Rome- 155-157 Flashcards
What did the Late Empire include?
a new governmental structure
a rigid economic and social system
new state religion (christianity)
What did the emperor Diocletian do?
divided the empire into four administrative units
his military seniority enabled him to claim a higher status and hold the ultimate authority
What did the emperor Constantine do?
continued and expanded the autocratic policies of Diocletian’s military seniority
What are illustres?
illustrious ones
What are illustrissimi?
most illustrious ones
How many men was the army enlarged to?
500,000 men
What was Constantine’s biggest project?
the construction of a new capital cit in the east on the site of the Greek city of Byzantium on the shores of the Bosporus.
Eventually renamed Constantinople (modern Istanbul)
Why was it developed?
defensive reasons.
it had an excellent strategic location
What did Diocletian do to fight inflation?
restored to issuing a price edict in 301 that established maximum wages and prices for the entire empire, but despite severe penalties, it was unenforceable and failed to work
What did the emperors issue that forced people to remain in their designated vocations?
edicts
What kinds of jobs became hereditary?
basic jobs such as bakers and shippers
What were the economic and social policies of Diocletian and Constantine based on?
an unprecedented degree of control and coercion
What were the ferocious warriors from Asia known as?
Huns
Who may the Huns have ben related to?
Xiongnu, the invaders of the Han Chinese empire
Who did the Huns put pressure on?
Germanic Visigoths
Where did the Germanic Visigoths move?
south and west, crossed the Danube into Roman territory and settled down as Roman allies
Where did the Romans attempt to stop the Visigoths?
Adrianople
Who poured into southern Spain and Africa?
Vandals
Where did the Visigoths go?
into Spain and Gaul
in 455, the Vandals crossed into Italy and sacked Rome, coming from where?
North Africa
What happened 21 years later?
the western emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed, and a series of Germanic kingdoms replaced the Roman Empire in the west while an Eastern Roman Empire continued with its center at Constantinople
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
Christianity’s emphasis on a spiritual kingdom undermined Roman military virtues and patriotism
traditional Roman values declined as non-Italians gained prominence in the empire
lead poisoning through leaden water pipes and cups caused a mental decline
plague decimated the population
Rome failed to advance technology because of slavery
Rome was unable to achieve a workable political system
