Name __________________________ Review Sheet for Test on Rome - Chapter 5
1)Roman Republic (509 - 27 BC) – Located on the Italian Peninsula with its low , not
very rugged mountains and wide fertile coastal plains. Centrally located in the
Mediterranean Sea, and Rome centrally and strategically located on the peninsula enabled
it to trade, conquer and protect its territory
2)Republic – a form of government in which there is no king or queen and where certain
citizens run the government as representatives of all citizens
3)Consuls – the two leaders who ran the government and were in charge of the army.
They had to both agree before any course of action could be take. If they did not agree,
the action was vetoed
4)Senate – consisted of 300 patricians who initially represented only their interests in the
legislative functions of the government
5)Patricians – the wealthy, landed aristocracy. In the citizen army, they were usually
officers
6)Plebeians – the common people that included the small land owners, peasants, and
craftsmen and artisans. In the citizens army, they were usually foot soldiers
7)Tribunes – When the plebeians refused to serve or pay taxes until they had
represetnatioin in the legislation of the republic, the government created the Assembly.
In that Assembly, there were 10 patricians who served as tribunes. They represented the
interests of the Assembly in the Senate. Gracchus Brothers were famous tribunes who
tried to implement reforms based around giving land back to the small farmers. They and
their followers were killed on order of the senate who did not want to let go of the land it
had accumulated
8)Twelve Tables – a body of laws publicly displayed outside of the Senate so that all
may know the law. Since the laws were written down, they are Codified law
9)Punic Wars – fought between Rome vs. Carthage for control of Mediterranean Sea
trade. Rome wins all wars.
10)Effects of Punic Wars on Roman Republic 1) Rome controls the Mediterranean Sea
trade routes. 2) Rome controls territory outside of the Italian Peninsula. 3) More goods
and wealth come into Rome. 4) Roman goods and their price are in decline. 5)
Carthaginians are brought back to Rome as slave. 6) Small Roman citizen soldiers lost
their land and they migrate to the city 7) Roman army goes into decline until the generals
start to recruit professional soldiers 8) Major problem of unemployment of Roman
citizens
11)Caesar – become a popular general for his conquest of Gaul. Fearing his popularity
and the fact that he might want to take over the government and become a king, the
senate orders him to come home without his army. He comes home but with his army,
overthrows the government, and sets himself up as a dictator – He implements reforms,
most significantly land redistribution which makes him popular with the plebeians but not
so with the patricians. They respond with his assassination that sets off a power
struggle, which Octavian wins. He in turn end the republic and creates and empire
12)Reasons for the collapse of the Roman Republic 1) Loss of traditional values. 2)
Expansion beyond the Italian Peninsula. 3) The presence of non-Roman citizens. 4) The
creation of a professional army. 5) The growing power of the generals. 6) The demise of
the small farmer
13)Augustus (Octavian) Took control of Rome after Caesar. Becomes the first emperor.
Implements reforms. Restructures the government. Continues to expand the empire
14)Pax Romana (27BC - 180AD) The “Roman Peace” that lasted 200 years due to the
efforts of five good leaders
15)Law of Nations - Codified Law The laws created to deal with non-roman citizens
outside of the Italian Peninsula within the empire. It was written down and helped to
cause outsiders to be loyal to Rome
16)Hadrian – Roman general who conquered parts of England for Rome and he builds
wall in England to keep the barbarians out of the empire
17)Law of Succession – Romans had none, so there was often conflict over who would
succeed the emperor when he died. They eventually make use of an Adoption Policy
where the emperor would select and train someone to replace him. Regardless, often
many battle were fought to secure the top job within the empire
18) Coliseum and Circus Maximus used to feed and entertain the masses of
unemployed people in Rome to keep them from revolting against the government
19)Aqueducts man-made waterways that carried water into major Roman cities that were
made possible by the development of the arch and buttressing
20)Diocletian - divides the empire in 285 AD in an effort to facilitate rule of the empire.
He decided to reside in the eastern part of the empire since it is wealthier and he appoints
someone to oversee the west from Rome
Latin language use din the western part of the empire while Greek was spoken in
the east
21)Germanic Tribes (Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Franks) – the northern invaders that put
pressure on the Roman Empire. Some of these groups became mercenaries in the Roman
army. Later, they entered the empire’s territory with the arrival of the Huns lead by
Attila
22)Constantine – builds a new capital city on the old Byzantium - Constantinople new
capital in Asia Minor - strategic location enabled it to become wealthy due to its
location along trade routes, it was difficult to attack, and it was away from all of the
problems that haunted Rome.
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Edict of Milan – 313 AD – Constantine converts to Christianity and issues
the edict granting religious freedom to Christians. Christianity becomes the
religion of the empire
23)Mercenaries – foreigners / barbarians who became soldiers for hire as Roman
citizens refused to serve
24)Huns – Attila was their leader – they came from Asia
25)Battle of Adrianople the first loss of a battle by the Roman army to the barbarians
26)476 AD - collapse of western Roman Empire
27)Byzantine Empire - Eastern Roman Empire - survives until 1453
28)Jews in Roman lands – Jews were allowed to practice their religion, but when they
revolted against the emperor their temple was destroyed and they were expelled in 70 CE.
This expulsion is called the Diaspora
29)Jesus – Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism but eventually it became its
own religion with its own teachings that centered around the belief that Jesus was the son
of God, the Messiah, that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He created a
church to administer the sacraments necessary for Christian to have their sins forgiven
and to go to heaven after death.
30)Pope head of the Christian church in the west that become the Roman Catholic
Church
31)Split of Christian Church - Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox (Byzantine)
split over conflict over beliefs and rituals
32)Major beliefs of Christians see # 29 and the new Testament, 10 commandments,
Heaven, Hell, dual nature of man (body & soul)
33)Reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire
1) Barbarian invasion, 2) Abandonment of the cities 3) Corrupt leaders, 4) Loss of
traditional values, 5) Mercenary army 6) Lead poisoning, 7) The east failed to support the
west economically, 8) Empire got too large, 9) Food shortages
34)Roman Sculpture – realistic and showed imperfections. Also for leaders it was used
to show their power and grandeur
35)Roman Architecture – arch, buttressing, barrel vault, groin vault, dome
36) St. Augustine - City of God A father of the church who provided interpretation of
the teachings of Jesus. He stated that there was a “city of man” (this earth, temporal,
secular) and a “city of God” (a spiritual realm outside of this earth, eternal, worship of
God)