world history review

Senate

A governing body in the Roman Republic made up mainly of patricians; it advised magistrates and controlled finances and foreign policy.

Julius Ceasar

A Roman general and statesman who became dictator for life; his rise to power helped end the Roman Republic and begin the Roman Empire.

Plebians

The common people of Rome—farmers, laborers, and artisans—who fought for political rights against the patricians.

Consuls 

The two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic; they commanded the army and ran the government, serving one-year terms.

Aqueducts

Engineered structures that carried fresh water from distant sources into Roman cities using gravity.

Pax Romana

A 200-year period of peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire (27 BCE–180 CE) that allowed culture, trade, and infrastructure to flourish.

Twelve Tables

Rome’s first written law code (around 450 BCE), which established legal rights and aimed to protect all citizens.

Hannibal

A Carthaginian general known for leading elephants across the Alps during the Second Punic War; one of Rome’s greatest military rivals.

Patricians

The wealthy, landowning upper class in Rome who held most political power during the early Republic.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus; it spread through the Roman Empire and became its official religion under Emperor Constantine.

Punic Wars 

A series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage (264–146 BCE); Rome won and gained dominance over the western Mediterranean.

Constantinople

The new capital of the Roman/Byzantine Empire established by Constantine; located on the Bosporus, it became a major center of trade and culture.

Justinian

A Byzantine emperor (527–565 CE) known for trying to restore the Roman Empire, building the Hagia Sophia, and creating a unified law code.

Justinian codes

A systematic collection of Roman laws organized under Emperor Justinian; it became the foundation for many later European legal systems.