Romans

Question 1

Rome & the Mediterranean: What groups lived in Italy in the 6th century BCE?

Answer 1

The Latins

Example: They lived in the hills of the Tiber River Valley and eventually founded the city of Rome.

Question 2

Etruscans: What did the Latins borrow from the Etruscans?

Answer 2

Alphabet, military formations, and architecture

Example: A Latin victory over the last Etruscan kings led to the rise of the Roman Republic.

Question 3

Roman Republic: When was the Roman Republic founded?

Answer 3

509 BCE

Additional information: Consuls were heads of state, nominated by Senate and elected by Comitia Centuriata.

Question 4

Patricians and Plebians: Who were the two broad socio-economic groups in Rome?

Answer 4

Patricians and Plebians

Additional information: Patricians were aristocrats while Plebians were the majority.

Question 5

Punic Wars 246-146 BCE: What was the result of the Punic Wars?

Answer 5

Roman domination of the western Mediterranean and North Africa

Additional information: Carthage dominated the southern coast of the Mediterranean.

Question 6

Macedonian Wars (215-148 BCE): What major step towards empire happened in 146 BCE?

Answer 6

Macedonia became a Roman province

Additional information: Series of four wars fought in Macedonia.

Question 7

Julius Caesar (d. 44 BCE): What happened to Julius Caesar?

Answer 7

Assassinated by the patricians

Additional information: Ended civil wars for a time but was considered too powerful.

Question 8

Octavian a.k.a. Augustus Caesar (d. 14 CE): Who was Octavian’s adopted father?

Answer 8

Julius Caesar

Additional information: Won civil war in 31 BCE and maintained republican structures.

Question 9

Decline in the West: What were some factors contributing to the decline of Rome?

Answer 9

Barbarian invasions, political turmoil, end of conquest, cooler climate, plagues

Additional information: Rome consumed more than it produced and was heavily reliant on imports.

Question 10

Barbarians!: Which Germanic tribes pushed westward due to the rise of the Huns?

Answer 10

Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Suebi, Franks, Saxons

Additional information: Some tribes always lived beyond the frontiers.

Question 11

Clovis & The Franks: Where did the Franks live?

Answer 11

Roman Province of Gaul, which became known as Francia

Additional information: Frankish King Clovis adopted Roman Catholic Christianity.

Question 12

The Byzantine Empire: Who moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium?

Answer 12

Emperor Constantine

Additional information: Justinian was known for reconquering lost territories.

Question 13

Emperor Constantine (d. 337)

Answer 13

Byzantine Era!!
– 304-324: fought civil wars for control of empire
– 312: ascribed victory at Milvian Bridge to Christian God
– 313: Edict of Milan
legalized Christianity
– 325: Council of Nicaea
– moved capital from Rome to Byzantium, (later named Constantinople)
– deathbed baptism

Question 14

Justinian

Answer 14

Byzantine Era
– reconquered much that
had been lost in previous
century
– despotic but effective
– ceasaeropapism = Roman
emperor as head of
Christian Church
– built Hagia Sophia,
largest church of the time
– Justinian Code = law code
that formed basis of law in
E. Med. for centuries