Untitled Flashcards Set

SULLA

What he did:

• Bocchus handed Jugurtha to Sulla

  • Bocchus - subordinate of Marius

• Defeated Marius in a struggle for supremacy over Rome

• Contended w/Marius for command in the fight against Mithridates VI

• Become consul in 89 BC

• Ended First Mithridatic War by winning a lot of battles

• First Roman general to lead a Roman army to occupy Rome itself

  • Did this to make sure that command over Mithridates VI wasn’t transferred to Marius

• Battle of Colline Gate(82 BC) - Sulla defeats Marius and the Samnites

• Declared emperor for life in 82 BC

  • Set up first proscription list that year too(list of enemies to be executed w/o trial)

• Met Julius Caesar as a teenager, proclaimed “I see in him many a Marius” about him

• Got Senate to pass Lex Valeria

  • Basically said that he could be dictator for life

• 82-73 BC, there was a revolt against his government by Sertorius, a veteran of Marius

• He was a member of the Optimates party

Enemies: 

• Cinna

• Marius

• Sertorius

7 KINGS OF ROME

• Romulus(753-717)

  • Great-grandfather: Proca(a king of Alba Longa)

  • Grandfather: Numitor

  • Grand-uncle: Amulius(evil)

    • Usurped throne from Numitor

  • Mom: Rhea Silvia

    • Forced by Amulius to be a vestal virgin

    • Had Romulus+Remus w/Mars

    • Abandoned in Tiber River, suckled by a she-wolf

  • Romulus was on Palatine, Remus on Avantine

  • Romulus saw 12 vultures, Remus saw 6

  • Romulus killed Remus for jokingly jumping over the barriers, became king of Rome

  • First act: fortify the palatine hill

  • Created 100 senate seats

  • Romans stole Sabine women under his reign

  • Signed 100-year treaty after defeating Veii+Fidenae

  • Celeres - his 300-person cavalry bodyguards

  • Wife: Hersilia

• Numa Pompilius(717-673)

  • Was a Sabine

  • Wife: Tatia(daughter of Titus Tatius)

  • Ancus Marcius’ grandfather

  • Built Temple of Janus

  • Divided year into 12 lunar months

  • Established priestly colleges+flamines

  • Frequently visited nymph Egeria for advice

• Tullus Hostilius(673-641)

  • Was roman

  • Built Curia Hostilia, first senate house

  • Palace was on Caelian Hill

  • Fought Alba Longa

    • Horatii vs. Curiatii

  • Destroyed Alba Longa, made them all Roman, doubling the population

  • Death: struck by a thunderbolt after performing a sacrifice to Zeus improperly

• Ancus Marcius(640-616)

  • Grandson of Numa Pompilius

  • Built pons sublicus

  • Built Tullianum, dungeon of the Mamertine

  • Founded Ostia(port city)

  • Created Plebeian class

  • Added Janiculum Hill

  • Adopted ius fetiale(legal procedure for declaring war)

• Tarquinius Priscus(616-579)

  • First etruscan king

  • Original name: Lucumo

  • Murdered by an axe blow to the head by Ancus Marcius’ sons

  • Tanaquil(his wife) noticed eagles flying around his head during their journey to rome, it stole his hat and put it back on as he was entering the city

    • Interpreted it as a sign that he’d be king

  • Laid foundations for Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maxima

  • Built Cloaca Maxima

  • Captured Apiolae from Latins

• Servius Tullius(578-535)

  • First king made king w/o consultation of plebs

  • Tanaquil saw his head spontaneously burst into flames, interpreting it as an omen that he’d one day be king

  • Both of his daughters married sons of Tarniquinius Priscus

  • Took first census, divided people into 5 classes+divided city into 4 regions

  • Built Servian Wall around city

  • Added 3 hills, lived on Esquiline

  • Built temple of Diana on Aventine hill

  • Died when his daughter and her husband, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, plotted against him and ran him over

• Tarquinius Superbus(535-510)

  • Son-in-law fought against Romans in battle of Lake Regillus in 496

  • Was very proud and arrogant

  • Built Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

  • Started 200 year war against Volscians

  • Nephew: Brutus

    • Kiss the ground story, oracle of Delphi

    • Tarquinius Superbus overthrown by Brutus

FIRST FEW EMPERORS

JULIO-CLAUDIAN DYNASTY

Augustus(27 BC - 14 AD)

• First emperor

• 28 BC: elected consul

• 27 BC: voted proconsular imperium over both Spains, Gaul, Egypt, Syria

• Adopts many children because he wants heirs, they all die

  • Ex: Gaius + Lucius Caesar

• 4 AD: adopts Tiberius(his successor)

• Fights Cantabrians and Asturians in Spain

Tiberius(14 - 37 AD)

• Sejanus: praetorian prefect who amassed control of rome when Tiberius was living on Capri

• 55 when he began his reign

• Expanded Roman Empire into Germany

• Jealous of Germanicus, his nephew/adopted son

  • Died in 19 AD after a great military career

• Refused to go to his Livia’s(his mother) funeral in 29 AD

• Delatores flourished under his reign

Caligula(37-41 AD)

• Was a good emperor at the start, but went mad after an illness

• Abolished the slave tax

• After illness:

  • Forced Tiberius Gemellus and Macro to commit suicide

  • Executed father-in-law

• Deified his sister Drusilla after her death in 38 AD

• 40 AD: attempts to invade Britain, goes to Straits of Dover and erects a lighthouse, orders troops to gather shells

• Assassinated by Cassius Chaerea, someone he had insulted at the Palatine Games in 41 BC

Claudius(41-54 AD)

• Brother of Germanicus, son of Drusus I(Tiberius’ brother)

