Download Chapter 5 - Exam Study Guide (2016)

European History
Chapter 5 - Ancient Rome
Study Guide
Important Figures:
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Romulus & Remus –
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Cincinnatus –
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Hannibal –
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Tiberius-
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Gaius –
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Julius Caesar –
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Pompey –
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Marc Anthony –
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Octavian Augustus –
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Caligula –
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Nero –
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Hadrian –
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Marcus Aurelius -
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Jesus -
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Paul –
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Diocletian –
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Constantine –
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Claudius -
Terms:
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Plebeians –
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Patricians –
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12 Tables (the general idea, you do not need to memorize them) -
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Pax Romana –
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Silk Road –
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Circus Maximus –
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Coliseum –
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Aquaducts –
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Imperialism –
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Latifundia –
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Census -
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Inflation -
Focus Questions
1. How do you think geography influenced the founding of Rome and its rise to power?
2. Describe the Roman Republic and its government structure.
3. What attributes of Roman rule helped it maintain control over the land and people it conquered?
4. What was Roman society like?
5. Identify the Roman principles that are the foundation for the American legal system (Hint: the 12
Tables).
6. How did Rome’s conquests affect the empire?
7. What were the Punic Wars? What was significant about each of the 3? How did the outcome alter the
futures of both Carthage and Rome?
8. What problems did the Roman Republic face?
9. What sparked the infighting that eventually led to the decline of Rome’s republic?
10. In many ways, Rome was actually an empire before it was formally an empire. How?
11. What did Caesar accomplish as dictator?
12. What happened after Caesar was assassinated?
13. Why is the 200-year period that began with Augustus and ended with Marcus Aurelius called the Pax
Romana?
14. What fundamental institutions established by Augustus are still used today?
15. Describe the structure of the Roman Empire?
16. How was the Roman Empire a “victim of its own success?
17. What economic and social issues disturbed the balance of the empire?
18. How did political turmoil affect the stability of the Roman Empire?
19. How did the Huns and other invaders weaken the Roman Empire?
20. Why did the Roman Empire “fall?”
21. What is the legacy of the Roman Empire?
22. Describe the central ideas of Christianity.
23. What is significant about the fact that Jesus emphasized mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness? Consider
what you have read about the Roman Empire. Why might the emphasis on these qualities appeal to
many of his followers?
24. What was Paul’s role in the spread of Christianity?
25. How was the Roman Empire influential in the development of Christianity?