rome test

Where is it located?

Peninsula, Mediterranean and other important seas

What is the terrain?

Hilly, Mountains, encouraged city states

How is the farmland?

Soil is much more fertile along the plains

Tiber River

Rome was situated along the Tiber River; fresh water and trade

What mountains surrounded Rome

Alps to the north and Apennines running along much of Italy

What was the legendary founding of Rome? Fable

By Remus and Romulus who were cared for by a she wolf.

How was Rome actually founded?

Around 1000 bc, Latin settlers moved into area

Who influenced Rome

Greeks, southern penninsula and Sicily

Who were the Roman gods?

Greek Gods with new names, some planets are named after them

Who were the Etruscans?

A group from Asia Minor would dominate northern Italy by around 800 bc

What were some of the impacts from the Etruscans?

1. Development of the alphabet= writing system was adopted by the Romans

2. developed Rome into a great city

3. introduced some important skills= art, pottery, construction

4. architecture= use of the arch

5. construction of many roads

How were the Etruscans defeated?

In 509 bc, the Etruscan king was overthrown by the Romans

What was the roman government after the Etruscans?

Government without a king- Republic

What did it mean for : Detested rule for king?

Any roman who tried to become king could be killed without trial

What did the Roman Empire Emphasis on?

Discipline, Strength and Loyalty

What did the Roman Empire Emphasis on?

Strength\>beauty,power\>grace,usefulness\>elegance\>

What were patricians?

Upper class families who's ancestors had found Rome= dominated Roman government=claimed authority to make laws

What were plebeians?

common people=large majority of Roman citizens=artisans,farmers and merchants= free citizens with little political voice

How did birth affect someone's life

Determined one's political and social status

What was required of all male citizens?

10 year of military service before one could serve in public office

What was a legion?

Military unit of 4000 to 6000, could be broken into smaller units=centuries, more flexible than Greek phalanxes

What was Roman cavalry?

soldiers on horseback

What were Roman weapons?

sling, javelins, spears, and swords

How long would the Roman Republic last?

500 years

What is the definition of Republic

Government in which elected officials govern for citizens

How was it different from the Athenian government?

only wealthy citizens could govern+became a government of wealthy landowners

Who had all the governmental power in the early days of the Roman Republic?

Patricians

What are consuls?

two executives (patrician class) that are chosen to manage the government

What was Roman Dictators

the Romans feared a ruler who had total power-however, they realized there might be times when such a ruler would be needed

When might a Roman dictator be needed?

1. Invasions

2. Natural disasters

How were Roman dictators chosen?

Only chosen during times of emergencies=only 6 month terms

What was the Roman Senate?

made up of patricians(300) who serve for life= ran economy and foreign affairs, important government offices

What caused many conflicts because of Patricians?

Patricians tried to keep political power out of the hands of plebeians (poor people)

What were some Plebeian demands?

1. ability to hold important positions

2. ability to marry patricians

3. greater say in government

How did the Plebeians make their demands happen?

1. Protested

2. refusal to serve in military

What did the Patricians do?

Eventually the Patricians fearing a civil war, gave some political power to the Plebeians

What were some of the Plebeian reforms?

Creation of the Assembly(500 bc)- pass laws for common people-election of tribunes who could veto actions of Consuls and Senate

What were the Twelve Tables? 451bc

written code of laws- carved on 12 tablets and displayed in the Forum-common people now had the right of protection of the law

What was the Roman Forum?

It was the location of important government buildings and temples. It was also a popular meeting place for citizens.

What was another Plebeian reform?

Enslavement for debt abolished, plebeians could marry patricians, could serve in high governmental positions as wells as consuls (339bc), could make all laws(Assembly) and could become members of the Roman Senate, Equal rights granted to plebeians

How did Rome first start expanding?

gained control of entire peninsula and then create an empire

What did the Roman Empire realize when the Gauls attacked?

The Romans would need to build its military

What were the steps needed to start expanding the Empire?

It fought with the Greeks which occupied the southern part of the peninsula from 282 Bc to 275 Bc

What happened in the first war between the Greeks and the Romans?

Despite the help of General Pyrrhus, the Greeks won the battles and lost the war=suffered too many casualties to continue fighting

What was the second step of Expansion

After control of peninsula set it's eyes for more, a former colony of phoenicia, Carthage had grown into the dominant power in the Mediterranean

What are the three wars between Rome and the Carthage called?

Punic Wars

What would the winner of the Punic Wars win?

Gain control of the Mediterranean and the wealthy trade

What was the cause of the first Punic War? 264-241 BC

Carthage feared Rome would take over Sicily while Rome was afraid Carthage would cut off their sea routes

What were the results of the First Punic War?

