AP Latin History Review Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on AP Latin History Review notes.

Paterfamilias

The male head of a Roman family, possessing legal power over his household.

Plebeian Class

The general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians.

Clients/Patrons

A system in Roman society where wealthy patrons provided support to clients, often plebeians, in exchange for loyalty and services.

Res Publica

The Roman Republic; a state where power resided in the people and their elected representatives.

Mixed Regime

A form of government combining elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, as idealized by some Roman thinkers.

Cursus Honorum

The sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire.

Consuls

The highest elected political office of the Roman Republic; two consuls ruled jointly for a term of one year.

Senate

A council of wealthy and powerful Romans who advised the city's leaders.

Quaestors

Elected officials who managed financial affairs of the state.

Aediles

Roman officials responsible for public buildings and festivals.

Lictors

Bodyguards of the highest-ranking Roman magistrates, carrying fasces as a symbol of authority.

Censor

A high-ranking Roman magistrate responsible for conducting the census and supervising public morals.

Dictator

A temporary Roman magistrate with absolute power, appointed during times of emergency.

Imperium

The power to command Roman citizens and soldiers, held by high-ranking magistrates.

Fasces

A bundle of wooden rods tied together with an axe, symbolizing power and authority in ancient Rome.

Tribunes

Officials elected to represent the plebeians and protect their rights.

Mos Maiorum

The 'custom of the ancestors'; the unwritten code of values and traditions in ancient Rome.

Latifundia

Large landed estates in Roman history, typically worked by slaves, especially in the Late Republic.

Optimates

The 'best men'; aristocratic leaders in the late Roman Republic who generally opposed reforms.

Populares

Roman political faction who were in favor of reforms.

Proscription

A published list of people declared outlaws or condemned to death.

Princeps

The 'first citizen'; title used by Roman emperors to denote their position as the leading figure in the state.

Romanization

The process by which Roman culture and institutions spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Pax Romana

The 'Roman Peace'; a long period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire.

Praetorian Guard

An elite unit of Roman soldiers who served as personal bodyguards to the emperor.

Domus Aurea

Extravagant palace built by Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome.