Rise of Rome, Punic Wars, Roman Empire, Christianity, and Crusades Mock Exam

1. What year traditionally marks the founding of the Roman Republic?

A. 753 BC

B. 509 BC

C. 264 BC

D. 44 BC

B. 509 BC

2. The Roman Republic was initially dominated by which social class?

A. Plebeians

B. Patricians

C. Equestrians

D. Freedmen

B. Patricians

3. What was the significance of the Twelve Tables (c. 450 BCE)?

A. First codified Roman laws

B. Agricultural reforms

C. Religious commandments

D. Treaties with Carthage

A. First codified Roman laws

4. Who were the main opponents in the Punic Wars?

A. Greece and Rome

B. Rome and Carthage

C. Rome and Egypt

D. Rome and Gaul

B. Rome and Carthage

5. Who led Carthage during the Second Punic War?

A. Scipio Africanus

B. Hannibal Barca

C. Cato the Elder

D. Fabius Maximus

B. Hannibal Barca

6. What major victory did Hannibal win in 216 BCE?

A. Zama

B. Metaurus

C. Cannae

D. Actium These

C. Cannae (The Battle of Cannae was a major victory for Carthage under the leadership of Hannibal)

7. Who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama (202 BCE)?

A. Scipio Africanus

B. Pompey

C. Julius Caesar

D. Marius

A. Scipio Africanus

8. Which social class gained more political power through the Conflict of the Orders?

A. Patricians

B. Plebeians

C. Equestrians

D. Slaves

B. Plebeians

9. What were the Gracchi brothers known for?

A. Attempting land reform

B. Leading military revolts

C. Expanding the navy

D. Building aqueducts

A. Attempting land reform

10. Who declared himself dictator for life in 44 BCE?

A. Octavian

B. Julius Caesar

C. Crassus

D. Brutus

B. Julius Caesar

11. What political alliance was formed by Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus?

A. First Triumvirate

B. Second Triumvirate

C. The Senate

D. The Assembly

A. First Triumvirate

12. What year was Julius Caesar assassinated?

A. 49 BC

B. 44 BC

C. 31 BC

D. 27 BC

B. 44 BC

13. Which battle in 31 BC secured Octavian's power over Rome?

A. Philippi

B. Actium

C. Zama

D. Cannae

B. Actium

14. Who was Octavian's chief rival at the Battle of Actium?

B. Mark Antony

15. Who became Rome's first emperor in 27 BCE?

A. Julius Caesar

B. Augustus (Octavian)

C. Nero

D. Caligula

B. Augustus (Octavian)

16. What does "Pax Romana" refer to?

A. A military campaign

B. A period of Roman peace and stability (27 BCE - 180 CE)

C. A peace treaty with Gaul

D. The end of slavery

B. A period of Roman peace and stability (27 BCE - 180 CE)

17. What structure did the Romans build to carry water?

A. Aqueducts

B. Domes

C. Temples

D. Amphitheaters

A. Aqueducts

18. Which emperor burned much of Rome in 64 CE?

A. Nero

B. Caligula

C. Tiberius

D. Claudius

A. Nero

19. Which Roman emperor built a defensive wall in the Roman province of Britannia in 122 CE?

A. Augustus

B. Hadrian

C. Trajan

D. Marcus Aurelius

B. Emperor Hadrian (rule: 117-138 AD)

(Constructed in 122 CE under Emperor Hadrian, the wall served to consolidate Rome's northern frontier in Britain and to defend against incursions by northern tribes)

20. What type of government did the Roman Republic have?

A. Monarchy

B. Representative Republic

C. Democracy

D. Dictatorship

B. Representative Republic

21. The term "bread and circuses" refers to:

A. Distractions for Roman citizens through food and entertainment

22. Who was Rome's most famous orator and opponent of Mark Antony?

A. Cato

B. Brutus

C. Cicero

D. Agrippa

C. Cicero

23. The Roman Colosseum was primarily used for:

B. Gladiator games and public spectacles

24. What was the Edict of Milan (313 AD)?

A. Made Christianity the state religion

B. Legalized Christianity

C. Banned pagan worship

D. Ordered the building of churches

B. Legalized Christianity

25. Who issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD?

A. Diocletian

B. Constantine

C. Theodosius

D. Valens

(Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which

B. Constantine

26. Which Roman Emperor divided the Roman Empire in 285 AD?

A. Augustus

B. Diocletian

C. Constantine

D. Claudius

B. Diocletian

27. What was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire)?

A. Athens

B. Alexandria

C. Constantinople

D. Rome

C. Constantinople

28. What religion became dominant in the later Roman Empire?

A. Judaism

B. Christianity

C. Paganism

D. Zoroastrianism

B. Christianity

29. Who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 CE?

A. Constantine

B. Diocletian

C. Theodosius I

D. Justinian

C. Theodosius I

Edict of Thessalonica (380 CE)

