Final Exam Flashcards
Domus
house, family, household: includes Pater Familias, mother, children, enslaved individuals, livestock, extended family
Conception and Cotraception
herbal contraception widely practiced: silphium was cash crop of Cyrene
Adolescence (Women and children)
children had nurses and teachers (pedagogus) for early life
Adolescence (Girls)
married soon after puberty
family provided dowry
Boys
Apprenticeship or formal education of some kind
often would enter military service or cursus honorum
Bulla (ae)
Suspended amulet that upper class boys wore to protect them from evil spirits and/or evil eye
Roman Women
took on nomen of father
educated similar to boys but no rhetoric or philosophy
Marriage
-often for political purposes
-ritual included clasping of hands
-divorce and remarriage were easy and common
Ideal Roman wife characteristics
-virtuous
-chaste
-faithful
-hard worker
-loving
Praetorian Guard
-Elite force of soldiers that was supposed to protect emperor
-sometimes assisted in assassination of emperor if necessary
-had a lot of sway in picking the next emperor if one died
Maiestas
“Treason” trials enacted by some of the earlier emperors along with use of informants to solidify emperor’s hold on control
Caligula (37-41)
-megalomaniac
- was in fact assassinated by Praefect of Praetorian Guard
- Reign of terror in Judaea
-made horse a senator (Incitatus)
- deified sister Drusilla after incestual relationship
Claudius
-acclaimed by Praetorians
- adds new provinces
-conspiracies and secret trials/exceutions
*-Freedmen played a large role in the administration of his empire
-dominated by Messalina and then Agrippina (niece)
Nero
-son of Agrippina
-initial reign marked by leadership of Burrus and Seneca
-has mother killed in 59 after multiple attempts
- Great Fire of Rome (64)
-Christians blamed for the fire
-intended to build “Neropolis”and “Golden house”
- Revolt starts with Vindex; gets suppressed but spreads to Praetorians
-Senate declares Nero and enemy of state
-he commits suicide
Chaos after Nero
-false Neros after his suicide
-Year of Four Emperors : Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian
-Galba=cheap; reputation for harshness among troops
-Otho=lacked support of Rhine troops; called Nero by lower classes; defeated by Vitellius
-Vitellius= troops of Lower Germany declare for him; defeats Otho at Bedriacum
-Vespasian= put down rebellion of Jews in 66; legions of Egypt and Judaea declare for him in 69; blocks grain transport to Rome
Lex de Imperio Vespasiani
Senate decree: formalizes power of emperor with reference to deified J-C’s; codifies emperor’s powers and declares that it’s going to Vespasian
Vespasian
-First Jewish War (66-73)
-Flavian dynasty connects itself with Augustus; rejects Nero
- Builds Colosseum
-Meta Sudans (fountain at juncture of Augustan regions of city
- buried in mausoleum of Augustus
Titus (79-81)
- punished/banished informer
-affable, generous
-relief work post-Vesuvius (79)
-dedicated Colosseum
-Arch of Titus
Domitian
-alienated Senate through the maiestas trials
- 93: call me “lord and god” = no more first among equals; didn’t go over well
- Titus’s brother; known as evil/bad: would stab caught flies with a pen
-killed by plot of wife, Domitia
-Senate erased all good records of Domitian (Damnatio Memoriae)
Eruption of Vesuvius
(79) During reign of Titus
Rediscovery of Pompeii
1594-1600: Domenico Fontana builds canal
1710-1716: Duc D’Elbeuf digs in well shaft to reach theater of Herculaneum
1748: excavations began in earnest; tourism increases
Stages of Vesuvius Eruption
Aug. 20, 79: small earthquakes
Aug. 24-45 (or later in September), 79: full scale eruption
Pompeii death phases
- Single Deaths by falling buildings and pumice stone
- Large scale deaths by pyroclastic flow (poisonous gas/ash) killed everyone else in 15 minutes
House style: Atrium house
house built around atrium/courtyard; rear of house has peristyle for separation of public and private life
Roman Housing Functions: Public Areas in front of house
-house front could be rented out
-salutation: formal morning greeting between patron and client
-triclinium: dining and entertainment
-received decorations; were for show
Roman Housing Function: Private Areas in rear of house
-small chambers could be used for sleeping
-kitchen/domestic and/or slave areas
-house’s use varied according to time of day; women could weave in courtyard; furniture was movable
City stuff for Pompeii specifically
-sidewalks were raised; roads paved with stones
-street signs; graffiti
-lots of taverns/bars (located in house fronts) and other things like bakeries
-street fountains: fed by aqueducts; water pressurized at certain points
-public baths
Roman Ludi
-festivals that included formal competitions such as circuses, beast hunts, chariot races, gladiatorial combat, etc.
