The Roman Empire is one of the most interesting ones yet and was seen as a force to be reckoned with in ancient years. Do you know that the first ever shopping mall was built in Rome between 107 and 110 AD by Emperor Trajan? Take up the multiple-choice test on Bentley Ch. 11 to learn more.
Patricians
Plebians
Democratic leaders
Merchants
Gaius Marius
The Gracchi brothers
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Julius Caesar
Fathers supervised the domestic and business affairs of the family
A family meant an entire household, including slaves, servants, and relatives
Children could be sold into slavery
Slavery was not permanent and many slaves were treated as family members
By installing numerous breakwater constructions, the Romans were able to calm the seas of the Mediterranean and make them as calm as a lake
Romans established ports around the entire perimeter of the Mediterraneans and patrolled the waters, making the region as secure as an inland lake
The Roman love of water-borne sports spread throughout so that the Mediterranean became a lake playground
Romans created sea-farming and the Mediterranean could be fished as easily as a lake
Western Europe, Kush, entire Mediterranean basin
Britain and eastern Europe, Egypt
China, Persia, and Morocco
Russia, Mongolia, Tibet
The rural and urban poor who returned the favor with intense loyalty
The sons of wealthy landowners who supplied the armies lavishly in exchange for officer commissions
The extra sons of merchants who paid the commanders to take them off their parents hands
Orphans and disabled youths who were dispensable and plentiful
Creating a militaristic government modeled on the Spartan tradition of force and authority
Creating the office of tribune who had the power to intervene in all political affairs
Creating the office of dictator to rule Rome in times of crisis and put down plebeian rebellions
Making the Senate more egalitarian and open to plebeians and patricians alike
Carthage was a huge naval and trading empire and the Romans were able to absorb and expand that empire and exploit its resources
Carthage had been raiding Roman cities and outposts along the Mediterranean coast and the banks of the Tiber River for more than 200 years
Carthage had inherited the Athenian trading network and was using it to pirate Roman sea vessels, especially those sailing from Gaul
Carthage had joined with the Etruscans to build roads and bridges which rivaled Roman trade routes
It allowed them to vote in the assemblies, to petition the tribunes, and to depose the dictator if he was deemed too harsh
It allowed them to maintain their culture, and gave them the right to trade in Rome and perhaps become Roman citizens
Compared to the Persian empire, Roman rule was more human and less restrictive to religious freedoms
The Romans were only interested in the economic wealth of regions they controlled, so they did not require taxes or political loyalty from their conquered subjects
Voting rights and patterns
Military leadership and pay
Patterns of land distribution
Patrician versus plebeian conflicts
Had more military victories than his uncle in Gaul and Britain and so had more popular support
Aligned with Marc Antony and cleopatra at Actium to defeat the enemies of Rome
Wisely preserved the facade of the republic while cautiously consolidating his power
Converted to Christianity which brought him renewed public support
In Egypt, as the Romans relied on the export of grain from that fertile land
In Syria, as it lay on the trade routes to the east and into Asia
In the Black Sea region, as the Romans traded for furs and glassware
In Spain, Gaul, and Britain where cities were first built for government and administrative purposes
After a successful revolt, such as the one led by Spartacus in 73 B.C.E.
After years of service as an urban slave around the age of thirty
After successfully completing thirty years of service on the latifundia
After participating in a successful gladiatorial competition
The religions of salvation provided a purpose or model for how to live and the promise of a rewarding afterlife
The religions of salvation were more understandable and simpler to follow than the polytheistic Roman traditions
The religions of salvation were based on logic and rationality which the Romans highly prized
The religions of salvation had their origins in early Roman culture and therefore carried the powerful weight of tradition
The Romans demanded that everyone in their empire worship the Roman gods and observe roman religious traditions and rites
The Jews had never been under occupation before, so they had no experience with religious traditions other than their own
The Jewish religion forbids the worship of any other gods but Yahweh and therefore Jews would not participate in the Roman state cults
The Jews did not want to pay taxes to Rome without some representation in the Roman government
Roman tribunes because it allowed them to claim the right to rule from God
Elite, wealthy romans because Christianity taught the value of hard work and effort to achieve material and spiritual success
Soldiers because Christianity valued duty, honor, and loyalty above all other values
Slaves and women because Christianity promised spiritual freedom and eternal reward regardless of status
Egypt
Maya
Zhou China
Rome
Egypt and north Africa because Rome brought roads to these desert nations which made unification much easier
Western Europe because Roman rule stimulated trade and agricultural production resulting in urban growth
Eastern Europe because Roman polytheism replaced the cult of Isis and other cults of salvation
Greece because Roman religion absorbed the Greek pantheon and justified polytheism
Han China
Maya culture
Pre-Vedic India
Hellenistic Greece
A republic disguised as a monarchy
A monarchy disguised as a republic
A democracy disguised as an empire
An oligarchy disguised as a democracy
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