Unit three: From Republic to Principate

Question 1

The problem with elite competition in Rome

Answer 1

Massive influx of money from defeated enemies, Roman leaders don’t know what to do with it so they spend it all frivolously on their own.

Question 2

Tomb of Scipios

Answer 2

Tomb for the Scipios family bragging about their prowess and elite status.

Question 3

Cato the Elder

Answer 3

Patricians who worked in the government did not like Caesar also a historian who controversially opposed the Hellenistic period.

Question 4

Importance of landholding

Answer 4

Patricians use it to bribe soldiers to do what they want by promising land, then if they don’t have that land they are in deep shit.

Question 5

Public land debate

Answer 5

Does public land need to be distributed among individuals or should it remain community land for all?

Question 6

Sextian Lincian laws in terms of Public Land

Answer 6

Places a limit on the amount of land each person can have

Question 7

Agrarian Law of 111

Answer 7

Problematic because former public land (that was occupied and owned by other people!) was given to colonists or sold to Roman citizens

Question 8

Stipensiarii

Answer 8

Non-Romans who pay takes to Rome

Question 9

Appian on the distribution of land

Answer 9

Offered ten percent for people who worked on the land so, people would have a large number of slaves in order to get filthy rich with land.

Question 10

Italy in 133

Answer 10

Lots of problems; the land is distributed unequally among people, the Sicilian slave war is going on, allies are impoverished from the Hannibalic war, the city is growing and food supply cannot keep up = recipe for famine

Question 11

Sicilian slave war

Answer 11

a series of slave revolts against the Roman Republic in Sicily that took place in the late Roman Republic

Question 12

Hannibalic war

Answer 12

second Punic war

Question 13

Gracchus public land policy

Answer 13

proposed a limit of 500 acres of land per person + 250 additional acres per son

Question 14

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

Answer 14

Grandson of Scipio Africanus; distinguished pedigree, claims he wants to help people who are suffering in Italy; his enemies claim he is only saying this to get those people’s votes.

Question 15

The politics involved of passing a bill in Rome

Answer 15

Take the bill to the council of the plebs, then plebians arrive in large numbers; so it’s the smart choice to appeal to them to gain their support (there’s powers in numbers)

Question 16

Aftermath of Agrarian law

Answer 16

125, consul tries to get citizenship for Italians so they can try to regain their land.

Question 17

Gaius Gracchus

Answer 17

attempts to surpass his brother’s plan and proposes a barrier in the magistrate, which is illegal; he established colonies, lex frumentaria, publicani, extortion, and embezzlement trials,

Question 18

Lex Frumentaria

Answer 18

Law of corn; ensures that there is enough grain supply to feed the population

Question 19

Publicani

Answer 19

Tax collectors in Asia, usually the over tax and profit the overflow.

Question 20

Senatus Consultum Ultimum

Answer 20

permission to take whatever means necessary to get rid of a problem
Ex) Senate assassinates Gaius Gracchus

Question 21

Appian on Agrarian law

Answer 21

Land should belong to the original owners however, they should be required to pay rent so that money can be used for the people (community aspect) .

Question 22

Rise of Gaius Marius

Answer 22

157-86 BCE, plebian who steadily built his political career in the 110s, he served in war in north Africa, then attains consulship in 108 in office he recruits the poorest class promising plunder in land for exchange of military power; this means he has the support of a huge amount of people allowing him to get away with what he wants for a little bit , he goes a little to close to the sun and ends up being stoned to death through means of Senatus Consultum Ultimum.

Question 23

Capite censi

Answer 23

the poorest class

Question 24

Sallust

Answer 24

An author who wrote about the Jugurthine War, highly praised Gaius Marius as a Military genius, also fights on Caesars side of the war.

Question 25

Jugurthine War

Answer 25

War between Rome and northern Africa, Gaius Marius was immensely vital in ensuring Romes’s success in the war.

Question 26

Italian Allies

Answer 26

Italians were not poor and had lots of military power, they were not given citizenship Gaius Marius gave the good ones citizenship, then the consul after him took it away, then the consul after him tried to give in back and failed; so a big fat social war broke out. Which means Rome is in deep shit because Italy did all their dirty work.

