Week 8 Flashcards
According to Plutarch, where did Sulla and Marius’ rivalry begin?
- When Jugurtha was handed to Sulla, and not Marius
Who was appointed consul to deal with Mithridates IV of Pontus in the east?
Sulla
What did Sulla do upon rising to consul?
- Seized Rome with his army
- Forced laws
- Made a proscription list
What forced Marius to flee Rome?
Sulla’s proscription list
Who opposed Sulla’s appointment to consul to deal with Mithridates IV?
Marius
Where does Marius ultimately flee?
North Africa
When did Sulla make himself dictator?
- When he returned to Rome in 83 BC after fighting Mithridates IV
Who was the first ever optimates in a position of power?
Sulla
What political reforms does Sulla enforce as dictator?
- Increased the size of the Senate so he could put his friends in positions of power
- Reduced the power of the Tribune of the Plebs (Tribune of the Plebs is disallowed from running for higher offices)
Define: Largesse
- The granting of short term gifts to people to appease them
How did Crassus make so much money through firefighting?
- He hired his own private firefighting force
- He would have his agents go up to people’s houses when it was burning, to purchase the burning house at lowball offers, only to subsequently repair and resell it
Who attempted to prevent Sulla from having a public funeral?
Lepidus
Who died in 77 BC because he found a letter claiming his wife had an affair, so he died of shock?
Lepidus
According to Plutarch, where did Crassus’ and Pompey’s rivalry begin?
Fighting under Sulla during the Social War
Who did Sulla prefer between Crassus and Pompey?
Pompey
Who was given the title Magnus?
Pompey
How did Pompey receive the title, Magnus?
- For ruthlessly destroying Sulla’s opponents in Sicily and North Africa during Sulla’s second civil war
What social class did Pompey originally belong to?
Equestrian
How did Pompey climb the social ladder in Rome?
- Through marriage
- He went from one wife to another, picking up their inheritances and dowries
How did Spartacus grow his army?
- He not only escaped from the Gladiatorial school with supporters, but went from estate to estate, gathering slaves and poor disgruntled Romans to join his army
How many times did Spartacus defeat the Romans in battle?
3 times
Who was sent to deal with Spartacus?
Crassus
- Crassus defeated Spartacus in the battle of Lucania, 71 BC
- BUT Pompey took the credit
What happened to the rebels after Spartacus’ defeat?
Surviving rebels got crucified along the 200km stretch from Capua to Rome (every 35m was a crucified slave)
At what initial battle did Spartacus defeat a Roman army?
Battle of Mount Vesuvius, 73 BC
True or False: Spartacus didn’t actually want to end slavery
TRUE
- He forced captured Roman soldiers to fight as gladiators for him
Define: Mithridatism
- The purposeful ingestion of poison to build immunity
Who was sent to finish off Mithridates IV after Sulla’s death?
Pompey
How did Mithridates die?
- He killed himself with a sword
At which battle did Pompey defeat Mithridates IV?
Battle of the Lycus, 66 BC
Who took credit for putting down Piracy in the Mediterranean?
Pompey
In how many days is Pompey said to have wiped out the pirates?
40 days
Pompey expanded Roman territory into _________ and __________.
Northern Turkey and Syria (though only a bit)
As his consulship, Crassus gained governorship of __________
Syria
- This is how Crassus got dragged into war against Parthia
Why did Crassus have to fight the Parthians?
- The Parthians invaded the Armenians, allies of Rome
At what battle was Crassus defeated against the Parthians?
Carrhae, 53 BC
What Parthian King was given Crassus’ severed head as a prize?
Orodes II
Why is Crassus’ defeat against the Parthians important?
It killed further Roman dreams of expanding east
Who didn’t believe in owing loyalty to any one person forever?
Cicero
Where politically did Cicero often stand?
He drifted in the middle of Optimates and Populares
True or False: Cicero would have preferred to simply be at home and write philosophy, but his great skill at public speaking made him very present in the political stage
TRUE
True or False: We know more about Cicero than anyone else in ancient times - He is the best recorded figure of the ancient world
TRUE
What family clan did Cicero belong to?
Tulli
What does the name Cicero mean?
Chickpea (one of his ancestors likely had a wart or facial feature that looked like a chicpea)
Who did Cicero fight for during the civil wars?
Sulla
True or False: Despite being a supporter of his, Cicero never wanted to be involved militarily for Pompey
TRUE
Who did Cicero’s first case make him enemies against?
Sulla
Where did Cicero gain legal knowledge and experience?
- After his first case against Sulla, he fled to Greece to avoid Sulla’s reprisals
List all of Cicero’s bigger enemies and how he fared against them.
- Sulla: Cicero managed to flee to avoid Sulla’s wrath
- Verres: Cicero won, making Verres flee to exile, and giving Cicero a spot as praetor
- Catiline: Cicero uncovered the conspiracy and saved government
- Caesar: Cicero managed to avoid direct conflict with Caesar
- Clodius: Cicero is driven to exile
- Marc Antony: Cicero is killed by orders of Marc Antony
Define: Preator
Judge
When did Cicero win his first preatorship?
- After his legal victory against Verres
What is the most documented and well known event of the ancient world?
The Catlinine Conspiracy
What was the Cataline Conspiracy?
- 63 BC
- A plot for a coup d’état in which Cataline would overthrow Cicero and Hybrida, in order to assume power over the Senate
Who uncovered the Catalinarian Conspiracy through a spy?
Cicero
Why did Cicero gain many enemies after the Catalinarian Conspiracy?
- Because he had all the conspirators killed without a trial
Who finally manages to kill Cataline in battle?
Hybrida
What was Caesar’s opinion on what should be done with the Catalinarian conspirators?
- Caesar proposed that the conspirators should be exiled and property confiscated, not killed
- Caesar attacks Cicero, calling him a Tyrant, for making direct execution without trial of the conspirators
Name the figure:
- He was in love with Caesar’s wife, Pompeia. So, he sneaked into Caesar’s house at night during the Bonne Dea festival. He, however, got lost in Caesar’s large estate, and was caught.
Clodius
What did Caesar do upon discovering Clodius’ breaking into his home?
- Caesar divorced his wife, Pompeia
Why did Cicero get invloved against Clodius?
- Because Cicero’s wife, Tarentia, believed that Clodius’ sister, Clodia, had an affair with Cicero
- Tarentia, thus said that Cicero should prosecute Clodius to prove that he didn’t
What permitted the patrician born Clodius to become the powerful Tribune of the Plebs?
- He was adopted by a plebeian family
What happened to Clodius after his trial?
- Clodius fled to Greece, but was later captured, and brought back to Rome
- He was then murdered by Milo
- Surprisingly, Cicero even made a case against Milo
Cicero felt he had to postpone his retirement when he saw the political rise of ____________
Marc Antony
Why did Cicero speak out against Marc Antony?
- Because Antony was gaining too much sole power
What did Cicero do when caught by Antony’s assassins?
- Cicero simply allowed them to cut his throat
What did Antony order to be done to Cicero’s body?
- Antony ordered the head and hands to be severed
- The hands, that wrote the Phillipics, were displayed publicly as a warning to those who spoke out against Antony
