Roman History Exam 1

What was the early Roman economy based on?

Agriculture

Which historians recounted the Roman Kingdom?

1. Livy

2. Vergil

3. Fabius Pictor

4. Cato the Elder

5. Dionysius of Halicarnassus

The wealthiest members of Roman society in the Kingdom period belonged to which social class?

Patricians

Which parts of the central Mediterranean urbanized first?

Coastal Italy, locations near water

When were the first major urban transformations?

9th & 7th century BCE

Why did Rome's urban development differ from the rest of western central Italy?

1. It was founded on the Tiber

2. It was surrounded by cultural diversity

Which type of mobility was embraced in early Iron Age Italy?

Horizontal, not vertical, social mobility.

T/F: histories on early Rome depicted brutal violence & civil war to justify why Roman society was the way that it was at the time these works were written.

T

Types of evidence

1. Literary

2. Documentary

3. Archaeological

4. Paleoscientific

Literary evidence

The poetry, stories, myths, and legends of a civilization or culture reveal how its people thought what they believed, how they worshiped, and what they valued.

RELIGION & EPIC

Documentary evidence

evidence consisting of such documents as written contracts, business records, correspondence, wills, and deeds

ADMINISTRATIVE/LEGAL INFORMATION

Types of archaeological evidence

1. Architecture

2. Coins

3. Ceramics

4. Archaeobotanical remains

5. Skeletal remains

Archaeobotanical remains

A type of archaeological evidence that focuses on plant remains recovered from archaeological sites

Types of paleoscientific evidence

Environmental records of human/environmental activity

1. Ice cores

2. Tree rings

3. Speliothems

4. Sediments & rock layers

5. Glaciers

6. aDNA

aDNA

Ancient DNA from skeletal remains

Which civilizations collapsed during the Bronze Age?

1. Myceneans

2. Hittites

Which civilizations were weakened (but survived) during the Bronze Age?

1. Assyrians

2. Egyptians

The Bronze Age collapse allowed which people to rise to power?

The Phoenicians & Sea Peoples

T/F: the Bronze Age collapse was a uniform destruction of societies.

False!!

Palatial economy

Mycenean & Minoan form of economy that revolved around palaces redistributing wealth & resources to their people

T/F: Palatial economies were very stable during the Bronze Age

F! They were unstable and declined dramatically during the Bronze Age collapse.

Causes of Bronze Age systems collapse

1. Invasion of Sea Peoples

2. Disease

3. Climate change

How did the Phoenicians extend their influence after the Bronze Age collapse?

1. Reestablishing maritime trade routes

2. Colonizing N. Africa, Iberia, Sicily, & Egypt

Fabius Pictor

1. 1st Roman historian, senator

2. Writes narrative history of Rome (kingdom forward)

3. Writes in Greek prose to justify the superiority of Rome > Greeks

4. Writes during imperial period

Cato the Elder wrote what?

the Origins - synthesized Greek sources about Roman history

T/F: imperial age Roman historians are very reliable.

F! They're writing under the influence of the empire, while they have their biases. They're (esp. Livy & Dionysius) better for later history.

Importance of the Aeneid

1. Written by Vergil

2. Pedagogical use during the empire

3. Shown through graffiti

4. Mytho-history from Troy/Aeneas --> Romulus & Remus

5. FOUNDATION MYTH OF ROME

Livy

1. Writes about Roman kingdom

2. Writes foundation legends until the end of the Republic (though uncritical about legends like the Aeneid)

3. More useful for later history

T/F: the original success of Rome was circumstantial.

T

T/F: imperial authors writing about the foundation of Rome portrayed the identity of Rome as the same identity as the Roman empire.

T

Characteristics of empire literature

1. Moralizing narratives

2. Coming to terms with single ruler

3. Arguing that it's the nature of Romans to be imperial - justifies character of Rome

4. Shows imperial mindset instead of true history

Identity of Early Rome according to imperial authors

1. Brutal imperialism (Aeneas vs. Latins/Turnus)

2. Bloody wars & violence

3. Internal strife (Romulus vs. Remus)

T/F: Roman ecology determined the culture & setup of Roman society

T - it defined Roman trade, economy, and communication

How did Roman ecology determine Roman economy?

