Deck 6: Republican and Imperial Rome

Question 1

Peoples who shaped the history of Italy, starting around 1000 B.C.E., included

A) the Greeks, Etruscans, Celts, and Italic-speaking bands.
B) the Etruscans, Carthaginians, Kushites, and Bactrians.
C) bands of Italic speakers, the Celts, Greeks, and Eastern Zhou.
D) the Latins, Celts, Greeks, and Macedons.

Answer 1

the Greeks, Etruscans, Celts, and Italic-speaking bands.

Question 2

The people who governed Rome at the outset of its history and strongly influenced its political and cultural practices were

A) the Greeks.
B) the Etruscans.
C) the Celts.
D) the Latins.

Answer 2

the Etruscans.

Question 3

The late Roman Republic (Map 6-2, p. 150), in addition to land on the Italian peninsula, controlled

A) Germania.
B) Sarmatia.
C) Dalmatia.
D) Egypt.

Answer 3

Dalmatia.

Question 4

Sallust (Document, pp. 152-153) believed that the destruction of Carthage was the beginning of the decline of the Roman Republic because

A) the lack of an external enemy led to increased conflict within Roman government.
B) the Punic Wars were costly in terms of manpower and equipment.
C) the loss of a vital trading partner weakened the Roman economy.
D) the Punic Wars increased the prestige of Roman generals who desired more power.

Question 5

As a result of the third-century crisis, Roman society became more

A) egalitarian and democratic.
B) concerned with religious and spiritual issues.
C) regimented and rigid.
D) urbanized and cosmopolitan.

Question 6

What was the "struggle of the orders"? What did the plebeians want? What methods did they use to get what they wanted? To what degree was Roman society different after the struggle ended? Why didn't Rome become a democracy by the end of the struggle?
Conceptual

Question 7

In the second century B.C.E., did the Romans want to annex Asia Minor and Greece? Why? Would you consider Rome's actions to be aggressive or defensive imperialism? In other words, why did Rome conquer? Were the Romans looking for security? Wealth? Power? Fame?
Conceptual

Question 8

Although the Gracchi ended tragically, do you think their leadership at a crucial moment reminded the Roman populace of its potential power? Or was the state controlled at this time by the aristocracy to such an extent as to deny even the theoretical power of the people?
Conceptual

Question 9

"Ironically it was the very success of the Roman republic in war and imperial expansion which led to the overthrow of the republic."
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your answer.
Conceptual

Question 10

Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, and Augustus all tried to achieve and maintain more or less absolute power. But in the end, only Augustus was successful. How can the success of Augustus and the failure of the others be explained? What answers did Augustus provide for the problems that had plagued the republic?
Conceptual

Question 11

What new problems had arisen for the Roman Empire during its first two centuries? What could threaten its survival? Would you describe the empire in 150 C.E. as strong or as coming apart?
Conceptual

Question 12

How does the "Roman mind"
differ from the "Greek mind"? Who was superior in terms of administration, innovation, resourcefulness, and ingenuity? Which culture made a more lasting contribution to our modern world?
Conceptual

Question 13

What were the political, social, and economic problems that beset Rome in the third and fourth centuries C.E.? How did Diocletian and Constantine deal with them? Were they effective in stemming the tide of decline and disintegration in the Roman Empire? What problems were they unable to solve?
Conceptual

Question 14

How does the Christian worldview compare to the Roman worldview before the spread of Christianity? What effect do you think the suppression of Christian worship had on the empire? What effects did the official change to Christianity have on the political and cultural life of ancient Rome?
Conceptual

Question 15

What factors enabled Christianity to triumph over competing religions? What aspects of society and the religion allowed Christianity to attract followers? How did emperors such as Constantine view Christianity and its relationship to the state?
Conceptual

Question 16

What issues in the Roman Republic did Gracchi, Marius, Sulla, and Caesar attempt to address? To what extent did they succeed or fail?
Conceptual

Question 17

Trace the development of Christianity from the life of Jesus through the second century. How did Christianity separate itself from Judaism and what issues affected the development of the new religion? How did the Roman bureaucracy react to Christianity and why?
Conceptual

Question 18

Analyze the changes in Roman government from Augustus through the Julio-Claudian emperors of the first century C.E. What aspects of the Republic changed? What impact did these emperors have on the Roman world?
Conceptual

Question 19

What factors led to the decline of the Roman world? Which of the various difficulties that Rome faced do you think were the most important issues that explain the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire, and why?
Conceptual

Question 20

How did the Punic Wars impact the history and development of the Roman world? What were the long-term economic and social impacts of Hannibal's march through Italy? How did the defeat of Carthage impact the later development of the Roman world?
Conceptual