Key vocabulary for study of the Roman Empire and its importance in the Mediterranean region from its inception to its fall approximately 476 A.D.
93482817 | Republic | Government where citizens slect or vote on candidates for public office to represent their voice on government issues. | 0 | |
93482818 | Patrician | Wealthy landowners, they dominated the Roman Republic and were the ruling class. | 1 | |
93482819 | Plebians | The middle class of the Roman Republic. It was composed of merchants, craftsman, minor landowners, and small farmers. | 2 | |
93482820 | Consul | A chief excecutive of the Roman Republic. Two were voted into office each year, one to run the government and the other to lead the army in battle. | 3 | |
93482821 | Praetor | Officer of the Roman government who was in charge of enforcing civil law. | 4 | |
93482822 | Triumvirate | A government with three rulers with equal power. | 5 | |
93482823 | Dictator | Absolute ruler. | 6 | |
93482824 | Paterfamilias | In the Roman family, the male head of a household with absolute power of decision making for family members. | 7 | |
93482825 | Insulae | Roman apartment buildings. | 8 | |
93482826 | New Testament | Additions to the Holy Bible that tells the story and testimony of the life of Jesus Christ. | 9 | |
93482827 | Clergy | Church leaders of the Christian community. | 10 | |
93482828 | Laity | Regular members of the Christian church. | 11 | |
93482829 | Plague | Epidemic disease. | 12 | |
93482830 | Inflation | Rapid increase in prices of consumer goods. | 13 | |
93482831 | Latins | Indo-Europeans who moved into Italy from 1500-1000 BC. They spoke Latin and were mainly small farmers and herders. | 14 | |
93482832 | Rome | Located on the Tiber River and center of the Roman Empire on the Italian peninsula. | 15 | |
93482833 | Senate | Roman Republic government organization made up of 300 patriacians who advised the government on issues facing the people and society. | 16 | |
93482834 | Sicily | Island south of the Italian peninsula. It was colonized by Greece and efforts to colonize it by Carthage was a conflict leading to the Punic Wars. | 17 | |
93482835 | Etruscans | Early people living north of Rome. It's civilization influenced the Latins who rebelled and gained their freedom forming the city of Rome from the original village. | 18 | |
93482836 | Carthage | City founded by the Phoenicians approximately 800 BC that fought Rome for control of Sicily and Meditteranean Trade in the Punic Wars. | 19 | |
93482837 | Hannibal | Greatest Carthaginian general that was crushed by Rome in 202 BC in the Battle of Zama. | 20 | |
93482838 | Alps | Highest mountain range in Europe that was crossed by Hannibal and his army of 40,000 men including elephants when he made an effort to invade Rome. | 21 | |
93482839 | Julius Caesar | Defeated Pompey for sole control of power in Rome in 45 BC but was assassinated by Senators in the Senate in 44 BC. | 22 | |
93482840 | Ocatvian | Caesar's nephew who seized power after defeating Marc Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium. In his custody, Cleopatra killed herself as legend says with the bite of an asp. | 23 | |
93482841 | Pax Romana | The "Roman Peace" that lasted from 27 BC to 180 AD. A time of growth in trade across the known Roman Empire and prosperity. | 24 | |
863250078 | Punic Wars | Series of three wars fought between Rome and the Phoenician city of Carthage. Reason: clash of interests between the expanding Carthaginian and Roman spheres of influence. In the third war, the Romans completely destroyed the city of Carthage, sold survivors into slavery, and sowed salt into the earth. | 25 | |
863250079 | Cleopatra | The last pharaoh of Egypt was mistress to Julius Caesar. After his death, she tied her future to Marc Antony and lost a bid for power to Octavian, Caesar Augustus, in the naval battle of Actium off the coast of Greece. | 26 | |
863250080 | Concrete | Technological advancement in building materials made by the ancient Romans to make sturdy buildings such as aqueducts and the Coliseum. | 27 | |
863252823 | Roman Roads | In the ancient world it was said that "all roads lead to Rome" connecting the empire for its vast trade network. | 28 |