Short Answer Questions Flashcards
What were the 10 means of success in Rome?
- Noble Birth (ex. Claiming divine descent)
- Kinship Alliances (Marriage)(Ex. Mark Antony and -
Cleopatra) - Personal Obligations (patrons/clients)(Ex. Gracchi Brothers)(Antony flaring up the populace at Caesar’s funeral)
- Control of Funds (extortion in provinces)
- Control of consulship or tribunate
- Control of client armies (ex. Caesar’s army, NOT the Roman army)
- Bribing and largess (ex. Caesar with gladiator games)
- Championing of popular causes
- Eloquence
- Use of violence (murder and proscription lists) (ex. Sulla, Second Triumvirate, etc)
What are some political trends of the late Republic? (6)
- Growth of oligarchy, and eventually monarchy
- Importance of a few individuals/families and political connections and rivalries
- Rifts between nobiles/optimates AND novi homines/populares and later Caesarians vs. Republicans
- Problems in the provinces (unscrupulous governors, magistrates, and publicans)
- Interference in the affairs of the free allies
- Individual use of propaganda and money (ex. Spent on shows, welfare, buildings, etc.) to influence the populace
What are some military trends of the Late Republic? (4)
- Aggression and Imperialism (ex. Expansion into Gaul and into the East)
- Change to professional soldiers and the growth of client armies and military tyrants
- Looting of enemies and abuse of allies
- Violence, civil strife, assassination as part of domestic policy
What are some economic trends of the Late Republic? (4)
- Rapid accumulation of wealth causes class rifts and changed societal values
- Growth of slavery and it’s associated problems
- Growth of local businesses among senators, as well as overseas businesses among equestrians (such as publicans)
- Problems with overcrowding in Rome, loss of small farms in the country, and issues with food supply
What are 3 social trends of the Late Republic?
- Erosion of old-fashioned conservative values
- Growing independence of women (economic, social, sexual, intellectual and political)
- Growth of Greek influence in literature, philosophy, and education as well as in art and architecture
List Cicero’s main enemies and also describe how he fared against each one of them. (5)
- The dictator Sulla: Cicero was able to avoid any direct conflict with Sulla and was not proscribed by him
- The revolutionary Catiline: Cicero was able to uncover his conspiracy and prevent his overthrow of the government
- The dictator Caesar: Cicero was able to avoid any direct conflict with Caesar
- The sacrilegious Clodius: Cicero was driven into exile by Clodius
- The triumvir Marc Antony: Cicero was proscribed by him and killed
List the non-Roman enemies Romans fought in the first century B.C. including which Roman
commanders went against each one.
- Marius and Sulla went against Jugurtha
- Marius and Caesar (at different times) went against the Germanic tribes
- Marius and Sulla went against the Italian allies when they revolted
- Sulla and Pompey went against Mithridates VI
- Crassus and Pompey went against Spartacus and his slave army
- Pompey went against the Cilician and other pirates
- Crassus went against the Parthians (and was killed)
- Caesar went against the Spaniards
- Caesar went against the Gauls
- Octavian went against Cleopatra
Describe both the “First Triumvirate” and the “Second Triumvirate”, including how they
differed from each other, and explain what each achieved and how each fell apart
Description and Difference:
- The “First Triumvirate” was an alliance between Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey in 60 B.C.
(renewed in 56 B.C.)
- The “Second Triumvirate” was an alliance between Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus in 43
B.C. (renewed in 37 B.C.)
- The “First Triumvirate” was an informal and secret alliance, whereas the “Second Triumvirate”
was an officially recognized equal division of power between the three men
Achievements:
- Caesar gained the consulship as he had the support of Crassus and Pompey
- Caesar passed legislation favourable to his allies (like granting land to Pompey’s veterans)
- Caesar secured an unusual ten-year proconsulship in Gaul
- The “Second Triumvirate” included proscriptions against enemies (including Cicero)
- The three allies also undertook a successful war against the assassins of Caesar
Falling Apart:
- The “First Triumvirate” fell apart with the death of Crassus in 53 B.C.
- The “Second Triumvirate” fell apart when Lepidus was cut out of it in 36 B.C.
Describe the major military policies, advances, and changes during the second and first
centuries B.C. and how these contributed to the so-called “Roman Revolution” and the
downfall of the Republic
Policies, Advances, and Changes:
- Aggression and imperialism became part of foreign military policy
- Looting of enemies and the abuse of allies became common
- Marius established the role of professional soldiers
- Soldiers were made to carry their own equipment (as “Marius’s mules”)
- Land was allotted to veterans after their retirement
- Marius made the basic military unit the cohort rather than maniple
Contributed:
- Revolts among dissatisfied allies and slaves
- The growth of client armies under military tyrants
- Military rivalry leading to full Civil War (as between Julius Caesar and Pompey)
- Violence becoming part of domestic policy (as with the assassinations of Caesar)
