REVIEW SHEET – ROME
Dates (Identify what event took place on this date)
1. 753 BCE: Romulus and Remus founded Rome (according to legend).
2. 509 BCE: The Romans overthrew Tarquin and gained independence and
founded the Republic of Rome
3. March 15, 44 BCE: Julius Caesar assassinated by Brutus and Cassius
4. 30 CE: The crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Identify the following individuals
1. Romulus: Killed Remus and founded the city of Rome.
2. Tarquin the Proud: The last king of Rome.
3. Pompey & Crassus: Julius Caesar formed the first triumvirate (rule of three)
with them.
4. Julius Caesar: Rome’s greatest consul and military general which began the shift
from Republic to Empire.
5. Hannibal: Great Carthaginian general, tried to invade and take over Rome
during the Second Punic war.
6. Scipio: Roman General; Defeated Hannibal in the Second Punic War
7. Octavian: The nephew of Julius Caesar who, at 18, took over as Emperor.
8. Lepidus: A supporter of Julius Caesar; Was a Roman patrician who rose to
become a member of the Second Triumvirate
9. Mark Antony: A friend and supporter of Julius Caesar. Formed an official
political alliance with Octavian (Augustus) and Lepidus - the Second Triumvirate.
10. Cleopatra: Gave birth to Julius Caesar's only son. Mark Antony fell in love
with Cleopatra (queen of Egypt). He began to give away parts of Roman
territory to her.
11. Caesar Augustus: Rome’s first Emperor. Was the name give to Octavian
(Julius Caesar’s nephew). He also began the Pax Romana.
12. Tiberius: Stepson of Augustus. Unpopular as Emperor because he spent little
money on public games
13. Caligula: “Little Boots”. Unbalanced nephew of Tiberius. Tried to make his
horse a Senator
14. Nero: Son of Emperor Claudius. Tyrant. Supposedly fiddled as Rome burnt.
Blamed fire on Christians and persecuted them
15. Trajan: A great ruler who extended the Empire to its greatest extent. Fist
Emperor of non-Italian origin (Spanish)
16. Jesus: Self proclaimed son of God. Began the faith of Christianity. Was
crucified in 30 CE by the Romans.
Definitions
1. Pax Romana: 200 years of relative peace that began with Augustus and ended
with Marcus Aurelius
2. Period of the five good emperors: After Nero’s death, the Senate and the army
played a more active role in the selection of the Emperor. Between 96 CE and
180 CE, the Romans handled the problem of succession by having each emperor
select a younger colleague to train as a successor. The efforts of the five good
emperors would result in almost a century of stability.
3. Republic: A form of democracy where the citizens elect representatives to run the
government.
4. Senate: 300 patricians (in senate for life). Heads of the wealthiest families in
Rome. Elected the 2 consuls. Advised the consuls on foreign policy, laws, roads,
contracts.
5. Plebeian: These were the commoners of wealth and poverty. From merchant to
the street worker, farmers to traders. They could vote, had rights, paid taxes
but could not hold office.
6. Patrician: these were the wealthy Latin aristocrats who pushed the Etruscans
out and established a government where only they could hold office.
7. Tribune: At first there were only two, but as the city grew more tribunes were
appointed. A tribune could not make laws, but he could stop any laws from
passing which might injure the plebeians. All he had to say was “Veto!”, which
in Latin for “I forbid”, and the law wouldn’t not be passed. A tribune could not
be arrested, and any person who dared to injure a tribune could be put to
death.
8. Consuls: They had imperium (the right to rule). Consuls supervised government
and commanded armies. They also appointed Senators, held elections, and
enacted laws.
9. League of Italian Nations: Rome established a league of Italian nations and
fought for control over the Italian peninsula.
10. Triumvirate: Rule of three. The first one was between Caesar Augustus,
Lepidus and Crassus.
Short answer questions
1. Romans successfully controlled conquered areas because they made allies of those they
conquered. How did they gain their loyalty?
2. List four of the reforms implemented by Augustus to achieve the peace of the Pax Romana.
3. Name the four steps involved in the change from Roman republic to Roman Empire.
4. How was the geography of ancient Rome similar and different from the geography of
ancient Greece.
5. Describe the period of the five good emperors. How was the next emperor chosen during
this period? Why was the change important?
6. How did the roads and army contribute to the expansion of the empire?
Long answer questions
1. Name the 5 groups of people who entered Italy between 30 000 BCE and 400 BCE. Explain
which characteristics of each group would later fuse together to form the Roman Empire.
2. Describe the factors which led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
3. Describe the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire.