| A | B |
|---|
| consul | one of two officials who led the Roman Republic |
| Tyrrhenian Sea | body of water west of Rome |
| Etruscans | the people who founded Rome, the Romans took over these people and adopted their ideas |
| republic | a government in which citizens who have the right to vote select their leaders |
| Tiber River | a river which flows south through Italy and through the city of Rome |
| patrician | a member of an upper-class family in the Roman Republic |
| plebeian | an ordinary citizen in the Roman Republic |
| veto | the rejection of any planned action or rule by a person in power |
| dictator | a ruler who had total control of the government |
| Carthage | a North African city in the present day country of Tunisia |
| Julius Caesar | a Roman political and military leader who became dictator for life, was assassinated by Roman senators |
| Augustus | also known as Octavian, means "highly respected", first emperor of Rome |
| Pax Romana | the period of stability and prosperity in the Roman Empire, lasting from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180; "Roman Peace" |
| province | a unit of an empire or a country; area of the Roman Empire ruled by a governor, who was supported by an army |
| Latin | the language of the Romans |
| Nero | the Roman emperor known for his cruel treatment of the Christians, murdered his mother and wife |
| Hadrian | one of Rome's "Five Good Emperors", issued a code of laws, helped to unify the empire |
| concrete | a new building material in Rome which was a mix of stone, sand, cement, and water |
| Colosseum | a large amphitheater (holds 50,000) built in Rome around 70 A.D.; site of contests and combats between people and animals, also had mock naval battles |
| aqueduct | a structure that carries water over long distances |
| Justinian | a ruler who used Roman laws to to create a famous code of justice |
| villa | a large country estate; the location of where important sources of food for ancient Rome were held |
| circus | arena in ancient Rome; also the show held there |
| gladiator | a person in ancient Rome who fought in an arena for the entertainment of the public; usually a slave |
| Jesus | founder of Christianity; believed by his followers to be the Messiah |
| messiah | a savior |
| New Testament | a part of the Christian Bible; where stories about Jesus are taught |
| disciples | a follower of a person or a belief |
| Gospels | descriptions of Jesus' life and works found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John |
| crucify | put to death by being nailed to a large wooden cross |
| Christians | Jesus' followers who helped spread the religion from Jerusalem to Rome and later all around the world |
| Paul | a believer in Jesus who at first as a Jew persecuted Christians and later became a Christian and spread Christianity by traveling and writing epistles |
| epistle | a letter; in the Christian Bible, letters written by disciples to Christian groups |
| Diocletian | ruler who outlawed Christian services and put many believers to death; divided the empire into 2 parts |
| martyr | a person who dies for a particular cause |
| Constantine | emperor of Rome who had a vision of a cross in the sky while going into battle; encouraged the spread of Christianity, moved the capital of Rome |
| Commodus | ruler of Rome who was cruel and brutal; loved bloodshed and participated as a gladiator; fall of Roman Empire began with his leadership |
| mercenary | a soldier who serves for pay in a foreign army |
| inflation | an economic situation in which there is more money with less value |
| Byzantium | the city where Constantine moved his capital; present day city of Istanbul |
| Black Sea | body of water north of present day Turkey |
| Aegean Sea | body of water between Greece and Turkey |
| Adriatic Sea | body of water between Italy and Greece |
| Mediterranean Sea | body of water separating the continents of Europe and Africa |
| Tunisia | the present day country where Carthage was once a major city |
| Algeria | the present day country located west of Tunisia on the continent of Africa |
| Italy | the present day boot shaped country where the city of Rome is located |
| Rome | the present day capital of Italy |
| Sicily | island country at the toe of the peninsula, Italy |
| Malta | the small island country in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and North Africa |
| France | present day country once known as Gaul; located west of Italy |
| "City of Seven Hills" | the geography of the city of Rome |
| one year | the length of time a consul could rule |
| six months | the length of time a dictator could rule |
| Twelve Tables | the written code of laws to make laws more equal between the patricians and plebeians |
| Brutus | the friend of Julius Caesar who helped assassinate him |
| Roman Empire began | it is what happened after the Roman Republic died |
| imperialism | the practice of gaining control over foreign lands and people |
| Caligula | cruel and unfair ruler (believed to have made his horse a member of the Senate- consul) |
| Jupiter | Roman god compared to Zeus |
| Minerva | Roman goddess compared to Athena |
| arches | type of architecture used by Romans to build huge buildings |
| free grain | given to the poor to make bread to keep them from rioting |
| warship rowers and mines | two terrible jobs by the slaves |
| work in household | one job where slaves may have been treated the best |
| Bethlehem | city where Jesus was born |
| Nazareth | city where Jesus grew up |
| rose from the dead | belief by Christians of what happened to Jesus after his crucifixion |
| 5 reasons Roman Empire fell | emperors stole money and bribed the army, weak rulers assassinated other rulers, mercenaries not loyal to Rome, Empire grew too big to rule, and economic problems like no money, food, or jobs, and inflation |
| Germanic tribes | attacked and conquered Rome |
| the empire fell | what happened to the Western Roman Empire |
| the empire strenghtened | what happened to the Eastern Roman Empire |
| Byzantine Empire | what the Eastern Roman Empire was changed to |
| Constantinople | the city which was once Byzantium and is present day Istanbul |
