Final Exam

Question 1

Alexandria (def)

Answer 1

City in Egypt founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. It became a center of cultural, scientific, and literary influence for centuries.

Question 2

Romulus (def)

Answer 2

One of the legendary founders of Rome (753 B.C.). He killed Remus, his brother, and named Rome after himself.

Question 3

Plebeians (def)

Answer 3

One of the Roman classes who worked on the lands of the Patricians. The common body of the Roman people, these peasant farmers were excluded from holding power.

Question 4

The Tiber (def)

Answer 4

River that runs through Rome.

Question 5

Carthage (def)

Answer 5

City and eventual Empire founded by Phoenicians in modern-day Tunisia. Fought three wars again Rome (the Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.), being destroyed by Rome in 146 B.C.

Question 6

Hannibal (def)

Answer 6

Carthaginian emperor who launched an invasion of Italy in 218, starting the 2nd Punic War. Despite winning multiple crushing victories in the first few years of the war, he was defeated at the Battle of Zama in 202 near Carthage and went into exile, dying in the 180s B.C.

Question 7

Consul (def)

Answer 7

A consul, of which there were two, was the highest ranking position in the Roman government. Elected by the Senate, they served 1-year terms and held the power of imperium and auspicium (military and religious powers).

Question 8

Senate (def)

Answer 8

The Roman Senate was the governing body of Rome.

Question 9

Marc Antony (def)

Answer 9

Roman consul who became part of the second Triumvirate. He controlled the Eastern regions of the Roman Republic and was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., then committing suicide in 30 B.C.

Question 9

Cleopatra (def)

Answer 9

Ptolemaic Egyptian Pharaoh who was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., committing suicide in 30 B.C.

Question 10

Pax Romana (def)

Answer 10

Roughly 200-year period of relative Roman peace and prosperity, during which the Empire reached its greatest territorial extent. It began with the reign of Augustus after Marc Antony and his forces were defeated at Actium in 31 B.C.

Question 11

The Council of Nicaea (def)

Answer 11

Council convened by Constantine the Great in 325 in Anatolia to confront the nature of the Christian Trinity.

Question 12

Battle of Milvian Bridge (def)

Answer 12

Battle fought between emperors Constantine and Maxentius in 312. Maxentius was killed, giving Constantine control over the Western half of the Roman Empire.

Question 13

St. Augustine (def)

Answer 13

Important Christian thinker of the 4th and 5th centuries (354-430) who influenced medieval Christian church, Catholicism, and Protestantism. He wrote multiple important works such as Confessions and The City of God.

Question 14

The Franks (def)

Answer 14

Germanic people of Eastern France and Western Germany who formed one of the Germanic Kingdoms around the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

Question 15

Clovis (def)

Answer 15

Of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty, he became a Christian convert and allied with the Roman Catholic Church.

Question 16

Monk (def)

Answer 16

Meaning “one who lives alone,” they were religious people who took a vow to divorce themselves from the world, living and worshipping in a monastery. They were often scribes who copied many books, contributing to the distribution of knowledge throughout Europe.

Question 17

Abbess (def)

Answer 17

Female leader of monasteries.

Question 18

Saint Benedict (def)

Answer 18

Italian Christian monk of the 5th and 6th centuries.

Question 19

Charlemagne (def)

Answer 19

Emperor of Carolingian Empire, which declined after his death in 814, who claimed the title of “Emperor of the Romans.”

Question 20

Alexander the Great (short answer)

Answer 20

Macedonian king who conquered Persia after invading in 334 B.C. and established 70 cities named after himself (namely Alexandria in Northern Egypt), before extending further East towards India and dying in 323 B.C. in Babylon. Alexander the Great brought Eastern culture into Greece, preserved Persian satrapies, and incorporated Persians into governmental life. He wanted to conquer land until he reached the mysterious Eastern Ocean, but his army got tired, so he turned back. He possibly died from tropical diseases such as malaria or typhoid fever, but other suggestions include poisoning.

