TEST TWO Flashcards
Aetolian Confederation
A group of city states that formed a coalition to resist the rule of larger kingdoms like Epirus and Macedonia. They Ended up forming an alliance with Rome of which they thought continued into the second Macedonian war but Rome did not. (Rome’s first alliance with Greek?)
Philip V of Macedon
The king of Macedon during the late 3rd century BCE, during the second punic war formed a pact with Hannibal Barca leading to the first Macedonian War where Rome formed an alliance with the Aetolian League promising them all lands and citites conquered. Later intigated the second Macedonian war at the request of Pergamum and Rhodes. This war exemplified the superiority of the roman legion over the phalanx (at Cynoscephalae.
Isthmian Proclamation:
This ws a decree by Flamininus at the Isthmian games of 196 BCE giing freedom to all greeks from Macedonian rule under Rome. However, Rome’s definition of freedom and even their word (libertas) was a very different meaning than that of the greeks (eleuthra). Greeks saw freedom as a very independent in all affairs, complete political independence, while Romans saw it as legal independence, but…cultural limitations(patron-client) and Greece was now a client of Rome…
Multipolarity:
The view the greeks held in regard to the international sphere of influence with competing major states balancing each other out and recognizing other power.
Unipolarity
The view held by the Romans that they were the center of the universe and believed they could rule over whoever they pleased.
Day of Eleusis:
The story goes… a meeting between Antiochus the Seleucid King and the Ptolemies. They have multiple dissagreements. When amb. Laenas arrives he tells the Seleucid king to leave him some of his holdings in the eastern Mediterranean and Antiochus assumes equality with the roman. But, the roman draws a line in the sand around theking and says he needs his decisions before leaving the circle. This is an axcellent example of the contrast between the unipolar view of the Romans and the Multipolar view of the Greek kings. It also sets the stage for how Rome will negotiate with the greek Kings in the future. Antiochus just agred to do whatever the romans wanted
Sack of Carthage
After the battle of Zama Scipio Africanus made a peace that allowed him to pillage carthage and had some very roman favoring agreements. It reduced the size of carthage’s fleet to 10, all war elephants were given up , and they had to pay 10,000 talents a year to rome for the next 50 years. This resulted in the final destruction of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Dominnace of the W. Mediterranean.
Philhellenism
The love of greek culture by the Romans. Intensifies after the year 200 BCE and creates a type of party or political opinion which many notable patricians held (scipio Africanus, Scipio Aemilianus, Cicero). Basically view the Greeks and intellectual and cultural pedagogues.
Roman Censor
A very special senior political post elected every 5 years. Primary goal= conduct census of citizens. Secondary goal= regimen morum(Regulation of morality; I.e. Morality police) They looked out for ‘immoral’ acts like; opulent feasts, obesity, joking in public, and romantic affection in public. Offenders could be kicked out of the senate!
Cato the Elder
Consul in 195 BCE who was a “new man” (novus homo) from Tusculum, he was the most quintessential Roman alive to this point who championed what it meant to be a Roman and was frequently an enemy of the Philhellenes. He was also censor in 184
Verism
Romes depiction of the ideal man. In contrast to the Greek ideal of , muscle beauty, perfection. Romans idealized age, wisdom, wrinkles, warts. A more real version of man.
Ager publicus:
Public land in Italy that technically belonged to everyone especially the poor. However, it was dominated by the rich and essentially was given to them in the first century BCE by a series of laws. The public land was also at the center of the conflict between the Gracchan brothers (around 120 BCE) desiring land reform and the Senate who were basically the owner of this public land. The resulting death of the Gracchan brother was the first use of violenc ein politics that eventually dominated the late republic. However, when the Patricians took control of many of these lands they created a super plantation employing hundreds of slaves and driving smaller farms into the city, propagating the problem of a decline in military service. Some of the land was confiscated from Italians who joined Hannibal.
Metus hostilis
fear of the enemy; this idea was lost when carthage was in ruin and the greeks conquered. Rome felt as though there was no major threats left.
Lex Villia Annalis of 180 BCE
This law was passed because many Romans were seeking to make a name for themselves in the post-war time or gain some sort of govern ship over a rich province in order to become wealthy. This ‘law basically enforced the minimum age requirements in effect for the Cursus Honorum.
Ambitus
Ambition; what drove romans to seek high offices and rich provinces
Publicani
“companies” that would be hired or bid for the job of collecting taxes in provinces, they would likely skim some of the money for themselves and get rich but not be involved in any of the bureaucracy.