1. Agricultural economy, subsistence economy

2. Creation of agricultural surplus allows for trade

3. Determines social structure (landowners = elites, est. wealth gaps & hierarchy)

4. Allows for taxation of land --> revenue

5. Allows for trade for luxuries that determine identity of elites

How did Roman ecology determine Roman technology?

1. Reliance on aqueducts

2. Reliance on stable climate & environment (Mediterranean climate)

Mediterranean climate

1. Hot, dry summer

2. Cool, wet winter

Romans originally only expanded within this environmental regime, but later adapted to other regimes!

T/F: the Mediterranean has diverse climates

T - there were many ecological microclimates during the Roman period!

T/F: the climate changed drastically during the Roman empire

F - it was relatively stable.

Importance of the Tiber in early Rome

1. Commerce

2. Agriculture

3. Transportation

4. Conflict & natural boundary

How did Roman ecology influence the spread of the Roman empire?

1. Romans want other resources from other lands!

2. Romans take tech & resources from already-productive societies because they don't know how to function in new climates

3. Romans seek resources from the places they expand into, not only focused on gaining power but sometimes simply focused on land/tech/resources

Climate drivers

Changes in these result in major changes to climate and can disrupt agriculture

1. Volcanic eruptions

2. Solar activity/sunspots

How are volcanic eruptions climate drivers?

The ejection of ash cools the earth because ash stays in the stratosphere & prevents sunlight from reaching the surface of the earth

How are sunspots climate drivers?

1. Increased solar activity --> increased warmth

2. Decreased solar activity --> decreased warmth

WARMTH determines agricultural production

T/F: climate driver events disrupt agriculture

T

Human impacts on Roman environment

1. Deforestation: building of ships, buildings, houses, need for fuel

2. Agricultural production: leads to erosion

3. Urbanization: includes deforestation)

4. Mining/resource extraction: release of heavy metals into atmosphere

Staple Roman commodities

1. Olives --> (perfumed) olive oil

2. Wheat --> bread

3. Grapes --> wine

What staple Roman commodity encouraged Roman expansion into agriculturally-intense regions?

Wheat!!! It encourages Rome to expand into breadbasket regions like Egypt.

Reasons for mining & resource extraction

1. Production of coinage (silver)

2. Weapons (lead)

3. Aqueducts & pipes (lead)

4. Pottery (lead)

When was the most lead released into the atmosphere?

1. Phoenician expansion

2. Rise & growth of Rome

3. Pax Romana

4. DURING WAR

What settlements were most common during Bronze Age Italy?

1. Hilltop settlements (like palatial societies before Bronze Age systems collapse)

2. Terramare settlements

T/F: urbanization & state formation occurred during the transition from the Bronze --> Iron Age

T!!

Characteristics of Bronze/Iron Age urbanization

Conglomeration & linking of towns/settlements into political structures with common infrastructure! Usually coastal areas.

JOINING of nearby compatible societies

T/F: Urbanization was accompanied by shifts in social structures

T: it coincided with the formation of social hierarchy & social stratification.

How was the warrior ethos evident during the foundation of Rome?

Grave goods: weapons, shields, armor

Fortifications of citadels

What does the warrior ethos suggest about polities during urbanization?

There was peer-polity interaction, military conflict, & competion

How were states formed in the Mediterranean?

By cooperation & merging of villages

T/F: state formation was a very rapid development.

F - it was VERY gradual

Political structure of first states

It was based around social contracts--cooperation within the city and with other cities.

1. Common infrastructure

2. Warring rules (preventing weapons from entering city)

3. Connections with other states over long distances.

T/F: with the formation of states, lineage leaders grew in power.

F - lineage leaders often had to sacrifice power to form a governmental system that would rule the state.

Gens

elite landowning family (lineage)

How did elite families compete within states?

By building/commissioning monumental public architecture

T/F: horizontal social mobility was preserved over autonomy.

