The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome

Who were the three major groups that contributed to the start of Rome?

Latins

Where were the Latins located?

Latium/Central Italy

Who were the original settlers of Rome?

Latins

Where were the Greeks located in Italy?

Magna Graecia/Southern Italy

What did the Greeks contribute to Rome?

Advanced civilization

Where were the Etruscans located?

Etruria/Northern Italy

What did the Etruscans do in Latium?

Conquered the Latins and established a monarchy

What were some major Etruscan contributions to Rome?

Drained swamps

What is the legend of Rome’s founding?

Twin brothers Romulus and Remus

What happened to Romulus and Remus as infants?

Thrown into the Tiber River and rescued by a she-wolf

How did Rome’s first king come to power?

Romulus killed Remus and became king

Who were the first Roman senators?

Romulus’ best 100 warriors

When was Rome officially founded?

753 BC

When did the Roman Republic begin?

509 BC

What is the legend behind the start of the Republic?

A Latin noblewoman was raped by an Etruscan king’s son

How was the Republic structured politically?

Three major tiers

Who were the consuls?

Two officials (one military

What powers did the consuls have?

Could veto each other

Who was a Roman dictator?

A temporary ruler appointed in times of crisis with imperium over both military and state

How long could a Roman dictator rule?

Six months or less

What was the Senate?

A governing body of 300 members elected for life

What was the Centuriate Assembly?

A legislative body comprised of citizen-soldiers that elected consuls and senators

How was the Roman army organized?

Into legions

What was a legion?

A military unit of about 5

What was a century?

A subunit of 80-100 men

What were the two major Roman social classes?

Patricians and Plebeians

Who were the patricians?

The noble class

Who were the plebeians?

Commoners (farmers

What was the Struggle of the Orders?

The plebeians’ fight for political rights

What was the role of the tribunes?

Elected officials who spoke for plebeians in the Senate

What were the Twelve Tables (450 BC)?

Rome’s first codified laws

What rights did plebeians gain over time?

Right to marry patricians (445 BC)

What was clientage in Rome?

A system of patronage

Who were clients?

Often citizen-soldiers needing support

Who were patrons?

Wealthy patricians or senators who provided clients with necessities

What did patrons provide for clients?

Food

What did clients owe their patrons?

Loyalty and political support

By when had Rome conquered Italy?

270 BC

What were the three categories of conquered people?

Full citizens

Who received full Roman citizenship?

Latin-descended people

What rights did partial citizens have?

Could live in Rome

What obligations did Roman allies have?

Pay taxes

What were the Punic Wars?

Three conflicts between Rome and Carthage

Who founded Carthage?

The Phoenicians

What started the First Punic War?

Rome helped Messina against Carthage

What was the result of the First Punic War?

Rome won and took Sicily

How did Hannibal attack Rome in the Second Punic War?

Through the north

What was the Battle of Cannae?

Rome’s worst military defeat

Who was Scipio Africanus?

A Roman general who led forces against Carthage in Africa

What was the Battle of Zama?

The decisive Roman victory over Carthage

Why did the Third Punic War happen?

Carthage attacked without Rome’s permission

What was the result of the Third Punic War?

Rome destroyed Carthage

What happened to Hannibal?

He fled east and committed suicide to avoid capture

What was the foundation of Roman society?

The family

What role did the father have?

Held imperium over children

What rights did Roman women have?

Some were citizens but had limited rights

What was cum manu marriage?

A marriage where the woman passed from her father’s control to her husband’s

What was sine manu marriage?

A marriage where the woman remained under her father’s control

Who was responsible for education in Rome?

Families

What were patrician boys expected to learn?

Latin

Where did Rome get most of its slaves?

Warfare and debt

Who were the Gracchi brothers?

Reformers in the late Republic

What did Tiberius Gracchus advocate for?

Land reform (133 BC)

What happened to Tiberius Gracchus?

He was killed by senators

What happened to Gaius Gracchus?

He continued land reforms but was also killed in 122 BC

Who was Marius?

A Roman general elected consul multiple times

What were Marius’ military reforms?

The state provided soldiers’ supplies and wages

How did Marius’ reforms change soldier loyalty?

Soldiers became more loyal to generals than Rome

What was the Social War (90-88 BC)?

A revolt of free Italians demanding Roman citizenship

Who was Sulla?

A Roman general appointed to fight Mithridates

What did Sulla do in Rome?

Marched on the city

What were Sulla’s reforms?

Expanded the Senate

When did Sulla resign?

79 BC

What was the First Triumvirate?

An alliance of three generals: Crassus

Who was Crassus?

A wealthy leader later killed in battle

Who was Pompey?

A general who conquered Syria and Palestine

Who was Julius Caesar?

A general who gained power in Gaul and later took Rome

What happened to Julius Caesar?

He was assassinated by senators on the Ides of March

What was the Second Triumvirate?

An alliance formed to avenge Caesar’s death

Who were the members of the Second Triumvirate?

Mark Antony

What happened to Mark Antony?

He allied with Cleopatra and was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium (31 BC)

Who became the most powerful leader after the Second Triumvirate?

Octavian

Who was Augustus?

The first emperor of Rome

What title did Augustus prefer?

"Princeps" (first citizen)

What period did Augustus’ rule begin?

Pax Romana (27 BC - 180 AD)

What was the Praetorian Guard?

An elite troop protecting the emperor

What was Rome’s literary Golden Age?

A period of flourishing literature and culture

Who wrote the "Aeneid"?

Virgil

Who wrote "Metamorphoses" and was later exiled?

Ovid

Who was Livy?

A historian who wrote "History of Rome"

What was the Julio-Claudian Dynasty?

Rome’s first imperial family

Who was Tiberius?

Emperor during Jesus’ crucifixion

Who was Caligula?

A mentally unstable emperor who made his horse consul

Who was Claudius?

An emperor who expanded Rome but was poisoned by his wife

Who was Nero?

An emperor blamed for Rome’s fire who persecuted Christians

What was the Year of Four Emperors?

69 AD

Who stabilized Rome after the Year of Four Emperors?

Vespasian

These should be great for studying! Let me know if you need modifications