Roman Republic Review Guide 2023.docx

Peninsula

A land surrounded by water on three sides.

Alps

Mountain range that protects Italy from harsh climate.

Apennine Mountains

Mountain range running along the east coast of Italy.

Tiber River

River on which Rome is located.

Etruscans

People who conquered and civilized the Romans, influenced Roman religion.

Monarchy

Government with a king.

Roman Republic

Government where people elect leaders to make laws.

Forum

Plaza with temples, public buildings, and a marketplace.

Patricians

Roman noblemen who held political power.

Plebeians (plebs)

Roman common people.

Consuls

Executive power in the Roman government, had a one-year term and veto power over each other.

Veto

Power of consuls to reject each other's decisions.

Censor

Official who counts the population for tax purposes.

Praetors

Judges in ancient Rome.

Aedile

Official in charge of streets, sewer, roads, and games.

Dictator

Person appointed by the senate to have temporary absolute power in a crisis.

Slaves

Individuals who were debtors, criminals, or prisoners of war.

Patron-Client Relationship

Agreement where free men promised their votes to upperclassmen in exchange for help.

Mythical founding of Rome?

Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the war god Mars and rhea silvia, a descendant of Aeneas, who founded rome. A mythical story where they were left by their uncle and raised by a female wolf. When they grew they built a city in the hills, and bickered over the hill where the city would be. Romulus killed Remus and named the city after himself.

Civil law (jus civile)

Laws that applied to citizens concerning property ownership, inheritance, and contracts.

"Law of the peoples" (jus gentium)

Rules and laws common to various nations under the Roman empire.

Struggle of the Orders

Conflict between plebes and patricians due to inequality between classes.

Twelve Tables

First written code of laws in ancient Rome.

Plebeian assembly

Elected assembly representing the plebes.

Tribunes

Elected officials who could veto laws hurting the plebes.

Gauls (Celts)

People who sacked Rome in 387 BC.

Pyrrhus

King of Epirus in western Greece.

Importance of roads

Allowed for communication, movement of armies, and trade.

Expansion of citizenship

Granting of citizenship to allies and increased population and wealth.

Roman religion

Belief in multiple gods, influenced by Greeks and Etruscans.

Augurs

Oracles or fortune tellers.

Pontifex Maximus

Chief priest in ancient Rome.

Vestal Virgins

Priestesses who kept the eternal flame alive.

Saturnalia

Harvest holiday celebrated on December 25th.

Carthage

Rome's rival city with a strong navy and empire.

Punic Wars

Series of wars between Rome and Carthage.

First Punic War

Rome wins and gains Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia.

Second Punic War

Hannibal, Carthaginian commander, attacks Rome but fails to capture it.

Scipio Africanus

Roman dictator who defeats Hannibal in the Battle of Zama.

Battle of Zama

Battle where Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal.

Macedonian Wars

Wars in which Rome conquers Macedonia and Greece.

Third Punic War

Rome destroys Carthage and claims North Africa.

Cato the Elder

Roman senator who advocated for the destruction of Carthage.

Roman family

A social unit in ancient Rome consisting of a father, mother, and their children, where the father had complete power over the children and the wife.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary control and power over the family or society.

Paterfamilias

The male head of the household in ancient Rome who had authority and control over the family members.

Hellenization of Rome

The process by which Greek influence became strong in Roman culture, particularly in areas such as literature, eating habits, bathing customs, and other traditions.

"Captive Greece took her Captor Captive" by Horace

A phrase used to describe the situation where Rome conquered Greece, but Rome itself became heavily influenced by Greek culture, almost as if Greece had conquered Rome.