AP World History Study Guide - MCQ Rome: From Founding to Empire (753 BCE–27 BCE)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts and events related to the rise of Rome from founding to empire.

Tiber River

The river on which Rome was founded; it allowed trade and transportation and provided protection from pirates.

Roman Republic

A representative form of government established in 509 BCE after the overthrow of the monarchy.

Patricians

Wealthy elites in Roman society who dominated the Senate.

Plebiscites

A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

Conflict of the Orders

The power struggle between plebeians and patricians, leading to significant political reforms.

The Twelve Tables

The first written Roman laws, made public to prevent elite abuse of legal customs.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage for control of the western Mediterranean.

Hannibal

Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants during the Second Punic War.

Gracchi Brothers

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, tribunes who proposed land reforms and faced political violence.

Gaius Marius

General who reformed the Roman army by allowing landless citizens to enlist and making soldiers loyal to generals.

Crossing the Rubicon

Julius Caesar's illegal act that led to a civil war and his rise to power.

Augustus

Title taken by Octavian when he became the sole ruler of Rome in 27 BCE, marking the end of the Republic.

Tiber River

The river on which Rome was founded; it allowed trade and transportation and provided protection from pirates.

Roman Republic

A representative form of government established in 509 BCE after the overthrow of the monarchy.

Patricians

Wealthy elites in Roman society who dominated the Senate.

Plebiscites

A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

Conflict of the Orders

The power struggle between plebeians and patricians, leading to significant political reforms.

The Twelve Tables

The first written Roman laws, made public to prevent elite abuse of legal customs.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage for control of the western Mediterranean.

Hannibal

Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants during the Second Punic War.

Gracchi Brothers

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, tribunes who proposed land reforms and faced political violence.

Gaius Marius

General who reformed the Roman army by allowing landless citizens to enlist and making soldiers loyal to generals.

Crossing the Rubicon

Julius Caesar's illegal act that led to a civil war and his rise to power.

Augustus

Title taken by Octavian when he became the sole ruler of Rome in 27 BCE, marking the end of the Republic.

Consuls

The two chief executive magistrates of the Roman Republic, elected annually.

Senate

The advisory governing body of the Roman Republic, originally composed of Patricians, which held substantial influence over policy and finance.

Tribunes

Officials elected by the Plebeian Assembly to protect plebeian rights and interests, notably possessing veto power.

First Triumvirate

An informal political alliance formed by Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus to control the Roman Republic.

Latifundia

Large agricultural estates in Rome, often worked by slaves, which displaced small farmers and contributed to social inequality.

Pax Romana

The long period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire beginning with the reign of Augustus.

Plebeians

The common non-elite citizens of Rome who gradually gained political rights during the Conflict of the Orders.

Assembly of the Tribes (Concilium Plebis)

The legislative body primarily for plebeians; it eventually gained the power to pass laws binding on all Roman citizens (via the Hortensian Law).

Scipio Africanus

The Roman general who successfully invaded North Africa and defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama, ending the Second Punic War.

Populares vs. Optimates

The two main political factions in the late Roman Republic: Populares supported reforms via the popular assemblies, while Optimates favored traditional Senate dominance.

Sulla

General who marched on Rome twice, declared himself dictator, implemented proscriptions (lists of enemies to be executed), and restored power briefly to the Senate.

Second Triumvirate

The formal political alliance formed by Octavian, Marc Antony, and Marcus Lepidus to stabilize the state after Caesar's assassination and persecute his murderers.

Battle of Actium

The decisive naval engagement in 31 BCE where Octavian defeated the combined forces of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, securing his position as sole ruler.

Carthage's Fate

Following the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, the city was razed, its inhabitants enslaved, and its territory became the Roman province of Africa.