Midterm: Romans, Early Russia, Christianity, East African Trading States and Mongol Empire Flashcards
(126 cards)
Plebians
The Roman lower classes
Patricians
The Roman upper classes
Punic wars
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC.
What was the Roman government’s structure?
The Roman government was split into three parts: the Senate, the Assemblies, and the Consuls.
Consuls
2 annually elected leaders who were chief executives and commanders of the army.
Senate
A body of 300 (later 600) members who advised elected officials, controlled public finances, and handled all foreign relations.
Roman assemblies and tribunes
Elected magistrates, approved laws, tried court cases, declared war
How did the Romans acquire territory?
The Romans acquired territory with a strong army and navy. All Roman men between 17 and 46 with property were required to enlist. It also had an optimal position in the center of the Mediterranean.
What were the implications of the land gains of the Roman Empire?
- New government institutions
- Cultural transformation (Greek impact)
- Physical transformation (loot and people)
New institutions, such as provincial government, were created to deal with the management of empire; culture was transformed as outside influences, especially from Greece, came into fashion in Rome; and the city itself was physically transformed by the influx of loot and people brought by successes abroad.
How did the Greeks influence the Romans?
Roman conquest of Greece led to cultural diffusion. Roman art and architecture reflected Greek ideals. Roman religion was borrowed ideas from Greece.
Social War
A war between Rome and its Italian allies from 91 to 88 BC in which Sulla rose to power. Rome won, but agreed to give citizenship to its Italian allies.
First Triumvirate
Julius Ceaser, Gnaeus Pompey, and Licinius Crassus (60 to 44 BC).
Julius Caesar
First emperor of Rome, conqueror of Gaul. (100 BC to 15 March 44 BC)
Octavian/Augustus
Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) was a Roman statesman and military leader who became the first emperor of the Roman Empire, reigning from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
Good Emperors
Nerva (reigned 96–98 CE), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161), and Marcus Aurelius (161–180), who presided over the most majestic days of the Roman Empire.
Pax Romana
The Pax Romana (Latin for “Roman Peace”) is a roughly 200-year-long period in Roman history which is identified with sustained peace, increased trade, strong legal system.
Which Roman emperors were succesful and why?
Augustus, Tiberius, Marcus Aurelius, Constantine and Vespasian.
Augustus: excellent political judgment.
Tiberius: good soldier and a competent administrator.
Constantine: building Constantinople, assimilating Christians.
Vespasian, for overseeing the transition from one dynasty to another, openness of this rule.
How did society change during the Pax Romana?
Increased stability
The provincial government became fairer and more efficient
The Emperor became more and more important
The cities of the Mediterranean became more uniform, imitating Rome
uniform legal system
Tenant farmers began to replace slaves
Manufacturing increased
Increased trade
Rome and Alexandria became great commercial centers
Roman classes and structure
Highly stratified
The two classes were plebians and patrcians.
Most of Roman society was poor
Roman family: patriarchal in structure
Each was headed by the paterfamilias, who controlled all aspects of the family
Roman culture and entertainment
- Religion: accepting of many gods.
- Entertainment:
- Circuses: bloody gladiatorial combats popular.
- Execution of criminals as spectacle.
- Chariot races
- Theater
- Education: valued by upper class Romans
- Health: baths were both hygeine and entertainment.
Judea
The southern part of the region of Palestine where the Jews lived during the Roman empire
Zealots
A group of Jews who rebeled against Roman occupation from 66-70 AD
Jesus of Nazareth
A prophet who preached of the need to seek forgiveness for sins and was believed to be the Messiah by the Christians
Edict of Milan
Constantine’s 313 edict legalizing Christianity
