Social Studies: Roman Empire Flashcards
(67 cards)
1
Q
What is a constitution
A
System of basic rules and principles by which a government is organized
2
Q
What is veto
A
Stop or cancel the action of a government official or body
3
Q
What is magistrate
A
Government official who enforces the law
4
Q
What is toga
A
A garment that adult men wore that wrapped around their bodies as a symbol of Roman citizenship
5
Q
What is consul
A
One of 2 top officials and military leaders in the Roman empire
6
Q
What is to violate?
A
Break a rule or agreement
7
Q
What is a policy
A
Course of action taken by a government
8
Q
What is patriarchal society?
A
A society in which men ruled their families, and people trace their origin through male ancestors
9
Q
What is paterfamilias
A
The oldest man in a Roman family who had absolute power over his family
10
Q
What is a villa
A
A large country home
11
Q
What is an established religion
A
An official religion supported by the government
12
Q
What is minority
A
A group that is less than half of the population
13
Q
What is tenant
A
A person who leases land or a home
14
Q
What is empire
A
A sate containing several countries or territories
15
Q
What is province
A
A territory under the control of a larger country
16
Q
What is civil war
A
War between groups within the same country
17
Q
What is Augustus
A
Title used by Roman emperors, meaning venerable or greatly honored person
18
Q
What is equipment
A
Things used for a specific purpose
19
Q
What is professional
A
Trained, or expert
20
Q
True or false: Ancient Roman government was a democracy
A
False.
It was a mix of aristocracy, democracy and monarchy.
21
Q
True or false: the Roman constitution was not written down.
A
True.
It was based on tradition, custom and a collection of laws.
22
Q
What is separation of powers? Why did Romans choose this, and how was it done?
A
It is a sharing power among different people with different roles, so that no one person could become too powerful.
After overthrowing the last king, the Romans did not want to be ruled by a single person.
They accomplished this by electing 2 consuls with equal power, and each could veto the other. They also limited the amount of time an official could serve to one year, so that his power was also limited by time.
23
Q
were the 3 branches of Roman government?
A
They had a tripartite government made up of:
(1) Assemblies: made up of groups of adult male Roman citizens who could pass laws and elect magistrates. Their powers were checked by the Senate and elected officials. The assembly was the most democratic feature of Roman government because it was filled by adult male citizens who could vote and pass laws.
(2) The Senate: made up of wealthy and important citizens who helped to pass laws, control foreign policy and and control government money. The Senate worked like an oligarchy because it was filled by wealthy and well-known old men who were appointed by censors, so they were not elected. And the Senate was the most powerful branch of government.
(3) Magistrates: they were elected by the assemblies and enforced the law and judged cases. Magistrates were wealthy men from respected families. The most powerful magistrates were the 2 consuls. The power of the magistrates made them almost like monarchs.
24
Q
How did checks and balances work?
A
Power was divided among the 3 branches of Roman government. No branch had total power, and could be checked or stopped by another branch from mis-using its power, although the Senate was often the most powerful branch of government.
25
What is rule of law?
This was an important principle in Ancient Rome, where the law applied equally to everyone, including elected officials.
26
Who can be a Roman citizen?
Free Roman men.
If both his parents were citizens, then he can be a citizen at birth. Women and slaves could not be citizens.
Citizenship could also be granted by Roman people, and later by generals and emperors.
27
What rights and responsibilities did Roman citizens have?
Roman culture stressed civic duty, and Roman citizens had:
- Right to trial by jury
- Right to vote
- Duty to pay taxes
- Duty to serve in the military and in Roman courts as legal guardians, witnesses, jurors and judges
28
What are two orders of Roman citizens?
(1) Patricians: wealthy and come from famous old families
(2) Plebians: majority of Romans, who were usually farmers and artisans, but some were also wealthy.
29
How did the Plebians gain some power from the Patricians?
They went on strike, especially during war. Because Roman armies were mostly Plebians, the army could not fight when Plebians went on strike.
30
True of false: in Roman assemblies, the votes of the wealthy counted more than votes of the poor.
True.
[Don't you hate rich people?!? Haha...]
31
What was the Race of Honors? Describe the race.
It was the path that Roman politicians took from lower to higher offices.
The race started from the lowest office, the quaestor, who were accountants and served as assistants to those in higher offices.
Those who did well as quaestors might be elected to higher office as aediles, who were responsible for festivals and maintaining public buildings.
Plebians could run for office to the Tribune of the Plebs, who acted as the protector of the plebians.
From aedile and the tribune, the race can progress to become praetors and consuls. Praetors judged cases, managed the city of Rome, and led armies during wars.
