and security
Meaning of Priceps
first citizen
Why did Augustus never call himself king? Did he have absolute power, then?
The Romans hated that term. Yes.
When did Antony commit suicide?
After the naval Battle of Actium, when Augustus defeated his and Cleopatra’s forces.
Legend of Antony and Cleopatra
Cleopatra asks Antony if he wants to have a very expensive meal. At first it’s regular food, but a servant comes in with a glass of vinegar that she drops her pearl earring into and dissolves it, drinking it.
Do pearls really dissolve?
After 20 hours.
How expensive was the Cleopatra meal? (Egyptian currency)
$10,000
What does the legend of Antony and Cleopatra show about her?
Her manipulativeness.
How old was Caesar when he died?
56
What was Rome at the birth of Caesar?
A republic
What year was Caesar born in?
100 BC
What was Rome at the death of Caesar?
A dictatorship on way to empire
What were Caesar’s accomplishments later in life a result of?
His ambition, talent and luck
Where was Caesar’s family socially?
Patricians, but lower rung of social ladder (no influence/prestige)
Caesar’s skills
spell-binding orator, accomplished writer, and great military leader
What would Caesar continously wear (awarded to him by Senate and People?)
Laurel crown
Caesar always dressed…
well, in a special toga with fringes. Took good care of himself.
What did he purchase for Servilia?
A pearl worth 6,000,000 sesterces during his first consulship
Servilia
Brutus’s mother
What was Caesar? (women?)
Lady’s man
What was Caesar’s custom with his troops?
To go at the head, on foot or horseback- with a bare head, without baggage in a light carriage behind them, 100miles a day. Would even swim across rivers. Coerced troops
Veni, vidi, vici
“I came, I saw, I conquered”-Caesar
What was said of Caesar?
He was able to crush an apple with one hand.
Who wrote an account on Nero’s persecution of the Christians?
Tacitus
Why do modern scholars question the reliability of Tacitus’s account of Nero?
He was a fierce critic of his
Why is Tacitus’s passage on Nero’s persecution of the Christians famous? Where is that found?
It is one of the first mentions of Christianity in a non-Christian source. It’s from Tacitus’s Annals.
What is Tacitus’s claim in his passage?
That Nero tried to shift the blame for the Great Fire of Rome to the Christians.
What is a possible reason why so many Romans detested the Christians?
They may have been confused with Jews, who were accused of being rebellious and lazy.
Why were the Christian accused of disloyalty to Nero?
Because of their refusal to perform the token ritual acknowledging the divine status of the emperor, viewed by most citizens as little different from a modern flag salute.
What rumors circulated about the Christians at an early date?
Scandalous rumors about obscene Christian rituals
What does Tacitus say on the rumors that Nero started the fire?
That nothing could make it go away
What does Tacitus say that Nero did to abolish the rumor?
Falsely accused and execute the Christians with very harsh punishment
What does Tacitus say about the Christians? What does this imply?
He didn’t like them, as implied by the words he uses to describe them, like “…were infamous for their abominations.” “evil,” “horrible,” “shameful,”
What is Tacitus’s conclusion?
That though they were clearly guilty, the Christians were pitied because they were punished for Nero’s fierceness rather than for justice.
According to Tacitus, aside from burning Rome, what else were Christians convicted of?
Hatred of the human race.
According to Tacitus, how were many Christians punished?
They were killed by dogs, crucified, and burned. Nero made their executions into a sport.
