Western Civilization Roman Republic

LeFores Western Civilization Roman Republic test study Guide

Romulus and Remus

Founders of Rome raised by Wolves Romulus kills remus and they name the city Rome after him

Latium

Area in which Rome is founded in which is why the language is called Latin

The 3 groups of people who are responsible for Rome’s founding

Latins & Etruscan & Greeks → Romans

Impact of geography on Rome’s founding

Had almost all advantages and very few disadvantages I.E. fertile soil defended in the North by Alps Tiber River made it easier to defend and allowed them to trade

Cincinnatus

Retired Roman consul who was the ideal dictator who gave back power when he was done rather than holding on to power and he is George Washington on Rome

Imperium

RIght to rule and command troops aka executive power

Role of the Senate in the republic

300 people usually in the senate they were patricians and they served for life didn’t pass laws but their advice was taken when making laws

Consul

highest official in their government equivalent to our president they had two and each had veto power over the other and served for only one year

Paterfamilias

eldest male represents the power in public could sell his kids into slavery condemn his children to death and initiated marriages and divorces

Numina

spiritual forces that were like micro gods that had a role in influencing human events

Polybius’ view of the Roman Constitution

Monarchy & Oligarchy & Democracy

Twelve Tables

written law code that was placed on bronze tablets for everyone to see the idea was that written law helped the powerless not the powerful

Pyrrhic Victory

Pyrus fought against Greece to expel Greece from Southern Italy and Greece wins all of the battles but Greece decides to just leave because it was so expensive (a victory not worth the cost)

Hannibal’s invasion of Rome

Father lost a war to Rome so Hannibal was 7 when he took a blood oath against Rome and brings 37 elephants through the Alps and the Romans thought they were monsters Italians are more scared of being Carthagenians rather than Romans

Battle of Cannae

lost 70K troops and nearly brought down the Roman empire

Scipio Africanus and the Battle of Zama

Rome was going to wait Hannibal out in hopes he would just leave when he ran out of supplies but Hannibal doesn’t leave so the Romans attack Carthage at Zama led by Scipio Africanus who is the most important General until Pompey and ends Carthadge

Jugartha (“one of history’s greatest rascals” )

symbol of corruption he bribed Roman officials for years and got away with all of his problems

Social War

Italian allies in the Italian Peninsula wanted more spoils of war from the Romans so they revolted and is resolved by Rome giving citizenship to all Italians

Plight of the landless farmers (aka “The Land Problem”)

at the end of the Republic there is a group of unstable farmers who are being disconnected from the land because the Roman government was taking their land for they sell land and now they can not be in the military since the government requires you to be a landowner to serve in the military

Latifundia

plantation Roman edition

Gracchi Reforms

established that the government should pay for soldiers equipment and established land caps (300 acres) but that threatened the senatorial class which led to their execution (one by a bench)

The “innovation” of Marius

started a pleb army which gave power to the lower class which led the lower class to be more loyal to him than the senate

The legacy of Sulla

Senate feared Marius so they created their own starts a civil war with Marius and wins then becomes dictator for 3 years and during that time rearranges the power of the senate to take away power from the plebes

Catiline Conspiracy

he lost consulship election Cicero twice → Plotted to have consuls and take control of Rome → Cicero discovers plot and with other elites

Caesarian Faction/First Triumvirate

3 men over their disputes with the Senate (7 year alliance)

Pompey

Lands for his men won in battle great general and at odds with the senate becomes jealous of Caesar and becomes partners with the senate and fights a civil war against Caesar and loses

Julius Caesar

(Triumph and consulship) Drew support from the average Roman had the support of the masses and his legend was formed in Gual so he doubled the size of Rome

Crossing the Rubicon

senate commands Ceasar to lay down his army which he does not do and he crosses the Rubicon (invaded Italy) which the famous line “the die is cast” is said causes the civil war to break out

Battle of Pharsalus

the last main battle between Caesar and Pompey forces and they had fought in Italy Pompey fled to Greece Caesar follows and defeats his army then Pompey fled to Egypt and when Caesar arrived his head was already cut off

Why did Romans despise Cleopatra

because she was a foreign queen who was honored in Caesar's Triumph

Conspirators to kill Julius Caesar

Cassius and Brutus

Cicero’s “Philippics”

series of speeches to warn people of Marc Anthony and it doesn’t help that he (marc anthony) was in love with Cleopatra

Second Triumvirate

Octavian, Lepidus, Marc Anthony

Why did soldiers not support Antony in the Civil War against Octavian

Because he was in a romantic relationship with Cleopatra

Cicero’s “Harmony (Concord) of the Orders” and his political goal for Rome

Political goal is to maintain the Republic and he tries his hardest but he fails and believed that there needed to be harmony among the working classes and the upper class in order for the Republic to hold up

Winner of the Civil War between Antony and Octavian

Octavion who becomes Augustus