| A | B |
|---|
| Aeneas | Trojan hero that the Romans trace their history back to...story was that he carried his dad out of a burning Troy and found a new home in Italy with the "Latins" |
| Romulus and Remus | twin brothers who survived being thrown in a river in a basket, rescued by a wolf and raised by a shepherd. Romulus killed Remus and named Rome after himself |
| republic | type of government where people elect leaders to govern them |
| dictator | ruler with almost absolute power |
| Cincinnatus | one of Rome's most famous rulers...rose to power then returned to the farm fields. |
| plebians | common people, poor, peasants, workers, traders |
| patricians | powerful nobles, wealthy people |
| magistrates | elected officials in Rome |
| consuls | two most powerful officials, elected for one year (judges, organizers, handled money) |
| senate | council of wealthy and powerful Romans that advised the city's leaders |
| veto | prohibit...in Latin translates to "I forbid" |
| Latin | Rome's language |
| checks and balances | method to balance power to keep any one part of the government from becoming stronger than another |
| forum | Rome's public meeting place |
| legions | groups of up to 6,000 soldiers` |
| Punic Wars | a series of wars against Carthage (a city in Northern Africa) |
| Hannibal | brilliant general who hated Rome and tried to conquer it; he joined forces with Asian and killed himself rather than be Rome's prisoner |
| Marius | encouraged poor people to joing the army so thousands did and were loyal to him giving him political power |
| Spartacus | gladiator who led thousands of slaves in a revolt to demand freedom; was killed in battle and the revolt fell apart |
| Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus | brothers who served as tribunes and help the poor; they were killed and the Romans began to see violence as a political weapon |
| tribunes | assemblies that represented the common people (approved and rejected laws, elected magistrates) |
| tripartite government | a government with three parts: magistrates, senate and assemblies/tribunes |
| 12 tables | Rome's first written law code on 12 bronze tables/tablets that were displayed in the forum |
