Roman Empires Part II Flashcards
Bread & Circuses and Glaitorial Contests
Bloody entertainment used to keep the veteran poor occupied and happy. based on the idea that if you keep people fed and entertained, they wont rebel
Tiberius Gracci
Elder gracci bro was a tribune (plebeian official) wanted to give land to poor was lilled along w/300 followers by senate was passed after his death
Gaius Gracci
Pushed for reform after his bro’s death wanted to send poor to roman colonies to find their wealth there extend citizenship to all of italy was killed along with 3,000 followers by the senate
Celts, Goths, and Huns
Considered barbarians by romans
Unorganized groups of nomads living in europe at the time
Their nomadic lifestyle + tendency for attacking roman cities made rome >:(
Pharisees
Group of people around when jesus lived. Liberal approach to jewish law
Resented roman occupation
Believed in resurrection of the dead
Identified with the masses
Not with jesus
Sadducees
Group of people around when jesus lived.
Elites member of priesthood
Letter of the law
Favored cooperation w/romans
:( jesus
Zealots
Militant extremist passionate uncompromising
Wanted: kick romans out
Believed jesus/messiah was there to save em from rome
Essenes
Group of people around when Jesus lived. Very religious, practeced asceticism (punishing the body in order to connect with the spiritual)
Jesus of Nazareth
Believed to be son of god/messiah
Known for messages and miracles
Preached:
- equality in the kingdom of heaven- made rome >:(
- Love god and neighbor
- Resurrection from dead after being killed by romans
Peter
One of the 12 apostles. Spread christianity among Jewish people after the death of Jesus.
Paul
Spread christianity to gentiles (non jews) in greek speaking world
Used to persecute christians before he converted and changed his name (used to be known as Saul).
Wrote many epistiles (letters written in greek)
Nero
Roman Emporor, Famous for really hating christians and persecuting the heck out of them
Diocletian
Roman Emporor, Divided Rome in two because it was getting too big
Constantine
Roman Emporor
Converts to christianity on his deathbead.
Known for butting in on the church matters and making them hash it everything out in Nicea (resulting in the Nicean Creed)
Changed Byzantium’s name to Constantinople after himself
Theodosius
Roman emperor
Makes Christianity the state religion
Flips the scipt and persecutes non-believers outlaws paganism
Nicene Creed
Religious Document written in Nicea
Solution to a big fight that the christian church had during Constantine’s Rule about wether Jesus was begotten or made from god (did jesus always exist or did God have to make him).
Nicea
Location chosen by Constantine for representitives of the christian church to duke it out and make the Nicene Creed.
Byzantium/ Constantinople
Capital of the Byzantine empire (eastern rome). Renamed after Constantine. Today this city is known as Instanbul
St. Valentine’s Day and Lupercalia
Example of rome trying to assimilate christianity into the empire
Took a pagan holiday celebrating fertility and turned it into a catholic holiday of love that we still celebrate today
St. Augustine
Classically educated north african man who’s father was pagan and mother was christian. Wrote “ the Confessions” about his struggles of balancing pleasure with faith as someone who was not raised christian but became one later in life.
believes even when people know what the right thing to do is, they sill will choose not to do it
Monasteries
places where monks or nuns lived communally away from the rest of civilization in order to focus on their faith.
St. Benedict
Christian monk who became a saint because he created rules for monastic living. Very orderly, banned asceticism (hurting the body for religious purposes)
Jus Gentium
International Law
Jus as in JUStice
applicable to everyone in the roman empire and even foreigners common law promotes peace and unity
Defined rules and regulations for contracts and trade
Made slavery and ownership of private land legal
Latifunda
Large estates formed by individuals (often patricians)
Often made up of smaller properties bought off people who couldn’t afford its upkeep
Paterfamilias
Male Head of the household
Pater as in PATERnal
Stoicism
originally a greek philosophy created by Zeno, but was co-opted by the romans. Believed that all people are equal but also that emotions are often peoples downfall.
the modern word Stoic comes from this word
Barbarians
Word that the romans used to refer to Huns, Goths, and Celts.
Eastern nomadic peoples that liked to sack rome. Didn’t have government, infrastucture, cities or writing and therefore the romans looked down on them.
Messiah
Jewish term for savior
Baptism, Eucharist
Christian rituals,
first one is an initiation ritual where one is purified by water, the second one is where bread and wine represent the body and blood of Jesus and are then eaten symbollically
Gospels
Books in the New testament of the bible. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Epistles
Letters written in Greek by Paul in order to spread christianity across the roman empire
Martyrs
People who die for their faith
A lot of people became ____ when the Christians were persecuted by rome
Monks
holy men who choose to distance themselves from society and live in isolation to focus on God
Greek Orthodox Church
Eastern half of the Christian Church
Has mulitple patriarch’s in charge of the church
Was not the primary religion in the region
Roman Catholic Church
Western half of the Christian Church. Capital is the vatican where the Pope (single religious leader) lives. Was the dominant religion in the region
Pope
head of Roman Catholic Churce
Patriarch
Head of Greek Orthodox Church
icon
Pictures of religious figures (god, jesus, mary magdeline ect.) that people worship as Idols
ionoclasts
People who believe that christians should not worship icons because it distracts them from god.
Iconodules
People who believe they should be able to make and worship icons.
