Exam 1 Short Answer

Question 1

Name three geographic factors that helped Italy to prosper? What role did the Straits of Messina play?

Answer 1

Three geographic factors that helped Italy prosper were the agricultural Po Valley, the Alps (could be used for protection), and the Straits of Messina. The Straits of Messina permitted trade between the western and eastern Mediterranean.

Question 2

In what region of Italy is Rome located?

Answer 2

Rome is located in the Latium region of Italy.

Question 3

What period and geographic location does the term “Villanovan” refer to? Name 2 features of Villanovan settlements.

Answer 3

During the 9th and 8th centuries in Etruria is the period and geographic location of the Villanovan culture. Two features that make Villanovan settlements are clusters of huts without elaborate social systems or clearly identifiable distinctions of wealth.

Question 4

Why was iron preferable to bronze for the production of tools and weapons?

Answer 4

Iron was preferable to bronze for tools and weapons because it was stronger and cheaper.

Question 5

When, approximately, did city-states first appear in Italy?

Answer 5

The first city-states appeared in Italy in the middle of the 8th (around 725) century BC.

Question 6

How was the space of the city organized? (where did elites live? Where was the cemetery?

Answer 6

City-states were organized with special areas for the elite and communal ends with cemeteries encircling it at the base of the hill. Beyond, the surrounding area contained farmsteads and shrines. The elite were concentrated in the center of the city-state with the poorer people living around them.

Question 7

Name 3 ways that elites distinguished themselves from others

Answer 7

The elite distinguished themselves from others through elaborate burials, elaborate residences, and dining practices and the symposium.

Question 8

What sorts of evidence do we have for reconstructing the history of Italy before the Romans? Why is archaeological evidence problematic?

Answer 8

We have archaeological evidence like shards of pottery and post holes, but this evidence is problematic because people can interpret evidence differently (lacks context) and much of it has already degraded away.

Question 9

What part of Rome was first settled? Where was the forum built?

Answer 9

The part of Rome that was first settled was the Palatine Hill. The forum was built in a marsh between two hills.

Question 10

Why do archaeologists tend to associate early Roman monuments with famous people like Romulus?

Answer 10

It’s because modern archaeologist desire to discover something meaningful, which would then attract more media attention and money to what they are working on.

Question 11

What evidence do we have for the original hut settlements in Rome?

Answer 11

We have archaeological evidence like fragments of pottery and post holes that indicated hut settlements.

Question 12

What is the cave of the Lupercale? What problem in archaeology does this highlight?

Answer 12

The cave of the Lupercale is where Romulus and Remus supposedly were suckled by a she-wolf. This highlights the problem in archaeology where archaeologists claim items and monuments they find as dating back to important moments in Roman history, whether it is true or not.

Question 13

Why did Aeneas and his men leave Troy?

Answer 13

Aeneas and his men left Troy because they were exiled by the Greeks after the Trojan War.

Question 14

How was Aeneas received by the native Latins in Larentum? What are the two versions that Livy provides about the peace negotiation between Aeneas and Latinus. How does Latinus strengthen the peace treaty with Aeneas?

Answer 14

The Latins initially came out of their cities and settlements to defend themselves against the invaders. One version of the story says that Aeneas battled King Latinus and beat him, and the king married his daughter to Aeneas. Another version of the story says that King Latinus married his daughter to Aeneas because he parlayed for peace. King Latinus giving Aeneas his daughter strengthened the peace treaty with Aeneas.

Question 15

Why did Turnus start a war with Aeneas and the Latins? Who was Turnus’ ally? How did Turnus die?

Answer 15

Turnus started a war with Aeneas and the Latins because he was promised King Latinus’s daughter. Turnus’ ally was Mezentius, the Etruscan king. Turnus dies with a sword through his chest at the hands of Aeneas.

Question 16

How did ancient historians instruct their readers?

Answer 16

They glorified the Romans and embellished the truth a lot. Their “history” was not meant to be taken at its word.

Question 17

How did a Roman audience view the embellishment of historical events and actions?

Answer 17

The Roman audience viewed the embellishment as entertainment, because they didn’t expect the facts. Viewed it as literature instead of literal history.

Question 18

Who were the Silvan kings? From whom did they descend?

Answer 18

The Silvan kings were a line of kings who ruled in Alba Longa who passed their crown to their sons. They descended from the founder of Alba Longa, Ascanius, who was the son of Aeneas.

Question 19

Why did Amulius send his brother into exile? Why did he force Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin? Who (supposedly) impregnated Rhea Silvia?

Answer 19

Amulius sent his brother to exile because he was the younger brother and he wanted to be king. He forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin because any male children she had would have a better claim to the throne than Amulius. Supposedly, Mars impregnated Rhea Silvia.

Question 20

What happened to Romulus and Remus immediately after their birth? Why didn’t they die? Who eventually found and raised them?

Answer 20

Romulus and Remus were thrown into the Tiber River to drown at the orders of Amulius. A she-wolf supposedly saved them from the river and suckled them. A shepherd named Faustulus and his wife found and raised them.

