Ancient Rome Study Guide

Ancient Rome Study Guide

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VOCABULARY

forum~ a public place where people meet and exchange goods and ideas

republic~ a government in which citizens elect their leaders

consuls~ two chief officials voted for by the Romans, they led armies, served

dictator~ someone who rules with absolute power, Romans could appoint a dictator for a six month term in an emergency

senate~ a governing body of citizens

Patricians~ descendants of Rome’s earliest settlers, controlled Rome’s government

Plebeians~ lower class Romans’, farmers, merchants, soldiers, craftworkers, at odds with the Patricians

tribunes~ special officials of the Plebeians, could veto (say no to) laws

veto~ “I forbid” in Latin, the Plebeian tribunes could block any laws they did not like by saying “veto” during senate meetings

Pax Romana~ over 200 years of Roman peace under the rule of Augustus

census~ a count of the people in a country

legions~ large groups of soldiers in the Roman army

gladiators~ slaves and prisoners who were forced to fight, sometimes to the death

aqueduct~ a system of bridges and canals used to carry water from place to place

parable~ a story used by Jesus to teach a religious lesson

messiah~ someone who brings justice to the world,

crucifixion~ a death penalty involving nailing someone to a cross and leaving him to die

Christianity~ The religion of the Christians, believing in one God and that Jesus is his son and a messiah (savior)

apostles~ 12 (later 13) men who were Jesus’ closest followers

persecute~ to punish someone for their religious beliefs

martyr~ Someone who willingly dies for their beliefs

Gospels~ “good news,” four books of the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they tell about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, part of the New Testament

New Testament~ The second half of the Bible, it tells about Jesus and his followers

Old Testament~ The first half of the Bible, the Hebrew Bible

pope~ the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

barbarians, Germanic tribes, Huns, Visigoths and Vandals~ outside tribes who attacked Rome

PEOPLE

Romulus and Remus were mythical founders of Rome, two brothers who left to die on a riverbank by a cruel Latin king who stole the throne from their grandfather. The boys were raised by a she-wolf. They grew up to defeat the king and put their grandfather back on the throne. It is said the brothers later argued about on which hill to build the city of Rome. Romulus killed his brother and became the first ruler of the new city he founded.

Hannibal was a general leading the army of Carthage in the Punic Wars. He led his soldiers and war elephants over the snow-covered Alps into Italy.

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were brothers who tried to change the laws to help the poor. They were killed for their actions.

Julius Caesar was a Roman General who elected consul. He wanted to rule all Roman lands. He was appointed dictator for ten years. He improved lives by making laws to help the poor by creating more jobs. He also gave citizenship to more people. In 44 BC, when Caesar became dictator for life, some senators and citizens feared he would make himself king. On March 15th (the Ides of March) Caesar was stabbed and left to die on the senate floor.

Cleopatra was an Egyptian queen who had two great loves in her life, Julius Caesar and, after his death, Marc Antony.

Marc Antony was a Roman general who led Caesar’s army into battle against the assassins of Julius Caesar. He and Octavian then divided up Roman lands and ruled the empire together. When he fell in love with Cleopatra, they wanted to set up their own empire. Octavian declared war on Antony and Cleopatra, who lost in a great sea battle near Actium, Greece.

Octavian/ Augustus Caesar defeated Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium, becoming ruler of all Roman lands. The sentate gave him the title Augustus, or “respected one.” He was the first emperor of Rome, but called himself princeps, or “first citizen.” He was a strong and skilled ruler. 200 years of peace began with his rule. He helped more people become citizens and passed laws which treated people more fairly. He had his large army build roads connecting all of the provinces to Rome. He built new government buildings and temples.

Jesus of Nazareth was born to a woman named Mary in the town of Bethlehem in Judea. He taught the belief in one God and the Ten Commandments just as other Jewish teachers did. He urged people to turn away from sin and that God was loving and forgiving. Some people believed he was the messiah or savior. Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor of Judea had Jesus put to death by crucifixion. His followers report that he rose from the dead three days later. To many, this was proof that he was the messiah.

Constantine was a general in the Roman army who says he saw a message in the sky just before a battle. It had the Greek letters for Christ and said In this sign you will conquer.” He had his soldiers paint crosses on their shields and they won the battle. He issued the Edict of Milan which made Christianity an accepted religion. Later he ruled the empire, focusing on the eastern half. He moved the capital from the city of Rome to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. Today it is known as Istanbul.

Diocletian was a Roman emperor who came after a long line of weak leaders. He made many changes that strengthened the government. One of those changes was to divide the empire in two halves. He put one person in charge of the western part and the focused on the eastern part.

The Punic Wars were three wars fought between Rome and Carthage because they both wanted control of the sea trade routes of the Mediterranean. Rome defeated Carthage in all three battles.

The Colosseum was a large amphitheater in Rome in which battles were reenacted and gladiatorial fights took place. Slaves and prisoners were forced to fight each other as well as wild animals, sometimes to the death. The Colosseum could fit about 50,000 spectators.

The End of the Empire came when Rome was too big to manage and outsiders started invading. Diocletian split the empire in two. Constantine moved the capital from Rome in the west to Byzantium (Constantinople) in the east. The western half fell when a Germanic chief named Odoacer overthrew the emperor in AD 476. That area then fell into several kingdoms. The eastern half continued on as the Byzantine Empire until AD 1453.