Class 4 M 09/15/25: The Roman Republic

Dictator

A position in the Roman Republic seen positively, holding significant power.

Pater familias

The male head of a Roman family, whose authority extended over all family members.

Secession of the Plebs

A significant civil dispute in early Roman Republic between patricians and plebeians.

Twelve Tables

The codified laws of Rome that formally established legal rights and practices.

Conflict of the Orders

A series of civil struggles between patricians and plebeians in early Rome.

Corvus

A naval boarding device used by Romans to capture enemy ships during the Punic Wars.

Pyrrhic victory

A victory that comes at such a significant cost to the victor that it is almost tantamount to defeat.

Hannibal Barca

A Carthaginian general renowned for his military tactics during the Second Punic War.

Battle of Cannae

A major battle where Hannibal inflicted a devastating defeat on the Roman army.

Scipio Africanus

The Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama, ending the Second Punic War.

Carthago delenda est

Latin phrase meaning 'Carthage must be destroyed', reflecting Roman sentiment toward Carthage.

Latifundia

Large estates in Roman agriculture worked by free labor, leading to economic inequality.