Question 21

Res Publica (short answer)

Answer 21

Res Publica (“public thing”), or the Republic, began in 509 B.C. with the ousting of the last Etruscan King. It was made up of the Senate and the citizens (Senatus et Populus). Important governmental entities included two consuls, who were the highest position in the Republic and elected by the Senate, censors, who were tax assessors (taxes collected by publicani) and oversaw public conduct and morality, and the curiate assembly, who were based on 30 ancient tribes and could only rule on motions approved by the Senate. The two main classes of the Roman Republic were the patricians, who were wealthy, land-owning aristocrats who could be senators and made up about 5-10% of the population, and the plebeians, who were common, peasant farmers and typically worked on the land that the patricians owned.

Question 22

Patron/Client (short answer)

Answer 22

The patron/client relationship, or clientela, was a relationship between a patron (patronus) and client (cliens), where the patron would offer services to the client such as legal protection and the client would work for the patron. Often, the client would be of a lower social standing than the patron.

Question 23

Julius Caesar (short answer)

Answer 23

Roman consul, general, and dictator. He defeated the Gauls in 50s B.C., returning to Rome in 49 B.C. and crossing the Rubicon River, marching on Rome against Pompey. He won the Civil War, declaring himself dictator for life, but was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15th), 44 B.C. by a group of disgruntled senators.

Question 24

First Triumvirate (short answer)

Answer 24

Informal political alliance in the Roman Republic between Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Each was a general, being a part of the Age of Generals in the 1st century B.C., in which generals gained considerable power over Roman politics and leadership. Caesar’s, Pompey’s, and Crassus’ claims to fame, respectively, are: defeating the Gauls, defeating pirates, and defeating a large slave revolt.

Question 25

Second Triumvirate (short answer)

Answer 25

Formal political alliance of the Roman Republic between Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus. Lepidus resigned, and, vying for power, a civil war between Octavian and Marc Antony took place, with Octavian emerging victorious after the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., and Antony committing suicide the next year.

Question 26

Principate (short answer)

Answer 26

The Principate was the Roman Empire as it was established by Augustus. The form of government included primarily the emperor and the Senate, though the Senate’s power was greatly reduced during the Principate, with most power lying with the emperor. The impression of a republic was upheld despite this.

Question 27

Jesus of Nazareth (short answer)

Answer 27

Religious leader whose followers became known as Christians. He challenged traditional authority, and the appeal to his teachings were: universality (all could obtain salvation), hope and optimism (better life now and in the next), spirit of mutuality (obligation to aid fellow Christians), and idealism (charity and unselfish devotion).

Question 28

Paul of Tarsus (short answer)

Answer 28

A Christian apostle, born as Saul as a Pharisee, who spread the word of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire. He converted to Christianity in his mid-twenties and took four missionary journeys throughout the Empire, utilizing the vast network of roads and the Mediterranean (under complete and relatively stable Roman control).

Question 29

Paul’s Epistles (short answer)

Answer 29

A series of letters written by Paul that detail the life and crucifixion of Christ. He writes to others in the Empire, spreading the word and teachings of Jesus and how they should follow the ways of Jesus.

Question 30

Goths (short answer)

Answer 30

Germanic people of Western Europe who migrated further West after the invasion of the Huns. They would eventually split into the Ostrogoths, who would eventually rule Italy, and the Visigoths, who ruled Spain.

Question 31

Diocletian (short answer)

Answer 31

Roman Emperor who ended the Crisis of the Third Century by splitting the Empire into East and West, with half of each being ruled by an Augustus (primary emperor) and Caesar (secondary leader), creating the Tetrarchy and transforming the Principate to the Dominate. Diocletian ruled in the Eastern portion of the Empire, stepping down in 305.

Question 32

Tetrarchy (short answer)

Answer 32

The Roman system of government meaning “rule of four.” The four leaders were: two augusti and two caesares, where the augusti are the primary leaders (emperor). Each administrated roughly a fourth of the Empire’s territory. The system was put into place by Diocletian in 285 and dissolved under the second Tetrarchy in 306.

Question 33

Constantine (short answer)

Answer 33

Roman emperor who converted to Christianity in 312 and vied for power in another series of civil wars, defeating Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312, taking the Western Empire, and Licinius at the Battle of Hellespont in 324, becoming sole ruler of the Roman Empire.

Question 34

Constantinople (short answer)

Answer 34

Formerly Byzantium, this city was renamed by Constantine the Great and became the capital of the Roman Empire. The moving of the capital was in response to the growing importance of the East, and it was closer to trade routes in the East. The city was built in the style of Rome and Constantine built churches there.

