| A | B |
|---|
| Italian Peninsula | Surrounded by Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, and Mediterranena Seas; Shaped like a boot |
| Alps | Mountain Range on northern part of Italian Peninsula; Separates Italy from the rest of Europe |
| Adriatic Sea | Sea on eastern coast of Italian peninsula |
| Mediterranean Sea | Sea on southern coast of Italian peninsula |
| Sicily | Largest Italian Island; "kicked" by the Italian peninsula |
| Tiber River | Rome was built on seven hills surrounding this landform, which runs through the city of Rome |
| Mediterranean Climate | Mild (warm) and semi-dry precipitation |
| Romulus | The city of Rome was named after him |
| Remus | Twin brother of Romulus |
| Polytheism | Believing in many gods |
| Jupiter | King of gods and ruler of the universe (Greek: Zeus) |
| Juno | Sister and wife of Jupiter (Greek: Hera) |
| Neptune | God of the Sea (Greek: Poseidon) |
| Mars | God of war (Greek: Ares) |
| Venus | Goddess of fertility (Greek: Aphrodite) |
| Patricians | Upper class (nobility) in Roman society |
| Plebeians | Majority of the population consisting of landowners, townspeople, merchants, and farmers |
| Slaves | People forced into servant classes by conquest |
| Republic | Form of government in which the people choose their leaders. |
| Dictator | Ruler with complete control |
| Veto | Power to say "no" to political decisions |
| Consul | People elected to supervise the business of government and command armies |
| Hannibal | Leader of Carthage who attacked Roman mainland during the 2nd Punic War |
| Carthage | Former Phoenician City-state located in North Africa |
| Augustus Caesar | The "exhalted one"; Adopted son of Julius |
| Marcus Brutus | Friend who stabbed Caesar |
| Gaul | Modern day France |
| Caligula | Emperor who appointed his horse as Consul |
| Nero | Emperor who persecuted Christians and may have set fire to Rome |
| Trajan | Emperor who expanded the empire to its greatest size |
| Hadrian | Built a wall in Britain to protect Romans from Celtic attacks |
| Marcus Aurelius | Last great Roman Emperor who was a student of Greek stoics |
| Commodus | Emperor who was a vain and violent man who ruled as the Empire declined |
| Pax Romana | 200 year period of Roman peace |
| Circus Maximus | A place where chariot races and other froms of entertainment were held for the masses of poor in the cities |
| Colosseum | Large amphitheater that held 45,000 people |
| Pope | Bishop of Rome |
| Forum | Center of government and a meeting/marketplace |
| Aqueduct | Special water carrying canals |
| Pantheon | Temple to the gods built by Hadrian |
| Twelve Tables | Roman laws including "innocent until proven guilty" |
| Latin | Roman language that influenced the romance languages |
| Ptolemy | A great astronomer |
| Virgil | Wrote the "Aeneid" |
| Horace | Great Roman poet |
| Attila | Leader of the Huns; tried to conquer Rome |
| Barbarians | Name given to the those who attacked the Western Roman Empire, which aided in its collapse |
| Franks | One of the group of barbarians who attacked the Romans; who later formed France |
| Diocletian | Divided the Empire into an eastern and western portion |
| Constantine | Converted to Christianity and built a new capital at Byzantium; Issued the "Edict of Milan" |
| Istanbul | Formally known as Byzantium and Constantinople |
