Roman Empire Facts
Who was Spartacus?
Roman gladiator and slave who led a revolt in 73 B.C.
Who was the last of the Roman Emperors?
Romulus Augustulus
Where did Julius Caesar make the famous statement, "the die is cast"?
Rubicon River
How did Roman culture change as the first century gave way to the second and third centuries A.D.?
Saw gradually increasing autocracy, rootlessness and disorientation
In order to stabilize and to improve the governance of the empire, what did Diocletian decree?
That there would be two emperors, one in Rome and one in the east
Why did the Romans call the Mediterranean "mare nostrum"?
The sea was surrounded by Roman territory, enabling peaceful shipping
How did the culture of Rome change as a result of the Punic Wars?
The tradition of hard work and discipline gave way to arrogance and materialism
Why did the Germanic tribes want to migrate into the Roman Empire?
They wanted to enjoy the climate and wealth of the empire
How many Punic Wars were there?
Three
Who were Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?
Tribunes of Rome who advocated major land reforms
Compare the 3rd century A.D. to the 2nd century.
3rd was less peaceful than the first and second centuries, grinding poverty and a loss of hope
What year is traditionally given for the fall of the western Roman empire?
476 A.D.
What year is traditionally given for the beginning of the Roman empire?
753 B.C.
Who wrote Confessions, integrating the ideas of Plato into Christian theology?
Augustine
What was the "parasitical character" of the western cities of the Roman Empire?
Bread and circuses
Who was the enemy of Rome in the Punic Wars?
Carthage
How did the culture of Rome give rise to the demand for "bread and circuses"?
Chronically unemployed mobs of penniless immigrants were hungry and bored
What was one factor that brought about the battle of Adrianople between the Visigoths and the Emperor Valens in 378 A.D. in the eastern Roman Empire?
Corrupt Roman officials cheated and abused the starving Visigoths by selling them dog meat in exchange for the sons as slaves
What was a latifundia?
Extensive farms owned by wealthy landowners
Describe early Christian art
Figures have solemn faces and deep eyes to reflect soul, use of dazzling color, perspective matter less than Greek or Roman art
How did Diocletian stop the economic downfall of Rome
Freezing peasants, artisans and merchants in their jobs, making them
Among whom was the heresy of Arianism particularly prevalent?
Germanic tribes
What did the emperor Diocletian (284-305 A.D.) use to exalt his regime?
Hellenistic and Persian techniques of costume, makeup and drama to appear majestic
Why was Julius Caesar was murdered by a group of senatorial conspirators?
His reforms went too far, too fast for conservative patricians
Who translated the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into the Latin version of the Bible?
Jerome
Who was Josephus?
Jewish general, author of History of the Jews
Who ultimately reestablished order after the civil wars of the late Republic?
Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus
What was Augustus' public image? What kind of ruler was he?
Modest, respectful of tradition, simple, patron of arts
Where was Carthage located?
North Africa
What saved Rome from plunging into unrecoverable periods of civil anarchy during the third century A.D.?
Periods of military despotism and authoritarian rule
What Roman general cleared the Mediterranean of pirates in 67 B.C.?
Pompey
Who was the First Triumvirate was composed of?
Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar
Where were the Huns originally from?
Asiatic nomads from Mongolia
What was Neoplatonism characterized by?
A single "one" or "Good", knowable only through a mystical experience
Who invaded Rome in 410 A.D.? How long did he and his army stay?
Alaric the Visigoth, three days
Who maintained that Christ was not fully DIVINE and not an equal member of the Trinity?
The Arians
Who insisted that Christ was not truly HUMAN, but only a divine spirit because the material world itself was evil and God could not have degraded himself by assuming a flesh-and-blood body?
The Gnostics
Who excommunicated Theodosius, barring him from the church in Milan until he repented?
The bishop Ambrose
What was the main issue discussed at the Council of Nicaea?
The fully human and fully divine nature of Christ
What famous event marked Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 A.D.?
Vision before battle at the Milvian bridge
