2.1 The Form of the Constitution

Question 1

What does SPQR stand for?

Answer 1

Senatus Populusque Romanus (Senate and the people of Rome)

Question 2

What are the three groups in the Roman state?

Answer 2

• Senate
• People
• Magistrates

Question 3

What was the role of the Senate in the Roman Republic?

Answer 3

The Senate advised magistrates and controlled state expenditure

Question 4

How many members were in the Senate by the late Republic?

Answer 4

600 members

Question 5

What is a senatus consultum (SC)?

Answer 5

An opinion or piece of advice from the Senate, not a law

Question 6

What was the cursus honorum?

Answer 6

A sequence of political offices held by aspiring politicians

Question 7

What is the minimum age to be elected as a quaestor?

Answer 7

Thirty years old

Question 8

What were the responsibilities of an aedile?

Answer 8

• Public buildings
• Streets and markets
• Food supply to Rome
• Certain games

Question 9

What was the primary function of a praetor?

Answer 9

Judicial, presiding over the standing law courts

Question 10

What powers did consuls possess?

Answer 10

• Preside over senatorial debate
• Command armies in times of crisis

Question 11

Who could be elected as tribunes?

Answer 11

Only plebeians

Question 12

What power did tribunes have to protect citizens?

Answer 12

Their person was sacrosanct and they could veto proposed laws

Question 13

What are the three assemblies of the people in the Roman Republic?

Answer 13

• Comitia centuriata
• Comitia populi tributa
• Comitia plebis tributa

Question 14

How was the comitia centuriata organized?

Answer 14

Into 193 centuries of voters, subdivided into seven classes by wealth

Question 15

How many equestrian centuries were there in the comitia centuriata?

Answer 15

Eighteen equestrian centuries

Question 16

What was the voting process in the comitia centuriata?

Answer 16

Each century voted, and the majority vote of the century was brought forward

Question 17

What distinguished the comitia plebis tributa from the comitia populi tributa?

Answer 17

Comitia plebis tributa excluded patricians and was presided over by a tribune

Question 18

How many tribes were there in total for voting purposes?

Answer 18

Thirty-five tribes (four urban and thirty-one rural)

Question 19

What was considered legal largesse in the context of Roman assemblies?

Answer 19

Gifts of dinners and money to fellow tribesmen

Question 20

Was it legal to distribute gifts to members of another tribe?

Answer 20

No, that was considered bribery

Question 21

What should have existed among the Senate, magistrates, and assemblies?

Answer 21

A balance of power

Question 22

True or False: A magistrate could propose laws directly.

Answer 22

False, they typically used senatus consultum and assemblies for that

Question 23

Fill in the blank: The position of _______ was responsible for defending the people against magistrates.

Answer 23

Tribune

Question 24

What was the major change Sulla made regarding tribunes?

Answer 24

Curbed their authority to propose legislation and hold further political office

Question 25

What was the significance of the Gracchi and Marius in Roman history?

Answer 25

They established precedents highlighting the need for change

Question 26

What was the prestige associated with holding office in Roman society?

Answer 26

Individuals coveted top jobs for military prestige and wealth from defeated foes

Question 27

What are amicitiae and factiones in the context of Roman politics?

Answer 27

Amicitiae are alliances among senatorial friends and families, while factiones are factions that may be temporary and changing

Question 28

How did individuals seek to hold onto power longer than allowed by the system?

Answer 28

Through nepotism or forming alliances

Question 29

What are the two main political groups in Roman society?

Answer 29

* Optimates * Populares

Question 30

What is the literal meaning of 'optimates'?

Answer 30

'Best people'

Question 31

According to Cicero, what characterized populares?

Answer 31

Those who sought to please the crowd (populus) and used the people's power for their advantage

Question 32

True or False: Cicero presented a fair and unbiased view of the optimates and populares in his speech.

Answer 32

False

Question 33

What did Sulla establish in the legal system of Rome?

Answer 33

Seven standing courts (quaestiones perpetuae) for specific crimes

Question 34

What was the primary role of patrons in Roman society?

Answer 34

To represent the interests of their clients, who were often reasonably well-off

Question 35

What was the status of the majority of the population in Rome?

Answer 35

80-90% were poor, often reliant on hand-outs from the rich and the state

Question 36

What was ager publicus?

Answer 36

Public land that Roman citizens could use but not own

Question 37

What was Tiberius Gracchus' land reform proposal in 133 BC?

Answer 37

To redistribute ager publicus and reaffirm a 500 iugera limit on land possession

Question 38

What did Gaius Gracchus propose to extend citizenship to?

Answer 38

The Latin people and grant Latin status to the rest of Italy

Question 39

What significant actions did Gaius Gracchus take during his tribunate?

Answer 39

* Re-affirming trial rights for the death penalty * Establishing a corn dole * Changing jury composition for provincial extortion cases * Establishing overseas colonies

Question 40

What was the senatus consultum ultimum (SCU)?

Answer 40

A decree empowering magistrates to take up arms to defend the state

Question 41

Who was Marius and what was significant about his consulship?

Answer 41

An accomplished soldier who became consul in 107 BC and challenged the Senate's role in military command

Question 42

What change did Marius implement regarding military recruitment?

Answer 42

He recruited soldiers from the lowest property classification, previously exempt from military service

Question 43

What was the outcome of the alliance between Marius and Saturninus?

Answer 43

Saturninus proposed a land bill benefiting Marius' veterans, leading to violence and political chaos

Question 44

Fill in the blank: The poor citizens of Rome were generally referred to as the _______.

Answer 44

plebs urbana

Question 45

What were latifundia in Roman agriculture?

Answer 45

Large estates farmed by slaves, often acquired from conquered lands