After becoming a praetor, a politician could be elected to be a consul, who were the top officials in the Roman Empire. Their most important job was to lead the army. They also presided over the Senate and assemblies and were the highest judges.
32
Who were lictors?
They were bodyguards for praetors and consuls, and carried their fasces, which were symbols of power.
33
What made the Tribune of Plebs very powerful?
It could veto any law or action of any magistrate.
34
Describe dictators in ancient Rome.
A dictator was an important public official. The Senate could vote to appoint a dictator in times of great emergency. Dictators had complete power, but only for a limited time, for a maximum of 6 months.
35
Who was Cincinnatus
He was a famous dictator. He was named dictator while he was a farmer. A dictator, he quickly defeated Rome's enemies, resigned, and went back to work on his farm. [What a bad-ass!]
People thought of him as an ideal republic patriot.
36
Who is thought of as the American Cincinnatus?
George Washington, who came out of retirement to lead the continental army and defeated the British. He then went back to his farm.
37
How did the Roman Republic influence the U.S. government and constitution?
Like the Romans:
- U.S. citizens have the right to vote
- The U.S. government had 3 branches, with separate powers
- Checks and balances limited the power of each branch
- Rule of law applies to every American
- The U.S. president could veto laws
- The U.S. government has a Senate
38
In what ways is the U.S. government different from the Roman Republic?
Unlike Rome:
- The U.S. constitution is a written document
- The U.S. government is a representative (not direct) democracy
- In the U.S. today (but not at the beginning), women has certain rights as citizens including the right to vote
39
What power did the paterfamilias have over his family?
He owned all the property and had absolute power over his wife, slaves, children and underaged siblings.
This power was unlimited. For example, he had the power to sell his children into slavery. [Hmmm, next time you are 不耐煩!] Or even kill them.
But in reality, a father's power was limited by customs, including duty to one's family being one of the highest virtues. A father also had a duty to honor his ancestors and to continue the family name through sons.
40
What was the role of women in ancient rome?
They enjoyed more freedom than women in ancient Greece. They could own personal property and could have an active role in social life such as going to parties, going to the theater, and participate in religious rituals. They could also make wills, divorce their husbands, and go out in public. But their primary role was to have children and teach them to follow traditions.
41
How did women in Rome participate in politics?
Women had no right to vote or to participate in government. The only way they could do it was indirectly, to influence their husbands and sons
42
True or false: most Romans were poor, only a tiny minority were wealthy
True
43
How did wealthy Romans make their money?
Mostly through agriculture - they owned large farms with slave workers.
Some also became wealthy through business.
Wealthy Romans lived in large houses with courtyards. gardens, private baths, beautiful decorations, and some even had running water. Many also owned villas.
44
What was life like for common people of Rome?
Most people lived in cramped and sometimes poorly built apartments with no running water. Crime, fire and disease were common threats.
Many were tenant farmers who rented land from wealthy landlords. They also worked a variety of other jobs such as day laborers in construction, at city stocks, and in stores, taverns or restaurants.
45
True or false: around 20% of the population in Ancient Rome were slaves.
False.
As many as 40% were slaves. As the empire grew richer and more powerful, they bought and captured more slaves
46
What rights did slaves have?
Virtually none.
They were bought and sold as property, they could be beaten or killed by their owners for any reason, their children were also slaves.
47
What was life like for slaves?
Many worked in mines and farms, and often led short lives due to being treated brutally.
Those who worked in their masters' homes doing housework had easier lives. They lived like other poor people in Rome.
Educated slaves, usually Greek, worked as teachers or secretaries. Although they lived in better conditions, they were still slaves and could be treated cruelly.
48
Could slaves ever be freed?
Yes. Those who served loyally could be freed by their masters as a reward.
Slaves could also buy their freedom.
Freed slaves became citizens and had the right to vote.
49
Who was Spartacus?
He was a Roman slave who led an army of rebel slaves who fought the Roman army and threatened to capture Rome before they were defeated.
50
Trace the roots and influences of Roman religion.
They worshipped hundreds of gods, many adapted from the Greeks and Etruscans. Others were adapted from other Latin cultures, as well as from people that they conquered.
51
Give some examples of how religion was an important part of Ancient Rome.
Rome had an established religion supported by the government.
Government officials also served as priests.
Religious experts were often consulted before making important decisions.
They believed that maintaining good relationships with gods, and keeping gods happy, the gods would give them what they asked for. So prayer, worship at home, temples, animal sacrifices, and games held in their gods' honor were all part of Roman life.
52
What did Cicero say about the role of the gods?
He believed that the gods were responsible for the success of the empire.
53
Ultimately, how did the Romans become so successful and powerful?
They were skilled conquerors, they were great city planners, and they used diplomacy effectively.
