Ancient Rome and Greece History: Quiz 2

Prof. Armstrong

Brutus:

a Roman politician and senator famous for leading the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC; Fearing that Caesar’s rise as dictator for life would destroy the Republic and bring back tyranny, Brutus joined a conspiracy to kill him on the Ides of March

Camillus:

a critical Roman general and statesman of the early Roman Republic who saved Rome from total ruin and earned the title "Second Founder of Rome". He lived from roughly 448 to 365 BC, long before Rome became an empire; he captured Veii

Cincinnatus:

was a 5th-century BC Roman statesman and farmer who became a legendary symbol of civic virtue, civic duty, and selfless leadership during the early Roman Republic; In 458 BC, when a Roman army was trapped by an enemy tribe (the Aequi), the Roman Senate appointed Cincinnatus as absolute dictator

Collantinus:

was a foundational noble in early Roman history, but he was important to the Roman Republic, not the Roman Empire. He lived during the late 6th century BCE, roughly 500 years before Rome became an empire; Collatinus was married to Lucretia, a Roman noblewoman celebrated for her virtue. According to Roman historical tradition, the king’s son, Sextus Tarquinius, secretly went to Collatinus's home and raped Lucretia. After revealing the assault to her husband and father, Lucretia committed suicide to preserve her honor

Coriolanus:

(born Gnaeus Marcius) was a legendary 5th-century BC Roman general who mattered as a symbol of military brilliance and political hubris in the early Roman Republic, rather than the later Roman Empire

Lucretia:

a noble roman woman whose tragic assault and suicide directly triggered the revolution that overthrew the Roman monarchy and founded the Roman Republic

Publicola:

a foundational Roman statesman who helped overthrow the final Roman king and establish the Roman Republic in 509 BC; he was an aristocrat who led the revolt alongside Lucius Junius Brutus to expel King Tarquin the Proud.

Sextus Tarquinnius:

an important figure in early Roman legend because his actions caused the overthrow of the Roman monarchy and the birth of the Roman Republic; He was the son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king of Rome. While his father's harsh rule angered the people, Sextus created a crisis that ended the kingdom entirely

Titus Manlius Torquatus:

a famous general and politician of the early Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus who shaped Roman ideas of military discipline

Volumnia:

 was an important female figure in Roman history, but she belonged to the Roman Republic rather than the Roman Empire. Historically, she is remembered as either the wife or the mother of the legendary, exiled general Gaius Marcius Coriolanus 

Aedile:

an elected magistrate in the Roman Republic responsible for the daily upkeep, commerce, and public games of Rome; Aediles funded games and public works largely out of their own pockets. Success here won deep affection and votes from the Roman public, launching future leaders like Julius Caesar to higher offices like consul

Aequi:

an ancient warlike Italic tribe from the Apennine Mountains who fought fiercely against the early Roman Republic in the fifth and fourth centuries BC

Augur:

a religious official who interpreted omens, known as auspices, to find out if the gods approved or disapproved of proposed actions; belonged to an esteemed religious college and held their prestigious positions for life

Auspices (Auspicism):

a religious practice of observing natural signs—chiefly the behavior, flight, and feeding of birds—to discover whether the gods approved or disapproved of a proposed action

Auxilium:

were corps of non-citizen soldiers who served alongside the citizen legions in the Roman army. Formally reorganized by Emperor Augustus after 27 BC, they were recruited from the provinces and conquered territories of the expanding empire

Battle of the Caudone Forks 321: a bloodless ambush during the Second Samnite War where Samnite forces trapped two entire Roman consular armies in a narrow mountain pass and forced them into a shameful surrender

a bloodless ambush during the Second Samnite War where Samnite forces trapped two entire Roman consular armies in a narrow mountain pass and forced them into a shameful surrender

Campus Martius:

a public, low-lying floodplain in ancient Rome covering about 250 hectares north of the city's historic center

Censor:

a powerful magistrate in the Roman Republic responsible for counting the population, managing state finances, and supervising public morality

Centuriate assembly:

a primary popular assembly of the Roman Republic organized by wealth and age groups called centuries

Colonia:

a settlement established by the Roman state in conquered territory, typically populated by Roman citizens or military veterans

Comitium:

the original open-air public meeting space of ancient Rome located in the northwest corner of the Roman Forum

Concilium:

the official assembly of the common people in ancient Rome, from which the hereditary nobility (patricians) were excluded; Only plebeians (average working citizens, farmers, and craftsmen) could join and vote in this council; It was created around 494 BCE during the Conflict of the Orders—a massive social strike where plebeians refused to fight in Rome's military until they received political rights

Consul:

one of the two jointly ruling, annually elected chief magistrates who led the government and military of the Roman Republic; Two consuls served at the same time for a one-year term to prevent any single person from holding absolute royal power

Contio:

an official, non-voting public meeting convened by a magistrate or a tribune where speeches were delivered to the citizens

Curule chair:

a portable, X-shaped folding stool in ancient Rome that served as the official seat and ultimate symbol of political and legal authority for high-ranking government officials

Decemviri:

in ancient Rome, any official commission of 10. The designation is most often used in reference to decemviri legibus scribundis, a temporary legislative commission that supplanted the regular magistracy from 451 to 449 bc. It was directed to construct a code of laws that would resolve the power struggle between the patricians and the plebeians.

Dictator:

in the Roman Republic, a temporary magistrate with extraordinary powers, nominated by one of two consuls on the recommendation of the Senate and confirmed by the Comitia Curiata (a popular assembly). The dictatorship was a permanent office among some of the Latin states of Italy, but at Rome it was resorted to only in times of military, and later internal, crises.

