Roman Civilization

CMS 206 /History 206

 Final Exam Study Guide - Cheat Sheet

Ground Rules:

You may study for the test in groups (in fact, I encourage you to do so).

The test will be posted on the class web page [you can get the link on the class web page] Saturday morning [April 8, 2000].

The test is closed book. You cannot use the web, class notes, textbooks, conversations with friends [or any source but your own memory].

You may take as long as you like to complete the test. It is designed to require one hour of thinking and writing time.

DO NOT EMAIL your exam to me. Print out your answers and put it in my box [208 Pettengill] by 5:00 pm on Friday of Exam Week [April 14, 2000].

Good luck and have a great break.

Identifies:

Imber's advice: Your answers should be relatively brief, but they should supply salient details. For persons: date, place of birth, public role/job (if any), writings and/or accomplishments and reason why this person is of interest to a student of Roman culture. For offices, magistracies or jobs: what was the jurisdiction of this job, what did the person who held it do, who was the typical holder of the job, why this job is of interest to a student of Roman culture. For events: when they happened, who were the participants, what was the issue and what was the resolution; why this event is of interest to a student of Roman culture.. For descriptive terms: rough translation, the idea or thing it describes; why this term is of interest to a student of Roman culture.

1. ad bestias

2. Aesculapius

3. St. Agatha

4. alae

5. Mark Antony

6. Arria

7. atrium

8. auctoritas

9. augury

10. The Affair of the Bacchanalia

11. Bestiarii

12. Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus

13. Carbo

14. Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus

15. Julius Caesar

16. Catiline

17. Marcus Tullius Cicero

18. Cinna

19. Cleopatra

20. cognomen

21. compluvium

22. concilium

23. Constantine

24. Cult of the Emperor

25. cum manu marriage

26. delatores

27. dignitas

28. Diocletian

29. dominium

30. Marcus Drusus

31. duoviri sacris faciundis

32. Edict of Milan

33. editores

34. epulum Iovis

35. familia

36. familia urbana

37. familia rustica

38. fauces

39. fetiales

40. fides

41. Fimbria

42. first triumvirate

43. flamines

44. Draw a floor plan of a typical Roman House which a member of the Roman elite during the late Republic might own

45. genius

46. Hercules Invectus

47. haruspices

48. imagines

49. impluvium

50. incubation

51. infamis

52. ius necandi

53. Jugurtha

54. Julian the Apostate

55. lanistae

56. lex Julia de aduleteriis andlex Pappia Poppaea

57. lex Ogulnia

58. The Liberators

59. Livia

60. Livy

61. Lucretia

62. Lucullus

63. Ludi Apollinares

64. ludi circenses

65. Ludi Romani

66. ludi scaenici

67. Ludus Troiae

68. maiestas

69. Gaius Marius

70. How did a Roman get married?

71. Q. Caecilius Metellus

72. Mithridates

73. Monstra

74. munera

75. Murdia

76. murmillo

77. Mystery Cults

78. Nero Claudius Caesar

79. If a Roman man adopted the son of another Roman man, how might the change be reflected in the adopted son's name. Give an example

80. How did a freedman aquire a name? What would his/her name look like?

81. Consider the name Marcus Tullius Cicero. What is the praenomen, nomen and cognomen. What does each signify. What was Cicero's daughter's name? If he had a second daughter, what would her name be? What was Cicero's wife called?

82. nomen or nomen gentilicium

83. numen

84. Octavian

85. oeci

86. patriapotestas

87. peculium

88. Junius Brutus Pera

89. St. Perpetua

90. Pharsulus

91. Pliny the Elder

92. Pliny the Younger

93. pontifex maximus

94. Pompey

95. Potitii and Pinarii

96. praenomen

97. princeps

98. retiarii

99. rex sacrorum

100. Saturninus

101. St. Sebastian

102. second triumvirate

103. Sejanus

104. secutores

105. sine manu marriage

106. Social Wars

107. Sodales

108. sui iuris

109. Lucius Cornelius Sulla

110. Sybiline Oracles or Books

111. tabernae

112. tablinum

113. templum

114. Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus

115. Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus

116. Theodosius

117. Tiro

118. Triumviri Epulones

119. Turia

120. tutor

121. Ulpian

122. Venationes

123. Titus Flavius Vespasianus

124. vernae

125. vestibulum

126. vilici

127. votive games

128. "We who are about to die salute you."

129.

Essay Questions:

Imber's advice: Supply background factual information (e.g., for question 1, below, be sure to explain what munera and ludi were); make reference to specific assigned readings and class discussions (e.g., for question 2, be sure to talk specifically about readings you did on Roman women - I know you won't be able to remember all the details, but I expect your essays to show that you've read and thought about the assignments).
  1. Compare munera to ludi. What are the similarities and differences in these events? What cultural purposes and needs did each serve?

  2. Consider the depictions of Arria, Murdia and Turia. How are they similar. What do these similarities tell us about Roman women? Consider Juvenal's Sixth Satire on women. What features characterize women according to Juvenal? What do these different representations of Roman women tell us about the way Roman's thought about women. Are these representations historically accurate? If not, what does the difference between the representation and the actual facts suggest?

  3. Describe the various ways that the Romans believed their gods communicated with them. What do these practices tell us about the role Romans understood religion to play in their society?

  4. Describe and discuss two mystery religions that flourished in Rome. How are they alike and different? What does the comparison tell us about the role of mystery cults in Roman public life?

  5. Describe and discuss three ludi that Romans celebrated. How are they alike and different? What does the comparison tell us about the role of ludi in Roman public life?

  6. Describe the layout of a Roman House (drawing a floor plan will do the job). What does this information tell us about what Romans understood the role of a member of the elite to be in their society? What does this information tell us about the relationship between rich and poor in Roman society.

  7. Did Roman law treat a Roman citizen's sons any different than it did his slaves? Why or why not?  

  8. Did the Romans have a theology? Why or why not? How did the presence or absence of a theology effect a Roman's experience of his/her religion and the role of religion in Roman life.

  9. How might a Roman become a priest? What does this tell us about the role Romans understood religion to play in their society?

  10. How was Octavian able to become Augustus? What other regimes in Roman history might his be compared to? Why was his successful and others not?

  11. What factors complicate the job of a historian who wishes to write about Roman women? Do comparable difficulties occur in the study of other aspects of Romanitas?  

  12. What role does slavery play in our understanding of Romanitas? What difficulties confront the historian who chooses Roman slavery as her topic?

  13. What was the legal status of Roman women? How might studying laws relating to women help us understand Romanitas?

  14. When and why did the Roman Republic fall?

  15. Why did Romans deify their emperors? What does the practice tell us about changes in Romanitas under the empire.

  16. Why did the Romans like gladiatorial games?

  17. Why did Romans persecute Christians? Why did the persecutions fail?

  18. Why might a Roman participate in a mystery cult? How would his/her participation affect his understanding of and relation to traditional Roman religious practices?

  19. Why was Vespasian considered a "good" emperor and Caligula considered a "bad" emperor. What do the categories of "good" and "bad" emperor tell us about what Romans considered the role of the emperor to be?  


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