Key terms Flashcards
Republic
a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders
Patrician
the wealthy landowners, held most of the power, inherited their power and social status & claimed that their ancestry gave them the authority to make laws
Plebeian
the common farmers, artisans, and merchants - the majority of the population were citizens of Rome with the right to vote but barred by law from holding most important government positions
Tribune
protects the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials
Consul
elected by the assembly for one year, chief executive of the government and commanders
Senate
chosen from aristocracy for life – controls foreign and financial policies, advises consuls
Dictator
a ruler with total power over a country, absolute ruler
Legion
made up of 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers, supported by cavalry, further divided into smaller groups of 80 men - a century.
Punic Wars
wars fought between Rome and Carthage, Between 264 and 146 B.C.
Hannibal
Carthaginian general, won his greatest victory at Cannae
civil war
a war between citizens of the same country
Julius Caesar
military leader, one of the three rules in the triumvirate, later a governor of Gaul, later appointed a dictator for life, made a number of reforms: granted citizenship to many people, expanded the senate, helped the poor by creating jobs
Triumvirate
a group of three rulers
Augustus
Rome’s ablest emperor. He stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome with splendid public buildings, and created a system of government that survived for centuries.
Pax Romana
Roman peace, period of peace and prosperity
Jesus
baptized by a prophet, he preached, taught, did good works, and performed miracles, emphasized God’s personal relationship to each human being, crowds greeted him as the Messiah, who came to rescue the Jews
Apostle
disciples of Jesus Christ, they wrote the gospels, the first four books of the New
Paul
apostle, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development
never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity, he reportedly had a vision of Christ.
He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting Christ’s teachings.
Diaspora
the dispersal of the Jews
Constantine
Roman emperor, announced an end to the persecution of Christians. In the Edict of Milan, declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor.
Bishop
supervised several local churches
Peter
apostle, traveled to Rome from Jerusalem and became the first bishop there. Eventually became the first pope
Pope
the father or head of the Christian Church
Inflation
a drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a rise in prices
Mercenary
foreign soldier who fought for money
Diocletian
Roman emperor, ruled with an iron fist, divided the empire into the Greek speaking East and the Latin-speaking west
Attila
chieftain of the Hun, terrorized both halves of the empire. In the East, his armies attacked and plundered 70 cities. (They failed to beat the walls of Constantinople.) The Huns then swept into the West
Greco-Roman culture
The mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture, classical civilization
Pompeii
Roman town that got covered with ash - preserved many buildings and works of art
Testament of the bible
-Written by some of the 12 apostles
-records about Jesus and his life
