Key Terms Flashcards
When was the Orientalizing Period?
720 - 580 BCE
When was the Iron Age?
1200 BCE - 400 CE
When was the Archaic Period?
580-480 BCE
What forms the Northern boarder of Italy?
The Alps.
What is the name of the valley to the south of the Alps?
The Po Valley.
Where are the Apennine Mountians?
They begin to the South of the Po Valley and extend down the spine of Italy to the toe of the boot.
What three cultures arise in Italy?
Etruscan, Latin and Campianian
What two things are needed needed for a city-state?
Agricultural growth and an aristocracy.
How did city states arise in Southern Italy?
Greek colonies
What are the six hills that surround the Palentine?
Capitoline, Avenine, Caelian, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline
What cultures surround Rome?
Etruscans to the North, Sabines to the East, Latins to the South
What geographic feature lies to the West of Rome?
The Tiber River.
How was ancient Roman Society organized?
Familia, gens, tribe
What was the census?
Instituted in the 6th century by Servius, this counted the number of armed men based on wealth and land ownership.
What was the Assembly of the Centuries?
Instituted in the 6th century by Servius, this body of wealthy men represented the military century of their region and voted on matters of war.
What were the Consuls?
The two top positions in Rome circa 509. Held by elected patrons, each with veto power over the other.
What was Nexum?
A legal agreement in which a man’s freedom was the collateral of a loan.
What is the Palintine?
The hill upon which Rome was founded.
What was the pomerium?
The sacred division between Rome and everything else. Romulus legendarily plowed the first pomerium.
Who is Livy?
A Roman historian from whom we get most of our data about early Rome.
When was the Archaic Period?
580-480 BCE
What does Rex/Regis mean?
King/Kings
What were the gens?
Extended family.
What were the Curia?
Clans. Originally 30, 10 in each tribe.
Comita Curia
Assembly composed of clan members.
Imperium
The power to rule and divine augurs.
Who were the last three kings of Rome?
Tarquin the Elder, Servius Tillus and Tarquin the Younger.
What were Servius’s three main accomplishments?
- Instituted census based on a Timocratic (wealth based) system.
- Built Rome’s first wall (probably legend)
- Instituted new tribes based on geography
What were hoplites?
6th century infantry soldiers. They were cheaper to maintain than patrician army.
Lucretia
Wife of aristocrat who killed herself after being raped by Tarquin the Younger’s son, causing the populist to rebel against kingship and institute the Republic.
In what year is the Republic said to have begun?
505BCE
What were the consuls?
Two aristocratic men elected to govern Rome for one year.
What was the fasces?
The symbol of the power of the consul. An ax protruding from a bundle of sticks.
Dictator
Appointed position of 6 months (or until the end of crisis)
Senate
Advisory council to the Consuls.
Struggle of the Orders
A long internal dispute between the patricians and the plebeians regarding what members of society could hold office.
What three factors instigate the Struggle of the Orders?
- Arbitrary power of the consuls
- Economic hard times
- Push for democracy from wealthy plebs
- Pressure from tribal raids from the Apennines
Tribunes
Instituted in 494 during the Struggle of the Orders to protect Plebs from the Consuls. The two men had the power of veto and could not leave the city during their year term.
Decemuri
A council of 10 men who were appointed to codify the law in 451
12 Tables
The written law the Decemuri produced, ending the first episode of the Struggle of the Orders.
Hill Tribes
Raiders from the Apennines, first enemies of Rome. Wars with them ended in 405.
Latin League
Military force of Rome and other Latin towns combined against the Hill Tribes
Veii
A competitive Etruscan city that the Romans laid siege on. Had to level taxes to pay a professional army.
Furius Camillus
Dictator of the Seige of Veii, won by tunneling under the city.
Who were the Celts?
Also known as Gauls, they were immigrants from the North of Italy who inhabited the Po Valley in the 8th century. They raided Latin towns as part of subsistence. The first tribe to invade was the Insuber.
Describe the Sack of Rome
In 390 the Gaulic tribe of Sunones attack Rome from the north and successfully raided the city. Camillus returned as dictator and a wall was built around Rome.
Latin Wars
Seeing Rome fall to the Gauls, the Volscians and Latin tribes revolt against Rme for the next 40 years.
When was the law against intermarriage between patricians and plebs revoked?
440’s as part of the Struggle of the Orders.
Military tribunes with consular power
As part of the struggle of the orders consuls stop being elected and these guys are created. Plebs can hold this office.
Lucian Rogations
467:
- Lead by C. Licinius and L Sextus during Struggle of the Orders
- Canceled much Roman debt
- Limited private ownership of auger publicus
- Reinstated consuls with plebs
Preators
Judicial public figures
Samnites
People from Southern Apennines.
First Samnites War
343-341
Rome comes to Capua’s aid
Latin break from Rome
Cities of Campania back Rome
P. Decimus Mur
Defeats Latins in 341 and wins peace for Romans.
What three factors lead to the Roman Confederation?
- Winning war against Latins
- Winning the Samnite Wars
- Conquest of Italian South
