Exam II Study Guide: Late Roman Republic

Comprehensive practice flashcards featuring definitions, historical context, and chronological dates for the Late Roman Republic Exam II Study Guide.

Accidental Slavery

Enslavement resulting from external circumstances or misfortune, such as capture in war, piracy, or debt, rather than an inherent personal status.

Age of Augustus

The historical era marking Rome's transition from a republic to an empire under the rule of its first emperor, Augustus.

Aqueduct

A monumental civil engineering structure engineered by Romans to convey fresh water from distant mountain sources into urban centers.

C. Julius Caesar

Roman general, statesman, and consul in 59 who conquered Gaul (58-50), formed the First Triumvirate (60-53), and made the critical decision to cross the Rubicon in 49.

C. Marius

Roman general and politician who reformed the Roman army, served consulships in 107 and 104-100, and led the Marian faction in civil conflict.

C. Sallustius Crispus (Sallust)

Roman historian and politician renowned for his monographs documenting the Catilinarian conspiracy and the moral decay of the Republic.

C. Sempronius Gracchus

Roman reformist who held tribuneships in 123-2, introducing sweeping agrarian, judicial, and grain distribution laws before his violent death.

C. Valerius Catullus (Catullus)

Prominent Neoteric Latin lyric poet celebrated for his highly emotional, sophisticated, and personal poems, many addressed to his lover Lesbia.

Castra

A standardized, fortified Roman military encampment or permanent garrison.

Cato the Elder

Conservative Roman statesman and censor noted for his rigid adherence to traditional Roman values, resistance to Greek influence, and insistence on the destruction of Carthage.

Cato the Younger

Staunch Stoic politician and leading Optimate who fiercely defended ancestral republican customs and relentlessly opposed Julius Caesar.

Chattel Slavery

A severe form of slavery wherein an enslaved person is legally classified and treated as transferable, absolute personal property.

Circus Maximus

The largest stadium and public entertainment venue in ancient Rome, situated between the Aventine and Palatine hills and primarily used for chariot racing.

Cn. Pompeius Magnus (Pompey)

Renowned Roman general whose rise occurred during 73–64, member of the First Triumvirate (60-53), and later leader of the senatorial forces against Caesar.

Comitia Centuriata

The Centuriate Assembly of Rome, organized into centuries by property qualifications, responsible for electing senior magistrates and voting on matters of war.

Concilium Plebis

The Plebeian Council, a legislative assembly composed exclusively of plebeians that elected tribunes and enacted legally binding plebiscites.

Concordia Ordinum

The political ideal of 'harmony of the orders,' advocated by Cicero to promote political cooperation between the senatorial aristocracy and the equestrian class.

Consul

The supreme elected executive and military magistrate in the Roman Republic, held annually by two colleagues.

Damnatio ad bestias

A form of capital punishment in ancient Rome wherein condemned criminals were executed by being exposed to wild predatory beasts in the arena.

Dominatio of Cinna

The period from 87–84 during which Lucius Cornelius Cinna held consecutive consulships and governed Rome in opposition to Sulla.

Domus

A private, single-family urban townhouse inhabited by elite and wealthy citizens in ancient Rome.

Equites

The equestrian order; a wealthy Roman social class ranking below the senatorial order, prominently involved in business, commerce, and public contracting.

First Triumvirate

The informal, extralegal political alliance that dominated Roman politics from 60-53, comprised of Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Marcus Licinius Crassus.

Flavian Amphitheatre

The Colosseum; a massive stone amphitheatre in the center of Rome constructed under the Flavian dynasty for gladiatorial combat and public spectacles.

Gallic Wars

A series of military campaigns waged by Julius Caesar from 58-50 that brought Gaul under Roman provincial control.

Imperium

The supreme executive command authority granted to highest-ranking Roman magistrates to lead military forces and enforce the law.

Insula

A high-density, multi-story brick and timber apartment building in ancient Roman cities that accommodated ordinary plebeian residents.

Intercessio

The legal power of a Roman magistrate, particularly a tribune of the plebs, to formally veto an official action, assembly proposal, or senatorial decree.

L. Cornelius Sulla Felix

Roman general who executed the first march on Rome in 88, defeated the Marians, and ruled as dictator during his dominatio from 82–79.

L. Sergius Catilina (Catiline)

Roman patrician who orchestrated the armed Conspiracy of Catiline in 63 to overturn the Roman government after losing consular elections.

Latifundia

Large privately owned agricultural estates in ancient Rome operated primarily through extensive enslaved labor.

Lesbia

The poetic pseudonym employed by Catullus in his lyric poetry to refer to his aristocratic lover, widely identified with Clodia.

Ludi

Official public games, athletic competitions, theatrical performances, and spectacles organized as religious and civic celebrations in ancient Rome.

M. Licinius Crassus

Extremely wealthy Roman politician and general who rose during 73–64, defeated Spartacus, and joined the First Triumvirate (60-53).

M. Livius Drusus

Reformist tribune of the plebs in 91 whose proposed enfranchisement of Italian allies and subsequent assassination triggered the Social War.

M. Tullius Cicero

Renowned Roman orator, philosopher, and consul in 63 who uncovered and thwarted the Conspiracy of Catiline while championing republican constitutionalism.

