Rome Revision Document Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering Ancient Roman society, hierarchy, military, daily life, and the fall of the empire based on lecture notes.

Civilisation

A complex human society, often urban, with organised government, social classes, art, technology, and writing.

Regal Period

The era from $753\,BCE$ to $509\,BCE$ during which Rome was ruled by kings.

Republican Period

The era from $509\,BCE$ to $27\,BCE$ during which Rome was governed by elected officials.

Imperial Period

The era from $27\,BCE$ to $476\,CE$ during which Rome was ruled by emperors.

Romulus and Remus

The twin brothers, sons of the war god Mars and raised by a she-wolf, who according to legend founded Rome on $\text{April 21, 753\,BC}$.

Hierarchy

A system where people are organised into different levels of power and status.

Citizen

A person who belonged to Rome and had legal rights and responsibilities.

Patricians

A small, elite group of wealthy landowners and descendants of the ruling class who held leadership positions and could interpret or veto laws.

Equites

High ranking citizens in the military (knights and cavalry) who were influential in politics and business.

Plebeians

The middle or lower class that comprised most of the population, including shopkeepers, artisans, soldiers, and farmers.

Peregrini

Free men from outside Rome (non-citizens) who made up $80\%$ of the Empire’s population by the second century $CE$.

Freedmen (Liberti)

Former slaves who were set free or paid for freedom and held a restricted form of citizenship.

Slaves

People with no rights, often prisoners of war or foreigners, who made up $30\%$ to $40\%$ of the population by the first century $BCE$.

Latifundia

Massive rural estates driven by agricultural slave labor.

Ergastula

Prison-like barracks where field slaves were housed.

Familia urbana

Domestic slaves who lived inside wealthy households performing daily chores and managing finances.

Manumission

The legal process through which slaves in ancient Rome gained their freedom.

Mount Vesuvius

The volcano that erupted on $24\,\text{August}\ 79\,CE$, burying the city of Pompeii.

Giuseppe Fiorelli

The archaeologist who, in $1863$, poured plaster into hollow spaces in the volcanic ash to create detailed casts of eruption victims.

Legion

A unit of the Roman army containing about $5,000$ soldiers.

Galea

The helmet used by Roman soldiers for protecting the head.

Scutum

A Roman shield used to protect the soldier and form shield walls like the testudo.

Lorica segmentata

Flexible armor created out of segments or parts joined together to protect the head and body.

Caligae

Strong military sandals that allowed Roman soldiers to march long distances.

Gladius

A short sword used by Roman soldiers for close hand-to-hand fighting.

Pugio

A small dagger used as a backup weapon by Roman soldiers.

Pilum

A heavy spear thrown before close combat to weaken the enemy.

Trajan’s Column

A monument built in $AD\,113$ covered with stone reliefs celebrating Emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars.

The Colosseum

One of the largest amphitheatres ever built, opened in $80\,CE$, holding around $50,000$ spectators for public spectacles.

Ludi

The name for gladiator schools.

Conspirator

A person who secretly plans with others to overthrow or harm someone.

Assassination

The planned killing of an important person, usually for political reasons.

Dictator

A ruler given complete power over a country.

Aqueducts

Massive networks used to bring water from nearby mountains, rivers, and lakes to Roman cities.

Villas

Large country houses for wealthy people, usually surrounded by farmland.

Insulaes

Crowded, noisy, and uncomfortable apartments where ordinary Romans lived.

Toga

The garment worn by an adult male Roman citizen.

Stola

The garment worn by married women citizens in Rome.

Caldarium

A heated room located within the Roman baths.

Mercenaries

Foreign soldiers, such as those from Germanic tribes like the Goths and Vandals, hired to fill the ranks of the Roman army.

Visigoths

The group led by Alaric that invaded and sacked the city of Rome in $410\,CE$.