CLA 2103 LEC 4

Did every male citizen in early Rome have the right to vote?

No, only the warriors had voting rights (non-warriors, even patricians, could not vote).

What is a Materfamilias?

The female head of the family.

What are the main weaknesses of the Phalanx formation?

Bad terrain, cavalry charges, flanking maneuvers, and ambushes.

Why did the early Roman army often prefer ambushes over open Phalanx warfare?

The army consisted mostly of farmers, and the Phalanx risked devastating casualties that would destroy their agricultural workforce.

What was the Praetor Maximus?

The highest-ranking praetor, likely acting as a supreme commander or dictator.

What was the role of the Magister Populi?

Master of the Infantry.

What was the role of the Magister Equitum?

Master of the Cavalry.

What did the Tribuni Militum originally do?

They ensured the tribes of warriors were ready for battle, later evolving into logistics and supply officers.

What was the primary conflict in the Struggle of the Orders?

The wealthy, powerful Patrician class vs. the increasingly wealthy but politically disenfranchised Plebeian warrior class.

What was the Comitia Centuriata?

An assembly of 193 centurions from both Patrician and Plebeian classes that elected magistrates.

What was the Concilium Plebis?

A council created to protect the interests of the Plebeians, particularly against debt slavery.

What is nexum?

Debt slavery (where a person could be sold into permanent slavery for unpaid debts).

What specific power did the Tribunes of the Plebs hold?

Veto power to end any political assembly acting against Plebeian interests.

What extreme threat forced the Patricians to agree to the creation of the Twelve Tables?

The threat of stasis (severe civil war between the Patricians and Plebeians).

When were the Roman Laws of the Twelve Tables established?

c. 449 BC

According to the Twelve Tables, what was the maximum weight for chains on a debtor, and why?

15 pounds, to ensure the debtor's body was not permanently damaged since the state still needed them to farm and fight.

How did the Twelve Tables change the economic and legal autonomy of women compared to Etruscan customs?

It mandated that women required male guardians and transferred property ownership to the nearest male relative.

Why did the Twelve Tables state a father lost his legal authority over a son after selling him into slavery three times?

To stop fathers from repeatedly working the system and scamming buyers for a quick influx of cash.