• Caligula’s uncle

• Was deformed

• Executed his niece and Tiberius’ granddaughter

• Wives: Plautia Urgulanilla, Agrippina the Younger, and Messalina

• Children: Octavian and Britannicus

• Relied on his friends:

  • Narcissus

  • Callistus

  • Pallas

  • Polybius

• Conquered Britain in 43 AD

• 50 AD: adopted Nero

Nero(54-68 AD)

• First five good years called quinquennium Neronis

• Guided by Seneca + Burrus

  • Burrus replaced by Tigellinus in 62 AD after his death

• Executed Callistus

• Expelled Pallas

• Poisoned Britannicus in 55 AD

• Killed his mom, Agrippina the Younger

  • She was being too controlling for him

• Pisonian Conspiracy: Gaius Calpurnius Piso plotted against Nero

  • Lucan (Seneca’s nephew) and several Praetorians were involved in it

  • As a result of it, Seneca, Lucan, Petronius all forced to commit suicide

• 64 AD: blames great fire of Rome on Christians, leads to their persecution 

• Jewish Revolt:

  • Judea was mad that Nero wasn’t protecting them from Greek raids

  • They besieged Jerusalem

  • Nero told Vespasian to stop the revolt

  • 70 AD: Titus, Vespasian’s elder son, conquered Jerusalem

  • Flavius Silva took Masada, a rebel stronghold, causing everyone except 2 women and 5 children to commit suicide

• Revolt of Julius Vindex in Gaul in 68 AD:

  • Lucius Verginius Rufus, Nero’s loyal commander in Upper Germany, led three legions into Gaul and defeated Vindex at Vesontio. Vindex committed suicide. 

  • Nero had a faithful freedman kill him

    • Last words: “qualis artifex pereo”

THE YEAR OF FOUR EMPERORS(69 AD):

Galba

• Angered legions in the Rhine by recalling Verginius Rufus(beloved commander)

  • Wanted Vitellius as emperor instead

• Appointed Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus as his successor

• Otho became angry, got Praetorians to make him emperor

  • Praetorians killed Galba

Otho:

• Supported by Praetorian Guard+Romans

  • People near Rhine still wanted Vitellius

• Defeated part of Vitellius’ forces at Bedriacum

• Otho’s forces were slaughtered by Vitellius’ forces, under command of Valens and Caecina

  • Otho committed suicide

• Otho took the name Nero, restored his statues

• First emperor who didn’t have roots in the old Republican aristocracy

Vitellius:

• Failed to prevent looting + violence in Cremona

• Armies in East wanted Vespasian as emperor

• Second Battle of Cremona: Vitellius’ forces get destroyed by the governor of Syria’s, under the command of Vespasian

• Tried to surrender to Flavius Sabinus(Vespasian’s brother), but forces wouldn’t let him

  • Besieged him on the Capitoline Hill, destroyed the Temple of Jupiter Optimus and executed Flavius Sabinus

• December 20, 69: Danubian troops fighting for Vespasian kill Vitellius, senate chooses Vespasian as new emperor

Vespasian(69-79)

• Born in 9 AD

• Shut down revolt of Julius Civilis in Gaul in 70 AD

  • He attempted to form a Gallic nation

• Son Titus captured Jerusalem for Nero

• Deeds:

  • Reformed the army

  • Extended military recruitments to Gaul and Spain

  • Expanded the Senate

  • sent Petilius Cerialis, Frontinus, and Tacitus to conquer Britain, unfinished by Claudius + Nero

  • Built:

    • The Forum of Vespasian with the Temple of Peace in the center

    • The Arch of Titus

    • The Colosseum

    • New temple to Jupiter Capitolinus

• Died in 79 AD of a fever

  • Famously says, “puto deus fio” (I think I’m becoming a god)

• Successor: Titus

PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS

• Tarentum invites Pyrrhus to come fight the Romans

  • Tarentines angry at Romans breaking a treaty for sailing in their harbor

• Heraclea(280 BC)

  • Pyrrhus defeats consul Valerius Laevinius, uses 20 war elephants, scaring the Romans

  • Not a pyrrhic victory

• Asculum(279 BC)

  • First Pyrrhic victory

  • Against Decius Mus the Third

• Beneventum(275 BC)

  • Curius Dentatus defeats Pyrrhus at Maleventum in Campania

    • Renames Maleventum to Beneventum

• Pyrrhus goes to Sicily to fight Carthage

• Tarentum surrenders to Rome in 272

GRACCHI BROTHERS

• Tiberius Gracchus

  • Elected tribune of plebs in 133

  • Was first man over the wall of Carthage

  • Introduced his agrarian bill

    • Removed co-tribune Marcus Octavius when he refused to withdraw his veto of the bill

  • Scipio Nasica, pontifex maximus, led a mob of 300 of his supporters and killed Tiberius

• Gaius Gracchus

  • Was tribune from 123-122 BC

  • Passed Lex Frumentaria

    • Made state buy/import overseas grain for sale to citizens in Rome

  • Passed Lex Militaris

    • Forbade drafting boys under 17

    • Required government to clothe+equip Roman soldiers

    • Shortened terms of service

  • Passed Lex Rubria

    • Provided foundation for colony of Junonia on site of Carthage

  • Passed Lex Acilia

    • Excluded senators + curule magistrates from the quaestio perpetua de rebus repetundis

  • In 122 BC, his co-tribune was his old friend Flaccus, they tried to get citizenship for the allies 

    • While he was in Junonia, Marcus Livius Drusus was talking about how bad the citizenship bill was, threatened to veto it

    • Siphoned support from Gaius

  • Lucius Opimius passed a Senatus Consultum Ultimum and then got a mob to kill some of Gaius’ supporters, including Flaccus

    • Gaius ordered a slave to kill him