-funded by elite individuals; Emperor funded them during Imperial period
Circus Maximus
-roman arena for chariot racing
-constructed in Regal period
Horse and Chariot Races
-begins with parade
-12 races in a day; later expanded
-7 laps around
-winner presented with palm branch
-Four teams (Reds, Whites, Greens, Blues)
-factions associated with each stable (like modern football)
(curse tablets found along Via Appia associated with these
Amphitheaters
-Colosseum
-gladiatorial games
-venationes
-beast hunts
-public executions (sometimes tableaux style)
Gladiatorial Games
-originally associated with funerary rites
-gladiators: prisoners of war, criminals, slaves
-Types: Thracian (wide-brimmed hat, curved sword), Samnite (visored helmet, oblong shield), Retarius (net and trident)
Venationes
animal hunts; often exotic animals from far off provinces
Waterworks/Aqueducts
-aqueducts: water channels
-first constructed (Aqua Appia) in 312 BCE
-most are traveling underground
-arches allow water to bridge valleys; all channels have slight incline
-once aqueducts enter city, water goes through settling basins, then is rerouted through various distribution points
Public baths
-major focus of city life and inexpensive for visitors
-served a similar function to gymnasia in Athens and Greece; had libraries, meeting rooms, gardens
Latrines
-Essentially public restrooms
-always communal
-used a sponge to wipe that was shared around
Nerva (96-98)
-selected by Senate
-adopted Traianus in 97
-maintained good relations with Senate
Changes in Principate (overall)
-37: Gaius is given imperial powers en bloc
-Dec. 69: Lex de Imperio Vespasiani: 73/74, Vespasian and Titus are Censors
-Titus uses title “Imperator”
-Nerva adopts Spaniard general Trajan
Trajan’s changes to Principate
-“Curatores” special administrators posted to imperial cities
Hadrian’s changes to Principate
-consilium principis: private advisors to princeps
-Quattuorviri consulares: adjudicated cases in Italy
- Slavius Iulianus organized edicts of praetors into body of law
Trajan (98-117)
- from Italica in Spain
- After accession, Trajan remains in Germany to settle things before returning to Rome
- Dacian Wars (101-102)(105-106)
-brought lots of wealth back to Rome
-Built monuments (aka Forum, libraries of Greek and Latin, and Markets of Trajan) with booty
-annexed Nabataean as Arabia and Petraea
-introduced Alimenta Scheme: funds for poor and orphans in Italy)
Methods of imperial imagery in Rome and provinces
-monuments
-style relating back to Augustus
-connecting forums etc. to past emperor’s monuments
-Column of Trajan: warfare, grandeur from military prowess, etc.
