Roman Civ Exam 2 - Jay Fisher

Critical Thinking

Not having the answer before asking the question

Provincia

Originally a task assigned to an imperium holding official and not a location

Legate

Originally an unofficial military official, selected by the Leader of the army, later an official position appointed by the princeps (emperor)

Triumvir restitundae rei publicae

Used only once after the crisis after the assassination of Caesar, appointed by the senate and not elected, the only official triumvirate even though it has long been referred to as the 'second triumvirate'

Marcus Licinius Crassus

Member of the 'first triumvirate', known for his wealth, died in an unprovoked battle with the Parthians (115-53 BCE)

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Also known as Pompey, Roman general who recruited his own army for Sulla and later added several provinces to the empire, fought Julius Caesar in a massive civil war and lost (Born 108 BCE Picenum, Died 48 BCE Egypt)

Gaius Julius Caesar

Consul 60 BCE, named dictator perpetuo (Born 100 BCE Rome, Died 44 BCE Rome)

Nomen

Clan/gens/family name, e.g., Pompeius, Julius, Octavius et cetera

Praenomen

Given name, e.g., Marcus, Gaius, Gnaeus etc., not a large number of these

Cognomen

Family branch or nickname, e.g., Cicerone, Caesar, Magnus; can have a second cognomen (e.g., Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus)

Client Kings

Monarchs and quasi-monarchs of non-Roman peoples who enjoyed a relationship with Rome that was essentially harmonious but unequal

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix

Obscure Roman noble who rose to be elected consul in 88 BCE, marched on Rome in 81 BCE and forced the senate to name him dictator (Born 138 BCE, Died 78 BCE)

Imperium

The power of life and death over subordinates OUTSIDE the city of Rome

Dictator

Emergency ruler with absolute power for a limited time

Numidia

Kingdom originally allied with Carthage against Rome, site of the Roman war against King Jugurtha in 112-106 BCE

Gaius Marius

Consul 7 times, defeated Jugurtha in the Jugurthine War, and a massive army of Germans invading Italy (Born ca 157 BCE Arpinum, Died 86 BCE Rome)

Novus Homo

A Roman who is the first of his family elected to the consulship

Capite Censi

Counted by head, landless poor who traditionally could not serve in the army, recruited by Marius to serve in the army against Jugurtha and against the Germans

Aedile

Third highest elected official in the Roman Republic, in charge of buildings and public festivals

Amicitia

Literally 'friendship', a relationship among unequal partners at Rome and abroad

Antiochus III

Born ca 241 BCE at Susa, defeated by a Roman army in 191 BCE, died in Luristan

Pergamum

Originally a city state in the Seleucid Empire, became a staunch ally of Rome until Attalus III left the kingdom to Rome in his will

Numantia

Iron Age Hillfort in Roman Spain occupied by Celtiberian speakers, resisted Roman occupation from 153 BCE to 133 BCE

Pontifex Maximus

Chief Religious Official at Rome, originally selected by other priests, became an elected position ca 300 BCE

Eutropius Abridgement of Roman History

A concise Latin chronicle of Rome written by the 4th-century historian Eutropius, summarizing Roman history from the city's founding through the reign of Emperor Valens

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

Tribune who tried land reforms; killed for it

Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus

General who defeated Carthage and Numantia

Kingdom of Pontus

Powerful state in Asia Minor, enemy of Rome

Consular Years

Romans often dated events by naming the two consuls in office that year

Lunar Calendar

Early Roman calendar based on phases of the moon

Julian Calendar

Calendar introduced by Gaius Julius Caesar in 46 BCE, Based on the solar year (365 days + leap year)

Ab Urbe Condita

Means "from the founding of the city (Rome)"

Empire

A political system where one territory exercises control over other territories from a political center by means of direct and indirect control, both with violent and non-violent interventions, and through an assumption of the superiority of the dominant ethnicity over other ethnicities.

Ruling Coalition

A combination of interested parties that manages the empire, usually in an unequal partnership

Dominant Ethnicity

The ethnic identity of the members of the ruling coalition. Sometimes coterminous with the ruling coalitions and sometimes only a smaller part of the larger ethnicity.(Macedonian/Greek/Carthaginian/ Roman/Latin/Italian)

Center and Periphery

The geography of dominance emanating from an imperial center outward, Roman version 'at home' domi and 'In the army' militiae

Direct and Indirect Control

Direct: Rome governs territory itself/ Indirect: Local rulers govern but answer to Rome