Roman Republic Dates and People

753 BCE

Rome’s founding by Romulus.

509 BCE

Overthrow of the monarchy and founding of the Roman Republic.

146 BCE

Rome destroys Carthage and Corinth, securing dominance over the Mediterranean.

44 BCE

Julius Caesar's assassination

31 BCE

Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium.

Aeneas

Trojan hero who, in Roman myth, founded the lineage that would create Rome.

Albert Ammermann

Archaeologist known for research on early Roman topography.

Ancus Marcius

Fourth king of Rome who expanded the city and built Rome’s first bridge.

Andrea Carandini

Archaeologist who argued for historical foundations behind Rome’s early legends.

Appius Claudius (and the holy chickens)

Roman commander mocked for ignoring bad omens before battle.

Appius Claudius the Censor (Appian Way)

Censor who built the Appian Aqueduct and the Appian Way.

Appius Claudius the Decemvir

Leader of the abusive decemvirate known for the Verginia incident.

Archimedes

Greek scientist whose war machines defended Syracuse against Rome.

Ascanius (Iulus)

Legendary son of Aeneas and ancestor of the Julian family.

Bacchus / Dionysus / Liber

Roman wine god whose cult sparked political scandal.

C. Cassius

Leading assassin of Julius Caesar.

C. Flaminius (Battle of Lake Trasimene)

Roman consul killed in Hannibal’s ambush at Lake Trasimene.

C. Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian)

Caesar’s heir who became Rome’s first emperor, Augustus.

C. Marius

General who reformed the Roman army by allowing landless citizens to join.

C. Sallustius Crispus (Sallust)

Historian who wrote on the Jugurthine War and Catiline.

C. Sempronius Gracchus

Tribune who pushed radical land reform and was killed in political violence.

C. Servilius Glaucia

Populist politician allied with Saturninus.

Caesarion

Cleopatra’s son with Julius Caesar, executed by Octavian.

Cato the Elder

Conservative statesman famous for his moral reforms and hatred of Carthage.

Claudia Quinta

Roman matron credited with miraculously bringing the Magna Mater statue to Rome.

Cleopatra (VII)

Queen of Egypt who allied with Caesar and Antony against Octavian.

Clodia (Fulvia’s daughter)

Noblewoman involved in scandals that appear in Cicero’s speeches.

Cn. Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great)

Influential general who became Caesar’s rival in civil war.

Cn. Pompeius Strabo

Pompey’s father, a general in the Social War.

Cornelia

Mother of the Gracchi, celebrated as a model Roman matron.

Fabius Pictor

First Roman historian, writing in Greek about Rome’s early history.

Fulvia

Politically powerful wife of Clodius, Curio, and Mark Antony.

Hannibal

Carthaginian general who invaded Italy and devastated Roman armies.

Hercules

Mythic hero worshipped as a protector and symbol of strength.

Hortensia

Orator who protested tax laws affecting wealthy women.

Jugurtha

Numidian king whose war exposed corruption in the Roman elite.

Julia (Antonius’s mother)

Mother of Mark Antony, connected to important Roman families.

Juno Regina (evocatio)

Goddess ritually invited from defeated cities to protect Rome.

King Antiochus

Seleucid ruler defeated by Rome in the Syrian War.

Kings Philip & Perseus

Macedonian kings whose wars brought Greece under Roman rule.

L. Aemilius Paullus

General who crushed Macedon at the Battle of Pydna.

L. Appuleius Saturninus

Radical tribune assassinated after violent reforms.

L. Cornelius Cinna

Dominant leader after Sulla’s departure, ruling Rome with Marius.

L. Cornelius Cinna (Felix)

Clarify which you need; two figures exist with similar names.

L. Sergius Catilina (Catiline)

Aristocrat who led a failed conspiracy against the Republic.

M. Aemilius Lepidus

Member of the Second Triumvirate with Octavian and Antony.

M. Antonius (Mark Antony)

Caesar’s ally and triumvir who fought Octavian for control of Rome.

M. Iunius Brutus

Leading assassin of Julius Caesar.

M. Licinius Crassus

Wealthiest Roman who formed the First Triumvirate with Caesar and Pompey.

M. Livius Drusus

Tribune whose reforms sparked the Social War.

M. Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder)

Statesman who promoted old Roman morals (same as above if only one required).

M. Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger)

Stoic politician who opposed Caesar to the death.

M. Tullius Cicero

Famous orator who exposed Catiline’s conspiracy.

M. Vespanius Agrippa

General and engineer who secured Octavian’s military victories.

Masinissa

Numidian king who allied with Rome against Carthage.

Mithridates

King of Pontus who fought three major wars against Rome.

Numa Pompilius

Second king of Rome credited with creating many religious institutions.

Octavia (Octavian’s sister)

Diplomatic wife of Mark Antony and symbol of Roman virtue.

P. Clodius Pulcher

Populist politician whose gangs fueled street violence.

P. Cornelius Scipio (Africanus)

General who defeated Hannibal at Zama.

P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus

General who destroyed Carthage in the Third Punic War.

Peter Wiseman

Modern historian specializing in Roman social and cultural history.

Pyrrhus

Greek king who won costly battles against Rome (giving rise to “Pyrrhic victory”).

Q. Caecilius Metellus

Consul and commander noted for fighting in the Jugurthine War.

Q. Fabius Maximus

General who saved Rome by delaying Hannibal rather than fighting directly.

Romulus

Legendary founder and first king of Rome.

Servius Tullius

Sixth king who reorganized Roman society by wealth classes.

Spartacus

Gladiator who led the largest slave revolt in Roman history.

T. Annius Milo

Politician tried for murdering Clodius in 52 BCE.

T. Quinctius Flamininus

General who declared Greek “freedom” after defeating Macedon.

T. Tatius

Sabine king who co-ruled Rome after the Sabine women episode.

Tanaquil

Etruscan queen who helped elevate Servius Tullius to the throne.

Tarquinius Priscus

Fifth king of Rome who expanded Roman infrastructure.

Tarquinius Superbus

Last Roman king whose tyranny caused the founding of the Republic.

Ti. Sempronius Gracchus

Tribune who introduced land redistribution laws and was killed for it.

Timothy Cornell

Historian of early Rome and Roman historiography.

Tullus Hostilius

Third king of Rome known for military expansion.

“Turia”

Roman wife celebrated for loyalty in the “Laudatio Turiae.”

Verginia

Young woman whose death sparked the overthrow of the decemvirs.