T: state leaders would even accept invasions if they upheld social order.

Horizontal social mobility

Movement of lineages in/out of polities; elites being accepted in another polity after moving out of their original polity.

During the early Iron age, how did states interact with each other?

1. THEY PROMOTED HORIZONTAL SOCIAL MOBILITY

2. Powerful ones could establish friendly rulers on the thrones of other cities

3. Seasonal raiding

4. Exacting tribute

5. Establishment of connections between elites

Why did the warrior ethos develop?

Because of raiding

Where was Rome founded?

Palatine hill & on the Tiber

What kind of government did the Roman monarchy have?

Elective monarchy

Elective monarchy

System of government established by Romulus; monarch is chosen by the people & voted into power

What powers did Roman kings have?

1. They could not be brought to trial

2. They served for life

3. Military power

4. Judicial power

Romulus

1st king of Rome

What systems did Romulus establish?

1. Curiate assembly: SENATE

2. Military structure centered around aristocratic senate families

What system established by Romulus established the two-class system of Rome?

The senate: it created the patricians & plebeians

T/F: the original Roman army was status-based

T: its organization was like Greek hoplite military, and it was very small!!

Servius Tullius

6th king of Rome - enacted constitutional reforms,

Constitutional reforms of Servius Tullius

1. Reorganization of social status based on class, wealth, & age

2. Establishment of Comitia Centuriata

Comitia Centuriata under Servius Tullius

Elite voting bloc that informs military service & citizenship status --> CENSUS

Effects of Servian reforms

1. Establishment of census to record social status

2. Expansion of military

3. Expansion of boundaries of city

4. Increased involvement of elites in government

Tarquinius Superbus

7th king of Rome, deposed by Brutus, Etruscan

Violence of Tarquinius Superbus

1. Murders political opponents

2. Attacks Roman customs

3. Colonizes nearby towns - aggressive foreign policy

Government of the early Roman Republic

PATRICIANS dominate government

1. 2 elected consuls

2. Senate

T/F: Romans forcefully Romanized their neighbors

T

T/F: Romans were willing to adopt other cultures

T

Pietas

Loyalty and duty to one's family, religion, and state - upholding stability of state

What factors determined Roman social hierarchy?

1. Wealth

2. Citizenship

3. Freedom

4. Sex

Classes of Roman society

Patricians --> Equestrians (plebeians) --> Common plebeians (free men) --> Freedmen --> Slaves

Patricians

1. Founding aristocratic & landowning families

2. Inherited status

3. Participation in senate

T/F: as commerce increased, the power of patricians grew.

F: equestrians/plebeians grew in power.

T/F: at first, plebeians were the only social class in Rome that could hold political office.

F: in the early Republic, only patricians could hold public office. Plebeians could not be magistrates, in the senate, or priests.

T/F: freed persons had obligations to their former owners

T: they often became clients

T/F: slaves had bodily autonomy & could choose what work they did.

F.

How were slaves acquired?

1. As prisoners of war

2. Colonization & establishment of client kingdoms

Client kingdom

a state that was allied with, but subject to Rome--often had to give it tribute or slaves/military personnel

How could one become a senator in the early Republic?

1. Be a part of the senatorial class (patricians)

2. Have a father who acted as a senator

Cursus honorum

the path of honor, to move up a level in the political sense; sequence of magistracies

Evolution of equestrians

1. Cavalry consisting of patricians who did not want to participate in the senate

2. Wealthy plebeians who could supply their own horses & participate in the military

3. Wealthy plebeians who focused on commerce & trade.

T/F: by the late Republic, equestrian plebeians were often much wealthier than senators/patricians.

T

T/F: landowning families expanded their power by partaking in commerce.

F: gens & patricians thought that it was undignified to "work" or to participate in business/commerce. When they did take part in business, they did so secretly.

How did plebeians get money?

1. Common jobs

2. Agricultural labor

3. Specialized labor in cities

4. Commerce

T/F: even with the advent of commerce, there was significant social stratification between the social classes of Rome

T

T/F: Roman society had a large middle class.

F