Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is the regal period?
753-509 BCE
When was Rome founded?
21 April 753 BCE
when was the stone wall built around the base of Palantine Hill?
750-725 BCE
What dates are encompassed in the Republic period?
509-31 BCE
Who is Paris?
Prince and shepherd, he decides who gets the golden apple
What is the setting of the wedding and golden apple?
Peleus and Thetis (Achilles parents) decide to have a wedding and invite the gods.
Discordia/Eris the goddess of strife is not invited and gets upset so she creates a golden apple inscribed with the fairest
Juno(hera), Minerva (athena) and Venus claim the apple each believing themselves the fairest
Paris a human prince is appointed to decide who deserves the apple. It is delivered to him on Mt. Ida by Hermes (Mercury)
How does Paris make his decision about the apple?
Each goddess offers him a bribe
- Juno power and domination
- Minerva unmatched wisdom and battle prowess
- Venus the love of Helen of sparta (most beautiful woman)
Paris Awards the apple to venus and Helen falls in love with Paris, however Helen is already married to the king of Sparta Menelaus
What happens between Helen and Paris?
Venus and Paris abduct Helen
This results in the trojan war
Who led the Greeks in the trojan war?
Menelaus (helens husband) gathers greek forces and Agamemnon leads them
Who led the Trojans?
Paris’s brother Hector lead the Trojans
What happened in the Trojan war?
The Greeks besieged Troy for 10 years and got nowhere
They pretended to retreat leaving the Trojan horse as a gift. The Trojans fall for the ploy and Troy is sacked by the Greeks hidden in the horse
What are the main differences between latin and english?
No capitals
No punctuation or spaces
Explain the three parts of a roman name
Praenomina (first names)
Nomin (family name)
Cognomen (denotes branch families or connections to significant events)
What is the fourth part of a name that was sometimes included?
Filius - denotes an individuals lineage or tribe
How did women naming differ from men?
Woman take the feminine form of their fathers nomin
e.g. cornelius -> cornelia
Explain how slave naming differed
Slaves had only one name and if they became free their praenomen and nomen became their masters and their cognomen was their og name
Who were Barbari (barbarians)?
People who are incapable of speaking Greek or Latin
What are the three types of citizens?
Servi (slaves)
Liberti (freedmen/freedwomen)
Ingenui (freeborn)
What are the two political classes?
Patricians (the elite) whose names could denote class
Plebians (the common people)
This system was abolished as time progressed due to economic mobility
Explain soldiers class?
Soldiers had a moderately prestigious role in roman society
Since they were responsible for purchasing and maintaining their own equipment the poor were less likely to be soldiers
Cavalry/Equestrian class?
Seen as an elite class within the military since they owned horses and could afford better equipment
Equities described the class originally but later became associated with a broader social class of wealthy
needed 400,000 sesterces minimum to be a eques
Equestrians were often involved in business trade or financial ventures which senators were prohibited from engaging in
What is Novus Homo?
one has to be a quaestor to be in the senatorial order
Novus homo -> new man which involves giving up business and investing in land to become involved in politics
What is the Patronage System?
Clients -> lower status people who had support from a patron
Patroni -> wealthy or influential figures who provided protection, financial support and career opportunities to their clients
Mid-level patroni for a low level client could be a client for a high-level patroni
Name the 4 people who escaped troy on ships
Aenas (father)
Ascanius (son)
Anchises Palladium (grandfather)
Creusa (wife)
What does Aenas do after he escapes?
Lands off the coast of Italy (Latium)
Aeneas meets Latinus the king and helps him conquer his opponents
Latinus offers his daughters hand to Aeneas in return
Aeneas builds a city for his new wife Lavinia called Lavinium
Who is Numitor?
The good king who is twins with the Evil Amulius
he is exiled by Amulius who becomes the 13 king
Numitor eventually returns and becomes the 14 king
What happens shortly after Romulus and Remus’s birth?
Amulius doesn’t want Numitor to have descendents, desires to drown the twins in the Tiber river
- his men can’t do it and leave the children beside the river
Romulus and Remus are nursed by a she-wolf and found by a shepherd who raises them (Faustulus)
Who is Rhea Silvia and what is her story?
Daughter of Numitor, she is coerced by Amulius to be a virgin so Numitor’s line cannot continue
Mars has sexual relations with her causing her to birth Romulus and Remus
What happens when Romulus and Remus grow up?
18 they realize they are better than everyone and are the lost twins
Twins march to Alba Longa along with Numitor and kill amulius
Numitor is restored as king
How is Rome founded by the twins
Romulus and Remus found twin cities on the river where they were left
- Palantine, Romulus
- Aventine, Remus
A sacred boundary called the Pomerium separates the two cities
Romulus has a bigger and better city and Remus is envious so he disturbs the sacred wall
him crossing the wall nulified its divine protection so Romulus kills remus to restore the protection and names the combined cities Rome
What river does rome reside beside
The southeastern side of Tiber river
What are the 7 major hilltops in Rome?
Palantine, Aventine, Capitoline, Quirnal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian
Geographical Advantages to Latium Rome location
- Defensible, flat area surrounded by mountainous and volcanic terrain
- Good water supply from Tiber
- Access to the sea and inland through terrain
- Lots of Timber, Stone and Metal
Explain all the ways one could become a roman slave
- prisoner of war (most common)
- slavery as a punishment
- sold as a child because ur family cannot support you
- child to a slave
What is Peculium?
The law dictating that each slave must be given an allowance and can buy themselves free
- only given to adult men
Why were greek slaves sought out?
because they were highly educated in comparison to other places
- slaves could be doctors, accountants…
What is a Paedagogi?
A slave that is a tutor and teacher
What is a Latifundia
An estate or land that has a high number of slaves (normally 10000+)
- if the latifundia had really poor conditions like siciliy for mining or agriculture a revolt could occur
Who was Spartacus?
A thracian gladiator who was sold into slavery and led a slave revolt. 70-123k slaves revolted
What is Manumissio?
Emancipation -> process of a slave becoming a citizen
ceremony was called the Manumit
What was the rape of the sabine women?
Rome was lacking women and as such the future was uncertain. To make up for this king propositioned the surrounding areas for their women to marry roman men. They were declined so they created a plan to fake a festival and got the Sabines to invite women and children. The roman’s kidnapped and assualted the women and forced them to become their wives. Obviously the sabines weren’t happy and marched to siege Roma but the women intervened and prevented the war. From then on most of the Sabine people were integrated into Rome
The structure of the Roman King
King ruled alongside 2 elected consuls but had veto power
When and Why did Rome topple the monarchy
The grandson of the prince rapes a girl named Lucretia. Her brother and his friend are furious as this is the straw the broke the camels back about the monarchy. He rallies a massive army and deposes the king creating a republic in 510 BC
What is the Captoline Temple?
Largest temple in the ancient world it was inaugurated on 13 september 507 BC
Who made up the Captoline Triad
Jupiter - Zeus
Juno - Hera
Minerva - Athena
Who Is Horatius Cocles?
A man who vowed to hold off the Etruscan army along with his 3 friends, they destroyed the romans only bridge over the tiber allowing the roman army to retreat into the city. He escapes by jumping in the river and surviving
