Review Sheet - Rome Flashcards
According to Roman legends, who founded the city of Rome?
- Aneas Legend
Trojan carries his dad on his back from Troy to the Italian Peninsula and found Rome. - Romulus/Remus Legend
Legend of two twins left in the woods then raised by a “she wolf” and states that Romulus kills Remus, founds Rome and rules later as king.
Which civilizations were prominent in Italy prior to the rise of Rome?
The Villanovan civilization and the Etruscan civilization.
The Etruscans dominated Italy from 8 to 5th century BCE built cities and political and economic alliances btwn settlements. Etruscans influenced early development of Rome bc many Roman kings were Etruscans.
What river is Rome located in close proximity to? How did Rome’s geographic location help make it such a destination for trade and commerce?
East of the River Tiber. Trade was easier to occur because of the available routes because it goes to many other civilizations.
Rome is on seven hills so it is better for military purposes because of ariel advantage.
Describe the type of government Rome had in it the early stages of the empire (6th century B.C.E to the 1st century B.C.E.)
Early Roman government had no consul, and all large decisions were made by the kings.
509 and onwards the consul and republic was formed.
Identify some of the major conquests of the Roman Empire
Control of
Northern Africa (including Egypt - the powerhouse for grain)
The islands in and on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Some parts of the middle east, west of the Mediterranean
****Some of Germanic tribe land but CAUTION do not use this as the main answer
How was an individual’s political power and foreign conquest linked during the time of the Roman Empire?
High positions of political power in the military, for example, allowed generals to run the army in which the soldier is dependent on the general and not the state, however, this was unintentional.
Everyone wanted to be consul because of the prestige and power. This problem only intensified as Rome conquered more and became wealthier, thus being ruler was more and more appealing.
How did the Roman’s policy of incorporating new people’s into its state and army often lead to a need to further expand?
Conquering places opened up the threat of neighbors and other revolts making it necessary to conquer more to secure of the state = repeating cycle
Why did the marginalization of the small Roman farmer who made up the backbone of the Roman state help lead to Rome’s transformation into a dictatorship?
As the Roman Empire expanded the upper class gained more wealth and held political positions. The Patrician class created "Latifundias" (large plantations) that small farmers (plebians) could not compete with thus became dependent on Patricians. Becuase of the power the Patricians had, they were able to (fight and) make sure that the power stays with them.
Why was it necessary for the Romans to give out citizenship on a limited basis to the people they conquered?
Citizenship granted privileges that subjects did not have. Often it was given to the upper class because they were a threat and it was a way to keep them from rebelling. Being Roman was prestigious and not everyone could have that title. Also, it was much cheaper to have slaves because they got no financial help from the government.
How did the Roman’s “Pax Romana” help create a successful trading environment?
Pax = peace
“Pax Romana” was the name for the peace that existed between the people in the empire. They were united under the Roman Empire because Rome conquered them.
Since they were peaceful with each other, trade occurred easily.
Why were cities like London, Bonn, Bruges, Paris, Lyon, Cologne and Budapest created by the Romans?
They were created by the Romans as military colonies under the rule of Augustus.
How do historians know about trade between Rome, India and China?
Some artifacts in Rome, India, and China are not native to that area and must be a result of trade between the groups.
Ex. Buddha wearing a toga = must have had outside influence
Describe some of the general problems of social stratification during the Roman Empire? How did the upper class of the Romans deal with this problem?
Problems of social stratification in Rome resulted in large gaps of power (and wealth) between the Plebeians (commoners) and Patricians (elite) that made them unified and created tension.
To solve this problem, the Patricians granted Plebians the right to elect tribunes (veto + intervene matters) to represent them in Roman government. By 4th century BCE plebians could hold many state offices and elect a consul member. By 3rd century BCE stable government has been created because of plebian dominated assemblies.
How was Roman architecture both a symbol of power and a symbol of the problems in their empire?
Roman architecture was a symbol of power because it showed their wealth and sophisticated logistics to build those structures.
However, it also was a symbol of the problems in the same way. Most buildings glorify the employer showing how expensive resources were not going towards benefiting the public. This mirrors a lack of social input that the plebians were granted in public and how the government was full of only upper class.
(excluding; e.g. Aquaducts)
How was the murder of the Gracchi brothers symbolic of the conservative nature of the Roman patrician class?
The Gracchi brothers were advocates of social reform in the Roman republic. They wanted to limit the amount of conquered land a person could hold and attain more rights for the lower classes. Property distribution would benefit farmers if the owner had too much.
Because the brothers represented radical ideas of the time, their assassination represents how fearful of change (+ equality of the classes) the patrician class was. This fear demonstrates the conservative, non-progressive beliefs of the Roman patrician class.