Question 21

Explain how Romulus and Remus were descended from Aeneas.

Answer 21

Romulus and Remus’s mother was Rhea Silvia, who was the daughter of Numitor, who was a Silvan king descended from the founder of Alba Longa, Ascanius, son of Aeneas.

Question 22

How was Numitor eventually re-established as the King of Alba Longa?

Answer 22

Romulus and some other man broke into the palace and killed Amulius and rescued Remus, who had been arrested at the Lupercalia festival. Numitor then ascended the throne and became king of Alba Longa.

Question 23

How did Romulus and Remus decide who would be the king of their new city? What is this process called? What was the outcome? Why was it difficult to interpret?

Answer 23

Romulus and Remus took the auspices, in which they looked for divine signs that would confirm that they should be king. This is called augury. Remus saw six vultures first, but Romulus saw twelve vultures second. It settled nothing because they didn’t know whether order or amount took precedent.

Question 24

Why did Romulus murder Remus?

Answer 24

There are two versions of the story. Either Remus and Romulus’s followers attacked either other and Remus was killed in the battle, or Romulus was upset about Remus taunting him and killed him.

Question 25

When was Rome founded and who gives us this date?

Answer 25

Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC, and Marcus Terentius Varro gives us this date.

Question 26

What was the pomerium? What was its function?

Answer 26

The pomerium were the boundaries of the center of Rome. Its function was to serve as a sacred boundary of Rome.

Question 27

To what divinity did Romulus sacrifice oxen? Why?

Answer 27

Romulus sacrificed oxen to Hercules to consecrate the city of Rome.

Question 28

Name three features of early Rome that seem to be Etruscan in their origin.

Answer 28

The curule chair, the purple-bordered toga, and the use of 12 lictors as bodyguards were the three features of Rome that seem to be Etruscan in origin.

Question 29

Who created the first Roman senate? What were these senators called? What role did they have in Romulus’ reign?

Answer 29

Romulus created the Roman senate. They were called “fathers”. They acted as an advisory body during Romulus’s reign.

Question 30

Who lived in Romulus’ new city? Where did the people come from?

Answer 30

The people who lived in Romulus’s new city were largely men. They came from neighboring peoples. Some were slaves and some were free, and some just wanted a fresh start.

Question 31

Describe Romulus’ efforts to find wives for his male citizens. What did he eventually do? What was ethically questionable about this? List two moral laws he broke and describe one possible justification for his actions.

Answer 31

At first, Romulus tried to ask the neighboring towns for the right of intermarriage, but they said no. So the Romans stole women from one of the neighboring towns (Rape of Sabines). This was ethically questionable because the Romans had no right to the Sabine women, they just took them. Two moral laws that they broke were “don’t deprive of freedom” and “don’t deprive of pleasure”. One justification for Romulus’s actions is that Rome could not have survived without any women.

Question 32

What process was eventually adopted for choosing the next king? Was it truly democratic? Why or why not? How does the succession of kingship differ between Alba Longa and Rome?

Answer 32

The process was for the people to choose the king, but the Senate to ratify their choice, and auspices were taken.

Question 33

Where was Numa Pompilius from? Any other kings from outside of Rome?

Answer 33

Numa Pompilius was of Sabine origin. There were other kings of Sabine origin.

Question 34

What did Numa do to signify bringing peace to Rome?

Answer 34

Numa Pompilius built the Temple of Janus. When the doors were open, it meant that the city was in war. Closed doors meant the city was at peace.

Question 35

How does Tarquin the Proud become king? How was this different from the way previous men had become king of Rome?

Answer 35

He assassinated king Servius Tullius. It was usually decided by merit, instead of someone seizing power.

Question 36

Name three things Tarquin did to make him a tyrant. In what ways was Tarquin an effective ruler?

Answer 36

1) killed senators loyal to previous king 2) repealed laws good for the people 3) fights dirty; treats his enemies treacherously. Skilled military leader and brave soldier. Under his leadership, Rome became leader of the federation of Latin cities.

Question 37

Who was Sextus Tarquin? Describe his interactions with the Gabii. How did Sextus interpret his father’s gesture of knocking heads off of poppies?

Answer 37

Sextus Tarquin was the son of Tarquin the Proud. He went to the town of Gabii under false pretenses. Sextus interpreted Tarquin’s action as his telling him that he wanted to kill the leading citizens of Gabii.

Question 38

What was Brutus’s relationship to Tarquin the Proud? How did he behave around the Tarquins?

Answer 38

Brutus was his nephew, Brutus behaved stupid around the Tarquins.

Question 39

What prophecy did Brutus hear at Delphi? How did he respond? Describe how this prophecy was fulfilled. Why might Livy have included this story in his history (i.e. how does it legitimate Brutus?)

