| A | B |
|---|
| Sabines | The tribe located near Rome from which the first king, Romulus, took wives for the men in his new settlement (aka, Rome) |
| Sibyl | A female oracle (woman who can tell the future) who tried to sell the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, 9 books that detailed the future of Rome. At first he dismissed her and she burned six of the nine books. He eventually bought the last three for the original asking price. |
| Cincinnatus | A Roman honored for being a farmer who was called upon to act as dictator in a time of crisis. He defeated the enemy and then returned, humbly, to his farm (Romans honored humble farmers) |
| Mucius Scaevola | A patriotic soldier who tried to assassinate an enemy king. When he was captured, he burned his right hand to show the enemy how strong and brave Roman men really were. |
| Horatius Cocles | A patriotic soldier who guarded a bridge against the enemy while the Romans behind him destroyed the bridge to cut off access to Rome. |
| Cloelia | A Roman woman given to the Etruscans as a hostage during a war. She escaped and returned to Rome while being pursued. The Romans sent her back, but the Etruscan king let her go, praising her for her bravery. |
| Tarpeia | A Roman woman who gave the enemy information on how to get into Rome in exchange for jewelry. The enemy killed her for being a traitor to her own country. She was thrown off a rock which was then called the Tarpeian Rock, a place from which traitors were thrown. |
| Lucretia | The wife of a Roman noble. She was raped by the son of the last king (Tarquinius Superbus) and killed herself because of her shame. Because of this, the Romans finally kicked out the corrupt kings and changed the government to a Republic. |
| Brennus | The leader of the Gauls when the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 BCE. |
| Coriolanus | A Roman general who was exiled and then joined the enemy in an attack against Rome. |
| Verginia | A Roman girl whom one of the corrupt decemvirs tried to rape. Her father killed her rather than have her be touched by the corrupt official. |
| Horatii v. Curiatii. | The Romans and Albans were fighting a war, so many men died that the generals decided to pick three men from each side to fight, and decide the war based on the outcome. The Horatii were Roman, the Curiatii were Alban. Only one Roman survived the battle, but all the Albans died, so Rome won. |
| Samnites | People who lived in the Appenine Mountains and often rebelled against Roman control of the area. |
| Etruscans | People who lived North of Rome and had a sizeable empire until the Romans defeated them and absorbed the area under their own control. |
| Pyrrhus of Epirus | A Greek general who went to Italy to help Greek colonists who had come in conflict with the Romans in Southern Italy. He won two battles, but lost so many resources in doing so that he had to return to Greece, leaving all of Italy under Roman control. |
| Consul | During the Roman Republic, there were two consuls who acted as heads of state (both heads of government and the military). They were elected and served for a year. |
| Aedile | There were several aediles at a time during the Republic. They were in charge of public entertainment and safety. They were elected and served for a year. |
| Praetor | A judicial position during the Republic. There were several at a time. They were elected and served for a year. |
| Quaestor | A financial official during the Republic. They were elected and served for a year. |
| Tribune of the Plebeians | This position was created as a result of the Conflict of the Orders (a struggle for rights fought by the plebeian lower class). There were 10 tribunes who represented the lower classes. |
| Pontifex Maximus | Chief priest of Rome. This was an elected position and the winner served for life, but could serve other positions as well. |
| Vestal Virgin | 6 priestesses of Vesta who tended to the city hearth and kept citizens' wills for them. |
| Censor | Two elected officials who were usually older men in charge of morality, the census, and taxes (as well as some maintenance of public facilities). They served for five years. |
| Patrician | the ruling class in Rome |
| Plebeian | the lower class in Rome |
| 12 Tables | the written laws of Rome (written by men called decemvirs who eventually became corrupt and were kicked out) |
| senate | a group of men from the upper classes who acted as advisors in the government |