Marians

The political faction and armed supporters aligned with Gaius Marius against Sulla and the senatorial establishment during the civil wars.

Metus Hostilis

The philosophical and historiographical concept that 'fear of an external enemy' maintained Roman internal cohesion and moral virtue, whose absence brought decline.

Natural Slavery

The philosophical doctrine arguing that certain individuals are inherently lacking in reason and naturally destined to be ruled by others as enslaved persons.

Neoterics

A circle of avant-garde Latin poets (including Catullus) who rejected traditional epic conventions in favor of refined, personal, and emotionally immediate Hellenistic-style verse.

Novus Homo (sg.) / Novi Homines (pl.)

'New man'; an individual who was the first in his family lineage to attain a seat in the Roman Senate or achieve the consulship, such as Marius and Cicero.

Optimates

The traditionalist, aristocratic senatorial faction in the late Roman Republic committed to preserving the supremacy and privileges of the Senate.

P. Clodius Pulcher

Populist politician and tribune who renounced patrician status to pass radical legislation, institute free grain, and mobilize armed urban gangs in Rome.

P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus

Roman general who commanded the final siege and destruction of Carthage in 146 and led the influential Scipionic Circle.

P. Ovidius Naso (Ovid)

Celebrated Augustan poet known for his mythological epic 'Metamorphoses' and elegy collections, later exiled by Augustus.

P. Vergilius Maro (Virgil)

Foremost poet of the Augustan Age who authored Rome's national foundation epic, the 'Aeneid', as well as the 'Eclogues' and 'Georgics'.

Pact of Luca

The 56 political conference at which Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus met to settle disputes and renew the alliance of the First Triumvirate.

Pantheon

A monumental temple in Rome dedicated to all the planetary gods, characterized by its classical portico and massive coffered concrete dome.

Parthian Empire

The major Iranian empire that stood as Rome's chief rival on the eastern frontier, famously destroying Crassus's legions at Carrhae in 53.

Philhellenism

A profound admiration and intellectual embrace of Greek culture, literature, philosophy, and art within Roman aristocratic society.

Plutarch

Greek biographer and essayist famous for his 'Parallel Lives', which paired and compared notable Greek and Roman historical figures.

Populares

Roman political figures who bypassed traditional senatorial authority to advance legislative reforms by appealing directly to the popular assemblies and plebeians.

Proletarii

The lowest socioeconomic class of Roman citizens possessing negligible or no property, admitted to military service under Marius's structural army reforms.

Publicani

Private equestrian tax-farming corporations and contractors licensed by the Roman state to collect provincial revenues and manage public works.

Q. Hortius Flaccus (Horace)

Leading Roman lyric poet of the Augustan Age renowned for his satirical works, 'Odes', and 'Epistles'.

Roman Basilica

A large rectangular public building featuring a central nave and aisles, serving as an administrative center, law court, and commercial hall in Roman cities.

Roman Forum

The central valley and civic plaza in ancient Rome that served as the focal point for religious rituals, public trials, political assemblies, and commercial business.

Scipionic Circle

An elite cultural and intellectual coterie surrounding Scipio Aemilianus that patronized Greek philosophy, literature, and humanist learning in Rome.

Senate

The governing council of Roman patricians and former magistrates that exercised extensive advisory power over finances, state religion, and foreign policy.

Senatus Consultum

A formal advisory opinion or decree issued by the Roman Senate to guide executive magistrates.

Senatus Consultum Ultimum

The 'Final Decree of the Senate'; an emergency senatorial decree empowering magistrates to take any action necessary to safeguard the Republic against subversion.

Siege of Alesia

The decisive 52 military engagement in the Gallic Wars where Julius Caesar successfully blockaded and defeated the united Gallic forces under Vercingetorix.

Social War

The conflict from 91–87 between Rome and its disgruntled Italian allies (socii), which resulted in Roman victory and the widespread extension of Roman citizenship across Italy.

Sullans

The political and military faction devoted to Lucius Cornelius Sulla during the civil wars against the Marians.

Sulla’s Dictatorship

The dictatorial rule of Lucius Cornelius Sulla from 82–79 (dominatio of Sulla), marked by constitutional restructuring and restoration of senatorial authority.

Sulla’s Proscriptions

Publicly posted lists issued by Sulla condemning designated political opponents to state-sanctioned execution and seizing their private property.

Tib. Sempronius Gracchus

Roman tribune who introduced land redistribution reforms via the Lex Sempronia Agraria in 133 before being murdered by a senatorial mob.

Tribunus Plebis

The Tribune of the Plebs; a sacrosanct Roman magistrate elected by the plebeians to champion their civil rights and wield veto power (intercessio).

Vercingetorix

Chieftain of the Arverni who forged a unified coalition of Gallic tribes to resist Julius Caesar before surrendering after the Siege of Alesia.

Destruction of Carthage

The 146 military culmination of the Third Punic War resulting in the complete razing of Carthage by Roman forces under Scipio Aemilianus.

Sulla’s first march on Rome

The unprecedented 88 military action wherein Lucius Cornelius Sulla led his legions into the city of Rome to reclaim command of the Mithridatic campaign from Marius.

Caesar’s Decision

Julius Caesar's critical 49 decision to cross the Rubicon boundary with his legions, initiating civil war against Pompey and the Senate.