1. The Roman EmpireUnitVocabulary
1.The legend of Romulus and Remus – Roman legend states that these twin brothers were rescued and
raised by a wolf. Romulus later killedRemus and started the city of Rome.
2. Romulus – The first king of Rome in 753 BC.
3. Aeneas –Trojan hero who fled after the Trojan War and led his followers to Italy. Romulus and Remus are
said to be descendants of Aeneas.
4. The Aeneid – The story of Aeneas leading his followers to Italy and was written by a man named Virgil.
5. Archaic Rome – The first time period of Rome when kings led the people.
6. The Roman Republic – Created in 509 BC, the republic no longer had kings, but rather the people elected
leaders to govern them.
7. Roman Dictators – Leaders who ruled with absolute power during the Roman Republic
8. Plebeians – The common people of Rome (peasants, traders, and workers).
9. Patricians – The powerful nobles of Rome (wealthy citizens and nobles)
10. Magistrates – Elected officials who represented the people.
11. Consuls – The two most powerful magistrates who were elected to run the city and army.
12. Roman Senate – The council of wealthy and powerful Romans that advised the city’s leaders.
13. Latin – The Roman language.
14. Law of the Twelve Tables – 12 bronze tablets of Roman laws displayed in the Forum.
15. Forum – Rome’s public meeting place/building. This is known as the heart of Rome as people went there
to meet, shop, chat, and gossip.
16. Legions – A group of 6,000 Roman soldiers.
17. Punic Wars – A series of wars between Rome and Carthage (in West Africa). The word Punic means
“Phoenician” in Latin. There were 3 total Punic Wars. As a result of the Punic Wars, Rome took control of
Sicily, Corsica, Spain, and North Africa.
18. Roman Empire – The Roman Republic was called the Roman Empire after the renaming of Emperor
Octavian to Augustus meaning “revered one”.
19. Pax Romana – The Latin phrase meaning “Roman Peace” which describes the first 200 years of peace of
the Roman Empire.
20. Roman Accomplishments – Sewer system, aqueducts, dense concrete, extensive road systems, bridges,
equal rights, civil law, written laws, and realistic artwork.
21. Colosseum – A huge Roman building/stadium constructed for gladiator fights.
22. Romance Languages – Latin would eventually develop into multiple language including Italian, French,
Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian.
23. Civil Law – A legal system based on written codes of laws created by the Romans.
24. Religious Tolerance – The Romans worshipped many gods and were usually tolerant/accepting of many
religions and did not insiston imposing their beliefs on others.
25. Christianity – A religion based on the life of Jesus with rooted ideas and traditions from Judaism.
26. Jesus of Nazareth – Central figure of the Christian Faith. His life is told in the Bible’s New Testament.
27. Crucifixion – A type of execution/murder in which is person is nailed to a cross. This is how Jesus of
Nazareth was executed.
28. Resurrection – Christians refer to Jesus’ rise from the dead as the Resurrection.
29. Apostles – The 12 men whom Jesus chose to receive special training. After the resurrection, the Apostles
traveled widely telling of Jesus and his teachings.
30. Paul of Tarsus – An Apostle who spread the Christian faith extensively while traveling the Roman world.
31. Constantine – The Roman emperor who removed the ban of Christianity and who later made Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire.
32. Diocletian – Roman emperor who in late 200s (AD) divided the empire in half (east and west) as he felt it
was too large.
33. Reasons for the fall of Rome – Attacks from Germanic tribes, Persians, and the Huns, border disputes,
disease, and high taxes.
34. Attila – Hun leader who raider the Roman Empire.
35. Justinian – Ruler of the Western Roman Empire from 527 AD to 565 AD. He expanded the empire and
created his own legal system called Justinian Law so that life would be fair for all.
36. Theodora – Justinian’s wife.
37. Byzantine Empire – The official name for the Eastern Roman Empire.