Extortion Court of 149 BCE:
A type of appeals court provinces could argue that they were mistreated by the governors and this resulted in many governors “getting their pants sued off”
Ius Gentium:
International Law that was meant to address much of the corruption in the provinces
Prorogation:
The extension of a commander’s imperium for the sake of continuity of command and military efficiency
Ti. Sempronius Gracchus
Brother of C. Gracchus with an aristocratic background, their father was previous consul and a very prominent patron of Spain. Traveled through Eturia and saw almost nobody living there because many of the smaller farms had been abandoned or brought out by patricians, this impassioned him to pursue very signigicant land reform. Had a very passionate way of delivering speech focusing on the people not on the senators when delivering a speechat the Rostra. Tribune in 133 BCE circumvented the senate by proposing land reform laws directly to the Popular assembly(began this trend). Eventually was killed for trying to run for office again to continue his land reform. Attalus III gave Pergamum to the roman people and he wanted to resettle the poor of rome there to farm.
C. Sempronius Gracchus: Brother of T. Gracchus
know their fam history from T. Gracchus- Tribune from 123-121 BCE and wanted to continue the work of his brother with land reform. Gauis also began the grain dole where the sate would subsidize grain for the poor in Rome to have food. The republic was also suffering from lack of military sevice at this time and Gaius addresses this with Lex Militaris where soldier swould no longer have to provide their own armor or clothing it would be provided forthem. He also wanted to give citizenship to more Italians but the senate prevented this and that resulted his death and the death of 3k of his supporers. The use of violence to solve political problems was not a morn until after the murder of the Gracchi Brothers
Popularis tradition
The political party that supported the people its constituents of note are usually from patrician or very rich backgrounds and they often bypassed the senate and went to the po;ular assembly to pass legislation. They were often very roman(Cato, Marius,Caesar) and disliked by the aristocracy. Practiced sermo corporis speechof the body and elite selfcontrol
Optimates tradition
“best” the political party of the elites who promoted their own power and the distinction between rich and poor
Gracchan Commision
A land commission designated by the Gracchi with the purpose of plotting out the Ager publicus taking it from the Patricians and redistributing it to the poor. One purpose of the land redistribution was to promote a formation of a middle class to serve in the military.
Attalus III of Pergamum
The king of a small Hellenistic kingdom near asia minor that after his death gifted his entire kingdom and land to the Roman people, the Gracchi pointed to this land as a great place for their land reform and for Italians to go to start farms.
Senatus constultum ultimum
Emergency decree by the senate giving the magistrates and themselves the power to “preserve the state of the Republic”
Gauis Marius
Novus Homo – new man- from Aprinum who started as a client to a very powerful patron and when serving as his lieutenant in the Jugurthine war observed he was a better military commander and went back to Rome against his patrons will and won consul taking over the African command and easily winning. This catapulted his notorious military prowess leading to eventually being considered a military genius. His style of politics was very catonian, even his appointment as consul in 107 BCE was through the popular assembly. Eventually was re-elected as consul from 104-100 and in 86 originally was re-elected to face the Cimbri and the Teutones in Gaul who had defeated several Roman armies, but their was a shortage of troops so Marius took volunteers and gave them all the equipment they would need and payed them out of pocket. These men were known as marius-mules and after they defeated the two trives in Gaul his troops were given (by him) land for their service. This began the trend of armies being more loyal to a person than the republic and was the first professional army of Rome.
Jugurthine War
(112-106) in the client state of Numidia in N. Africa after the death of the king(a roman pawn) the prince Jugurtha killed the next king, his brother, in order to ascend to the throne and he did’t want to be under Rome so he fought against the romans for 6 years, but the length was mainly due to the ineptness of Metellus (Marius’ Patron) and afer marius took over the war lasted about another year before he killed Jugurtha and restored Roman rule.
Cimbri and teutones
Celtic Tribes who migrated to gaul who were known for their physical prowess in battle and defeated several Roman armies most significantly at Arausio in 105. Many people in Rome were worried they would move south so elected(begged) marius to be Consul and save them from these barbarians. Eventually defeated by Marius and his mules.
M. Livius Drusus
A progressive who was elected tribune in 91 BCE proposed a radical expansion of full citizenship to all italians and was assassinated for it. He proposed this because there was an “Italian question” Most if not upwards of ⅔ of the members of the military were non-Roman Italians.
