rome unit test

Describe the geography of Italy

Fertile, rolling hills; unified; Alps and Apennines- natural protection; peninsula (sea access)

Why could Italy's population grow larger than the population of Greece?

Italy had more flat land, better rivers, and rich soil to grow surplus food and raise large animals such as cattle.

How was the geography of Rome advantageous in terms of defending Rome from invasions?

Alps and Apennines provided natural barriers against invasion. Being a peninsula, Italy really could only be invaded from the sea - however, since there were few good ports, there were no good locations to actually invade from the sea.

Livy, a Roman historian, wrote the following:

"Not without good reason did gods and men choose this spot as the site of a

city..."

Why was Rome a good location to build a city?

Rome was built on the Tiber River, giving it access to fresh water for drinking and farming. It was surrounded by 7 hills so it was easy to defend. It was near the sea so it could access trade, but was also far enough to be safe from attacks by pirates or invaders. The mountains of Italy were rich in resources such as iron, gold, and silver. The climate was warm and mild.

Describe Roman government from 616 BC to 509 BC.

Rome was ruled by the Etruscans and kings. These kings relied on the patricians of Roman society to run the day-to-day business of the city. Patricians advised the kings and commanded the military.

Describe Roman government in 509 BC.

The Romans, led by the patricians, overthrow the last Etruscan king and establish a republic. The government is led by a Senate - a group of 300 patricians who make laws and control the state. There are two consuls chosen annually who lead the military.

Describe Roman government from 494 BC to 287 BC

The Conflict of the Orders - during this time the patricians and plebeians fight back and forth over rights and powers in the Roman government. Plebs were upset that they were expected to pay taxes and serve in the military, but could not vote. In 494 BC, the plebs went on strike and began to receive some rights. Eventually, they established an Assembly of Plebs, gained the power to veto, and could be elected to become consuls and chosen to be senators. The laws of Rome were also written down and publicly displayed - these were the Twelve Tables.

Define "republic."

A government in which citizens rule through elected representatives

What was the Roman Senate?

A select group of about three hundred patricians who served for life in the Roman Republic

Who were patricians?

wealthy landowners who held most of the power

Who were the plebeians?

the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population

What is a veto? Why was it important for the plebeians to get the right to veto?

A veto is to refuse to approve a law or to cancel a bill.

It was important for the plebeians to get the right to veto so they could have power in the Roman government. Now they could override unfair laws passed by the patricians.

What did Rome conquer during the first period of expansion, 509-264 BC?

Rome conquered the Italian peninsula.

What did Rome conquer during the second period of expansion, 264-146 BC?

Rome defeated Carthage, a city in North Africa, during the Punic Wars. Rome gained control of Spain, North Africa, Greece, and the Mediterranean Islands, including Sicily.

How did Roman expansion affect the plebeians?

they had to serve in the army

How did the Romans come into contact with Greek culture?

Greeks had colonies in souther Italy.

How were the Romans able to take control of the Italian peninsula? What groups did they have to fight off?

The Romans forced the plebeians to serve in the army. They then conquered the city-states of the Etruscans before defeating the Greeks. The Romans allowed conquered cities to become allies and even granted them full Roman citizenship, in exchange for supporting the army and paying taxes. This policy made friends of conquered places, rather than enemies, which might have happened if the Romans destroyed conquered cities as other conquerors had done.

Why did most of the city of Rome burn down in 390 BC?

Most of the city of Rome burned down in 390 BC when a band of Gauls (warlike people from the north) crushed a Roman army and forcefully made their way into the city. Most of Romeś people left and the Gauls looted and burned most of it down.

Why did a group of Senators murder Julius Caesar in 44 BC? What effects did this assassination have on Rome?

They thought he was becoming a tyrant and they wanted to preserve the power of the Senate and to save the Republic from turning into an empire. His death provoked a civil war. After, Octavian became the first Roman Emperor.

Define the term: "Pax Romana."

Pax Romana was a 200 year period of peace and stability established and maintained by the Roman Empire. During this time, trade increased, travel was safe, there were few major wars.

Define the term: "empire." What were two reasons empires were more difficult to rule than kingdoms?

An empire is the rule of one group of people over other groups who have different languages and customs. An emperor rules an empire.

Empires were more difficult to rule than kingdoms because a well organized government was needed, transportation networks had to be built, long distance trade routes had to be established, taxes needed to be collected and money was needed to build an army to defend the empire.

How did Christianity originate and spread throughout the Roman empire?

Christianity originated in ancient Israel under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was founded by Jesus of Nazareth. His followers believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the Christ who was crucified and rose from the dead. It spread throughout the Empire thanks to his followers traveling the Empire using Roman roads and shipping routes, writing letters, and building churches. Many Christians were persecuted by Roman leaders and many were martyred. Despite this, the faith continued to grow. The religion grew because it appealed to Roman slaves, women, and the poor. It promised good people an afterlife in Heaven, and it taught that God cared about all people, whether they were rich and powerful or poor. Roman polytheism taught that the gods only cared about the powerful, only heroes got a good afterlife, and the gods cared little for ordinary people.

How did Emperor Constantine impact the spread of Christianity?

Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in AD 313 - this legalized Christianity and banned future persecutions of Christians. In AD 337, Constantine was baptized and became a Christian himself, which radically shifted the empire from polytheism to Christianity. During his life, Constantine also moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople and built a large church there called Hagia Sophia.

Who were the "barbarians"? How did they affect the history of the Roman Empire?

Romans considered all tribal peoples, especially Germanic tribes, Gauls, and Slavs, to be "barbarians." They were considered uncivilized, backwards, and dirty; therefore Romans did not respect them or treat them well. The barbarians began to attack and invade the Roman Empire in the AD 200s and 300s. They weakened the Roman Empire by attacking its borders, taking land away, and constantly fighting the Roman armies. In AD 410, Rome was sacked by Germanic barbarians and Rome fell in AD 476 when the last emperor was deposed by barbarians.

Explain causes for the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476.

Economic Issues: high inflation weakened Roman money, trade declined, taxes were too high, serfdom increased.

Political and Military Issues: Many Roman emperors were assassinated or killed in battle, there was no real law of succession, the army became weak, barbarians invaded Rome, empire was too big to really defend

Environmental Issues: plagues, climate change (cooling), natural disasters

Social Issues: many Romans were unhappy that they did not have rights or power, many Romans were unemployed, serfdom increased, rich got richer and avoided paying taxes or serving in the army, barbarians cultures mixed with Romans, Christianity changed Roman values.

What was one contribution made by the Christian church after the fall of Rome? Explain how this contribution benefitted future civilizations.

built universities to encourage learning, copied Roman and Greek texts which saved them from destruction, worked with local peoples to promote agriculture, converted most of Europe to Christianity, served as a system of government when Rome collapsed

define paterfamilias

the male head of a family or household.

define consuls

leaders elected by the Senate to run the military and execute government

define Conflict of the Orders

a political struggle between the Plebeians and Patricians of the ancient Roman Republic lasting from 500 BC to 287 BC, in which the Plebeians sought political equality with the Patricians.

Define Twelve Tables.

Tablets that had all the Roman laws engraved on them (written law code--like the Code of Hammurabi).

Who were the Latins?

Ancestors of the Romans

Who were the Etruscans?

civilization to the north of Rome

Punic Wars

A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

tribune

In ancient Rome, an official elected by the plebeians to protect their rights.

veto

a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.