AP World History Ch 5: An Age of Empires: Rome and Han China

Comprehensive practice questions and answers covering the key concepts of the Roman Empire and Han China as detailed in the Chapter 5 lecture notes.

What was the Roman Republic and when did it exist?

The period from $507$ to $31$ B.C.E. governed largely by the aristocratic Roman Senate, where wealthier people had more impact and more heavily weighted votes than the poor.

What was the role of the Roman Senate during the Republic?

An advisory council of wealthy, landowning heads of families that effectively governed the Roman state, bringing together wealth, influence, and political and military experience.

How is the patron/client relationship defined in ancient Rome?

A fundamental social relationship where a wealthy patron provided legal and economic protection to clients of lesser status, who in turn supported the patron's political and economic interests.

What is the Roman Principate?

A term for the Roman government in the first three centuries C.E., based on the title princeps ('first among equals') adopted by Octavian to conceal his military dictatorship.

Who was Augustus (Octavion) and what were his dates of rule?

The first emperor of Rome ($27$ BCE - $14$ CE) and grandnephew to Julius Caesar who restored order and prosperity to the Empire.

Who were the Equites in ancient Italy?

Prosperous merchants and landowners second in wealth to the senatorial aristocracy, used by emperors to staff the imperial civil service and counterbalance the old aristocracy.

What was the Pax Romana?

A period of 'Roman peace' characterized by safety and stability guaranteed by Roman might, which greatly enhanced commerce.

What was the process of Romanization?

The spread of the Latin language and the Roman way of life, primarily occurring in the western provinces.

Who was Jesus and what did his followers believe?

A young carpenter from the Galilee region whose followers, the Apostles, spread his teachings and the belief that he was the Messiah who had been resurrected.

Who was Paul?

A Jew from the city of Tarsus in southeast Anatolia who converted to Christianity.

How were Roads used in the Roman Empire?

They were used for communication and were built by soldiers as construction projects during peacetime.

What was a Roman Aqueduct?

Long elevated or underground conduits that used gravity to carry water from a source to an urban center.

What was the Third-Century Crisis?

The period from $235$ to $284$ C.E. marked by political, military, and economic problems that nearly destroyed the Roman Empire.

Who was Diocletian and how long did he rule?

A commoner by birth who rose through the army to gain power in $284$; he ruled for more than $20$ years and died in bed.

Who was Constantine and what was the Edict of Milan?

Roman Emperor ($306$ CE - $337$ CE) who issued the Edict of Milan, which outlawed the persecution of Christians.

What city did Constantine found as the future capital of the Byzantine Empire?

Constantinople (city of Constantine).

What was the Qin state ($221-206$)?

A state in the Wei Valley that rapidly conquered rivals to create China's first empire.

Who was Shi Huangdi?

The founder of the Qin Empire and the first emperor.

What was the purpose of the Census in China?

A survey used to determine the population for the purpose of collecting taxes.

What were the dates of the Han dynasty?

$206$ B.C.E - $220$ C.E.

What was Chang'an?

One of China's capital cities.

Who were the Gentry in Chinese society?

The class next in wealth below the aristocrats.

Who were the Xiongnu?

A confederation of nomadic peoples beyond the northwest frontier of China, dispersed in the $1st$ Century after various Chinese defensive stratagems.

What are the key aspects of Confucius's philosophy?

Known as Kongzi ($551-479$ B.C.E.), his philosophy regarded hierarchy as natural, established rules of appropriate conduct, and gave the father absolute authority.

Why was the geographic location of Italy and Rome important?

It helped unify Italy and the Mediterranean lands, provided good agricultural land, timber for construction/fuel, and was rich in iron and other metals.

What was the essential economic activity of the early Roman state?

Agriculture/farming, which served as the primary measure of wealth.

What were the active years of the Roman Republic?

$507$ to $31$ B.C.E.

What was the primary importance of the Roman Senate?

It consolidated the state's wealth, influence, and political and military experience.

How did tribunes allow plebeians to be more involved in government?

Tribunes could veto actions of the Assembly or patrician officials that they believed were against the interests of the lower orders.

What did Roman senators receive from their clients in the patron/client relationship?

Support in politics, battle, and work on their land.

What did clients receive from their patrons in Roman society?

Legal advice, representation, physical protection, and loans of money.

How did the rights of Roman women compare to Greek women?

Roman women were able to gain greater personal protection and economic freedom.

On what did Roman military service depend?

Male citizens who owned a specified amount of land.

Why did Romans grant citizenship privileges to conquered peoples?

To increase the number of people available for military service.

Which overseas lands did the Roman empire encompass by $51$ BCE?

Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain.

Why did the provincial administration in Roman lands eventually fail?

Officials were chosen based on political connections and often lacked competence or experience.

What effect did the rise of latifundia have on city populations?

The populations of cities first increased and then decreased once the peasants died.

How did the military shift with the decline of farmers and rise of latifundia?

Due to a lack of eligible citizens for service, people in the military were granted land.

Why did Augustus use the title 'princeps' and which territories did he add?

He used it to hide his dictatorship; he added Egypt, parts of the Middle East, Central Europe, Britain, and Romania.

What did Augustus use the equites for?

To manage the empire with honesty, consistency, and efficiency.

Who became the true selectors of emperors after the death of Augustus?

The armies.

From what two sources did Roman law originate?

The emperor and the Law of the Twelve Tables.

Contrast the housing of the Roman upper class and the poor.

The poor lived in crowded slums in low-lying parts of the city, while the rich lived in elegant townhouses.

What was the role of tenant farmers around the second century C.E.?

They worked and lived on farms and determined the wealth of their bosses.

What were the primary goods exported throughout the empire during the Pax Romana?

Grain, meat, vegetables, and other bulk foodstuffs.

How did Romanization bring indigenous populations into Roman culture?

Indigenous people became citizens and joined the culture of Rome.

How was Paul able to travel through the Roman Empire and who was his target audience?

He spoke both Greek and Aramaic and focused on converting Non-Jews to Christianity.

Why did the Romans persecute early Christians?

They viewed the refusal to worship the emperor as a sign of disloyalty.

How did the role of the military change as the empire's size increased?

The military role shifted from being offensive to being defensive.

Why did the population shift to rural areas during the economic decline of the third-century crisis?

There was more work available in the countryside than in the cities.

How did Diocletian's reforms change the public's view of the government?

The government began to be seen as an oppressive entity that no longer deserved loyalty.

How did Constantine's conversion affect the spread of Christianity?

He allowed freedom of religion, and people noticed that Christians received more advantages.

Where did Constantine shift the Roman capital to before naming it Constantinople?

Byzantium.

What was the Corpus Juris Civilis?

A systematic compilation in Latin of a thousand years of Roman legal tradition, produced under Justinian.

Compare the decline of Rome in the West by $530$ C.E. with the Eastern Empire.

The West became fragmented while the Eastern Empire persisted, though people in the West competed for the rank of Pope.

Who were the most educated people in the West during its decline?

Christian priests and monks.

What languages emerged in the West during the period of Roman decline?

The Romance languages: Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Romanian.

Who was the first ruler of the Qin empire?

Shi Huangdi.

According to the Ch $5$ study list, what years did the Han Dynasty rule China?

$221-206$ B.C.E. (Note: These dates are attributed to the Han in the transcript list point $57$).

What was the main tax in China and what was its benefit to the government?

A percentage of the annual harvest, which funded government activities.

Where did most people live in ancient China and how was this known?

Most lived in the eastern river-valley regions, as determined by the census.

What were the primary drivers of Han expansion?

Population growth and a shortage of resources.

What was the family structure in Han China?

Responsibilities were determined by gender, age, and relationship, with the father having absolute authority.

How did Confucius's ideas affect Chinese society?

They established that hierarchy is normal and provided natural rules of conduct.

What were the 'three submissions' for women in Chinese society?

A woman submits to the male of the family.

How did the Chinese view the natural world and divinity?

They believed divinity resided within nature and worshiped the forces of nature to appease them.

How did Legalism help Shi Huangdi and Li Si consolidate power?

It introduced harsher discipline and more punishments.

Why did the Qin abolish slavery?

To create a free peasantry that paid taxes and provided labor and military service.

Why was it important for the Qin to unify Chinese civilization?

To keep everything standard.

What was the effect of public works projects, like roads, on the populations forced to build them?

It caused rebellions and many people died.

Why was Chang'an important during the Western Han?

It was a model of urban planning whose features were imitated in future cities.

How did Han emperors use the Mandate of Heaven?

To claim support from imperial ancestors and guarantee harmonious interaction between heaven and earth.

How did Han emperors use the gentry?

As local officials who made the government more efficient and responsive.

How did the civil service system train wealthy gentry members?

Through a modified Confucianism designed to make them intellectually capable and morally worthy.

Why did Daoism become popular among the common people?

It involved rejecting the hierarchy, rules, and rituals of the elite Confucianism.

Which technological advances improved the Chinese military?

The crossbow, cavalry, watermill, paper, and horse collar.

Which specific technology appeared in China before Europe?

The watermill.

What was China's most important export and where was it sent?

Silk; it was exported to the Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean.

What was the primary concern for the Han government that led to its demise?

Nomadic groups.

What are the commonalities between Rome and Han China regarding agriculture, administration, and decline?

Both relied on agriculture as a source of wealth; both managed diverse territories with cultural unity; both declined due to shifts in family hierarchy, army experience, and religion.