Download Flashcard Rome and Byzantium

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Flashcard Set #4 (Rome & Byzantium)
Senate
 Most powerful governing body in Rome
 Members were upper class (Patricians)
Patricians
 Landowning upper class of Rome
Pax Romana
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200 year golden age: time of peace and prosperity
Roman empire spread over a large area including Europe, N. Africa and Southwest
Asia
Laws of the Twelve Tables
 Set of laws that were written and displayed in public (codified)
 Allowed all people to be aware of and know the law
 Created as a result of demands by the Plebeians
 Principles became the foundation for legal systems in the West (US)
Aqueducts
 Bridge-like stone structures that carried water from hills to the cities
 Roman engineering achievement
 Brought fresh water into Rome
Octavian (Augustus)
 Son of Julius Caesar
 Made several reforms to improve Rome, stabilized Rome
 His reign marked the start of the Pax Romana
Legion
 Military unit
Latifundia
 Large estates or farms owned by wealthy Romans
 Pushed small farms out of business
Imperialism
 Establishing control (economic, political or social) over foreign lands and people
 Roman expansion relied on conquering new lands
Julius Caesar
 Ambitious military commander
 Declared himself dictator for life
 Reformed gov’t and weakened the power of the patricians
 Assassinated
Engineering
 Use of science and math to develop useful structures and machines
 Roman roads, bridges, aqueducts, baths, Forum
Messiah
 King sent by God
 Jesus was the son of God and would lead people to freedom
Bread and circuses
 Welfare programs that gave free food, entertainment and money to the poor
 Created by Augustus
 Distracted poor people, reduced number of riots
Constantine
 Emperor issued Edict of Milan (313)
 Divided Rome into 2 kingdoms
 Set up a new capital in Byzantium or Constantinople
Edict of Milan
 Granted religious freedom to all people in the Roman empire
Inflation
 Rapid rise of prices
Huns
 Nomadic warriors from central Asia
 Fought for influence in Roman territories
Germanic invaders
 Visogoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Vikings
 Invaded Roman territories and gradually reduced the size of the Roman Empire
 Sack (take over) the city of Rome in 476
 Marks end of Roman empire