Question 35

Family in the Germanic Middle Ages (short answer)

Answer 35

Family life in the Middle Ages was based on a system of feudalism. Local lords would become authorities over their subjects and would own land. Vassals were granted fief and would fight for their lords in return. A knight class emerged, who would defend the church and the defenseless, out of which chivalry and horse culture also emerged.

Question 36

Trial by Ordeal (short answer)

Answer 36

System of justice where the accused would be put through dangerous or painful tests to determine their innocence. Trial by combat was a popular method, and witch hunts often included trials by ordeal.

Question 37

Structure of the Christian Church (short answer)

Answer 37

The diocese was a district of churches made up of bishops, overseen by an archbishop. The archbishop of Rome became the pope, and other districts included: Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch.

Question 38

Monasticism (short answer)

Answer 38

Religious way of life centered around isolation from the world and ideas such as “idleness is the enemy of the soul” (St. Benedict). It was practiced in a monastery that was led by an abbot and was a place of player and worship.

Question 39

Role of Monk in Medieval Society (short answer)

Answer 39

Since idleness was looked down upon in monasticism, monks would constantly find work to do. One of the positions they often filled was that of a scribe, and they would copy books, contributing to the distribution of knowledge all over Europe.

Question 40

From the Roman Republic to the Pax Romana (essay)

Answer 40

-Rome becomes most powerful in Mediterranean, vast wealth:
-creates need for professional armies
-competition, corruption: senators buying up soldiers land (often required to own) while away
-generals lured men into service, creating loyalty to generals, not senate/state
-Age of Generals:
-Sulla marches on Rome in a dispute w/ Senate awarding Gaius Marius political power instead of him in 88
-Sulla sets precedent
-1st Triumvirate: informal political alliance between generals Crassus (slave revolt), Pompey (pirates), Caesar (Gaul)
-Civil war ensues, Caesar victorious (dictator for life), assassinated
-2nd Triumvirate: Lepidus (retired), Marc Antony, Octavian
-Octavian first defeats Cassius and Brutus (both suicide) for killing Caesar at Philippi in 42
-Then he defeats Marc Antony, vying for power, at Actium in 31, ending the Roman civil wars, keeping impression of Republic, and beginning an age of relative peace and prosperity that would last for ~200 years.

Question 41

Early Christianity (essay)

Answer 41

-Christians often persecuted by Rome, which practiced polytheistic paganism
-Spread slowly through Judea, first isolated in Levant, spread through Paul
-Paul of Tarsus spread word utilizing Roman infrastructure
-Persecution slowed/deterred spread
-Constantine first Christian emperor (converts 312), decrees in Edict of Milan to treat Christians equally, ending the persecution
-Developed during the decline of Rome and along decline of Roman polytheism
-Fit needs of time better, standardized doctrine
-Constantine made Sunday official market day, built churches, first time Christian churches recognized
-Council of Nicaea held to confront nature of Christian trinity

Question 42

From the Late Roman Empire to the Early European Middle Ages. (essay)

Answer 42

-The Crisis of the Third Century:
-Two breakaway states, defeated by Aurelian
-Diocletian ends civil wars, installs Tetrarchy
-Constantine, in new round of civil wars, becomes sole emperor
-General decline of especially the Western part of Roman Empire
-Empire split in 395 into Western and Eastern Roman Empire
-Barbarian invasions, pressure at borders/frontiers
-Collapse of Western Roman Empire, East survives

-Rise of Germanic Kingdoms (Ostrogothic (Gaul, Italy), Visigothic (Spain, Gaul), and Frankish (Gaul, Italy) Kingdoms)
-Frankish Kingdom
-Merovingian Dynasty:
-Clovis: converts to Christianity, allies with Rome, Catholic Church
-Carolingian Dynasty:
-Charlemagne: Largest barbarian kingdom after fall of Rome
-Decline after death of Charlemagne
-Franks cede parts of Northern France (Normandy) to Vikings
-Rise of feudalism, knight and horse culture, chivalry, population growth until plague
-Rise of threats: Vikings (pillaging, trade, advanced ships, naval strength) in Northern Europe and Muslims in Eastern Mediterranean
-Little Ice Age ends
-More arable land, better nutrition (bread, grain), less crop exhaustion
-improvement in iron tools
-More technology in controlling water and wind (windmills)