| A | B |
|---|
| Apennies | Mountain range that runs north and south through the Italian Peninsula |
| Alps | Mountain range in northern Italy |
| Gaul | land that is present-day France |
| Etruscans | Early people on the Italian peninsula; they conquered the Latins |
| Basin | Area of land drained by a river |
| Tiber | River on which Rome is located |
| Po | River in northern Italy that drains into the Adriatic Sea |
| Sicily | Island at the "toe" of Italy |
| Republic | Government in which citizen have the right to choose their leaders |
| Senate | Lawmaking group in Rome |
| consuls | Two officials elected by the Senate who governed Rome and commanded the army |
| Patricians | Rich and powerful families of Rome |
| Plebeians | farmers, craftsmen and merchants of Rome |
| Tribunes | Officials who were elected to protect the rights of the plebeians |
| Twelve Tables | Laws of ancient Rome |
| Carthage | Rich trading center in north Africa |
| Punic Wars | Wars fought to control Sicily |
| Hannibal | Carthaginian general; lost the Battle of Zama |
| Scipio | Roman general; defeated Hannibal near Carthage |
| Tyrrhenian Sea | Body of water west of the Italian Peninsula |
| Julius Caesar | Great general; became dictator of Rome |
| Ides of March 44 B.C. | Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by the senators |
| Cleopatra | With the help of Julius Caesar, she became a powerful ruler of Egypt |
| civil war | After Julius Caesar's death, the Romans battled each other for power |
| Augustus Caesar | Said," I found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble." |
| Pax Romana | Began with Augustus-200 years of peace and prosperity |
| architecture | The science of building |
| cultural borrowing | Using ideas from one culture in another cultural group |
| dome | Architecture of the Pantheon |
| Colosseum | Gigantic sports arena |
| gladiators | Slaves, prisoners of war or criminals that fought in the Colosseum |
| forum | Roman marketplace |
| aqueducts | Structures used to carry water to towns |
| concrete | Building material created by the Romans-used for roads and buildings |
| Romance languages | Languages based on the Latin language |
| Virgil | Roman poet; wrote The Aeneid |
| Teachings of Jesus | Basis for Christianity |
| Palestine | Land of the ancient Hebrews; known earlier as Canaan |
| Constantine | First Roman emperor to become a Christian |
| Caused by invaders from the north that conquered Roman lands | Rome fell in 476 A.D. |
