Key Terms and Definitions of Ancient Rome: A Study of Republic, Founding Figures, Governance, and Significant Leaders

Romulus

Founder of Rome

Republic

Form of government that Rome used

Rome's first set of laws

Twelve Tables

Dictator of Rome that founded the first triumvirate

Julius Caesar (NOT THE FIRST EMPEROR!)

Brother of Romulus

Remus

Father of Remus and Romulus

Mars

Mark Antony

Caesar's right hand man

Cleopatra

Queen of Egypt

Why was Rome an ideal place for living?

They had good education, it was safe and clean, and the economy was stable.

First Triumvirate

Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus

Graccus brothers

brothers who attempted to make reforms for the poor; were killed by fellow Romans as a result of their efforts

Graccus brothers

two Roman people that attempted to make reforms for the poor; killed by the senate

Rubicon

River that Julius Caesar crossed that sparked a civil war

Octavian was also known as

Caesar Augustus

Pax Romana

Time period of peace and prosperity throughout Rome

Hannibal

Genius military tactician from Carthage

First Punic War

Rome and Carthage fight over control of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, and most of the Mediterranean

Second Punic War

Hannibal invades Rome from the Alps with elephants. (Went through Gaul)

Third Punic War

Rome is not content after 50 years of peace with Carthage, so they invade and completely destroy it

Carthage

Powerful city in Northern Africa

Patricians

Wealthy landowners that had a lot of power in Rome

Plebeians

Working class of Rome; had some (very little) power in Rome

Brutus

Assassin of Julius Caesar

What is March 15th often called?

Ides of March

Battle of Actium

Battle in which Mark Antony and Cleopatra would commit suicide

Cleopatra

Had relationships with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar; enemy of Octavian

Battle of Zama

Scipio defeats Hannibal and ends the Second Punic War

Battle of Cannae

Hannibal encircles the Romans; known as his greatest victory

Spartacus

Roman gladiator that lead an army of 70,000 slaves

Tiber River

River that flows through Rome

Caligula (37-41)

mentally unstable, killed his own sister, assassinated by his own Praetorian Guard

Nero (54-68)

loved popularity, played the fiddle while Rome was burning to the ground, persecuted Christians

Nerva (96-98)

wise and moderate emperor, started the tradition of finding the best possible successor during his reign

Trajan (98-117)

known for his military conquests, had many building projects, emperor when Rome was at its peak

Hadrian (117-138)

traveled across the empire, built a famous wall to defend against barbarians, built the Pantheon

Antoninus Pius (138-161)

prioritized the arts and sciences, let governors make decisions in their provinces, lead the most peaceful period in Rome's history

Marcus Aurelius (161-180)

defended the empire very well, great military leader, philosopher known for Meditations

Commodus (180-192)

son of Marcus Aurelius, killed his senators, almost bankrupted the treasury, fought in gladiator contests, assassinated by his own wrestling partner

Diocletian (284-305)

divided the empire into eastern and western parts, fixed the economy, all people have to follow their father's job

Byzantium

capital of the Eastern Roman Empire

Constantine (312-337)

created the Edict of Milan, ordered the building of Constantinople

Attila

leader of the Huns

Visigoths

powerful Germanic tribe that rebelled against the Romans, led by Alaric

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Vandals

sacked Rome, marked the end of the Western Roman Empire

Aqueducts

structure that moved water

Etruscans

native people from northern Italy

Greeks

people that lived in southern Italy and Sicily

Latins

built original settlement at Rome

Consul

2 officials that served a one year term, could be a dictator during wartime

Tribunes

elected to protect plebeian interests

Ptolemy

Develeloped geocentric model

Second Triumvirate

Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus

Size of the Roman Empire

British Isles to Middle East

Other name for the Mediterranean

Roman Lake

Romulus and Remus were raised by what animal?

wolf

Praetors

judges that served during the Roman Republic

Political, economic, social, and tribal problems were...

Causes of the fall of Rome

Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily are

Islands off the west coast of Italy

When can a consul become a dictator?

during wartime

How did the geography of Rome differ from that of Greece?

Rome was much less mountainous

How did the Romans view the gods? (visually)

As regular human beings.