Roman Empire Vocabulary

Aqueduct

Raised tunnels used to carry water from the mountains to the city.

Attila the Hun

The leader of the Hun Empire who invaded the Roman Empire.

Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Empire split the Roman Empire.

Caesar Octavian Augustus

Julius Caesar's adopted son, who became the next emperor after Caesar’s death.

Checks and Balances

A method of balancing power so that no one group becomes too powerful.

Consuls

The tile of the 2 upper-class citizens elected from the magistrates.

Constantine

The first Christian Emperor of Rome.

Dictator

A ruler during the Roman Empire. This person had total power over the Roman Empire.

Gladiator

A slave or captive who was forced to fight to death in a public arena against another person or wild animal.

Julius Caesar

A great general who fought for the plebeian’s rights and overthrew the republic.

Magistrates

Upper-class citizens who were elected into power by the people.

Patricians

Rome’s upper-class citizens who ran the government.

Pax Romana

The Roman Golden Age during the first 200 years of the Roman Empire.

Plebeians

Rome’s lower class who rebelled when they weren’t being listened to.

Punic Wars

A series of wars between Rome and Carthage.

Republic

A style of government run by elected leaders chosen by the people to represent their views.

Roman Assembly

A group that protected the rights of the plebeians.

Roman Empire

A time in Rome when the government was ruled by a dictator (one person)

Roman Senate

A group of upper-class Romans that advised the leaders.

Tiber River

The physical feature where Rome was built.

Veto

The action of stopping a law from being passed when one group wanted it to and another doesn’t.