-Arch @ Beneventum: defining moments of Trajan reign and victories
- emperor is always in center and everyone looking at him
-Tropaeum Triani: in Dacia; celebrates victory; Roman power/prestige
Roman Economy
-built on agriculture; wealth was measured in land
-senators not in trade; equites are in trade
Romans and Trade
-important players in Mediterranean trade since Republic times
-extensive trade in border areas and beyond
Grain Trade in Rome
-imported at Ostia Antica (port)
-Gaius Gracchus instituted first sale of grain at fixed price
-Clodius gave away grain as dole to citizens
-many Egypt taxes were paid in grain
Antonnine Plague (165-180)
-probably something like smallpox that swept the roman world
-2000 deaths/day in Rome
-10% of Empire died
Edict of Caracalla (212)
decree that every person in Roman Empire is now a citizen
Hadrian (117-138)
consolidated Roman Empire, solidified administration
-tour of empire
-Hadrian’s wall in Brittania
Threats to Roman World in 2nd century
-Military: external pressure, revolts
-natural: diaster and disease
-economic
-political
Commodus (180-192)
-resolves conflict in 180
-goes crazy, devotes himself to gladiatorial combat
-strangled in palace
Reorganization of army under Severus
-increased size of army; personal troops
-military pay increased, life improved
-frontiers secured: troops stationed along front to deal w/threats
Imperial Family (Domus Divina) under Severus
-Severus retroactively adopted by Antonines
-Julia Domna, Caracalla and Geta very visible
-imperial cult is strengthened
-monarchy is anti-senatorial, absolutist
Caracalla (211-217) +Geta (211-212)
Co-Augusti completed campaign and returned father’s ashes to Rome; Geta is killed in mother’s arms in 212
- soldiers benefited from Caracalla’s reign
-currency devalued: new taxes, economic strain on empire
-212: edict of Caracalla: everyone is now a citizen
Sources for the army
-documents preserved on papyrus, wood
-military diplomas list service
-inscriptions concerning individual soldiers, military units, and veterans
-Trajan’s column, Trophaeum Traiani
-ruins of forts
Impact of army
-brought imperial rule to the provinces in a tangible way
-built roads, aqueducts, public works
-provided access to citizenship for non-citizens
-granted a means of financial gain for citizens
-acted as an economic stimulus to some areas
Romanization
-adopting Roman lifestyle, thought, ideals (being “Roman largely legal distinction); indicators of Roman-ness spread throughout empire
-romanization mostly occurred among elite
Markers of Romanization
-Roman colonial foundations
-Roman goods, etc.
Local Admin in Provinces
-“Foreign” (Peregrine) cities kept own laws and structures
-Municipia were modeled on Roman administration
-magistracies required cash
-many local communities run by town councils: administered taxation
-service became onerous in Later Empire
Roman State Religion
-membership in polis (ancient city) defined connection to religious life
-religion tied city to gods, provided for maintenance of right relations with gods
-sacrifice was a central rite of Roman religion
Imperial Cult
-instituted after death of Julius Caesar
-“Numen” of living emperor was honored along with Roma
-Augustus, at death, entered pantheon
-Trajan is first associated with Jupiter
Mystery cults
-Mithras
-mystery cults were secret organizations; one was not supposed to reveal secrets to others; typically involved stuff about afterlife
Dura Europos
-stunning mix of religious structures found at site
-Jewish Synagogue: Late 2nd century: Torah Shrine
-Christian meeting place
Mithras
-Eastern god, important in 2nd century
-worship closely associated with soldiers
-main image is Tauroctony
-cult only for men
-initiation preceded along grades or levels associated w/planets
-usually meeting places underground in vaulted spaces
-
Chaos of 3rd century
-external threats (aka Sassanians) + Germans and Persians
-mutiny of Rhine army
-political instability and civil war
-economic crisis: invasions and debased currency
Political/Military Reforms of 3rd century
-emperor served as officiator of law
-emperor was supreme commander, bore title Invictus
- emperor was instrumental in maintaining peace of gods
-Diocletian increased number of soldiers on frontiers
-number of provinces increased
-chain of command
Imperial Bureaucracy
-bureaucracy associated with court and imperial household
-increase in network of spies
-police responsible for imperial guard
-administration divided into various offices