Answer 39

The oracle at Delphi told the Tarquins and Brutus that whoever kiss their mother first would be ruler of Rome. Brutus kissed the ground, because he interpreted the prophecy as meaning “Mother Earth”. Livy might have included it because it gives the impression that Brutus was pre-ordained to become the ruler of Rome.

Question 40

What motivated Sextus to return to Lucretia’s house alone? How did he get into Lucretia’s house? Why didn’t Lucretia let him kill her rather than rape her?

Answer 40

Sextus was motivated by lust and jealousy that Lucretia wasn’t his. Lucretia let him in because she thought that he was a guest. Lucretia wanted to die, but Sextus said he would make it look like she slept with a slave.

Question 41

What promise did Lucretia extract from her father and Brutus before she killed herself. According to Lucretia, why did she have to commit suicide? What oath does Brutus swear after Lucretia’s suicide?

Answer 41

Lucretia made them promise to avenge her against the man who raped her. She had to commit suicide to prevent her image from being tainted. She didn’t want to serve as an example for unfaithful women. Brutus swears that he will take down the monarchy after Lucretia’s suicide.

Question 42

Give two justifications for Brutus’ use of Lucretia’s suicide to overthrow the monarchy.

Answer 42

Brutus was justified in using Lucretia’s suicide to overthrow the monarchy because the Tarquins were tyrannical rulers, and because if the Tarquins were overthrown, Sextus wouldn’t be able to do what he did ever again in Rome.

Question 43

Describe why Brutus’ use of Lucretia’s suicide to overthrow the monarchy was NOT justified and offer at least one alternative course of action he might have taken.

Answer 43

Brutus’s use of Lucretia’s body was not justified because he did not overthrow the monarchy because of Lucretia’s rape, he overthrew it because he had his own agenda and disapproved of the power that the Tarquins had. He could have chosen to replace Tarquin the Proud with a better king.

Question 44

What was ethically questionable about Brutus’ behavior in exiling the Tarquins (in terms of Gert’s moral laws)? Was his behavior justified? Why?

Answer 44

Brutus’s behavior in exiling the Tarquins was ethically questionable because he caused pains to the Tarquins and he deprived them of their freedom to return to Rome. His behavior was justified because the Tarquins were abusing their power.

Question 45

What role did libertas play in the transition to a republic? What does libertas mean in Latin?

Answer 45

Libertas is the antidote to the tyranny of the monarchy. It means “freedom of speech without fear of repercussions”.

Question 46

How closely connected were the cities in Latium in the late 6th/early 5th century? What common features did they have? Under what circumstances did they come together?

Answer 46

They were all politically independent, but gave each other rights to own land, intermarry, citizenship, legal contracts, and came together for festivals. In addition to all of this, they formed a loose military alliance known as the “Latin League” in response to attacks by the Hill Tribes.

Question 47

Did Livy think a monarchy or a republic was preferable? Why? According to Livy, who thought law was good for the poor, but bad for great men who are beyond mediocrity?

Answer 47

Livy thought that the monarchy was preferable until Rome was politically mature, because he believed that the citizens of early Rome could not tolerate liberty. Young aristocrats believed that the law should not apply to them.

Question 48

Why did Brutus add additional senators? What were they called? What political benefit might this addition of new senators have brought to Brutus?

Answer 48

Brutus added additional senators because Tarquin had killed off a lot of the previous senators. They were called “conscripts”. The new senators probably added to Brutus’s political support and showed that he was not a tyrannical ruler.

Question 49

What happened to Tarquinius Collatinus? Why?

Answer 49

Tarquin Collatinus was asked to leave his consulship because his name reminded the Roman people of the tyrannical rule of the Tarquins.

Question 50

What role did Brutus’ son play in the conspiracy of the young nobles? How did Brutus respond?

Answer 50

Brutus’s son was a conspirator in the plan to bring the Tarquins back to power, but a servant overheard their plans and put a stop to it. Brutus decreed that the conspirators would be beaten, stripped, and beheaded.

Question 51

How did Tarquin respond to the failure of the conspiracy (Be specific!)! What did the Romans do with the Tarquins’ property??

Answer 51

He plotted open war with his allies: Veii and Tarquinii. The Romans threw the Tarquin’s wheat into the Tiber, where it hardened and formed Tiber island. The Tarquin’s material wealth was given to the people to do as they pleased with.

Question 52

How did Brutus himself die?

Answer 52

Brutus died in the battle against the Tarquins. Apparently they killed each other with their spears at the same time.

Question 53

Why were Romans suspicious that Valerius wanted to be king? How did he alleviate their suspicions? What punishment did Valerius create for those who conspired to restore monarchy? What nickname did Valerius earn for his efforts?

Answer 53

The Romans were suspicious because Valerius wanted to build his house on the top of a hill and he was taking too long to appoint a successor to Brutus. He alleviated the Romans’ suspicions by giving a speech saying that he didn’t want to be king, moving his house to the bottom of a hill, and making new laws. Those who tried to restore the monarchy would be put to death. Valerius earned the nickname “Publicola” or “People’s Friend”.