30. What major crisis hit Rome in the 3rd century CE?

A. Invasion of Carthage

B. Crisis of the Third Century (military anarchy, economic collapse)

C. Flooding of the Tiber

D. Sack by the Visigoths

B. Crisis of the Third Century (military anarchy, economic collapse)

31. What major event happened in 410 AD?

A. Death of Augustus

B. Sack of Rome by the Visigoths

C. Collapse of the Eastern Empire

D. Invasion by the Huns

B. Sack of Rome by the Visigoths

32. Who led the Visigoths during the sack of Rome in 410 CE?

A. Attila

B. Alaric

C. Odoacer

D. Stilicho

B. Alaric

33. Who was the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire?

A. Julius Nepos

B. Romulus Augustulus

C. Constantine

D. Diocletian

B. Romulus Augustulus

34. When did the Western Roman Empire fall?

A. 410 AD

B. 476 AD

C. 395 AD

D. 500 AD

B. 476 AD

35. Who deposed Romulus Augustulus?

A. Alaric

B. Attila

C. Odoacer

D. Theodoric

C. Odoacer

36. What was a major feature of Roman military organization?

B. Professional legions with strict discipline

37. What was the Roman forum used for?

A. Gladiator games

B. Political, social, and commercial life

C. Religious ceremonies only

D. Military reviews

B. Political, social, and commercial life

38. The Roman Senate under the Empire had:

A. Full power

B. Mostly symbolic influence

C. Controlled the army

D. Direct control over provinces

B. Mostly symbolic influence

39. Roman engineering included:

A. Aqueducts

B. Roads

C. Domes

D. All of the above

D. All of the above

40. What was a "latifundium"?

A. A large agricultural estate using slave labor

B. A type of Roman bath

C. A military fort

D. A legal court

A large agricultural estate using slave labor

The revolt that began in 66 AD occurred when Judea was governed as a province under which empire?

A. The Byzantine Empire

B. The Persian Empire

C. The Roman Empire

D. The Ottoman Empire

C. The Roman Empire

(The 66-73CE Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire was crushed with the Capture of Jerusalem in 70CE and fall of Masada in 73CE)

True or False: The Capture of Jerusalem in 70CE represented the most critical defeat for the Jewish rebels.

True, the Capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD represented the most critical defeat for the Jewish rebels

The Problem with the Gospels and Jesus Christ

The gospels were written in Greek years after Jesus' death. The earliest depictions of Jesus

The TWO movements of Christianity

1. The early followers of Jesus of Nazareth

- Jewish Apocalyptic (end of time) teaching and moral reform

2. The post-death movement

- Jesus was EXECUTED by Romans—The main form of execution in Judaism was stoning; Romans used the crucifix

Pauline Christianity

- Paul of Taursus

- Educated Jew, Roman citizenship

- Not one of the original followers

- Wrote/Spoke in Greek

- Letters to cities

- Urban movement

Pauline Christianity (cont...)

- Messiah "anointed one" - Hebrew

- Christos - in Greek

- Jesus as Son of God

- Resurrection emphasis

- Gentile (non-Jewish) audience

- Preached and wrote letters in Greek

- Travels of Paul, 48-58 BCE

- Arrest and execution by Romans, 58-62 CE

Appeal of Christianity

- New but Old

- Sacred writings

- No gender restrictions

- "Equality" of believers

Early on Christianity is a very open religion.

- Salvation Religion

- Control of your body (choice regarding marriage)

- Community of believers

- Charity

- Burial - catacombs

Moral Code of Christianity

Prayer

Charity/Alms

Love

Fasting

Chastity/Virginity

Sex only in marriage

Marriage ONLY if necessary

Slavery OK

Taxes OK

No killing

No suicide

No games, theater

No idols, sacrifice

No exposure of infants

Early Christianity

Sacraments

- Baptism

- Eucharist

Persecution of Christians (2nd and 4th centuries A.D.)

Early Christians were persecuted by the Romans for refusing to sacrifice to the Imperial Cult

- Positions and property taken away

- Forced to sacrifice

- Shameful public executions such as Damatio ad Bestias

Damatio ad Bestias

Roman capital punishment where a condemned person is killed by wild animals such as lions—criminals, runaway slaves, and Christians would be executed in this manner

1. Discuss the causes and effects of the Punic Wars. How did they shape Rome's expansion?

The Punic Wars resulted from the tensions between Rome and Carthage over control of trade and territory in the western Mediterranean. The First Punic War (264-241 BCE) was over Sicily, the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE) involved Hannibal's invasion of Italy, and the Third Punic War (149-146 BCE) ended with Carthage's destruction. These wars gave Rome dominance in the Mediterranean and began its transformation into an empire.

2. How did Julius Caesar's actions contribute to the fall of the Roman Republic?

Caesar defied the Senate by crossing the Rubicon with his army, igniting civil war. He centralized power, was named dictator for life, and reduced the Senate's authority. His assassination in 44 BCE was an attempt to restore the Republic, but instead, it led to more conflict and the rise of Augustus, ending the Republic.

Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

-written in latin and translated to greek

-discusses the arrest and imprisonment of herself for being a christian martyr

-never failed to believe in christianity

-dreamed of defeating death, realized she would die to the devil

-had a young child, mother/brother were in distress, father continually convinced her to take back that she was a christian until she was sentenced to death by beasts

Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD)

Reformed the Roman Empire into a Tetrarchy (Rule by Four)—Two emperors and two junior emperors

- [MAIN] Augustus (East and West)

- [JUNIOR] Caesar (East and West)

- Standardized tax collecting and made it to where everyone pays a fair share

and more...

The Great Persecution (303-313 AD)

A series of targeted attacks against Christian legal rights such as forcing sacrifice to Roman Gods, the arrest of clergy

Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337 AD)

Edict of Milan (313 AD)

Issued by Constantine in 313 AD, ended the "great persecution" and LEGALIZED Christianity and all other cults in the Roman Empire—and supported those who lost their jobs

Alexxios I Kommenos (1081-1118 AD)

Emperor of the Byzantine Empire

The First Crusade (1096-1099)

1099 AD, Jerusalem fell to the Christian crusaders; the only successful crusade

Massacre of Rhineland Jews (1096 AD)