54
Describe the Roman social pyramid
At the top are wealthy citizens, mostly patricians and rich plebians.
In the middle were poor citizens, some were fallen patricians but most were plebians.
At the bottom were slaves, including freed men.
55
What were the Punic Wars?
Rome fought Carthage (a city in North Africa that controlled parts of Spain and Sicily) for control of western Mediterranean over a series of 3 wars.
56
Who was Hannibal, and what was he known for?
Carthage's greatest general. He led Carthage's army in the 2nd war in the Punic Wars, marching his army of 40,000 troops and 40 war elephants from Spain into Italy over the alps.
Through clever tactics, he defeated 3 Roman armies. But he was eventually defeated by Roman general Scipio and retreated.
The effort that Rome put into defending in the 2nd series of wars in the Punic Wars almost destroyed it.
57
How did the Punic Wars end, and how did Rome benefit?
The Roman army conquered Carthage. They burned and looted the city and sold its people into slavery.
The Romans gained fertile land to grow wheat in Sicily and North Africa, as well as silver deposits in Spain.
58
How the Roman Empire expand after the Punic Wars?
After conquering Carthage, they controlled most of the land along the western part of the Mediterranean. They then went east and conquered Greece and parts of Southwest Asia.
59
How did Romans govern over the empire?
The conquered countries and territories became provinces of Rome.
At the early stages of the empire, there was no emperor. Instead, the provinces were ruled by magistrates sent from Rome.
60
What were some pain points as the empire expanded?
As they conquered more people, the number of slaves greatly expanded, and gap between the wealthy and the rest of the population started to expand, which created tension in the political system.
Many magistrates sent to govern provinces were cruel and corrupt, stealing from people and looting from the provinces, and using violence to win elections. As they started to break laws, the rule of law broke down and the government slowly stopped working.
61
Why was it a problem when the gap between the rich and the poor started to grow?
As more slaves were used by the wealthy, poor Romans lost jobs, including tenant farmers.
The government feared that poor Romans would start a rebellion or revolution. They tried to give out free grain, some politicians tried to implement reforms to give land to the poor while other politicians employed gangs to fight and kill the reformers.
62
How did the army rise in power, and why was this important?
Gaius Marius was a consul who led reforms in the army. He allowed poor citizens to join and paid for the equipment. Thus the army grew in size and professionalism.
When soldiers retired, they relied on their commanders to give them land. This made them more loyal to their commanders than the government.
This powerful army eventually helped their commanders fight their rivals and senators, leading to civil war.
63
Who were Marius and Sulla?
Sulla was a general, and the Senate replaced him with Marius. Sulla used his loyal troops against Marius in a civil war and won, and he became the dictator for a year.
This was the first time army commanders used their loyal troops against their enemies inside their own country, but it was not the last...
64
Who were Pompey and Caesar, and what part did they play in Rome becoming an empire?
They were commanders who first fought together, but then fought against each other to gain power.
The Senate backed Pompey but Caesar and his army crossed the Rubicon River to fight Pompey and won. After that, he made himself dictator for life. He was eventually killed by a group of senators, but Rome did not revert back to a republic.
Instead, Caesar's relative Octavian led Caesar's followers in a civil war against Caesar's killers. Octavian became Rome's first emperor after he defeated Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. He took the title of Augustus. This signaled the end of Rome as a republic.
65
How did Augustus reduce the Senate's power and get more powerful for himself as the emperor?
He made new rules for who can be a senator, so that those with more property and who were not directly involved in business could be senators.
He also took over the power to introduce new laws, appoint new senators, and call for and lead senate discussions.
The result was that the senate became advisors while the emperor held all the power.
66
What were the key causes to the fall of Rome as a republic?
There was not one single event, but rather multiple causes:
- Rome expanded quickly, putting strain on the government to govern over a larger and larger area with new provinces.
- As Rome expanded, it also became more wealthy, and the gap between the rich and poor grew. This created conflict between the rich and the poor, and caused anger and unrest, putting more pressure on the society and the government.
- The army became more powerful, giving their commanders the ability to seize power for themselves. The temptation was too great for Caesar, who eventually used the powerful army in a civil war to gain power. Augustus continued what Caesar started and Rome eventually became an empire.
67
Who was Cicero?
He was a famous Roman lawyer, speaker and writer, who was a champion of the republic.
He participated in the race of honors and eventually became a powerful consul and later a governor of Cilicia.
During the civil wars, he refused to take sides and remained loyal to the senate and the ideals of a republic.
He was eventually exiled, and he studied philosophy in exile. He was eventually allowed to return to Rome. He was assassinated.
Much of what we know about the fall of the Roman republic comes from his writings.
