Rome and Christianity

Republic

the period in which the city-state of Rome existed as a republican government

Patrician

ruling class families in ancient Rome; aristocrat or nobleman

Plebeian

general body of free Roman citizens; commoner

Tribune

an official in ancient Rome chosen by the __plebeians__ to protect their interests

consuls

highest elected political office of the Roman Republic; commanded the army, convened and presided over the Senate and the popular assemblies and executed their decrees, and represented the state in foreign affairs

senate

the governing and advisory council that proved to be the most permanent element in the Roman constitution

Dictator

an extraordinary magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned

Legion

a military organization, originally the largest permanent organization in the armies of ancient Rome

Punic Wars

a series of three wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian empire, resulting in the destruction of Carthage

Hannibal

a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War

Carthage

a settlement in what is now known as modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire

Twelve Tables

legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law

forum

a site located at the center of the ancient city of Rome and the location of important religious, political and social activities

civil war

triggered by the rivalry between Julius Caesar and his conservative opposition in the Senate, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Julius Caesar

A member of the First Triumvirate; transformed Rome from a republic to an empire, grabbing power through ambitious political reforms; assassinated

Triumvirate

a group of three men holding power

Agustus

Rome's first emperor; initiating the Pax Romana

Pax Romana

200-year period saw unprecedented peace and economic prosperity throughout the Empire

Inflation

a broad rise in the prices of goods and services across the economy over time, eroding purchasing power for both consumers and businesses

Mercenary

soldiers that are hired to fight rather than being part of a national defense system

Diocletian

split the Roman empire; brought stability, security, and efficient government to the Roman state after nearly half a century of chaos; hated the growing sect of Christians in his empire

Constantine

made Christianity the main religion of Rome, and created Constantinople

Constantinople

A city founded by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great as capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire

Attila

one of the greatest of the barbarian rulers who assailed the Roman Empire. He extracted a yearly tribute in gold from the Eastern Roman Empire and attacked Gaul

Theodosius

establishing the creed of Nicaea as the orthodox doctrine for Christianity

Greco-Roman Culture

the peoples and countries whose culture were extensively and closely influenced by the language, traditions, government and beliefs of the ancient Greeks and Romans

Pompeii

an ancient city in Italy, southeast of Naples: buried by an eruption of Vesuvius

Virgil

ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid

Tacitus

Roman orator and public official. He is widely regarded to have been among the most important Roman historians and to have been one of the greatest prose stylists who wrote in the Latin language

Aqueduct

Romans constructed _______ __throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns.__ ________ water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported mining operations, milling, farms, and gardens

Frescoes

wall paintings as a way to open up and lighten their space

mosiacs

made of stone and glass, which fade hardly at all

Galen

the most influential exponent of the ancient world's cumbersome medical doctrines; many discoveries about modern medicine

Ptolemy

Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist; propounded the geocentric theory of the solar system

Roman System of Law

he legal system of the ancient Romans that includes written and unwritten law, is based on the traditional law and legislation of the assemblies

Jesus

the man who Christians believe is the son of God and whose life, death, and resurrection

apostle

each of the twelve chief __disciples__ of Jesus Christ

Paul

persecuted early Christians - saw Jesus - and became a Christian missionary to the Gentiles; author of several Epistles in the New Testament

Peter

one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus; Catholic; first pope

 bishop

a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority

pope

the Bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church

Gospels

the teaching or __revelation__ of Christ; four of them

New Testament

the second part of the Christian Bible; includes the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, __twenty-one__ __epistles__ by St. Paul

Nicene Creed

formal summary of Christian beliefs; clearer statements regarding the divinity of the Holy Spirit and Christ

First Council of Nicaea

Council established the equality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity and asserted that only the Son became incarnate as Jesus Christ

Augustine

renowned theologian and prolific writer; focuses on Christ's role as the "mediator" between God and man

Edict of Thessalonica

made the Catholicism of Nicene Christians the state church of the Roman Empire

Edict of Milan

Emperor Constantine issued the __________, which decriminalized Christianity and decreed that Roman citizens had religious freedom

Penates

household gods of the Romans and other Latin peoples

Lares

Roman religion, any of numerous tutelary deities

Vesta

the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman religion

Villa

a country house built for rich citizens during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire

Insulae

cramped apartments that poor people usually lived in

Paterfamilias

the male head of a family or household

Circus

Roman Games and gladiator fights, it last hosted chariot races

Pedagogue

a teacher, especially a strict or __pedantic__ one