CLST 276 MIDTERM

colonia (Colony)

A settlement established by Rome on conquered territory. Roman citizens or Latin allies were sent to inhabit it, acting as military garrisons to secure Rome's hold on Italy.

municipium

An existing Italian town incorporated into the Roman state. Inhabitants retained local self-government but had duties to Rome, such as paying taxes and providing soldiers.

civitas sine suffragio

"Citizenship without the right to vote."

A status granted to conquered peoples that gave them the legal protections and obligations of Roman citizens (like military service) but denied them a vote in Roman assemblies.

peregrini

Foreigners or free provincials living under Roman rule who were neither full Roman citizens nor Latin allies

conubium, commercium, & migratio (Latin Rights)

conubium: Right to contract a lawful marriage with a Roman
commercium: Right to own Roman land and make binding business contracts (05 Expansi... p. 2).
migratio: Right to gain citizenship simply by moving to Rome

Patrician vs. Plebeian

Patricians: The hereditary aristocratic elite who exclusively controlled early religious and political offices.
Plebeians: All other Roman citizens, ranging from poor farmers to wealthy merchants, who fought for political equality.

nexum

A form of debt bondage in early Rome where a debtor pledged their physical person as collateral. It was abolished by the Lex Poetelia Papiria in 326 BCE.

Decemviri

The "Board of Ten" men appointed (around 450 BCE) to write down Rome's first formal, public code of laws, known as the Twelve Tables.

Plebiscitum (Plebiscita)

Resolutions passed by the Plebeian assembly (Concilium Plebis). Under the Lex Hortensia (287 BCE), they became binding on all Roman citizens, not just plebeians.

nobiles

The new governing elite that emerged after the Struggle of the Orders, consisting of both patrician and wealthy plebeian families whose ancestors had attained the consulship.

Carthage,Syracuse,Saguntum

Key locations of conflict in the Punic Wars

Carthage

North African naval empire and Rome's chief rival

Syracuse

Powerful Greek city-state in Sicily

Saguntum

Spanish city whose sack by Hannibal sparked the Second Punic War

Hannibal Barca

Brilliant Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants and inflicted catastrophic defeats on Rome at the Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae

Quintus Fabius Maximus

Roman Dictator appointed after the disaster at Lake Trasimene. He earned the nickname "The Delayer" for his strategy of non-engagement, avoiding pitched battles to wear down Hannibal's forces

Scipio Africanus

Roman general who conquered Carthaginian Spain and defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama, winning the Second Punic War

Scipio Aemilianus

Grandson (by adoption) of Africanus

the Roman commander who completely destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE during the Third Punic War

Pyrrhus of Epirus

Greek king who fought Rome in Southern Italy (280–275 BCE). He won costly battles but couldn't sustain his losses, originating the term "Pyrrhic Victory" (winning the battle but losing the war).

provincia (Province)

Originally a magistrate's sphere of duty, it evolved into a defined territorial command outside of Italy governed by a Roman official.

Proconsul & Propraetor

Promagistrates whose regular terms as consul or praetor were extended (prorogued) so they could continue to command an army or govern a foreign province.

Titus Quinctius Flamininus

Roman general who defeated Philip V of Macedon at Cynoscephalae (197 BCE) and famously proclaimed the "Freedom of Greece" at the Isthmian Games.

Lucius Aemilius Paullus

Roman general who crushed King Perseus of Macedon at the Battle of Pydna (168 BCE), ending the Macedonian monarchy.

Roman Triumph

A spectacular state parade awarded by the Senate to a victorious general. The general dressed like a god/king, paraded spoils and captives through Rome, and dedicated sacrifices at the Temple of Jupiter

laudatio funebris

A funeral oration delivered from the Rostra in the Forum by a son or relative, praising the virtues, achievements, and political honors of the deceased and their ancestors.

mos maiorum

"The custom of the ancestors." The unwritten, ancestral code of social, religious, and political norms that guided Roman behavior and served as the foundation of their uncodified constitution.

populus Romanus

The Roman People as a collective political entity, comprising all citizens voting in organized assemblies (comitia).

imperium vs. potestas

imperium: Executive military command and judicial power held by top magistrates (Consuls, Praetors, Dictators).
potestas: The lesser legal authority or power inherent to lower offices (like Quaestors or Aediles).

senatus consultum

An advisory decree or opinion issued by the Roman Senate. While technically advice to magistrates, it carried immense social and political weight.

ager publicus

Public land acquired by Rome through conquest in Italy. Wealthy elites illegally monopolized vast tracts of it, sparking the agrarian crisis.

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

Tribune of the Plebs (133 BCE) who bypassed the Senate to pass a law redistributing ager publicus to poor citizens. He was beaten to death by a mob of senators when he ran for a consecutive term.

Gaius Sempronius Gracchus

Tribune (123–122 BCE) who expanded his brother's radical program. He introduced subsidized grain laws, judicial power for the equites, and colonies for the poor before being killed following the first-ever issuance of the Senatus Consultum Ultimum.

novus homo ("New Man")

A Roman citizen who was the first in his family to be elected consul. They faced deep snobbery from the traditional hereditary nobility (nobiles).

The Proletarii & Marian Reforms

The poorest class of citizens who lacked property. Gaius Marius eliminated property requirements for the army, enlisting the proletarii and creating a professional force loyal to their general rather than to the state.

Jugurtha + Mithridates VI

Formidable foreign rulers who exposed Roman vulnerability:
Jugurtha: King of Numidia who used bribery to exploit senatorial corruption.
Mithridates VI: King of Pontus whose eastern expansion triggered the civil wars between Marius and Sulla.

Ab Urbe Condita & exemplum

Ab Urbe Condita: "From the Foundation of the City," Livy's massive history of Rome written in yearly installments.
exemplum: A moral paradigm or example of good or bad behavior by individuals, used by Livy to instruct his readers.

Features of Roman Kingship

Early Roman kingship was not hereditary. Kings were chosen by the senators (patres), confirmed by a vote of the people (comitia curiata), and invested with imperium via divine approval (auspices).

interregnum

The period between kings, when the Senate held temporary power, and voted in place a temporary dictator until a new king was formally selected.

Romulus’s Curia & Tribus

The original social structure where male citizens were divided into 30 curiae (wards), with 10 curiae assigned to each of the 3 original tribes (Ramnes, Tities, Luceres) for political, military, and religious organization.

Servian Reforms (Centuriate vs. Tribal)

King Servius Tullius re-organized the populace into two new frameworks:
Centuriate Assembly: Grouped citizens into 193 centuries based on wealth (the weapons and armor they could afford to buy for military service).
Tribal Assembly: Grouped citizens geographically into 4 urban tribes and a growing number of rural tribes (eventually totaling 35).

Tarquinius Superbus (Populist Tyrant)

The 7th and final king of Rome. Though remembered by the aristocratic Senate as a tyrant, he was a populist who was supported by the lower classes and built massive public works, including the Cloaca Maxima (the great sewer) and the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

libertas

The foundational political ideal of the Republic defined by annually elected magistrates and the rule of law overriding the rule of men.

Lucius Junius Brutus & Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus

The first two consuls of the Roman Republic. Collatinus was quickly forced to resign simply for bearing the hated family name "Tarquin".