Rome forced Carthage to ask for peace and Sicily belongs to Rome

Roman Expansion after the First Punic War?

Rome gained control over Greece and parts of the Middle East, Rome was no becoming the dominant power in the Mediterranean and Carthage did not like it

How did the 2nd Punic War begin? 219-202

Carthage tried to conquer all of Spain- Rome had colonies in Spain

How did Carthage attack in the 2nd Punic war?

Led by Hannibal who assembled an army of 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants had invaded Rome via Alps, less than 1/2 of his troops and none of his elephants survived the trip

During the second Punic War, what happened to Hannibal?

He had many successes in Rome and fed off the land, the Battle of Cannae was the site of his greatest victory- over 50,000 Romans killed including Senators and Consuls

How did the Romans fair against the Carthagens?

The Romans had many losses, regrouped under General Scipio

What was Scipio's strategy in the Second Punic War?

Decided not to meet Hannibal head on and let him wander the countryside, the walls surrounding Rome made it impossible for Hannibal to conquer the city,

How did Scipio finnaly stop Hannibal attacking Rome?

Scipio attacked Carthage, forcing Hannibal to return to fight a major battle Battle of Zama - 202 BC

What happened during the Battle of Zama?

At Zama, Hannibal felt confident with his elephants However, the Romans had a strategy - make loud noises by yelling which scared the elephants. Carthage lost 40,000 soldiers and Hannibal advised Carthage to ask for

peace

How did the Carthage Senate start their own downfall?

Did not send heavy weaponry to Hannibal so he could take Rome

What were the Carthagen repurcusions?

The second war came to an end and Carthage lost Spain and had to pay a 50 year indemnity. Carthage was reduced to North Africa

Which Roman senator said "Carthage must be destroyed"

Cato

How did the Third Punic War begin?

In 149 BC Rome decided to crush Carthage once and for all

What happened to happened to Hannibal?

Hannibal had never stopped fighting the Romans, but was trapped near Turkey and took poison - he was not around for the Third Punic War

Who led the Romans in the 3rd Punic War?

Led by Scipio the Younger, Rome crushed Carthage, destroyed the city, and enslaved the remaining Carthaginians

What were the results of the 3rd Punic War?

Rome = Control Over the Entire Mediterranean, 197 BC - Rome gained control over Greece and freed her from Philip V of

Macedonia, 133 BC - parts of Asia Minor gained by Rome

How did the Roman Republic start to fall?

Expansion Created Problems at Home; Rome's Expansion = Problems at Home

What were the affects of all the Punic Wars?

Victory over Carthage and Rome's expansion created many positives and negatives results

What f*cked up thing did the Romans do after the third Punic War?

They threw salt in their crop fields stopping crops grow and still continue to stop some plants grow in that certain area

What were some of the negatives of the Punic Wars?

1. Failure of the small farmers

2. Increasing population in cities

3. growing gap between rich and poor

How did small farms fall after the Punic Wars?

1. problems competing against large farmers and importing of foreign crops

2. Hannibal caused great destruction

3. growing gap between the rich and poor

How did the growing population make it difficult for the Romans?

growing unemployment

overcrowded cities= poor housing= insulaes/dirty conditions

How did the gap between the rich and the poor grow?

-much of the wealth from Punic; Wars went to rich = luxurious living while poor were suffering / owning slaves; instead of hiring workers

What was the new problem after the Punic Wars?

the patricians feared a revolt by the poor(a new group emerged=proletariat=urban, landless poor=poorest Romans)

How did the patricians try to control the problems of the plebeians?

Tried to take minds of the poor off their problems; Feasts, circuses, games, and gladiator contests= Coliseum+circus Maximus

Who was the most important person who could help the plebeians

tribune = veto power + ability to create reforms

Who were the two Gracchus brothers?

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus

What were they trying to do?

They were determined to improve the conditions for the poor

What was Tiberius's position in government?

elected as tribune by the Assembly in 133 BC

What did Tiberius accomplish?

Proposed Reforms

• 1. limit the size of large estates

• 2. take lands taken away and distribute to the poor

• 3. attempted to be reelected as tribune = never done before

How did Patricians react to Tiberius?

Many patricians in the Senate began to fear the proposed reforms of Tiberius as well as his growing popularity

What did the patricians fear would eventually happen to Tiberius?

He would eventually become king

What did the Patricians do?

The patricians plotted against Tiberius

How did he die

On election day, Tiberius and 300 of his supporters were clubbed to death; The body of Tiberius was thrown into the Tiber River; The Senate was not willing to lose its wealth at the expense of the poor