Question 27

Sulla’s reforms

Answer 27

Senate doubled in size so there was more competition in office, which means that more murder plots in office and attempts to rig elections by questionable measures. Including but not limited to killing competition, bribing the voters, and blackmail! people try to undo sullas reforms multiple times but fail

Question 28

The consulate of Pompey and Crassus

Answer 28

70, restores the power of the tributane, juries formed by equestrians and senators, they expel 64 members of the Senate. Pompey veteran law for Spain fails- this action will have consequences.

Question 29

proscriptions

Answer 29

a posted notice listing Roman citizens who had been declared outlaws and whose goods were confiscated

Question 30

Equestrian

Answer 30

A wealthy roman plebian

Question 31

Cicero

Answer 31

Equestrian who was in the magistrate for a long time was assassinated because he killed a bunch of citizens without a trial.

Question 32

Catilinarian Conspiracy

Answer 32

a failed attempt by Lucius Sergius Catilina to overthrow the Roman consuls (cicero) in 63 BC

Question 33

First triumvirate

Answer 33

deal between Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, Pompey and Crassus would get Caesar into office if he did want they wanted him to which is to; revise the publicani contracts in Asia and to get settlements for Pompey veterans. Pompey never got his settlements … again.

Question 34

Caesar’s special command in Gaul

Answer 34

59, he uses this power to acquire wealth and soldiers who are loyal to him, he’s gaining the international loyalty that Pompey once had and is failing to honor.

Question 35

Dio Cassius on Octavian/Augustus

Answer 35

Lately, Rome has been a massive shit show of violence and civil wars. Augustus represents peace.

Question 36

“Restoration” of the Republic

Answer 36

In 29 BCE, Augustus says that he is reinstating the republic, but he is actually running Rome as a dictator. He appears humble by keeping a humble title however in actuality he has all the power in government at this time.

Question 37

proconsul

Answer 37

provinces to govern for a period of time, 10 years usually

Question 38

Imperial vs. Senatorial provinces

Answer 38

Imperial provinces have no strong standing military. Senatorial provinces did so they were seen as much more of a threat.
Senatorial province: Egypt

Question 39

Augustus Res Gestae

Answer 39

Written by Augustus himself, it is a biography filled with self-flattery.

Question 40

Cassius Dio on Augustus

Answer 40

He was paid by Augustus so his take on things is basically that Augustus is amazing and humble and the best military leader anyone has ever seen.

Question 41

Situation in 23 BCE

Answer 41

Augustus is voted tribune for life and is even offered the dictator title however because he is so concerned with remaining humble and a restorer of the republic.

Question 42

Julia’s affairs

Answer 42

Augustus did not want his daughter ruining his good name so when she had an affair on her husband and proceeded to give birth to an illegitimate daughter he killed both.

Question 43

The succession problem

Answer 43

Caesar and Sulla left Rome an absolute MESS so now there are barely any successors left. The question becomes who is eligible. The successor ends up being Tiberius.

Question 44

Tiberius

Answer 44

Son of Livia, Augustus’s wife from a previous marriage. Has been given military power from Augustus already. Naturally he succeeds his father.

Question 45

Germanicus

Answer 45

Adopted son of Tiberius solely for purposes of Germanicus succeeding Tiberius

Question 46

Realities vs Written Accounts

Answer 46

All the written accounts from this period are written by arrogant men who owe each other favors. Needless to say, not very objective. However, this period is the first time that men are threatened by women because they know that they have lots of power.

Question 47

Marriage Politics in Rome

Answer 47

It’s a political transaction made by the husband and father, marriage for love’s sake is unheard of. BUT this does allow the wives of powerful men to be powerful by proxy, same goes for the rest of the family

Question 48

Terentia

Answer 48

Wife of cicero, Cataline could not have happened without her work behind the scenes.

Question 49

Roman “Families”

Answer 49

Anyone who is declared family by the emperor, often refers to the spouse children, slaves and allies of the emperor

Question 50

Laudatio Turiae

Answer 50

A tombstone engraved with high praise of his wife for helping him survive and making deals with powerful men. Her husband sees her as an equal which shows important social change in Rome during the precipitate.

Question 51

Livia

Answer 51

While she has no official functions she runs the Augustus household, so she does most of the political work