Fasces:

a bundle of wooden rods tied around an axe in ancient Rome, serving as the ultimate material symbol of a magistrate's absolute power and authority; The rods represented the power to administer corporal punishment (flogging), and the axe symbolized capital punishment (beheading or execution)

First Samnite War 343-341:

a brief military conflict between the Roman Republic and the Samnite Wars hill tribes of central-southern Italy, triggered when Rome intervened to protect the wealthy city of Capua from Samnite attacks

Gauls:

a collection of Celtic tribes from Western Europe who became one of ancient Rome's most feared enemies and, later, one of its most vital provinces

Imperium:

Derived from the Latin word for "command," it was the ultimate power held by specific high-ranking officials like consuls, praetors, and dictators

Lares:

guardian spirits in ancient Roman religion who protected specific places, homes, neighborhoods, and the Roman state

Latin War 341-338:

(fought from 340 to 338 BC, sometimes dated from 341 BC) was a decisive military conflict between the Roman Republic and its former allies in the neighboring Latin League

Lex Hortensia:

a law passed in ancient Rome in 287 BCE that made decisions of the plebeian assembly legally binding on all citizens without needing approval from the Senate

Licinian-Sextian laws:

a package of pivotal reform bills passed in ancient Rome in 367 BCE that ended a political deadlock by opening the highest offices of government to common citizens and easing crippling debt

Lituus:

a curved wooden staff used by Roman priests called augurs to mark sacred spaces and read signs from the gods

Magister equitum:

(Master of the Horse) was the second-in-command and chief lieutenant appointed by a Roman dictator during the Roman Republic

Military tribune:

a high-ranking officer in the ancient Roman army who served as a commander and administrator

Municipium:

a community incorporated into the Roman state after the dissolution of the Latin League. Initially, inhabitants of such municipalities were considered Roman citizens without voting rights.

Patrician:

the wealthy, ruling-class noble families in ancient Rome who held a monopoly on political, religious, and legal power during the early Republic

Penates:

guardian deities in ancient Roman religion who protected the individual household and the entire Roman state

Plebeian:

a general free citizen and commoner in ancient Rome—including farmers, tradesmen, and workers—who made up the vast majority of the population. They were important because their labor powered Rome's economy and their political resistance shaped the structure of the Roman Republic

Plebeian assembly:

an exclusive legislative assembly for Rome's common citizens, known as plebeians, that allowed them to vote on laws and elect their own officials

Pontifex:

the supreme high priest and head of the state religion in ancient Rome; A pontifex was a member of the College of Pontiffs, which was the most powerful group of priests in Rome. The title's name likely comes from Latin words meaning "bridge builder," representing a literal or symbolic link between humans and the gods

Praetor:

an elected Roman magistrate ranking just below a consul, with primary responsibilities centered on leading law courts, administering justice, and commanding military forces

Proletarii:

the poorest class of citizens in ancient Rome who owned no land and served the state mainly by having children.

Quaestor:

the lowest-ranking regular public official (magistrate) in ancient Rome, primarily responsible for financial administration, managing the state treasury, and auditing accounts

Sabines:

an ancient Italic tribe from the central Italian mountains who played a key role in the creation and early growth of Rome

Sacrosanctity:

a status of absolute physical inviolability and sacred protection granted to specific individuals—most notably the Tribunes of the Plebs—making any harm or interference against them both a severe crime and a religious sacrilege

Secession:

a protest where common citizens (plebeians) walked out of the city to strike against the ruling elite (patricians)

Second Samnite War 326-304:

a long, brutal conflict fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnite federation for control over central and southern Italy

Senones:

an ancient Celtic (Gallic) tribe from the Seine basin in Gaul that migrated into northeastern Italy around 400 BC and became one of early Rome's most terrifying and consequential enemies

Third Samnite War 298-290:

a major military conflict between the Roman Republic and the Samnite tribes of central Italy, marking the final, desperate struggle of the Samnites to block Roman dominance

Toga praetexta:

an official white woolen toga featuring a broad, reddish-purple stripe along its border

Tribal assembly:

a civilian public assembly in ancient Rome where citizens were organized into geographic voting districts called tribes

Tribune of the plebs:

an individual political office held by a plebeian official who often presided over a closely related all-plebeian assembly

Twelve Tables:

the first written code of law in ancient Rome, carved onto bronze tablets and displayed publicly in the Roman Forum around 451–450 BCE; They covered basic legal procedures, property rights, family authority, debt, and penalties for crimes; Publishing the rules gave ordinary working citizens (plebeians) a way to know their rights and defend against financial or legal abuse

Vestal Virgin:

a group of six elite priestesses in ancient Rome dedicated to tending the sacred, perpetual fire of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth; They were critically important because Romans believed the survival and prosperity of the entire empire were tied to the safety of that sacred flame; if it went out, it signaled a catastrophic failure of the state's divine favor

Volsci:

ancient Italic people prominent in the history of Roman expansion during the 5th century bc. They belonged to the Osco-Sabellian group of tribes and lived (c. 600 bc) in the valley of the upper Liris River. Later events, however, drove them first westward and then south to the fertile land of southern Latium.

“Struggle of the Orders”:

a centuries-long political and social conflict between Rome's two main classes—the wealthy, aristocratic patricians and the common working-class plebeians—lasting from roughly 500 BC to 287 BC